MCM House Envy

Look at that door knob people!

I want to buy that house.

Go to No Pattern Required and take a look-see.

Creepy Christmas

Well it is not really all about Christmas.
First though is the need to just post this picture that Ang over at Dorthea's Closet found.

Really, do I need to say anything?

Then there is this gloriously creepy, but beautiful rosary from The Metropolitan Museum of Art. via ArtFire.

Each bead of the rosary represents the bust of a well-fed burgher or maiden on one side, and a skeleton on the other. The terminals, even more graphically, show the head of a deceased man, with half the image eaten away from decay.


I think there should be a swell in reproductions of items like this.
Need.
Now.

A Vintage 50's Christmas: Tablecloths

I pulled the tablecloths out today.
Normally I use this as a curtain in the kitchen.

This is my Christmas Tree Skirt/ under the tree cat bed.

This on is my favorite.
Love the stylized trees and the color combination.

Vintage Etsy or YOU KNOW YOU WANT THAT CLOCK

When my son comes home from work he throws his crap all over the kitchen counter that sticks out in the living room and collects our crap.
Once my Wellbutrin runs out for the day and turns ugly I may yell about his crap all over my counter and might throw it on the ground or maybe at him.
The other day I decided to set this great MCM metal trash can, black with silver deer on it, on the washstand my the counter and have him throw everything in there.
It looks pretty good, but it is a bit tall so I spent some time trolling Etsy trying to find a type of atomic container or planter or large bowl to use. I did not find anything I wanted, but I found some great atomic housewares I want, but do not need.
Here are a few:
Atomic Starburst Vintage Glasbake Casserole or Cake Pan (actually I might NEED this more then I thought)

Amoeba atomic vintage pitcher

Ameoba Boomerang Glasses Atomic Federal Red Black Turquoise Eames

SCHAEFER ATOMIC CLOCK
I really love this beer advertising clock, but man I do not need it.

If you love Mid Century Modern and Atomic vintage you should check out Kim on Tuesday for her Atomic Tuesday roundup and No Pattern Required.

A Mid-Century Housewife’s Life

I just added No Pattern Required over to the blog roll.
Great blog about mid-century furnishings, homes and such.
Plus she once a week she takes a recipe out of those 50s/60's recipe booklets like None Such Mince Meat Recipes and Good Housekeeping’s Meat Cook Book which included the canned meat section.
Yes, spam. Baked spam with peaches.
She not only is brave enough to cook that stuff...they eat it and let us know if the food was as disgusting as we imagine it to be.

She's a better woman then I.

New Vintage Kitchen Curtain

I was pawing though a friend's loot of vintage tablecloths when I ran across this:



"Cool" said I.
"Take it" says she.
So I did.
Now, what seems like a large cotton kitchen towel, is hanging in front of my kitchen window.

Weekend Vintage Finds

Went to a couple of estate sales this weekend.
I think I missed out on patterns at one because I did not have the van on Thursday so had to wait till Friday to attend. There were still some 70's patterns and all indications of a major sewer, sooooo.....
Didn't find anything for the site, but I found some great stuff for myself.
(i know, i know i need to spend money like i need a hole in my head)
But look what I got!
New vintage kitchen curtains (the copper on the curtains is a metallic paint), another vintage chrome chair (I was all about the kitchen) in turquoise and yellow, a couple of tablecloths

(I might sell these) and a nice deco bowl.
And a 70's (?) red with silver piping bowling bag.
Cool.

Vintage Stuff For Me!!!

I went on the BEST HOUSE CALL EVER yesterday.
Went with a friend who is great, the sisters dealing with their Mother and Aunt's houses (side by side with a pool and pool/party house in between) were also a hoot.
I got some wonderful vintage dresses, purses and hats for Damn Good Vintage, but the best part was all the wonderful retro stuff I got for myself.
Here are some pictures of my haul.



Good Times

Haywood Wakefield, I Haz It....

Look what my hubby bought.
Our first piece of Haywood Wakefield.
Serious discount from a good dealer friend.
Happy Mother's Day to me.

Estate Sale Finds

I had a cool sale weekend.
Got a great set of vintage tumblers, aqua blue with with rubber swirls and still has the original holder.
Then I found some vintage purses, a sexy cocktail apron (very swanky over a black chiffon cocktail dress and with a martini in hand) and a great pair of vintage sun glasses.
Along with a few great dress (black again, all I buy is black) and vintage shoes.
Here are a few pictures of my finds.

Thriftin'

Not much in the way of garage or estate sales
lately, but I did hit one today.
Look at the cute vintage fish I got!

The little one is too sweet.

Thriftin'

I was heading out to Big Lots today to pick up a new pillow (one of those memory foam ones) that a friend recommended. They were $12 and the same brand is sold at "Bed, Bath and OMG! You don't Need This Shit Beyond" for around $50.
I thought since I slept so well on our new memory foam mattress topper last night I would try one.
(and really I slept really well. I woke up only once, I normally wake up 2 or 3 times, and my back did not hurt as bad as normal.)
There is a huge thrift on the way.
Of course I stopped.
I do not look for vintage clothes at thrifts, I don't have the time and really, for the most part don't find anything older then the 1980's on the racks.
I do look for clothes for The Boy and myself and always check out the "household" stuff.
You never know when some one will donate a house full of vintage Danish Modern furniture or an awesome Haywood Wakefield sofa. I'm on the lookout right now for a MCM tall and narrow china cabinet for my kitchen. Always have an eye out for a cool two tier fiberglass lamp shade, or kitschy stuff or a flash of turquoise and gold.
Today I saw some turquoise and gold.
Look at what I did find today:



Those are some awesome glasses.
$1 each.
I love them.
I actually said "SCORE" when I walked up to the shelf.
I got six of the gold and turquoise highball glasses and six of the cocktail glasses and then six of the red and gold cocktail glasses.

New Stuff at My House

I got some new (at least to me) pieces of vintage furniture in the last few weeks.
First off is my new 50's vintage kitchen table.
This is what it looked like when we got it home:
This is what it looks like now:
Hubby cleaned it it up very nicely.
I really like that "cracked ice" top.
Found it at an estate sale in the storage shed they had were not gonna clean out.
I got it for 10 dolla!
That is my kind of price.
This weekend I got this awesome 50's Kroehler chair
from what I assume was their "Galaxy Designs" group.
It is in just great condition, very comfy and the perfect "reading" chair for me.
I got it from a friend of a friend (which probably makes him my friend too) who sells Mid Century Modern furniture.
I looked all over eBay for an ad, but found none, there were tons of Kroehler ads, just none for the "Galaxy" line. I need to go though my vintage magazine stash and see if I can find one.
Maybe someday I'll run across one of these sofas.

What You Find

When you sell vintage clothing and sewing patterns you have a habit of finding things in pockets and envelopes.
Mostly I find old (un-used) Kleenex in pockets.
Vintage Patterns can be more of a "historical" snapshot.
I've found notes and fabric and newspaper.
Tons of newspaper that was used to remake a pattern piece or the ad a pattern might have be orderd from.
The newspaper pattern pieces are odd and disjointed.
You never get the full article since it will follow the pattern and not the story.
In a way it is more like real life, never following a straight laid out path.
My latest find was in a 1938 mail order American Weekly Standard sewing pattern.
Not only did I get a pattern piece cut out of a newspaper, but also the ad that ran for the pattern:

Pattern 3793-TAKE YOUR CHOICE OF A GAY HOUSECOAT OR A SAUCY WASH-FROCK_ BOTH FROM ONE EASY-TO-STITCH PATTERN! Designed from misses' or women's sizes.....

Saucy wash-frock?
Well, whatever you may call it, it is a great pattern from a pretty 1930's princess seamed dress.
Soon to be listed at Sew-Retro Vintage Sewing Patterns.

Freecycle Retro Score

Ok.
Freecycle is a great idea.
Unfortunately people are involved.
Normally I only give away...I think I have gotten 3 things from Freecycle; printer ink, an ugly recliner that my hubby loves and today's score.
I'm a giver.
I throw stuff out on the drive and say "first comes, first served", which I can only do on the metro Little Rock list and not the local Saline County list since the county list won't let you just leave the stuff out because, get this:
" Curbside or "porch" post are not allowed on Freecycle. With the high price of gas these days, if more than one member heads that direction to pick up your item, the other is out more than just the item, they're out the gas that it took to get there. Then I get angry emails."

Do I come across as someone who cares?

I leave it out on the driveway because people some people are stupid and rude and if you make arrangements they don't show up and they don't call to cancel. And then after you have given it away they are upset that you did not wait for them to just "show up" someday.
There are also the folks who want to tell me how hard up they are and why I should save my crap for them.
Or the folks who have a problem finding you even with a map and call and call and call and call.
Don't care.
Just want it gone without much to much contact.
What? You say bitch like it is a bad thing.

I'm also not one of those folks who care what they will do with my old stuff after it leaves my house; sell it, burn it have wild monkey sex with...I.Do.Not.Care.

All that being said freecycle does come in handy when you are looking for a 50's or 60's record/radio cabinet for your living room and don't want to pay money.

So.Fucking.Happy.

Vintage Finds

It is the cocktail hour and my cran juice and vodka looks great in this vintage 60's tumblers I got while out poking around at thrift shops and antique malls yesterday. Love the martini outline....says "anything goes".
Very me.
I also got these two atomic teacups. I plan on collecting one of these sets, I really need new plates and all, just not sure which I like better....and which will survive the occasional dishwasher cycle.