Atomic Tea Party

Beverly Hills Mid-Century Time Capsule House for Sale

2011-06-08T18:11:00.000-07:00

Here is a fantastic blast to the 60s-70s past. Listed for sale for only $4 million? I'll take it!
I found the listing through the forums on Redfin, my favorite real estate website to looky-loo and long for the day I can buy my own house again. There are a ton more pictures, but here are some of my favorites. The owners obviously loved the oranges, greens, yellows and browns so popular at the time. I can just imagine gazing out those beautiful floor-to-ceiling windows at the view or lounging around the pool surrounded by trees. See the listing here.

This is what they are saying about it on L.A. Curbed (and there are amusing comments from readers debating whether or not the house was staged!) (find it here)

This mid-century ranch in Beverly Hills Post Office has us enchanted and mystified in equal measure. While we suppose it's technically possible for the home's owners to have faithfully preserved its shagadelic 60s-70s aesthetic in amber for four decades, such a feat seems terribly unlikely. Especially when you consider that the five-bedroom, five-bath house is, as its listing mentions, on a "private guarded celebrity street" populated by the likes of Jessica Simpson, Ellen and Portia, and Kimora Lee Simmons. Which brings up another possibility: was the 3,477-square-foot residence staged to endow it with all that pristine Brady Bunch glory? This scenario also strikes us as highly unlikely given the limited appeal such a marketing strategy would have with the already-small pool of potential buyers. But who knows? One thing we do know: regardless of the reason behind the house's resolutely retro appearance, we think it's peachy-keen. Asking price for the 18,300-square-foot property is $3.95 million.

{closed} Giveaway at Straight Talking Mama's!

2011-01-27T10:32:00.000-08:00

I've recently discovered Fiona's blog over at Straight Talking Mama's. She's "a 50s loving gal, living her life and trying to run a business at the same time." Her online biz, based in the U.K., is Notorious Kitsch.

She recently reached 200 followers and is having a fantastic giveaway to celebrate. This is a good one, so hold on to your hats! She is generously offering this super-fab book, Fabulous Fifties, to one lucky follower, anywhere in the world. So go check out her blog and if it's your cup o' tea, follow her and enter to win! Oh, you have until midnight, Jan. 31 to enter, but that's U.K. time, so plan accordingly.

The book has a wide variety of topics, from interior design to clothing. I'm guessing these are fabric patterns. Gorgeous!

Room interiors - delicious!

And look at these beautiful purses!

P.S. As I write this, I have 199 followers! I'm quite excited and very flattered, so I'm planning a giveaway of my own, as soon as I get that next one. Stay tuned!

1950s Designs Re-issued by the Sanderson Company

2011-01-25T09:34:00.000-08:00

Pam at RetroRenovation ran this story this morning, and it's exciting news for mid-century design enthusiasts. If you are not already reading RetroRenovation...well, what's wrong with you?? It's my favorite source for inspiration for my home. She's all about preserving the great things about homes from the 1940s, 50s, 60s, even 70s! So refreshing when we're bombarded with "newer is better!" and "gut it all and install granite!" from design shows and magazines all the time.
So, I thought I'd highlight a few of my favorites of the reissued 50s designs by the Sanderson company. For more complete info, see their website, under New Collections - 50s.
This is Mobiles, available in wallpaper and fabric, in blue:

This is Hayward fabric:

Miro wallpaper in blues and gold:

It's obvious I'm partial to blues, but all of their designs are available in at least 3 colorways. Here is one I like in red, cocoa brown and gold. It's Perpetua fabric:

No prices listed (which usually means expensive), but it appears they will send you up to 4 samples, and these are available in the U.S. and other locations around the world, which is good if you aren't in the U.K., where the company is based.

52-Week Pickup Challenge - Weeks One and Two

2011-01-09T17:09:00.000-08:00

Inspired by 365 projects, like Synthsis' "Minus 365" over at his blog, Just Another Statistic, I have decided to challenge myself. Now, most of these projects require you to do something every day, but I know myself far too well to attempt that. I am going to post weekly about something I've done to declutter, organize or otherwise improve my home. I may also post about something healthy I've done for myself, since I truly need to get in better shape. We'll see about that!

So, for last Week 1, I listed and sold a jewelry armoire that I've had for years and really don't use anymore.

For this Week 2, I have listed one of two vintage stereo consoles I own! Yes, two. Sigh....you vintage lovers know how this comes about. First, you're at an estate sale and spot a bargain too good to pass up, then months later when you're cruising around Craigslist for no good reason, you find one you like even more. Well, this is the one I decided to list, so wish me luck on getting it out of here this week! I feel like I'm off to a good start....with a long, long way to go.

Happy, Groovy, Hip, Swanky New Year!

2011-01-01T12:13:00.000-08:00

I'm sending out best wishes to everyone for a wonderful 2011! In my email today, I got my email from Shagmart, and they are introducing this cool new print.

Looks just like my New Year's Eve last night! Except for the cool tiki restaurant, the Audrey Hepburn body, and the singing cats. I did have the handsome guy, though :)

From the Shagmart email newsletter:

Shag's newest print, Cat Serenade, seen above, goes on sale to the public on Monday, January 3rd at 1:00pm PST.

Many of you have heard about the life-threatening accident that Shag suffered a few weeks ago. We want to thank you for all of the well wishes and let you know that he is expected to make a full recovery. Due to the accident, Shag is planning to take the next year or so easy and will not be exhibiting any original paintings. While he is recovering he plans to take on a handful of commissions.

Wow - I did not know about Shag's accident, so I'm wishing a speedy recovery for him and strength for his family and friends as they help him through a tough time. **UPDATE 1/18/11** an update of sorts...since MoonDoggie asked, I tried to find out what the accident was. Well, I couldn't find anything official or conclusive, just a bit of unconfirmed "I heard through the grapevine" on Tiki Central Forums that he MAY have fallen through a glass wall and was found alone, unconscious, and bleeding from serious cuts. I will update again if and when I find out something confirmed as true. The important thing is, he has made a public appearance (December 12, at the Johnathan Levine Gallery opening of a show of his new works. See here) and that he is doing better! **End Update**

I am resolving to get back to my blog this year, along with a few other goals. I may just share some in the next post! Until then, I'm raising my cup of tea to you all in a toast to a new beginning!

Life Happens

2010-07-22T13:55:00.000-07:00

Where has the time gone??

I have missed my blog. I have missed reading all my favorite blogs. I feel like I've been mostly absent from the internet community I have been such a part of for so long now. Where have I been, you ask? What could possibly have taken me away from all the facets of blogging that I so enjoy? Well....lots of stuff. Some people blog about their personal lives on a daily basis, and maybe it helps them work things out, but I'm sort of the opposite. I just withdraw and sort of hibernate until I feel like I can emerge from my slumber refreshed.

So, I'm going to give my readers, if there are any left after a 7-month absence, the bullet points. I couldn't possibly write down all the details, even if I thought you'd be interested (which I doubt).

To put it mildly, I felt like I lost control of the tea party of life!

The biggie - the end of my 10-year marriage, and a 19-year-total relationship.
Moving to a new house because of....
The loss of our Upland house (it's in the short sale process, trying to avoid foreclosure)
The sale of our Yucca Valley house, which we still owned and couldn't rent successfully
Unemployment (both my ex and me)
The effect of all these things, especially the separation, on my kids, and on me.

Sometimes I have felt like this, just wanting to throw myself down and have a big tantrum!

Sometimes I have felt like this, life just ain't fair...

Things are turning around slowly and I'm happier than I've been in a long time. So, there you have it. You are all caught up on the Atomic Tea Party gossip!

I'm planning on posting about my new home (surprise - it's a mobile home!) soon. And oh boy, have I been doing some major thrifting! I've started slowly adding to my Etsy shop, even made a few sales, and I'm planning a big Flickr account upload soon, so keep an eye out on the sidebar for those. I should also be cleaning up the blog a bit, since I'm sure I have things I need to update, delete, refresh, etc.

It's good to be back. I'm ready to hula!

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T19:20:00.000-08:00

Many wishes for a New Year filled with nothing but happy minutes and lots of quality time!

P.S. I have the red teapot clock pictured above!

Vote for My Retro Goddess

2009-12-29T01:13:00.000-08:00

Super-blog Apartment Therapy is hosting the 2009 Homies awards.
**Update! RetroRenovation is one of the finalists! Vote here. **

My favorite blog, RetroRenovation by Pam Kueber (my Retro Goddess) is nominated, and is one of the Top 6! She needs more votes, and she truly deserves them! If you have read RetroRenovation, you know what an amazing resource and inspiration it is for all lovers of Mid-Century Modern and Modest.

The Apartment Therapy website has this to say about the Homies:

Shelter Bloggers Rule!

There are awards for all sorts of blogs, but no one ever pays enough attention to the shelter blogs, so we started The Homies. It's our way of surveying the blogosphere each year for the best new home design blogs and sharing what we find. It's not so much a competition as a celebration of the richness and awesomeness of shelter bloggers around the world. Join us, share your favorites and check out the ones you don't know. We want to elevate good home blogs, see who you love and gain awareness for the home niche.

**Voting for this final round ends JAN 6 at 5:00 p.m. EST, so please go now and register with them (it's free, and they are safe and reputable) and VOTE!**

When I voted, this is the comment I left as to why it is one of my favorite blogs:
“Where to begin? RetroRenovation has been a daily destination for me for the past two years. It has been a resource and inspiration for projects around my last and current home, and a source of validation for my obsessions! There are really people out there who find mid-century everything just as fascinating as I do! This blog inspired me to start my own blog, to start an Etsy shop, and to make my home the best it can be. I never tire of looking at the time-capsules, estate sales, products, resources, vintage images, etc. that Pam tirelessly researches and shares with all of us. She is my Retro Goddess!”

There are so many reasons to love Pam's work:
She is a campaigner for preservation of original pastel bathrooms

The site is chock-full of resources like this:

She posts eye candy like these:

And this is her kitchen, for crying out loud!!

Good Thrifting

2009-12-21T19:56:00.000-08:00

I've been collecting bits and pieces here and there since the last post I did about my thrift store finds, so I figured it was time to share.

One day, I got this great haul:

Four Pyrex refrigerator dishes, in the Butterprint pattern, mint condition with lids!
Butter dish - "Nordic" pattern by Syracuse
Cool plate - "Windblown" by Salem
Cute elephants - for my growing collection. I just keep finding them, and elephants are such amazing animals, I can't help myself.
Pyrex juice carafe in the "Butterfly Gold" pattern

From other stores, other days....

Got these starburst Miramar Melmac dessert plates, aqua and gold

The coolest little "Thermo-Serv" insulated pitcher, in aqua. Tragedy, though - the clerk dropped it when he was ringing me up, and now it's got a big crack. Oh well, he did give it to me for free.

Pyrex casserole, in the aqua Snowflake pattern I love.

These beautiful vintage wall sconces for $1.50 each!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T09:05:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been a while! Obviously my birthday sent me for such a loop I lost my ability to blog.
I just wanted to check in with a quick post because I loved this card on froggyboggler's Flickr photostream so much. You NEED to go look at her photos because she has a truly amazing house and collection of vintage STUFF. Start right here at her bathroom - the coolest ever!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Mine will be turkey-less, but I will enjoy it just as much as the rest of you, I promise! As long as there's pumpkin pie, I'm a happy, happy girl. :)

A Virtual Birthday Party for Me!

2009-10-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

Well, times are tough and money is tight, so I thought I would give myself free reign to shop for virtual birthday presents! Off the top of my head, and with just a short time to search around the 'net, I came up with a little virtual goodie bag for myself. Here ya go!

This Fisher Price Roly Poly Chime Ball that I had as a kid:

from RetroClassics on Etsy

A pair of Wade hedgehogs (I've collected these Wade miniatures since I was in grade school! And they're hedgehogs - too cute!)

from MoonDoggie on Etsy

Yes, another bag from AtomicLivin - this one is Pretty in Pink!

AtomicLivin on Etsy

A genuine Eric McGrew (aka JEM 'n' Tonic from Amidst Mod)
This is RF Sign:

Amidst Mod on Etsy

And, of course, one of my fondest wishes for some years now, a vintage Mini:

This is a 1966 Morris Downton Mini Cooper from
MiniGuy .com

Maybe I'll come up with some more fun stuff to give myself tomorrow! This is really fun - all the thrill of shopping with no bills to pay, and I can come to look at my goodies right here any time I want - and they won't clutter up my house or need to be filled with gas.

And oh yeah....I'm 41 today. Let's hear it for all the 1960's babies! Woo hoo!

A Rooty-Tooty Fresh-n-Fruity Giveaway!

2009-10-07T16:25:00.000-07:00

The delightful RetroModern Housewife is giving away this very Carmen Miranda-esque bracelet!

Go take a look-see at her blog to enter yourself in the contest if you'd like. She's got a fantastic blog of retro fun!

Happy Anniversary Anthony & Tommy!

2009-10-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

Congratulations on your first year of marriage, and 19 years as a couple. Here's to a lifetime of love and happiness! You guys are my dearest friends and darn cute to boot :)
Your wedding day was one of the happiest days of my life, as I know it was for you!

My Flickr Groups

2009-09-28T10:52:00.000-07:00

Quite a while ago, I got pretty caught up in Flickr. Still am, actually. It's another place to link up with fellow mid-century, vintage, retro enthusiasts. Of course, Flickr has members from all over the world, and of every imaginable interest, so if you want to find a group of photos dedicated to "Geraniums of All Kinds" you can (that's an actual group).

http://www.flickr.com/groups/sealife-midcentury/

If you are interested in collecting images along a certain theme, and you don't find a group, you make one! I'm up to five groups that I started. Of course, I'm a member of many, many more. Just can't seem to stop once you've gotten started!

I'd like to share my groups with you, since they are all obviously things that interest me quite a lot, and I'm hoping they'll interest some of you, too. Oh, and if you have a "Contact" on Flickr and you're intrigued by their photos because you share common interests, you can look up their contacts, and what groups they belong to (kinda like a blogroll and followers on someone else's blog). Therefore, the length of the chain you create is probably virtually endless! It's like being a great big club where everyone likes the same weird stuff you do (especially exciting when your neighbors, friends, family, random strangers, perhaps even your spouse think you are nuts).

Without futher ado, the Groups of Tikimama (TikiLisa on Flickr):

http://www.flickr.com/groups/paint-chip-fun/

http://www.flickr.com/groups/mid-century-wood/

http://www.flickr.com/groups/atomic-tea-party/

http://www.flickr.com/groups/mid-century-hostess/

Well, it's about time!

2009-09-28T07:53:00.000-07:00

Oh happy day! I WON Welcome to Deluxeville's giveaway of that fab clock! I never win in contests, raffles or giveaways, it seems, so I was so shocked and happy - I was totally acting the fool last night when I found out, dancing around and singing to my daughters "I won, I won, I won!" If they ever doubted that their mama was crazy, they doubt no longer.

Thank you so much, MaryDeluxe!

And, on top of that, I've reached 100 followers! Yes, the magic number where all bloggers must celebrate, it seems. So, a giveaway on Atomic Tea Party is in the works!!

(Did anyone get my clever pun in the title? ;)

A DeluxeVille Giveaway!

2009-09-22T18:49:00.000-07:00

I love giveaways - who doesn't? One of the first blogs I found and followed, courtesy of the mother-of-them-all, Retro Renovation, was Welcome to DeluxeVille by the gorgeous MaryDeluxe. She has the most amazing home, and her collection of lamps is stunning! She is quite the handy-woman, too - she does everything herself around the house, and I'm so impressed. She even dresses vintage, from her fantastic collection of vintage clothing. That's something I've never quite managed, and I'm so envious of the girls who do!

So, in celebration of reaching over 100 followers, Mary has decided to give away this fantastic atomic clock. Isn't it just loverly?

If you would like to enter yourself into the giveaway, go here. But definitely check out DeluxeVille and become one of the loyal followers.

By the way, there are almost 100 followers of Atomic Tea Party, so I'm planning a little giveaway of my own. Hmmmm....what should it be?

Sometimes the old-fashioned way is for the birds

2009-08-13T13:57:00.000-07:00

This was me, the entire past year we have lived in this house:

Doing dishes by hand is one of my least favorite chores. Do you have any idea how many cups, bowls, spoons, etc, etc two little girls can go through in ONE DAY?!
I'm ashamed to admit I was doing a little happy dance, complete with song, this morning when our dishwasher was finally restored to working order by an angel from heaven (Sears repairman).
Of course, as I type this, there is still a sink full of dirty dishes, but one must be true to one's priorities!
I remain, as always...

Images via the brilliant Anne Taintor
making smart people smile since 1985

Fantasy Look

2009-08-12T10:19:00.000-07:00

This is the haircut I would love to get!

Victoria Von Hagen - New York 1952
via parisglobe's photostream on Flickr

Well.....if I looked like this divine beauty.
I haven't been able to find much about Victoria Von Hagen...anyone know more? She was certainly stunning.
Such a glamorous image, even if I don't go for smoking OR fur. Her makeup and jewelry are perfect. And I used to be able to see my collarbone like that, too...sigh.

Luau Time with Tikimama

2009-08-10T21:58:00.000-07:00

I cohosted a monthly Supper Club with a good friend on Saturday; we decided to do a Hawaiian-themed barbeque. Everyone came dressed in their best island wear, and I decorated a bit with some of my odds and ends of Hawaiiana. I looked to some of my vintage Better Homes and Gardens cookbooks for inspiration for the vegetable shish kebabs and fruit platters that were my food contribution. You have to keep in mind that for me, this is very fancy!

Veggie kebabs, before grilling. They were yummy!

One of my table decorations. I filled some of my monkeypod wooden bowls with snacks, and others with shells. It was simple and beachy-feeling and very easy.

I made sure to have Daddy-O take a pic of me with my new glasses:

I hit 40 last year and like clockwork needed bifocals! These are the modern version, where you don't get that pesky line in the middle, and I drove the people at the eye doctor's office crazy because I didn't like any but these vintage-look frames. They had to custom sketch and cut the lenses to accomodate my prescription! But, I wear my glasses all day, every day, so I have to like them!
On another note, my hair is at that stage where it's grown out to just blah. I've already trimmed my bangs, and I'll need to recolor, but what I want everyone's opinion on is a good style for me that I could make look a bit more retro. I have very little time to spend on myself with two little girls to take care of, so it has to be simple. I'll probably end up with the chin-length flip if no one gives me any better ideas!

Lushpad Giveaway!

2009-08-08T05:33:00.000-07:00

Lushpad: "The Buy and Sell Marketplace for Modern Collectors"
Or, for people like me, a great website to drool over furniture and home decor that I can't as yet afford, and a wonderful resource to get educated in all things mid-century modern.

Right now they are having a giveaway of a set of back issues AND a 2-year subscription to Modernism magazine. I guess I just lessened my chances of winning by sharing this info with all of you! I think you sign up to be a member of their site if you aren't already, subscribe to their monthly newsletter, and you get notified of their monthly giveaways. They've given away very cool, very expensive furniture pieces in the past, too.

Modernism magazine's current issue has an article on this dreamy Brazilian tropical modern house:

The house belonged to the featured Brazilian mosaic artist, Paolo Wernick. An example of his work, featured on the Modernism magazine site:

Lushpad's site offers articles as well as ad listings. This month they have a great article with helpful tips on how to restore your vintage furniture finds when they have scratches, dents, watermarks, worn leather and the like. You can find the article here.

They also highlight Mid-Century Modern Mosaic in their Trends section. I have always loved mosaic work. Check out this mural by artist B C Binning

Via chilco's Flickr photostream. You can view this photo large here. She has a website called Good Things in Vancouver, which looks interesting.

Thanks for joining me on the Blonga Line today!!

Designing Our House's Exterior (in my dreams)

2009-08-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is what I do when we have absolutely no budget, but I am desperate to work on improving the house. I used to have to do this all in my head, or with magazine clippings, or my very poor sketches. Now I have the wonder of the internet and my own little blog to work things out! If I could just find the time to learn a bit of Photoshop or Google Sketch, I'd really go to town!
This is my recent doodling on Crestview Door's website. If you compare it to the earlier one I did last winter, you may notice that I sized the door better and did a lot of whacking back of the front shrubbery. In fact, the juniper bush on the right is no more; just trying to open up the porch a bit more. I also started taking off some of the badly peeling paint on the chimney in a fit of energy one day when the guys had a ladder going up to the roof. Anyone have a sandblaster and would like to finish it for me??

One of the first things I'd like to do to the front is add a sort of shutter. I know we can do this ourselves, because we did it before, and I don't think it would cost much. Later, a new paint scheme, restoring the brick chimney and possibly reworking the approach to the front door (which is now from the right side, via the driveway). Here are some ideas I've collected, and I need your opinions! I think fresh eyes will definitely help me. As you can see, I'm leaning toward having a door with diamond lites someday.
The first "shutter" idea that I saw that I thought would be good for our house was this:

Or a version like this privacy screen:

We really need new gate on each side, and I love these:

So, should the shutters carry on the diamond motif, or is this just getting to the point of overload? Should I think of mixing shapes (door, window detail, gates)?

Go ahead, jump right in with your opinion and tell me what to do! It's all fantasy at this point anyway!

Remembering Marilyn

2009-08-05T14:31:00.000-07:00

When I was a teenager, I became really interested in old movies, fashion, costume, movie stars. This led me to books on the subjects, which is where I always went when some new idea grabbed my fancy (before the days of the internet, for all you young'uns). When I read the biography of Marilyn Monroe, I was hooked. There was something about her life, persona, personality that just got to me. Maybe someday I'll try to put together a more eloquent post about my interest in Marilyn.
For today, I just wanted to remember her on this anniversary of her sad death.

Every year, the Marilyn Remembered club does a memorial at her gravesite, and I've even been a couple of times in the past (remember that, Anthony?). Believe it or not, it's not the circus you might think it would be. These people actually care about honoring her memory, and it's pretty low-key and touching.

Tiki Finds

2009-08-05T13:50:00.000-07:00

I've decided that I need to stop worrying about creating, long, involved, time-consuming posts, and just post on whatever suits my fancy on a particular day. Hence, short, fun, simple posts, hopefully at a more regular rate! I take tons of photos, and I need to just post them and write a short something-or-other and not stress so much about lack of perfection!

So, in that spirit, the last post on my Tiki Bar sign and today's highlights of a few thrift store finds.
Found this big mug at my local thrift. I've seen bunches of these from all different places, but this is the first one from Hawaii. Does anyone know if these are beer steins that you are supposed to collect on your travels?

Closeup of hut and sad-looking tiki :(

Another mug I found same place, same day. I'm a pretty casual collector, so I don't worry about how old or rare something might be, I just buy it if I like it and the price is right. That said, anyone who knows anything more about any of my acquisitions is very welcome to enlighten me!!

Artsy Craftsy Tiki

2009-08-03T10:26:00.001-07:00

Found this little Tiki Bar sign at my local craft shop on clearance for 99 cents, so I couldn't resist. Kinda hated the parrot, though, so my plan was to improve upon it. I'm pleased with the results and hope that you think it's a bit more worthy of a real tiki bar now.
Before:

During:

After, the final produtct:

Closeup of my tiki:

I even bought a few more, so I can try out some other ideas.

Aloha!

2009-07-31T06:18:00.000-07:00

I am soooo hoping that today is the day I can finally make another blog post.
For now, I'm going back to bed to get another hour or so of sleep. Hope to see you soon!

I took this pic at our local Armstrong Garden Center - one of my favorite places, especially during Hawaiian Days.

I'm Award-Worthy!

2009-07-06T10:43:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the lovely Retromodgirl for choosing me for this oh-so-cool award!

She's got a great list of blogs that she considers A Great Read, so check them out (some are faves of mine as well!).

I have to pass this along to
my friend Anthony of Pop Circus
That's Just Stupid What You Said
The Cottage Cheese
Veronica Diago
Amidst Mod

A Kitschtastic Father's Day

2009-06-23T11:05:00.000-07:00

For Father's Day, my husband's dad surprised us with dinner at this joint not too far from our house. He loves the 50s movies, cars and music, and knows that I love everything retro, and he thought we'd love it. He was right! It was kitsch overload and 1950s Americana retro heaven!

The menu is huge, and I was delighted to find a delicious avocado sandwich on rye amongst all the burgers, hot dogs and fries. If my readers from other countries have ever wondered why Americans can get so fat, just look at the next two photos.

Our food, Grandpa and Daddy-O and two hungry and over-stimulated kids.

The whole place was jam-packed with repro tin signs, old toys, movie posters, etc.

Even an old Chevy coming right through the wall. I tried to do one of those "look, I'm holding up something really heavy" shots with Miss June...these are really hard to do with wiggly kids.

A couple of my favorites: Elvis, of course...

and my perennial favorite, Marilyn...

This one is especially for Keith of The Dino Lounge:

And for all of you retro-renovators wondering what to do with those unsightly vertical blinds, here's an idea:

Just spray-paint giant portraits of your favorite stars of yester-year! Just kidding - that's a bit too kitschy, even for me!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Father's Day and a great weekend!

My First Slide Show!

2009-06-16T00:42:00.000-07:00

Wow! I think it's working! This is my Flickr set on the house we bought last year in Yucca Valley, in the Southern California high desert. If you've heard of Joshua Tree National Park (yes, like the U2 album), it's the town next door.

Here is our remodeling journey on that house, our second. It was during this time that I discovered the blog RetroRenovation, and I sure would have made some decisions differently had I had all the resources and expertise from Pam and her readers before then! We learned a lot with this house, and we still own it (it's rented out) because of the bad market. There are many things I miss about the house. Let me know if you can tell what some of them are!

If you want to see the photos with all my titles and captions, just click on over to Flickr and choose the set "Yucca Valley house"

Disneyland and Tikimama's Photo Debut (sort of)

2009-06-12T12:43:00.000-07:00

This post took me an extra day to do, and I don't know if I'm going to get to my Paint Chip Fun because....I have been having all sorts of troubles getting my photos to import from my camera to my computer using Picasa, but after diddling with it off and on all day yesterday, I think I found the solution. I hate it when computer things don't work right, and I don't have the know-how to fix them!

On Wednesday, we went to California Adventure and Disneyland to celebrate Miss May, Miss June, and their now-2-yr-old cousin Mr. June's birthdays! My sister and her boyfriend both work at the Land, so we are lucky enough to get signed in for free, and are able to use their employee discount - still spent about $150. I was taking photos all day, with my blog in mind! Seems I'm always composing posts in my head these days...I wonder how you daily bloggers manage it!

When we finally managed to get all ready and in the car, it wouldn't start. Went to grab my car-savvy neighbor (husband was at work) and it started right up for him. Whew, problem solved, right? Ha! We were meeting up at a McDonald's near D-land so I wouldn't have to pay for parking and after a quick bite, same thing happens. My sister and Mr. June had gone on ahead, so my bro-almost-in-law did his best to figure out the problem. Finally called AAA (for you non-Americans, a membership car service) and they got it to start by banging on the underside with a big metal pipe! At least we were finally off. So, on to the photos....Here is how the day started.

We got into California Adventure, which we had never seen before. It was really nice, and we only ever saw a small corner of it - we'll go back another day. They were closing at 6 pm (!) for Grad Night.
I liked the snacks available in the Monsters, Inc. ride - Sugar, Salt & Fat! Finally truth in advertising!

We had a reservation at Ariel's Grotto for the birthday meal. It was expensive, but at least it was worth it. The food was delicious and the kids were beyond thrilled to meet, talk to, and hug the princesses!! I am going to try to select just a couple of photos (family can go check out my Flickr account for all the kid-overload you can stand).
Beautiful atmosphere, and under-the-sea theme.
Excellent chow. Nom, nom, nom.

Very happy kids!
Miss June, Ariel, Miss May and their cousin Miss August (almost 16!)

Little Mr. June - he's wearing a Jack Skellington t-shirt that says "Your Worst Nightmare"!

The one thing I had in mind to get done for sure during this trip was an official coming-out-of-relative anonymity photo. I say relative because of that photo I posted of me with my Crafty Pals a long while ago; not my best look. (Hope some of my good blog buddies will follow suit - it's fun to put a real face to a blog's personality!) Figured it was a good opportunity to get me dressed decently, hair done and makeup on. The plan was to get the Official Tikimama Portrait, where else but outside The Enchanted Tiki Room, with my two girls. Well, first of all, this happens, of course:

But Miss June happily posed with me (she never falls asleep when there's fun to be had):

Yes, for those of you who see me IRL, I took off my glasses because I'm vain.
Then, inside with a still-sleepy Miss May, posing by Pele, Goddess of Fire:
So there you have it. My hair is currently flaming red (husband does not like it so much, but I do!), I don't have any cool vintage clothes to wear, but I do have a fab new necklace and I'm carrying my amazing bag from Atomic Livin' that the familiy got me for Mother's Day. More on that later!

So what if this is how the day ended?!

Sitting in the parking structure in our car that wouldn't start...again. Miss June got it to start with her magic finally, after waiting about 45 minutes, just as the AAA towtruck was showing up with security. Headed straight for our mechanic, got hubs to pick us up, and finally bed at midnight.
But it was a wonderful day!
Tikimama with Miss June in The Enchanted Tiki Room

Stay tuned for more Tiki Goodness in an upcoming post!

A "Better Late Than Never" Paint Chip Project

2009-06-08T21:09:00.000-07:00

Veronica was M.I.A. last Friday, but now she's back and sharing her latest paint chip piece with us!
It's funny that she made bricks like MoonDoggie, and couldn't decide between two versions, like me! Great minds think alike.

This is "Humpty Dumpty" - two versions. Visit her blog to let her know which one you like best!

And if you create your own work of art this week, send it to me at AtomicTeaParty [at] gmail [dot] com to be featured this Friday!!

New Paint Chip Projects - Week 5

2009-06-05T13:12:00.000-07:00

Remember the Paint Chip Fun Project everyone? If you're new to the Tea Party, or you've forgotten what we're trying to do here, check out this post. Then look at our First PCFP, Second PCFP, Third PCFP, Fourth PCFP - guess that makes this number 5! Yes, the last two are links to Veronica's blog because I dropped the ball those weeks!

I'm not too sure where our esteemed leader and creator of the project is this week.... Veronica's been oddly quiet. As soon as she pops up, I'll make sure to let you know.
**Update** She "showed up" via email Sunday night (June 7) totally fine! She didn't even know about Jenn Ski's interview with her being published! Boy was she surprised!

Here is MoonDoggie's "Mid Century Living Room". I love the paint chip bricks on the fireplace (looks like mine)! Do you see the 'pod type chair' (as she calls it) on the right? Smoooooth.
MoonDoggie said she felt like being creative and making something for our project, but she didn't have any glue! I'm glad that didn't stop her from sending it! (And send your hubs to the art store for your glue; he probably wants to go anyway.)

My attempt this week I'm calling "Tree of Life". It sure is hard for me to get the colors right when I photograph artwork. This is pretty close, though.

I actually made this last week, but couldn't finish it in time for Friday. I put it up on the wall, and kept thinking it needed something more. Tell me what you think - which version is better?

Original version:

Second version:

Please join in on the fun next week! You can send me an email with your image/s at any time to AtomicTeaParty [at] gmail [dot] com.

A Grosgrain / Shabby Apple Dress Giveaway!

2009-06-05T08:52:00.000-07:00

I keep seeing these wonderful dress giveaways from Grosgrain on other vintage ladies' blogs and they sure look like fun!

Here is the newest one (I think this would look just fab on me, don't you?)

The link to enter the contest is:
Marseilles Dress SHABBY APPLE GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

The company, Shabby Apple actively supports a non-profit that helps impoverished women world-wide create businesses to support themselves and their families - how cool is that?!

To find out more, visit the Grosgrain website!

Veronica!

2009-06-04T09:04:00.000-07:00

I'm quietly going about my morning routine of avoiding housework by scrolling through Google Reader, and what do I see but "Interview: Veronica Diago" by Jenn Ski!!!

Go immediately and check it out! (No, wait, go after you read MY post!)

Jenn's blog and art was one of the first I really got into as far as modern people channeling the mid-century vibe and aesthetic I love. She does interviews with other artists from time to time, and it's a great way to find out about people you may not have heard of.

Veronica, you didn't tell us you had a Jenn Ski interview in the works!! I'm so happy for you! I hope it brings you many new visitors to your blog, Flickr, and Etsy, and lots of new fans.

AND, I got to finally see a photo of my friend! I'd been thinking lately about asking some of my blog friends to "show themselves" so I could replace the imagination-picture I have of them in my head with their real faces! Veronica is sweet, shy and lovely, just like I pictured! Here she is, courtesy of the photo I snagged off of Jenn's site:

And was that a little shot of a corner of your home? I've been asking to see your place, V! Guess I'm not as famous and powerful as Jenn, huh?? :)

Okay, now, everyone go check out Veronica's interview! I'm so happy for you, my friend!

Ebbo's Tiki Art has come to the Atomic House!

2009-06-02T09:22:00.000-07:00

First off, apologies to MoonDoggie and Ebbo for this post being so delayed! It's been on my mind for days, but life has just interfered with blogging!

On to the good stuff - this is what I opened my door to the other day - how often do you get a package that coordinates with your doormat??!!
Opening the package - look, there's a kid inside!

Beautiful packaging...the suspense is killing me by now!

Oh, my breath was just taken away! It's my custom-order, smaller version of Ebbo's "Unified Front"!

MoonDoggie and her husband Ebbo being the lovely people they are, included a special gift as thanks for being their first international customer!! I am so touched! It's a portrait of me, Tikimama, and Miss May and Miss June as little tikis! I tried getting them both to pose, but Miss May was feeling too shy. Miss June is never too shy, so here she is!

Now, if you read my last post, you'll remember how I was envisioning an art wall in our dining room. Well, the lighting in this room, just did not allow me to hang this piece on that wall - it's too dark! So, above my little kitchen desk (where I do my blogging and spend lots of my day) it goes! The Tikimama and Kids piece is propped up there for the time being, until I find a good way to hang it. They make a nice introduction into the tiki lounge, which you can see through the door, heading into the family room.

I just can't thank them enough! I am starting to feel like a real art connoisseur!
Find more of Ebbo's amazing art and MoonDoggie's stylish mod graphics and some of her vintage finds at her Etsy shop and Misi shop. She runs one super-cool blog, too!

The same day I got the call that my Derek Yaniger prints were framed and ready to be picked up, so they got hung on the art wall. From the left: "Let's Flat Git It", "Enchanted", "Moai Munchkins" (which came with the set of four tiki mugs), and "Wildsville".

By the way, you should be able to click on any photo to see it bigger and get all the details of these great pieces.

Where oh where, you may ask, is "Gotham City" by Veronica Diago?
I just thought it was getting lost in the Yaniger prints, and needed its own spotlight! So, it now hangs where the big sunburst clock hung, the clock got moved to the other wall, and the art that was there got bumped into other rooms! Whew!

Now, of course, I'm thinking I need more Diagos! Ha ha! That will have to wait until our budget improves! Make sure to check out Veronica's blog and shop if you haven't already! It looks like she's got her first print up for sale for only $20!!! More, Veronica, more!

New Art for the Atomic House!

2009-05-22T15:34:00.000-07:00

This is not my house - though I wish it were! Just a nice image to pop up in Followers' Readers!

via Flickr here

Oh, I've been waiting to do this post for a looooong time! A month or so ago, I came across the Flickr photostream of Veronica Diago and promptly fell in love with her images. She started a blog (Veronica Diago), which I follow avidly, and we've become blog buddies. It was her idea, sparked by a comment I made, to start the Paint Chip Fun Project. This is the third week of that project, and I've been sidetracked by other stuff going on, so I didn't get my piece done this week. Check out her blog for her new paint chip piece and some others she found on Flickr and wanted to showcase.

After waiting what seemed a very long time, her Etsy shop was opened! You can find all her art for sale here, and soon she will be offering prints. She is having a sale of 25% off her works through May 27 - that's only 5 more days, so hurry!

Well, today, I became the very proud owner of an original Veronica Diago!
This is what I got in the mail...my daughters were having a hard time understanding why I was squealing with happiness.

Carefully opening....oooh, it's very safely packed!

Here is a very hurried, therefore very blurried, shot of my dining room wall where I've been planning to hang a bunch of new art.

And here it is - MY "Gotham City"!!!
Just out of the box

And hanging on the wall. It's very difficult for me to get a good photo in my dining room because of very poor lighting.

A wide shot of the dining room to give you a better idea of what I'm going for. Soon, I will have an original Ebbo piece, and four Derek Yaniger prints I'm having framed. Now, I'm really wanting an original Tommy Kovac, Anthony S. (Pop Circus), and Jem 'n Tonic! Then, my art wall will be complete! (Oh, and I need matching chairs.)

Paint Chip Fun Project Part 2

2009-05-15T08:08:00.000-07:00

Here are the completed pieces for Week 2 of PCFP!
I had a couple of people run into technical difficulties or lack of time again this week, so they couldn't send anything in - but remember, there's always next week!

"Balanced" by JEM 'n Tonic of Amidst Mod

Just yesterday, Jem introduced me to another fabulous mid-century artist I'd never heard of, Karl Benjamin. I can really see how Jem is carrying on his tradition. I can see the balance here, but also so much movement.

"Paint Chip Fun Logo" by MoonDoggie

She had quite a time of it this week getting her piece completed. She writes, "After a bit of drama (paint water spilling on chips), a few resourcing problems (no glue), some technological glitches (wrong photo resolution) and some digital manipulation (the easy part) here is my submission to this week's paint chip fun friday. Dah dada DAH! MoonDoggie logo paintchip style!" Just look at her logo over on my sidebar to see how this is the paintchip version!

"Ode to my Family" by Veronica Diago

Veronica writes this about her piece:
"The taller figure is my hubby, followed in height by me, then my boy dressed in camouflage as usual and the peachy, chubby small thing in the middle is my daughter, looking up as always. The object at the extreme left is our couch in the living room, the object at the extreme right is our house's door. These two match the real layout of our house. The ones at the top, could be clouds, paintings, thoughts, conversation, or ideas."
Isn't that a great family portrait? I love how Veronica's work is modern and abstract, but always has warmth and feeling.
Don't forget to see her post today here, because she's got a fantastic project done by photographer Ilda Oliver that you've just got to see! (Paint chip potato chips?!)

"Music To My Eyes" by Tikimama

I know you had to see this yesterday, too, but I did want to give a bit of a description. Music is very important in our house. It's what brought my husband and me together, it's what we brought our daughters into the world with. Our girls already play gleefully on real musical instruments, and we hope that we pass down our musical knowledge to them - they've already got the love of music! If you look at this image bigger (you should be able to click to enlarge), you can see that all of the paint chips I used have musical names for the colors. The images are stamps I've had for a long time and never used, with black and silver ink.

Paint Chip Fun Project Tomorrow!

2009-05-14T18:01:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm going to show everyone my latest paint chip creation to remind you all that there is still time to send in something to share tomorrow!

"Music to My Eyes"

The original post with the ideas on how to participate is here.

The submissions from last Friday are here.

Hope you join us tomorrow!

Vintage Thingies Thursday - My New Canisters

2009-05-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

I'm participating in Coloradolady's Vintage Thingies Thursday, so go check out her blog for her vintage goodies, and a list of all the other participants. You never know when you'll discover a new fun blog to read or some vintage item you never knew existed!

I have been wanting a vintage set of kitchen canisters for a long time now. Every once in a while, I'd do a search and find things I liked, but usually too expensive, or not in great shape...or both.

Finally, about 2 weeks ago, I found this set, perfect in several ways:
~ It's chrome, which fits in with my kitchen
~ It's in fantastic condition
~ The price was good
~ It hangs on the wall - no loss of precious counter space!

The individual canisters pull out of the box that holds them all. Yes, that's a reflection of me taking the photo - they were THAT shiny after I had a go at them with Brasso!

I like the typeface used, which I often didn't on other sets I'd find. It's stamped into the metal and has a definite 1950s feel.

Here they are, hanging on the wall above the stovetop. They're a perfect place to show off the chrome creamer and sugar I found for 50 cents at an estate sale, and the nut/candy dish given to me by my parents. You can even catch a glimpse of my vintage recipe box and just a bit of the handle of my new (old) aqua hand mixer! I'll feature those in another post some day!

Now, if the Wallpaper Fairy would just visit my house and swap out the 1980s country-style paper for something mid-century kitschy or atomic, the kitchen would really be on its way to high retro style!

Vote For Real Style!

2009-05-13T13:04:00.001-07:00

A few examples of Rejuvenation's Modern lighting and hardware collections:

Love the Boomerang cabinet handles!

If you're not already aware of it, Rejuvenation is having a big contest with a big prize. I first found out about it on RetroRenovation (Goddess Pam's blog), and then two of my favorite bloggers entered their homes. What to do? I was really in a pickle. I love both of their houses and what they have done with them.

Today, Morgan of The Brick House came out with the funniest post here. She was amazed and saddened by the "style" of homes that were getting lots more votes than her entry of her living and dining rooms, so she ranted a bit.

I love reading her blog, because she just calls it as she sees it and has complete confidence in her own taste. She's a bit of a potty-mouth, so those of you who take offense to such things...oh well! Well, her readers rallied and voted, and so far she has doubled her votes from this morning. Ain't blogging cool!

My other blog-friend Gretchen of Eichler Homes in Sacramento entered her amazing front entryway and living room.

She describes her house as half-Flinstones, half-Jetsons and it is sooo mid-century cool! She and her husband own this house AND an Eichler that they are renovating - how lucky are they??!!

Please, if you haven't already voted in this contest, go and check out these two wonderful women's entries and cast your vote. We need to out-vote the bland, Home-Depot-esque, "Housewives of the O.C." remodels and vote for hip, retro, modern, cool, STYLE!

I ended up voting for Morgan, because she is a fellow poor chick struggling to have a fab home on a low budget, her posts always make me laugh or get all envious....and she lives in the high desert, where I only lasted a year! If I figure out how to vote more than once, I'll give Gretchen my vote too :)

I'm Working on My PCFP - Are You?

2009-05-12T19:32:00.000-07:00

I sure hope everyone is thinking about an idea, considering joining in the fun, already done, just starting, or putting the finishing touches on...for this week's Paint Chip Fun Project!

We had a great time last week, with submissions sent here to Atomic Tea Party and to Veronica Diago at her beautiful blog (this was all her idea, remember?).

I had a busy weekend and this week hasn't been so hot for blogging, so this may be all you get for now...but I wanted to remind everyone, especially those of you who wanted to join in last week but couldn't - now's the time! My effort this week is going to take me probably all of an hour (not counting the curse-word-laced time I wasted looking for my supplies that weren't properly organized). Jem of Amidst Mod is still claiming that his piece from last week took him 21 minutes. So, if you can just find a wee bit of creative time, go for it!

Send in your submission by Thursday (or Friday morning if you're in the Pacific time zone, because I'm not an early blogger!) to elisafolino at gmail dot com and you will be featured! Be sure to let me know a bit about you and your paint chip piece, and include the address or links to any blog, website, Etsy shop, etc. that you would like me to mention.

Can't wait to see what new lovelies we get this week!

The Unveiling of the Paint Chip Fun Project Submissions!

2009-05-08T08:32:00.000-07:00

First, let me say, if you didn't participate this week, you've just gotta give it a go next week! We are going to make this an ongoing party, and it's going to be a blast!

I am not an artist, like so many of my wonderful blog buddies and contributors, but I love being creative. I'm even posting the "art" made by my two little daughters, just to show that ANYONE can have Fun With Paint Chips!!

I'm going to start with theirs, then mine (because it's only slightly more sophisticated), then we'll get on to the awesome works created by all my other friends and readers!!

Here is Miss May's (she's turning three this month): She just cut, glued, then rolled it all up in a tube.

Here is Miss June's (she's turning six in June): It has two sides.
She had it glued all nicely, then wanted to cover it in shiny cello tape. No dissuading her...she's got an artist's temperament!

Here is mine. It's called "Walking". I couldn't decide whether to post an image of the original item (the strips of paint chips are glued inside a small box), or the one I photgraphed and tweaked. I'm leaning towards the idea of making something by hand, but then photographing it and letting that image be the final product. Opinions?

And now with no further ado, and in no particular order, the gallery of submissions!

These next two were probably the biggest surprise to me - they are by Pam (aka My Retro Goddess) from RetroRenovation.com! I didn't even know she read my blog, so imagine how I felt to find these in my inbox! She has just started learning collage, and is incorporating vintage wallpaper (one of her favorite things) and vintage paint chips. I don't think she looks like a beginner at all!

"Mama Bird"

"Flower Pot"

Pam writes, "I am obsessed with collage right now. This is a work in progress. I actually had the 'flower pot' all pasted to a background but took it apart. Now I'm reworking it ... put those ladies there just for this scan - kind of like it! All made from my collection of vintage wallpaper, vintage paint chip, and found photography.... it's nice to be contributing to some one else's blog for a change!"

Next, Sylvie from The Butter Flying, or lepetitpapillon, is an artist with a blog and Etsy shop. She loves to create art from paint chips (she says she is "addicted"!), so she was a natural to join in this project! She submitted her photos to Veronica, too, so I'm going to feature a few different ones here:

Make sure you go look at the beautiful garlands and mobiles she makes!

My best friend Anthony, of Pop Circus fame, completely stressed out about the "deadlline" for submissions and emailed this to me at 2:00 am! Geez, people, I'm NOT that prompt, please do not worry! It's now 9:30 Friday morning and I'm still working on this post! (Short break - had a stinky diaper to attend to - see what I mean about not having the luxury to blog when I'd like to? BTW, have you seen the movie Bolt (animated, about a dog and his girl)? It's really charming, and it's been played at our house about, oh, a thousand times. Where was I? Oh, yeah, art.)

Anthony's piece is Fab-u-lous! Bright, fun, and very vintagey! I am sooooo impressed! The bright colors and the black-and-white vintage images make a vibrant combination. It's just such a happy piece! (Did you read Anthony's post 'Laughter IS the Best Medicine?') This piece is called "Vintage Rainbow":

Wow! Do I have talented friends, or what?!

And now, for the works created by my wonderful co-hosts, both very talented artists whose art I admire. If you have not checked out their blogs and their work, you must do so, right now!

Veronica's "Shelter". This is very evocative of all her work, where she uses various media, and always has a bit of the element of surprise, or happy accidents. She keeps promising to open her Etsy shop soon, and I will be the first to let you know!

Check out her PCFP post for her description of her work, and the works by her readers that she is featuring this week. This was all her idea, so be sure to go by and show her your support!

Veronica also posts a funny explanation for the following piece, by JEM 'n Tonic:

JEM's blog is Amidst Mod, and his piece is "A More Tonic Future". He says he only worked on it for about 20 minutes! I find that hard to believe. It's is very mod and swanky!

When I posted about PCFP on Monday, a lot of you said you didn't have time this week, but would like to participate. Well, here's your chance! Just send something in by next Thursday, and you will be featured! If there are any lurkers out there, come on out and join in the Party!!

Vintage Thingies Thursday

2009-05-07T09:55:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it's fun to participate in these blog events and check out what everyone else has posted. Today I'm going to try out Vintage Thingies Thursday, which originated on Confessions of An Apron Queen (no longer actively blogging) and is now hosted by the lovely Suzanne of Colorado Lady. This week's theme is "What Was I Thinking?!" She's got a funny post up today about a daschund boot scraper that she bought - and didn't realize how truly scary looking it was until she got home! Check out her blog for links to all the other participant's blogs if you enjoy looking at vintage finds.

I knew what I was thinking when I made this purchase, but I bet my husband wondered! I picked up this very sad looking lamp at the Goodwill for $5.99 because I recognized the modern shape of the wood base. I was just hoping that the hideous purple fabric would come off and it would shine up nicely. Here are the photos that show the lamp from the way I found it in the store to the end result:

I had to basically take the lamp apart to remove that fabric! I was happy to see the brass underneath was in good condition.

I used Songbirdtiff's recipe for wood cleaning oil and it worked like a charm! I've been using that stuff for all the wooden objects I pick up at thrift stores, and for my wooden furniture. It's great - so easy to make with 2 ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen, cheap, and good for the environment. Thanks Tiff!

I had the lampshade on hand from a previous purchase for another lamp (awaiting rewiring) that it didn't fit. I love it when things work out that way!

In the Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room

2009-05-06T20:15:00.000-07:00

My photos for this post are no great shakes, but I wanted to show off my tiki collection.

It's nowhere near as impressive or vintage as lots of collectors', but it's still a fun space in our house. I hope to actually start serving drinks from the bar at parties soon! Like most things in our house (we've lived here less than a year), it's a work in progress.

Nets and seashells deco from Big Lots (!)
Glass fishing globes from a Hawaiiana seller at the County Fair years ago.

Some of my framed art. The two little figures are made by Grandma Bee.
I think they are actually supposed to be Indian, but they look cute here anyway.
The curtains were made by my mom for our first house, and I'm glad I still have a place to use them! They have a palm tree and flamingo print.

My Derek Yaniger tiki mug set.

The mini tiki mugs I mentioned getting from RetroPlanet - I've already moved these to another room (pix to follow).

Fu Manchu tiki mug and two Hawaiian nene birds my parents brought back as souvenirs.

Masks and netting and more shells.

Big bamboo shelf unit I scored for free while we were living in Yucca Valley.
Lots of silk flowers, tiki party lights, and more shell necklaces.

I've got various Hawaiiana, such as this Arthur Lyman record, and vintage souvenir tin plate that I'd like to display better, but right now the rest of the room belongs to the kids, so here they stay.

My tiki books. I "loaned" my Book of Tiki by Sven Kirsten to a friend-of-a-friend. Never saw it again. Waaaaaahhhh!! They go for around $100 online now, so my only hope is to find one abandoned in a thrift store or library sale someday.

Miscellaneous mugs, wooden tikis and shark.

One of my latest thrift store tikis, and the amazing box given to me by my sister and her family for my 40th birthday. It's from Disneyland, and is a recreation of the tikis from the Tiki Room. It is really solid, heavy, well-made and beautiful. Hard to do it justice in a photo.

This light was a gift from my other sister many years ago. We like to put red lightbulbs in it - makes it look like a sunset on the beach.

Are there giraffes and elephants in Hawaii? No? Oh well, I just like the way they look with all my other stuff and don't really have another place in the house where they would "go".

Most of my mugs were from Target or some such place. I really don't have any true vintage collectible ones yet, but since I just like my tiki stuff for fun, and since I've got young kids running around, I really don't mind.

Stop by for a Mai Tai any time you'd like! Aloha!

Fun With Paint Chips!

2009-05-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

This is my Home Depot paint chip book, and I LOVE this thing - I've used it countless times.

My good blog-buddy Veronica Diago has come up with a super-fun idea for us all to try out!

The Paint Chip Fun Project! (The PCFP)

We are each posting, encouraging all our followers and visitors to get creative with paint chips. You can create anything you like, and you don't have to be an "artist" to give it a go. Just let your imagination take over - pretend you're a kid again! You could make a 2-D or 3-D art project, take a photograph, do a craft, whatever comes to mind.

The best part is, paint chips are FREE! And if you're anything like me, you've already got a stash of them lying around in a drawer somewhere....

It's going to be very interesting to see what different ideas we all come up with. I'm going to post a picture of all the creations this Friday with a link to your blog, website, etc. Submissions are due this Thursday, as late as you want as long as it's still Thursday, May 7 th. You can send your submissions to: elisafolino@gmail.com

Are you excited already?

Go run to your closest hardware store and grab a few!

Don't forget to check out Veronica's blog on Friday, too, to see more paint-chip fun!

See you soon paint chip addicts !

It's a Retro Planet (.com)!

2009-05-01T22:22:00.001-07:00

**Update 5/4/09 - I'm a Retro Planet affiliate now, so visit their site by clicking on the button in the left sidebar, and I'll get a little discount when I buy something. Whoot!****

Quite a while ago, it must have been almost 2 years now, I ordered from this online company and had a really good experience. I hope they are still doing business now the same way they were then, because I was impressed by their customer service. How often can you say that nowadays?

Basically, what happened was this: I ordered this cute set of small tiki mugs and some cool reproduction vintage travel posters.

When my package arrived, everything was in fine condition, but it was the wrong set of mugs - ones I already owned! (MoonDoggie is now the proud owner of those!) Well, I'm Queen Procrastinator, so it took me at least a month to get around to contacting them about the mistake. By that point, I figured I was stuck with them, but emailed their customer service anyway.

They replied promptly and courteously, saying they would take the wrong ones back and send the correct ones. Great, I thought! Well, in the next email, the rep says it will cost them more than it was worth to ship the wrong ones back, so I could just keep them at no charge. I was quite pleased with that solution, of course, and let them know that I would tell people how happy I was with their company. Well, now that I've got a blog to do such things, I'm finally making good on that promise.

They've got LOTS of stuff on their site, ranging from the truly kitschy/tacky to the very expensive (check out their home bars!). Thought I'd highlight a couple of products real quick, and then leave it up to you to browse their site at your leisure!

They've got lots of reproduction vintage tin signs. I think this one would be fun to hang by the front door, much more so than those boring "No Solicitors" signs.

Of course, I love this one. Can't believe it's not already hanging in my Tiki Lounge.

An example of the cool mid-century repro travel posters (you can buy these framed or not). I got four of these and hung them on my wall in the heavy plastic sleeves they came in. Do I have a picture? I'll look and get back to you....

JEM - the South America one is for you!

They've got fun repro vintage toys, too. Posting these especially for Anthony!

Don't know if these are a newer item, but I know I didn't see them before. They are glass platters, that you can use for food, but they also sell lighted stands for display. I think they are purty!

Introducing...Monkey Powered!

2009-04-29T22:02:00.000-07:00

I'd like to share another fun artist I just met thru the 'net!
Here are a few of her prints, available through her Etsy shop, Monkey Powered.

A Trip To The City

Plaid Perch

Dog's Dinner

Clock Coveting

This is how our Conversation went, through Etsy:

Hi Monkeypowered!

Just saw you hearted one of my items, so I came to check out your shop. Wow! Could you please tell me if you are the artist of the prints (not the Helen Dardick ones - love those, too, but I can see they are by her). I really love featuring art that I like on my blog, and would like to highlight your shop, if you say it's okay.

.....................................................................

Helloo Lisa!

Thanks so very much for your kind words. All of the art in my shop is by me, except for the four by Helen of course. I'd be happy to be featured on your lovely blog. Much appreciated!

Thanks bunches!
Rigel :)

........................................................................

Awesome!

Do you have a blog, or any other site that you'd like me to mention and link to?

And I'm embarrassed to ask, but I've never seen the name Rigel before - are you a lady or a gentleman? Tee hee...as if anyone is either of those these days!

...........................................................................................

Oh, no worries! I get that all the time. I'm a gal. "Rigel" (Rye-gel) is the name of a star. That's what happens when your parents are trekies in the 70's ;)

I'm so late to join the blogosphere, and probably won't have my site up and running for another few weeks, so no other links to add. Thanks for asking tho. Please drop by in May sometime if you get a chance, and let me know what you think... http://hocus.typepad.com/
.......................................................................
.......................................................................

Of course, as soon as I read her explanation, I remembered that Rigel is a star's name. How unique!

So, I hope you'll check out her shop and keep her site bookmarked for the near future when she gets it up and running. Tell her you found out all about her here at the Atomic Tea Party!

Hot Times in the Desert

2009-04-29T14:01:00.000-07:00

A typical view in Yucca Valley

Actually, it was quite cool and lovely.

We all had a fantastic time at the Stagecoach Festival, and spending the weekend at the lovely Miss Katie's home.

Knowing that the weather out there can be unpredictable, I had checked out the forecast and packed accordingly. Let me tell you, I got quite a kick out of passing by all the honky-tonk tarted-up ladies in their low-cut babydolls, Daisy Dukes and high heels, knowing that they were FREEZING and I was all snug and warm. Of course, I had the requisite envy of the same young women in all of their head-turning glory, but by the time it was in the low 50s in the evening and I was bundled up in my big jacket, I didn't care! They and their male counterparts had all been drinking soooo much beer, I didn't worry about their discomfort too much.

It took us until after 2:00 to even reach Katie's house in Yucca Valley, and then we visited and lazed around, and finally left there around 4:30/5:00 if memory serves. Indio is a whole hour away, normally, but it took us at least 40 minutes just to get through the lines of traffic to park. Then a big hike in to the Polo Grounds, etc., etc.

We got to see Reba McIntyre, who's about as country as it gets. She puts on a great show.

Then...finally... Brad! We've seen him once before, and his show's are just perfect. This time, we were very excited to take our girls, and Katie's granddaughter, because they are just crazy about "Rad" (as Miss June calls him)! Miss May was sound asleep by the time he came on at 9:30, but we managed to coax Miss June to stay awake and she was just screaming in excitement. It was wonderful.

If you are not already a fan, and even if you think you don't like country music, just go watch a video or two on his website - you might be surprised!
I recommend:
Online - c'mon, it's got William Shatner, Jason Alexander...and Marcia Brady!
The World - just so cute

If you DO like country, this one's got smokin' guitars, funny lyrics, rockin' piano and blazing fiddles - whew!:
Me Neither

Here are a few less-than-perfect photos for you to get an idea of the event.

Miss May, ready to rock in her cowgirl get-up, complete with red boots

Miss June - 4 dollar churros are de-li-cious!

I think this was called the Bamboo Tower - it had flames shooting from the top

BRAAAAD!!

People are disgusting. This is just a TINY idea of the trash that was left behind.

The only bummer of the evening was that we discovered-when we got all the way out to the parking lot-that Miss June had lost one of her beloved pink cowgirl boots. I mean, she wears them Every Day! She was really good about it, and Daddy and Katie walked all the way back to try to find it - no luck. I feel kinda sad thinking that it was probably lost somewhere in that sea of trash....

But, we had a great weekend, and I finally got lots of current shots of our Yucca Valley house so I can do a post about our remodeling adventures in the high desert...sometime!

Goin' to the Desert

2009-04-25T12:17:00.000-07:00

We're packed, we're getting ready to leave for an afternoon and evening at the Stagecoach Festival in Indio, CA. Mostly to see this guy (a family favorite):

Brad Paisley! (Yes, I like some country music, too!)

We're going to spend the night in our house in Yucca Valley, where our lovely friend Katie now lives. Back some time tomorrow! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

The Perfect Gift for an Atomic Mama

2009-04-22T17:21:00.001-07:00

Okay, I'm going to make it REALLY EASY for hubby this Mother's Day.

Just lookin' around Etsy, and revisited a shop that I found because of MoonDoggie, called Atomic Livin'. She is having a 10% off sale for Mother's Day!!!

I WANT ONE OF THESE!!

Look, hubby, this one has guitars on it!

And this one is atomic AND tiki! How appropriate is that for Tikimama of The Atomic Tea Party?!

She's got other styles and soooo many cool fabrics, it's really hard to decide. Tiki, boomerang, graphic, mod, in pink, aqua, browns, green, black....aaaaaahhh! I picked the two above, because hubby has enough trouble making decisions like this! And I really like this "slouch" handbag style because it looks roomy, has 3 or 4 inside pockets, and a wide, sturdy handle.

If you are at all into the midcentury barkcloth look, or know a girl who is, you should run to check out this store! Atomic Livin' !

Happy Earth Day!

2009-04-22T08:07:00.000-07:00

I wonder how many people, back in the heyday of the Atomic Age, could forsee the environmental mess we'd get ourselves in?

Remember, that every one of us is important in the effort to save our world, and that we can all do *something* - even if it's small, it will make a difference! Of course, Thrift Shopping and Buying Vintage is one easy and fun way to add less junk to our landfills and less debt to our accounts!

Check out this great article on getting out of the "Retail Mentality". http://thethriftychicks.blogspot.com/2009/04/dump-that-retail-mind.html

The top image, "Thanks for Going Green" is courtesy of Dawn at Sensoria Design. It was one of her freebies! If you haven't checked her out yet, you should!

Bad Mama

2009-04-20T17:40:00.000-07:00

Although all you mamas already know this, just thought I'd like to show everyone what happens when you spend too much time looking at the computer screen, and not enough time watching your kids.

Yes, this is Miss May and Miss June after getting into the drawing markers. "Makeup, mommy!" and "Do you like my tattoos?"

God help me if Daddy finds out....

Our Miss Boyle - My New Heroine!

2009-04-20T16:12:00.000-07:00

If you are among the *few* people who haven't heard about Susan Boyle, please go watch this clip RIGHT NOW!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY&feature=related

Even if you've seen it, maybe it would be good to watch again. I'd seen an interview clip and heard the recording she'd made ten years ago, but hadn't yet seen her performance on Britain's Got Talent. Every time I tell myself I'm too old or too plain for such-and-such, I am going to have a virtual cup of tea with Our Miss Boyle, because she is the most fantastic inspiration a gal could have. She's cute and funny and has a voice I could listen to forever!

Many thanks to @ImTheQ on Twitter for leading me to this blog post: http://www.murderati.com/blog/2009/4/19/how-do-you-know-when-to-quit.html
which led me to the video. This is an article about Never Giving Up on your dream (but not in a schmaltzy way). It's aimed at writers, but I think applicable to us all! Go check out the article, and Follow Q on Twitter, because she's a crack-up (if you don't mind potty language:)

The Blonga Line and Teacups

2009-04-07T18:17:00.000-07:00

Did you get the "Conga Line" allusion? That's what I was going for...don't know if it worked!

The idea I'm trying to get across is the amazing chain of dance steps you can take just by starting out on one blog that you already read, then there's this guest poster, so you go check out their blog, and before you know it, you are 5 sites away. But it's such a fun ride! And it's just so darn easy to make "friends" on the internet, read about their lives and thoughts, and chat about so many things.

So, I start out on Blog Goggles, and she's got Valerie of Being Red guest-blogging about her vintage style. While I'm checking out a new blog, I like to at least read the first page of posts (depending on how many interruptions from the peanut gallery I get). Mid-way down on Valerie's page is a post full of links of her faves of the week; I click on one referring to a favorite hot drink, and voila! I find a post about very cool teacups on La Mia Vita; she found them on Marvelous Kiddo, which I've checked out a few times, so I pop over there; well, she found them on another blog, but at this point I'm exhausted, so I just check out the original retail site - Bouf.

This is the picture everyone is featuring, but you KNOW I want it in pink!!
Does anyone know what 14.98 GBP would be in dollars? :)

Crestview Doors and Saving the Neighborhood

2009-04-07T12:40:00.000-07:00

This is what our house could look like with a Crestview Door. They have the coolest thing on their site where you can preview doors on a photo of your house - Door-o-Vision! Of course, it would help if we didn't have a giant shrub blocking most of the door, but I'm not going to pull that out all by myself!

Crestview used to custom make the doors, but now they sell the doorlite kits as a way to have less impact on the environment and make their product more affordable. You can D-I-Y it, or have a local carpenter install their window lite kits on your existing door. They also have a very cool campaign:

The Save Your Neighborhood Campaign is an effort on behalf of Crestview Doors to promote awareness of mid-century modern residential architecture and to support efforts to preserve, protect or reinvent it. Won't you join us?

Are you noticing the homes in your neighborhood being gutted and rehabbed, outfitted with "updates" that destroy their original charm?

In March, 2008, Crestview Doors launched a campaign to protect and preserve not just the doors of the 1950's, but the character and charm of mid-century architecture which represented the hope, creativity, and idealism of a generation.

Now we are asking you to PLEDGE TO SAVE YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD by preserving or replacing at least one unique, period-appropriate feature of your home or neighborhood. Or use the links at the left to find other ways to get involved.

One of the links is Outreach Materials, where you can download an "Obey the Eichler" poster or a Door-o-Vision door hanger - swanky!

I'll leave you with a couple of shots of some houses in our neighborhood that are retaining their original charm, I think. I hope that as I get to know people better, I can encourage them to keep the 50s character of their homes!

A Twilight Tease

2009-04-04T22:29:00.001-07:00

Oh, hey Becca, wasn't this the Twilight thing you've been obsessing about? No? Hmmm, what could it be then? You know, I used to love watching marathons of The Twilight Zone. It would get me all freaked out. Haven't watched them at all since having little kiddos around, but maybe again someday....

Oh, right, I promised to post a photo to entice my lovely friend Becca to read my blog. Something about Twilight...now, what was it? Ah, now I remember!

Happy now? I'd better see a comment or two from you from now on, missy!

And, as far as vampires go, these are my personal picks:

Vampires are hot, oh yes they are.

A Whole Weekend of Tiki Goodness this Summer!

2009-04-03T14:36:00.000-07:00

God Bless Iris from Living the Life! Just checked in on her blog, and found out all the info for Tiki Oasis 9. This is a yearly event, and I've only every just heard about it after the fact. I wanna go so much this time around! Anyone wanna join in the Tiki fun?

Shag is painting scenes from my life

2009-04-03T14:21:00.000-07:00

Doesn't this just go soooo well with my teaparty decor?

**Update: I am such a dork. I posted this hours ago, meaning to link back to the wonderful blog where I first read about it, and promptly forgot. To give due credit where due credit is due, I was visiting The Cottage Cheese when I saw her Shag post - thanks Cheese!

This is what I imagine my life to be like. Dapper husband, me with perfect coiffure and long, slender legs, little black kitty posing nearby, playing croquet overlooking our atomic ranch and adorable vintage car.

I do live in the So. California suburbs, so that's a start....

By the way, if you aren't already familiar with Shag and his art, this is one of his new prints, just went on sale, and you can buy me one (for a mere $400) at Shagmart.

And they are giving a sneak peek at his A to Z series:
This is T is for Tiki (What else would it be for??)

My First Award

2009-04-02T18:54:00.000-07:00

The lovely Dawn from Sensoria Design gave me this award a few weeks ago, and I'm finally getting around to my acceptance speech!

Dawn is a wonderful graphic artist - she designed my blog page and Etsy shop banner! She does all sorts of web design, makes customized photo cards and announcements, and does photo retouching. Plus, she's just a peachy gal!

Now I get to share the award with other great blogs!

Now, I read tons of great blogs, and follow quite a few, but these are some near and dear to me because they have visited here and left a few kind comments (and that's saying a lot since I'm not exactly a regular poster!)
My nominees are:

Drollgirl
MoonDoggie
JC at StoryRhyme
Biba at Inspiration Bubble
Nicole at BombshellShocked
Ruth at No Pattern Required
Art Deco Dame at Pretty Little Things
AtomicMama at The Mysterious Life of the Metropolatin Housewife

Plus, I'd really like to give it to Keith who has two amazingly fun blogs, and Anthony, my best buddy (who has yet to start a blog!), because they are faithful commenters here...but they are guys, and, well, I'm not sure they'd appreciate a Sisterhood award!

This is how it works:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.

2. Nominate at least 5 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!

3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.

4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

Purrfect Kat and Zombie Girl

2009-03-23T20:49:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy and overwhelmed (more on that later), and I've gotten sorely behind in posting anything. I *think* about it a lot, but actually sitting at the computer and writing (rather than reading everyone else's blogs, well, that's another matter.

I've been wanting to showcase some blogs, links, posts, etc. that I find amusing or whatever.

Here's the first, a brand new blog I stumbled upon
http://purrfectkat.blogspot.com/ by a French girl living in Dublin, Ireland (sigh). She has featured a friend of hers who's an intriguing artist.

^^Tommy, if you're reading this, I thought of you, I think you'd dig her stuff!^^

Check out http://www.virginie-b.com/

or her blog : http://zombiegirlshouse.blogspot.com/

Not for all of you, I'm sure, but I know some of you will really love her style.

Mommy brain

2009-03-08T22:53:00.000-07:00

I did, really, I did! I studied French literature and art, had philosophic conversations, saw arty foreign films and read the newspaper. Hung out at coffee houses and cafes and listened to live music. Took photos of architecture that intrigued me. Traveled (a little bit).

Now...I wander around singing "Boinga" from the Backyardigans.

Etsy - new goodies!

2009-03-06T21:05:00.000-08:00

Just a super-quick post before I get the girls to bed (no idea if I'll make it back to the computer any time soon). I got a few more things actually listed in my Etsy shop. I'd love it if you took a look and gave me some feedback. I'm on a steep learning curve, and on limited time, so I'll take all the advice and help I can get!

You can click on the link on the right side of the page, or just go to www.modtiki.etsy.com

Crafty Pals!

2009-02-27T21:39:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I got to visit my super-duper friends, Anthony and Tommy for Arts and Crafts Night! I haven't done anything hands-on creative in so long, and we don't get to spend all that much time together these days, so this was a Big Special Treat!

This is an image of the jumble on the worktable as we were being crafty and industrious and mostly telling funny stories.

I got to drink my tea out of the Happy Monkey Mug!
I love Mod Podge, but my bottle was old and separated and smelled strongly of vinegar. Luckily, Tommy had a new one, but I didn't end up using it anyway...maybe next time.

Anthony, the happy crafter, after I showed him how to do a running lock stitch to finish off the softie he had started some time back. He tells me it's almost finished, so I hope to get a photo soon! Is that not the *coolest* thread spool organizer on the table in front of him?! They got it from Tommy's mom (and I wanted to steal it, but I refrained).

I believe it was about 10 pm when we declared ourselves arts-n-crafted out. Tommy had worked the fastest all evening, and had an almost complete soft friend to show for his efforts.

Anthony is a very manly and menacing sew-er, witness:

And this is what I came up with, after hours of cutting and gluing pieces of felt:

My daughter declares it beautiful, so there!

And a group shot of the Happy Crafters, plus Mr. Scoots, who was not happy at having me come between him and his Men.

I am one lucky girl to have these two amazing guys as my friends. And I will tell you more another time....!

Introducing....My own personal designer!

2009-02-27T20:34:00.001-08:00

It is high time I gave some on-blog credit to the designer of my wonderful blogger and Etsy shop graphics! I am tickled to bits with my blog banner at the top of this page - it is sooo ME!! Her name is Dawn, and her business is Sensoria Design. There is a link to her blog on my blog-o-rama, through which you can find her Etsy shop, or just click HERE.

She is currently having a Word Hunt promo where you can win a set of Etsy graphics!! If you've got an Etsy shop, this is a fantastic prize. She also does beautiful birth and event announcements and personalized photo cards. You really must check out her designs - there is something for every taste, I think. Personally, I love her retro designs (duh!), but she has elegant, funky, pretty, crafty, cutsie designs, too! And her prices are great, and she's a joy to work with. Seriously, I know next to nothing about this stuff and she was very patient with me, and very helpful.

If all that wasn't enough to convince you, she has a FREE Going Green avatar and thank you that you can download just for visiting her Etsy shop - what a gal!!

Some Friday Fun

2009-02-26T20:31:00.000-08:00

This is what I want to do tomorrow: go see this show! I used to work with Big Sandy's younger brother years ago, and I remember him talking about the parties they'd play and such. They've been around doin' gigs and doin' well it seems! Anyone want to babysit?

Good Stuff!

2009-02-25T22:19:00.000-08:00

Oh, this blogging stuff is fun!

I *think* this is what I'm supposed to do! I go to Songbird Tiff's blog and link on her page to my post about my great finds, then write about it here and show everyone her cute "badge". (Is that right, Tiff?) I'm such a newbie! Check out her post for today, which highlights her amazing finds, and then invites other bloggers to do the same!

Wanna join a cause? It's a fun one, I promise!

2009-02-22T13:33:00.000-08:00

Check out this link to a super blog dedicated to thrifting. And these chicks are serious - they want to change the world! At the very least, get a month dedicated to thrift-store-shopping awareness. What a great idea to promote at this time of financial crisis! Anyway, go read what they write about it - it's much more eloquent than I!

Thrifty gal

2009-02-20T19:55:00.000-08:00

Update: This post was my Good Stuff on SongBirdTiff's blog, here!

Can you see the allure? I got this shot on a day when it was pouring rain, and I had to make a trip in to the Salvation Army to pick up the other two blue chairs I had bought two days before. Of course, I found a book, a record, and a pyrex lid while I was in there (with two not-so-well-behaved kids - very embarrassing). So now, instead of curling up with a good book in front of the fireplace on a rainy day, I'm out thrifting...sigh. But check out some of my new finds!

Mom and Dad gave me the lower dish a few years back, along with some others in the same vein. Said they'd used them as a young married couple (circa 1964). Now, I've found others in the shops, like the tiny one above, so I'm expanding my collection. Does anyone know if these have a name?

At a crazy estate sale, on another rainy day. Had to wait outside, in the cold, with about 20 other folks, just to see what was in there. There was lots of grumbling, but very few people left. They had the coolest Danish Modern dining room set, way to expensive for me. I snagged this funky-cool sewing box, complete with contents.

Bunch of old spools of thread, buttons,

snaps, hooks, give-away advertising rulers, typewriter ribbon, needle threaders, etc.

And then there was this baby:

An aqua blue Hoover Dart for ten bucks - and it works!

Pretty dresser scarves and a hankie. One dresser scarf is embroidered with these darling little fawns:

A whole stack of vintage cookbooks and booklets - these are just three:

And this gorgeous Georges Briard warming tray, in its original box, apparently never used!

Help! I've been compulsively thrifting!

2009-02-06T20:31:00.000-08:00

Lately, I've been doing some retail therapy at various thrift stores I'm exploring in our new area. Reading all these dang blogs, seeing everyone else's cool finds...how can I help myself?? I've found some things I really like for my collection and/or to decorate our home, but I've also decided to open an Etsy shop and try my hand at vintage vending. Here's some of my new loot:

Kitchen features

2009-01-27T19:43:00.000-08:00

Our built-into-the-countertop gas stove by O'Keefe and Merritt.

The controls. The one on the right works the front right burner, which you can set by degrees. I have no idea how to use it!

I like the little stars in the middle of the burners.

The matching aqua vent hood with light. 4 x 6 rectangular tiles in the backsplash.
My grandma's KitchenAid mixer, my small collection of iron trivets, and a paper towel/aluminum foil/wax paper dispenser on the wall (ebay find).

The Living Room

2009-01-27T19:35:00.000-08:00

Finally got the living room clean enough to photograph. This is from last night after
my sister Margaret spent the day helping me declutter, vacuum, and rearrange.
On the left is the piano that's been in my family since I was about 6 years old. My
siblings and I all learned to play on it, and now my daughters are enjoying it.
I would love to learn more about the furniture I acquired free (again, thanks to Margaret!). The sofa is not shown (yet), but the two brown chairs and the green lounge chair (minus its footstool, which is in the garage awaiting post-moving repairs) are part of this set. The story that came with them was that they were bought in Denmark in the 1960s by the owners of the mountain getaway cabin where I got them. I believe they have their original upholstery. The rocking chair was another freebie and is going to be spectacular someday when I can afford to get it reupholstered. The square table, standing in for a coffee table, is teak, I think. The rust-colored carpet is protecting the original hardwood floors, which we plan to uncover in the future. The small telephone table holding the lamp was my Grandma's. I have to get some close-ups of the various pieces of furniture and decorative items - that lamp is amazing (but you can't see it well here).

The fireplace by the front door. It has a built-in cabinet at a right angle, forming a sort of
entryway. We use it for shoes and outgoing items. The fireplace is gas/woodburning, brick with a black slate hearth. The tiles across the top are just perched there as an experiment to see if it would be a good idea to affix them permanently. More on them later. The clock and artwork deserve close-ups and details in another post.

Crewel-work by my Grandma, recently framed with an unused vintage frame I found for
50 cents at a thrift store. I got the wall sconce on ebay, and the aqua phone at an antique
store's parking lot sale in Yucca Valley for 8 bucks! Our fish live on the counter below.
I like how you can see the original phone number!

Cool original features of our house

2009-01-26T08:33:00.000-08:00

I've never seen faucets quite like this before - I think they're certainly eye-catching. The pull-up knobby-thingy that plugs the sink doesn't work, and the drain chrome rings are looking bad. Anyone know how to fix these??

Our tub handles are neat-o, too. Even if they are a bit difficult to turn (impossible for the kids) with wet hands. Almighty Hubby had to replace the stopper, because it just wasn't holding water (he he he!).

We have salt-and-pepper tiles around the tub and sink. The interesting thing about the tub tiles is that they are rectangular, which I've never seen in a mid-century house before. The sink in this bath, all the tile in the master bath and the countertops in the kitchen are all the standard 4 x 4 square. The kitchen backsplash is rectangular again! Pix to come....

Original vanity and drawer pulls. Paint job is just okay, but I'm just thrilled to have the cabinet!!

2009-01-24T22:39:00.000-08:00

My entries into Retro Renovation's cool contest for Found Art/Found Objects. The prizes are just too cool! And I just lurrve Pam's blog! This is what I wrote about my photos:

First, I have a sample of some of the booklets and pamphlets I kept when going through my mother-in-law's belongings after her death. She was quite the hoarder, and I was delighted to find these little glimpses into the past. The pamphlet for polio and the Salk vaccine is quite poignant to me. It has the handwritten dates of the three shots for my m-i-l and her two brothers and "me", which I assume is their mother. This all reminds me of my father's stories about how his mother was just so terrified by polio, and wouldn't allow him to eat the ends of bananas because she had heard that it was a cause of the disease!

I love the woman who is so excited about her Farberware aluminum griddle, the industrious woman who knows all the smart things to do to make her ironing job "modern", the beauty queen with her Q-tips (inside, the tips include "Finger Flattery" and "Dainty Do's"), and the rarely-seen serious (but immaculately coiffed) housewife who asks us to please, please, just listen!

My other photo is of some of MaryAnn's old cake decorating items I found buried in a box. I wonder why she kept them for so long (a few with crumbs attached!), and whose celebrations they attended. Were they hers? Friends? For her sons? Since the one graduate is female, and she had only sons, could it have been for her high school graduation? I'm sure the pious little boy and the altar candles must have adorned First Communion cakes for her good little Catholic boys. And I couldn't understand why one of the storks had a pipe cleaner sticking out of him until I found this one with naked baby attached by his own pipe cleaner. Little baby bottles - so sweet, and the rattles actually rattle!

I miss MaryAnn so much, and it's been 12 years since her passing. Although it's bittersweet not to be able to ask her these questions and talk with her about her memories, I love to have her things and to imagine what her life was like as a young housewife and mother in the early 60s.

Random fun images!

2009-01-17T13:12:00.000-08:00

Every workplace should have one:

Sylish ladies with glasses

why the Mayan pyramid?

Our Newest House

2009-01-17T12:55:00.001-08:00

Our first home was in Covina, the second in Yucca Valley, and our current (and hopefully long-term) home is in Upland. All in Southern California.

This is not the best head-on-type shot, but I was trying to capture the beautiful snow on the foothills above us, and our sugar maples in fall color. For SoCal, this is as wintry as it gets!

I will post before and afters photos of this house, and I would like to have sections on the other two as well. We've learned a lot from our adventures in home-ownership. I'm very lucky to have a highly-skilled husband who knows how to do lots of remodeling projects himself!

2009-01-07T16:27:00.000-08:00

Here it is - my very own blog!
The image above says it all for now....