Strange CL Listing

Every once in a while, I am absolutely amazed at the things that I find on Craigslist. 

I came across this ad for a vintage embalming autopsy table.  Somthing that no house should be without!  It's a steal at only $500!  Okay, enough with my sarcasm.  But really, what in the world would a person do with one of these things?  I guess it's time to get creative...I could put a piece of glass on the top and make it into a dining table...I could set the TV on it and call it an entertainment center...I could put a piece of foam on it and make it into a bed...I could put it in the garage and use it as a potting bench...hmm...

Here's what the seller has to say about it:

"Vintage Royal Bond Porcelain Embalming Autopsy Table. Measure 31" Wide By 80" Long. Very Heavy Will Need Several People To Move It. Still Has It's Head Rest.
Asking $800 OBO PRICE REDUCED $500 "
 
In case you can think of a great use for this piece and can't imagine your home without it, here's a link to the original ad.
 
Have a great Saturday!

Movie Friday: The Birds

This Friday I want to share an Alfred Hitchcock classic: The Birds.  This movie, from 1963, is truly a mid-century classic.  The above trailer featuring Hitchcock is incredibly entertaining in itself, although for the most part, it has little to do with the actual movie.  Still, it is an entertaining way to introduce you the the suspense thriller movie of The Birds!

From what I have found on Wikipedia, a similar incident actually happened in Capitola, California in 1961, as residents woke up to the sound of numerous birds slamming into their rooftops.  It is reported that Hitchcock requested information and articles from the local newspaper on the incident to use for "research material for his latest thriller".

This great classic features Tippi Hedren, Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy and more.  A great way to welcome the weekend!  Happy Friday!

The Birth of the 1949 Ford

Today, some great videos on the making of the redesigned 1949 Ford.  This was the first major redesign after WWII, I believe.  The car is almost an icon of the era, as the struggles from the depression and war era transformed into the hope for the future that began with the return of our soldiers after the war.  It's sleek lines mimicked the things that we were seeing in new homes at the time.  More streamlined, modern finished for a new beginning as a nation.

Marilyn Sings Me Happy Birthday!

Well, not quite.  But I thought that since I have turned 28 today it would be fitting to have a birthday song on the blog, and who better that the unforgettable Marilyn Monroe!

Craigslist Furniture Finds

I have been so tempted to purchase these great pieces of 1960s furniture for the second bedroom / den.  I just can't make up my mind.  Something about the couch doesn't seem quite what I want.  If they still have them tomorrow I may check on them.

Green sofa, found here, for $75.

Orange swivel chair on four legs, found here, for $40.

The chair is great, I'm just not sold on the couch yet.  Something about it just doesn't seem quite my style.  Have you ever tried to get comfortable or take a nap on a couch with buttons?  If you roll over, the buttons will snag your body.  That kinda kills the nap mood.  I learned that the hard way with the couch my parents had when I was growing up - buttons are evil!  If they still have them tomorrow, I'll probably check on them, but if they sell them, that's okay as well.  I know that the right sofa for me will come along.

Happy Tuesday!

My Weekend Finds!

Yesterday I shared some of the great things that I found and didn't purchase during my 7 store thrifting and flea market spree on Saturday.  Today I'm sharing the things that I found to purchase.

At the Salvation Army Thrift Store I found this great green and chartreuse relish set (I guess that's what it is - could someone help me here?).  For $3, I felt like it was a good deal.  It's marked "Don Jay Made in California".  I probably won't return to this thrift shop.  I had the most unfriendly service there I have ever encountered on one of my outings.  The cashier wouldn't talk to me, then when she saw the $3 price tag on the lid of the central container, she gave me a look and went through each piece looking for the other price tags.  I told her that the way it was set up showed that the whole piece was $3, I believed.  She made some grunting noise at me and then gruffly told me I owed $3 (no kidding?).  Never again will I return to that store.  If I hadn't really wanted the set, I would have left it on the counter and walked out.

This was the first time that I ran across any Blue Heaven.  I found two plates for $3 each.  More than I usually pay, but so many of the blogs that I follow have such high praises for this pattern that I went ahead and picked them up.  I really liked the flea market i found these in, I plan to return to this one.

February 1951 issue of Household magazine.  88 cents.  The cover is detached from the rest of it, and someone pasted some gardening clippings on some of the pages, but there is still some great stuff in there.  I love the cover - great green kitchen cabinets, Formica counter tops with metal trim, green wall paneling, and beams on the ceiling.  I could really feel at home in this kitchen!

Seven dull bronze cabinet knobs in an original box.  Three large knobs, two medium sized knobs, and two small knobs, all from Amerock.  I'm sure that I'll be able to come up with some use for these someday.  The perfect thing will come along, I know it.  The whole set was $2.50.

Finally I got these kitchen curtains.  I really only needed one set, but all the sets were priced together, and they were incredibly cheap.  The green color in the rooster and other images will be perfect with the green paint in my kitchen, and will compliment everything that I have done in the living room.  This is important since its really all one big room.  There are 8 panels and 4 valances, I believe.  The whole set was $3.50.

$16 spent, and a great day of getting out of the house.  I am so tired of the gray skies and rain that we have been having.  I am almost tempted to get one of those lamps that simulate sunlight to set up here in the living room.  Maybe it would brighten my spirits a little bit.

It's Monday - another work week is here long before I am ready.

Thrifting and Flea Markets

I was really proud of myself yesterday.  I went to several flea markets and thrift shops - 7 total - in a nearby town.  I found a lot of things that I would have liked to bring home, but I'm cutting back to save up money for two, possibly three trips this summer, depending on when Mick has his weekend at the Casablanca.

Today I want to share the things that I did not buy, but really caught my eye.  All of these pictures were taken with the camera on my phone, and are not as high quality as they would be if I had used my digital camera. 

This pink lamp was great.  It has great gold trim and the two tiered fiberglass shade just might have been one of the neatest I've ever found.  It was two wedge shaped tiers put together.  Very cool.  Asking price was around $39.

For $25 you could get this amazing black panther ceramic clock.  Did I mention that it was amazing?

For $2 each you could get a new in box vintage door lock set.  They had privacy sets for bedroom and bathroom use, and regular passage knobs.  They also had dummy knobs to match for 50 cents each, new in box.  I really debated buying all of these, but I don't have any real use for them at the moment.

This great lamp would look great in my late 60s inspired living room.  I really considered this as well, for $10.50.

These old metal bedside stands look to me like something that you would have found in a hospital.  There was a fake wood grain on the front, and the handles had a great mid century design.

I know that this isn't mid century, but I had to take a picture of it.  This has to be the oldest Bissell vacuum I have ever seen.  The case and handle are wood.

I found two barrel end tables and three barrel bar stools.  Each piece was priced at $25.

One store I walked into still had its original mid century era tile floor.  I had to take a picture of the great turquoise and off white checkerboard design.  This store is worth visiting just to see the floor!

How about a Window Snack Tray for your car?  Several new in original package for $2.95 each.  Multiple colors to choose from.

Okay Mick, I thought of you when I found these vintage roller skates.  $10.50 for the pair.

I loved this small dinette set.  The table had an oak top, but the legs and chairs look like bamboo...or something along that line.  $150 for the set, I believe.  (It's hard to remember it all, there were so many things at all of the stores!)

Finally, this great metal kitchen cabinet (hutch?) caught my eye.  Two doors for storage at the bottom, a drawer, a shelf above the drawer, and two shelves with sliding glass doors at the top.  $90.

Tomorrow I'll share with you the things that I found for myself.

Have a blessed Sunday!

Movie Friday: Mame

Okay, so this movie isn't from the 50s or 60s, it's from the 70s.  It's still a great movie.  I haven't watched it in years, but it is a great movie.  I should have recorded it off the classic movie channel...instead, I just bought it on half.com.

I know that there are different versions of this movie, including versions where Mame was played by Rosalind Russell and Angela Lansbury, but today I want to share the version that Lucille Ball made in 1974.

Anyway, I have always been a Lucy fan, and I wasn't disappointed when I saw this film.  It also features Bea Arthur, and the two make an unforgettable pair!

Here's what the YouTube poster had to say about the film (by the way the above is the first segment of the film, the whole thing is on YouTube.  I was unable to find the trailer for it.):

"The musical revolves around the antics of Mame Dennis, a fun-loving, wealthy eccentric with a flare for life and a razor sharp wit. Her life is suddenly changed when she becomes the guardian of her late brother's only child, Patrick Dennis. Her adventures take us from the speak-easies of the roaring 20's to the depression following the great Stock Market crash. She is rescued by a wealthy Southern plantation owner, marries and is widowed suddenly, and through it all, manages to keep things under control. With some help from her dearest friend, Vera Charles, she helps keep things at 3 Beekman Place a rousing free-for-all."

Have a great Friday!

Rearranging...

The above two pictures show the living room before I started rearranging furniture.  I also still have the dark red drapes up.  I noticed while I was taking these pictures that I have an abundance of late 60s colors in my living room.  My kitchen is even painted a coordinating green.  The lamps are burnt orange and green, the sofa is, well, you are familiar with my sofa, my chairs are brown, I have some gold pieces scattered around, and even the afghan I am using now is green and burnt orange.  Is it a sign?  I'm think that it just might be...

I added the green drapes, and moved the couch in front of the windows, which is where I have always wanted it to be, but once again realized that the reason that the couch wasn't in front of the windows is because the chairs and Majestic console are too big for the wall that the couch was on.

Plus, once the couch was in front of those curtains, I was feeling nauseous.  Too much green in one place.  I think that it will be better balanced if the couch moves back to where it was before, and the brown chairs and the Majestic return to their place in front of the windows.

BUT, I am going to try keeping the couch in front of the windows for a while.  Here's how I have arranged it for the time being:

The other side of the room hasn't changed.  Still has the platform rocker and chest of drawers in front of the half wall dividing the living room from the kitchen.  I'm not sharing that view right now because all of my Christmas things are stacked on that chair awaiting the time when the ground dries out enough to put it back in storage (the vintage items are stored in the house).

The jury is still out on this layout...I really feel like the long, low sofa accentuates how long the room is, while the chairs make the end wall look even more narrow.  I'll leave it as is for a couple of weeks then return it to the way that it was before to see how that works.  I am still thinking that having the green couch on the short wall would help to spread the green color around the living room, so that it isn't all in one place, it also makes that wall look longer, in my opinion.  Plus, not only is the green centered all in one place, but now all the brown is at the end of the room.  I also realize that either way, I need to move the picture of our family farm, either to be centered above the sofa or on the wall by the windows.  I haven't decided where just yet.

Surprise Find!

So, I was moving furniture around a couple of nights ago, after hanging the green drapes in the living room to live with them for a while.  I was working on rearranging the furniture and moved the Majestic console.  I hadn't looked inside it since I refinished the cabinet (I don't use the radio, just use it as a piece of furniture).  Anyway, I had completely forgotten about the stack of ten 78 records that were in the radio when I bought it.  Once I found them again, I remembered putting them back in the radio when I was finished with it.

Here's a sampling of the titles:

White Christmas - Bing Crosby
Silent Night - Bing Crosby
Silver Bells - Bing Crosby and Carol Richards (don't know that I've heard of her)
Jingle Bells - Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - Jimmy Boyd
Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer - Gene Autry and The Pinafores

What a nice surprise!  Now if I just had a working record player...

Mrs. Close (the previous owner of the radio) and I have one thing in common - we're both Bing fans!

Vintage Royal Ironstone

I was browsing Etsy yesterday and ran across these great vintage Royal Ironstone plates.  I really like the green and navy blue combination.  If I had avocado tile in my house like my great aunt did, I would probably paint the walls a nice shade of blue to go with them.  They are available from seller beppiebags, and the three pieces together are $15.99.

I think that they would look great grouped with the large plate in the center and the two smaller plates on the outside, hanging on a soffit above your kitchen cabinets (if you have one and your cabinets don't go all the way to the ceiling like mine).

Sometimes I think that $16 is an awful lot to pay for three plates, but when I think about them as wall art, the price suddenly doesn't seem so bad.  Maybe that's just me.

Gimme a Head with Hair, Long, Beautiful Hair!

Oh say can you see

My eyes

If you can

Then my hair's too short!

Okay, I don't know how beautiful it is - but I've been letting my hair grow out since last August.  It's getting some great curl now that it's longer.  I need to get it trimmed up a bit - but it's gonna get longer!

Just wanted to share an updated photo with ya!

Vintage Drapery Help?

Okay, so I need an opinion.  This past fall, at our city-wide garage sale, I picked up these green/gold pinch pleat drapes.  I actually got two pair of drapes with the matching valances for $3 (and they threw in a really nice drapery rod as well).  One pair of the drapes and matching valance would be just the right size for my dining room, and the other pair would have to be trimmed down a little bit, but would be good for the living room.  The drapes were custom made in 1970 when the owner of one of the local factories built a new house.  That house changed hands this past fall, and the new owner sold all of the vintage drapes out of the house.  I was able to get the ones from the living room / dining room.  I know the drapes are original to the house, as the previous owner and the new owner are both families that I know from church.  The previous owners moved into a residential care facility, and the new owners have been busy "updating" the entire house (it had some really cool original features - wish I'd taken my camera to that estate auction).

I got the matching lamp at the estate auction.  Remember this?  Anyway, I would like to know everyone's opinion about how well these drapes go with my French Provincial sofa.  I'm thinking about having these drapes cleaned and taking down the dark red ones and putting these up.  If I do that, I'll also get the matching lamp out with the velvet shade.

Then the only thing that I would be missing is the matching marble-topped end table that Grandma got from my great aunt's house when I got the sofa.  I must try to figure out a way to get that table some day!

Mid Century Cabinet Pulls from Amerock

I spent some time last night going through Amerock's website looking to see if I could find cabinet pulls available that would be fitting for a mid century home.  Specifically, I wanted to know if they were still manufacturing the pulls that I have in my kitchen.

Here's what I have in the kitchen here at the shack:

 

They are black and have these great little brass backplates on the bases.  They perfectly match the black hinges with the brass decorative pins in them.

While I was unable to find them in black, I was able to find this pull.  Unfortunately, they no longer come with the cool little backplates, but you can still get them in chrome and brass finishes.  I would recommend the chrome finish for a mid century kitchen.  They are part of the "Allison Value Line."

Here are some others that I feel might go well in a mid century kitchen:

If you are looking for colonial style hardware to go on your knotty pine cabinets, how about this:

And if you are looking for something a little more 60s or 70s inspired, I really liked these two:

I think that most of these pulls were available in multiple finishes, if you aren't looking for chrome.  Many came in brass, and some of them came in other finishes as well.  I recommend you look through their website to know for sure if they make what you are looking for in the finish that you are seeking.

The black finish on mine has worn off most of the pulls over the 50 plus years my house has been in existence.  I'm planning on taking them all off and repainting them black and reinstalling them.  I also need to strip my lower cabinets down and refinish them and replace the counter tops.  I'm hoping to finish the bathroom this year, and have the kitchen done by  the end of 2011.  I hope that isn't pushing myself too much, they are both small rooms, and I'm not gutting either one.  I guess we'll see how motivated I get!

Have a great Sunday!