Mixing Vintage Lampshades with Modern Lamps

Isn't it amazing what adding a vintage lamp shade to a new lamp can do?  I purchased this incredible 2-tiered lamp shade at a garage sale four of five years ago for twenty-five cents.  I added it to a lamp that I got at the closeout sale when our local Walmart moved to a new building shortly after getting the shade.  I originally put the shade on the lamp just to have something on it until I could buy a new shade.  Now, I can't imagine this lamp without the vintage shade.  The shade is just the right size, in my opinion.

Vintage Travel Maps

I was able to go to a farm auction this weekend to get out of the house and have an excuse to enjoy the beautiful weather.  The people who owned the farm sold their land and were moving.  It was a small sale with some household things along with the farm items.  I found few things of interest, but I did latch onto these great vintage highway maps.  I really like the vintage artwork on them.  The maps in the collection dated from 1946 through the early 2000's.  I personally have no interest in the ones that are newer than 1990, but I really enjoy these older ones.  Many of them came from various gas stations / oil companies.  It's really interesting to see how the highways have changed over the years.  I remember when the north/south highway just outside of town was two lane when I was growing up in the 1980s and they were in the process of transforming it into a 4 lane highway.  It is now being transformed again, preparing it to become an interstate highway, the major route to Kansas City from this area.

Dinah Shore Chevy Songs

To compliment the post on the great maps that I found this weekend, I thought that I would add these great Chevrolet advertisements.  Dinah Shore sure makes me want to go out and buy a new Chevy!

The above is a 1952 spot for 1953 Chevy's, and the one below showcases a 1959 Impala Convertible.  How I would love to have a super sexy and sleek 1959 Impala convertible to drive through my mid-century neighborhood as they do in this video!  Love those cat-eye taillights!

Glitter Popcorn Ceilings

This weekend brought me to my sister's house for an early Thanksgiving family dinner.  My sister's house was built in the early to mid 1970s, a little out of the mid-century era, but still with some interesting touches.  One of my favorite things in her house is the ceiling.  To the best of our knowledge, it hasn't been painted since the house was built.  It is a popcorn ceiling, which usually isn't my taste, but I really like this one.  The paint used on the ceiling has glitter in it.  When the light shines on it, the sparkle effect is amazing.  However, if the light isn't right, they just look like black specks as you can see in the above photo.  Does anybody know what the process is to create a glittered ceiling like this?  You can see some of the sparkle in the last photo.

Vintage Games

Over the years I have managed to come across several games from the 1950s and 1960s.  Today, I would like to share two of them with you, both from Milton Bradley.

First up is the game Rack-o, which is dated 1961 inside the box.  I have played this game a few times, and I actually enjoy it.  For two to four players, it challenges the player to get 10 cards in numerical order.  It takes some concentration to make sure that you make the right moves at the right time to be able to win.  According to Wikipedia, the game is still being produced, and celebrated it's 50th anniversary in 2006.  You can see the whole Wikipedia article here.

Next up is the Game of the States.  The date on the box for this one is 1960.  I purchased this one a couple of months ago at an estate auction, and have never played it.  In fact, the first time I opened the box was to take these pictures.  It looks to be in very good shape, with all pieces present.  The object of the game, according to the instructions is "to buy a product in one State, and haul it on a Truck to another State where you try to sell it at a profit."  This game is also for two to four players.  I did a quick search for it online, and while I did not find a Wikipedia page for it, I did find an online retailer selling the game new, so it might still be in production.  A quick search of the Hasbro website, which owns Milton Bradley, did not list either Rack-o or Game of the States, however.

The Trouble With Angels

It's Friday, and I am in the mood for a great movie.  Today's movie of choice (once I get home from work) is The Trouble With Angels.  This 1966 movie features Hayley Mills and Rosalind Russell.  Mills, sent to St. Francis Academy so that the nuns could straighten her out, and Russell, who plays Mills' nemesis, the Reverend Mother.  This is a great care-free movie, sure to raise your spirits in a way that no modern movie can.  Apparently this whole movie has been uploaded to YouTube.  I recommend ordering the DVD, personally.  Have a great Friday!

MIB Federal Glass

After loumeigs identified one of the glass tumblers I posted the other day, I started searching for other designs they created.  I ended up finding these great MIB tumbler sets!