Friday, December 18, 2009

Aqua Blue Heaven Friday: Deco The Halls





Welcome to (not-quite) Aqua Blue Heaven Friday! Today's vintage pick isn't aqua. But there is blue in it and there is green in it, so if you mash 'em together in your head, they'll make aqua. Ish. Why no aqua today? What's it to ya?, that's why no aqua today. Plus, you'll drop dead with love when you see today's pick, so much so that you won't even care that I'm breaking today's theme rules. You know, if I had theme rules.

Behold! The kickass-ness that is called this Vintage 30's Art Deco Fabric!






Is it not too cool? It's a big hunka chunka piece-o-fabric too, so you could make all sorts of stuff to class up your joint! Curtains? Nah. Pillows? Nah. Whisky bottle cozies? Ding ding ding! We have a winner! Beer bottle cozies would also be accepted, but man, how gauche.


Vintage fabric currently available from Northstar Vintage.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Only I Didn't Say "Fudge". I Said Thee Word.

I'm a big fan of traditions- making them or carrying on with old ones. And every year around Christmas it's a tradition to visit a particular candy shop in a small town where I grew up, a candy store I've been going to since I was a kid. It's changed ownership and store names over the years but it's one constant is remaining a candy store. The shop is small, with large front windows and has been in the same old, turn-of-the-century brick building for decades. The charming kind of place with deep roots in the town's history that you'd find in just about any small (old) town, USA.

Anyway, I stopped by last week and lo and behold, they have a Christmas Story theme in one of the windows! I'm sure many of you have a special place in your hearts for a Christmas Story- I sure as hell do! How could you not? And as I'm sure it is in your homes, here it's been a tradition for the past few years to have the movie on tv all day in the background on Christmas day, thanks to the 24 hour marathon on TBS. (Side note: Can you imagine the residuals the actors are getting from the movie being played 24 hours straight?! And if they don't, they're getting screwed.)

I took some pics of my small town shop & it's windows, just for Christmas-y fun! The pics aren't great, but whatever. It's the thought that counts, right?



Front of the shop. Obviously. The Christmas Story window is on the right.




The display is small, but so cute! There's a box that says Fragile ("Fra-JEE-lay. That must be Italian!"), a vintage table & tablecloth with the infamous leg lamp on top. On the right side of the table is a retro bar of Lifebuoy soap and a replica of Ralphie's glasses. And of course "Ol' Blue"- the Red Ryder bb gun on the floor!




From inside the candy store, looking at the display from behind.



But also sitting on the table was this:



It says "Certificate of Authenticity. Original piece of "A Christmas Story" house, signed by the owner, Brian Jones.


And I'm all, "who the balls is Brian Jones?!" So I researched it, and apparently the original house in the movie was auctioned on ebay (ebay! oy.) Did you know any of this? Because I did not. The house sold to a Christmas Story superfan named Brian Jones, who then took the house- which looked like THIS:



Oh sweet jebus. The horror! It's nice and all, but come ON...


...And restored it back to it's "original" 1930's condition, the way it looked in the movie:



Ta-da! How freaking awesome is that? Of course, there's also open house tours, a museum, booking for people to get married there- he preserved it into a huge empire of childhood memory fun! Like what Disney turned into. Only there's no eternal contract with the devil.



He did keep the original beat-up mailbox, and I love that he did.




If you want to see more pictures of the house or get info on tours or whatnot, you can visit the website at www.achristmasstoryhouse.com!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Way-Out Wednesday: Dude, Where's My Sleigh?




Proof that Santa does, in fact, hate hippies as his employees:






Yellow Pom Pom: "Dude. Where'd we park the sleigh last night? And what...what the hell? What is this? Am I wearing a Snuggie?!"

Red Pom Pom: "Uh oh...You know those, uhh, like, those "magical pixie mushrooms" we swiped from the drunk hooker passed out behind the Peppermint Pole strip club? I think they somehow ended up in the brownies we made. That we then left on the doorstep of Mrs. Claus' house. You know, next to the flaming bag of reindeer poop."

Yellow: "Am I wearing this Snuggie backwards?"

Red: "Remember those blow-up dolls we made in the workshop-OH MY GOD I HAVE BUTTONS FOR EYES! I'm freaking out, man!"

Yellow: "Does it look like I'm wearing a dress? Because I feel like a really gay Charlie Brown right now, in my striped sweater dress and matching Snuggie."

Red: "BUTTON. EYES!"





(Vintage Handknit Christmas Peeps from Divine Debris Vintage.)

Atomic Tuesday: What A Card!

Welcome to Atomic Tuesday!



Today's pick is this set of Retro Mid-Century Modern Atomic Holiday Cards~ it even says "Wishing You a Very Hip Holiday Season" inside! These cards are made by Etsy seller Two Poodle Press. I really dig these cards, in all their unconventional Xmas-iness. (If you replaced the pink with orange, they'd be in my all-time favorite color scheme, FYI.)



And for extra matchy-matchy, she also offers these matching gift tags. Swell!

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Knit Wits, Part 5: A Very Brady Manslaughter



Mike Brady is in deep thought, wondering if his sideburns are perfectly symmetrical and if this sweater makes him look a little too gay, while ignoring Cindy and the imminent plunge to her death from the 2nd story window. Kitty Karryall is safely indoors, so at least it's not a total loss.





Vintage 60's Sweater Pattern currently available from Etsy seller PrairieWool.)