Friday, March 12, 2010

Aqua Blue Heaven Friday: A Good Egg.

Welcome to another Aqua Blue Heaven Friday!





Anyone who's in the process of mid-century-modernizing their home knows how hard it can be get it "just right", down to the last detail-but also knows how thrilling it is to find something that you either never knew existed or never realised you had to have until to see it. (Being easily thrilled helps in the process.) Make sense? I didn't think so.


Example: this Vintage 50's Refrigerator Egg Box, currently available on Etsy from seller See Rox Run:



I knew these existed (in various colors, too!), but never realised how much I wanted one! How fab it would be to have this in a vintage fridge!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Way-Out Wednesday: When Good Fruit Goes Bad.

Welcome to Way-Out Wednesday!







Today's pick is this Vintage Apple & Banana Scatter Pin Set:





You may ask: "What's so "way-out" about that?" It's not creepy or disturbing, true. But it's wacky (always good) and anything anthropomorphic is usually always a good time. I find the set hilarious for a few reasons. First, googly eyes = win! Second, thanks to the wonders of time and aging, the banana's a little rusty 'round the peepers and now looks like he's beginning to rot. (Why do I find that amusing? I don't know. I just do.) But most of all, the apple is doing the Rerun dance! A million percent win! Anyone that does the Rerun dance is OK in my book.

For those of you who don't know who Rerun is or his "poppin' & lockin'" sweet dance skills, he was a character on a 1970s American tv show called What's Happening!! (Yes, with 2 exclamation marks. I'm really not yelling the title at you.)


I couldn't find any decent stills of Rerun dancing, but here's a youtube clip, should you be feeling funky and needing to get down wit' you bad self:

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Atomic Tuesday: What Makes You Tick?

Welcome to Atomic Tuesday!





Today's pick is this Vintage 1960s Sunbeam Electric Clock, available on Etsy from seller Stilettogirl:



I'm a dork for vintage clocks, like I'm sure most of you are. I think this one is one of those that you'd probably glance over quickly or maybe not notice right away. But then you look at the details and all of a sudden you gotta have it. (Maybe sell your firstborn for, who am I to judge?)


Simple details like the yellow. Who thinks of yellow right away for a kitchen clock? Maybe everyone. But I usually don't think "Hey, you know what this kitchen really needs? (Besides a cleaning lady. And a live-in chef. And a robot that spits out any food you want in 5 seconds, like on the Jetsons.) It's a yellow clock." And for some reason I really dig that fat little arrow. But what I love most is how each number square instantly reminds me of a Scrabble tile .... Whaaat? That's not your first thought? (Nerds of the world unite!)

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Prints Charming Sunday: Tutti Frutti, Oh Rudy

Welcome to Prints Charming Sunday, my little love muffins!




You know, I haven't worn anything with a cherry print for going on 7 years now, thanks to places like Hot Topic who've been cranking out these so-called "50's style" dresses smothered in cherry prints. Certain large repro companies make it seem as if the cherry was thee Official Fruit Of the 1950s, and it's gotten so that you can't swing a bag of cats without hitting something "retro" with a damn cherry on it. I respect the small "Mom and Pop" repro-ers out there who are doing it right and not flooding the market with even more of those little red monsters. I dunno. Maybe I've been around "the scene" for so long that I've just burnt out on them. In my 6 years as a vintage seller, I personally handled an actual vintage cherry print exactly *twice*, so where this bastardization of one single fruit came from, I have no idea! I'd love to know, actually. My only guess is someone took the idea from Marilyn's cherry print dress from her 1961 movie The Misfits, and ran like hell with it:











Even Marilyn is annoyed.



But when I come across a for-reals vintage cherry print, it makes all the stabbiness go away and makes me full of gid! Or at least, something resembling joy. It's like finding a ray of validation in a sea of Hot Topic tulle and stretch cotton-lycra.

Enter this amazingly fab Vintage 1950s Fruit Novelty Print Sundress, currently available from Etsy seller Vintage Frocks of Fancy:





I love it because it's not just cherries, it's loaded with Carmen Miranda-worthy bananas, pineapples....uh, guavas...I dunno, some other random fruity specimens. Anyway, my point is that obviously I'm not a fruit lover and can't even name them, but also it's a really especially rockin' summer frock that I think would make Marilyn full of gid, too. Or at least, something resembling joy.