Sunday, April 19, 2009

Cigarettes and Coffee

One of the many things I'm finding that I have a slight case of Fatal Attraction for is collecting vintage patio/porch/outdoors-y furniture and novelties from the 50's and 60's. The standard post-war bamboo patio chairs & matching bars, tacky-ass garden figurines like flamingos, gnomes & mushrooms (not the somehow-off repros from Target) are all things I luuurve to collect. But what I get really excited about (hey, now) are those things that you never really knew existed or are just plain old hard to find anymore. Lucky for me, I live across the street from an antique mall~ nothing great or fancy by any means, in fact, this is one of those places that you can only really pop in once or twice a month because the don't seem to get a lot of new stock often. Turnover sucks, but hey, you can't beat the location. Often I leave there empty-handed but then there are times I leave with some kind of gloriously kitschy "thing" of some sort. (There *is* an amazing 1959/'60 cylinder bar on wheels there that I'm trying to justify spending $195 on. Oh, but this thing is made of love: white & gold glitter "quilted" vinyl outside, open a latch on the side and the thing opens up to make a bar, complete with shelves inside and a bar stool. Oy vey, I'm getting verklempt just thinking about it. Tell me $195 isn't too much and I should skip over there and get that thing of beauty! TELL ME! No, don't! Intervention!)

So here's my score of the day. It's a cold, grey, crap kind of morning. I wander over to the antique store for shits and giggles, not expecting to get anything. (My bar is still there and although I don't need it, I need it, it calls to me, myyyy preciousssss....) Anyway, I did buy this unsavory treat for a mere 10 bucks: a vintage 50's metal ashtray-slash-duel drink holder. It's so inappropriate of modern times, what with smoking apparently being bad for you or something (have you beard this?), but I don't care, I love this damn thing. Made during the time when you'd have your lady friends come over for canasta and you'd place this stand between your 2 metal patio chairs. Sit, talk, have a smoke and a bloody mary. Good times.

I think the red is original and the yellow has been added later, as I can see bits of red under the flaking yellow. I think I'm gonna leave it as-is though, and not repaint it or even try to remove the paint. What do you think? Leave it?


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"Cigarettes and Coffee" by Otis Redding.

7 comments:

  1. Where to begin fiddle de de !
    I am so loving this thing it reminds me of my Aunt Jane and her friends sitting around in their chic,everyday pumps and pearls, Beehive hairdoo's oh how your treasure has filled my mind with happy childhood memories.
    Like the great Otis Redding My Aunt Jane died way to young .She left a brood snubbed by stepmom who threw away all of aunt Janes coolness from the house.I am so glad to learn her style is alive and well and still out there for the finding.Thanks for sharing !
    By the way according to someone beauty is in the eye of the beholder. According to William Morris Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful,or believe to be beautiful.
    Wow the only thing left to consider is ones budget .Happy treasure hunting..

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  2. Aww, thanks for sharing the sweet story, Terry!

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  3. I love it. To hell with PC!!! I have a great old cigerette ad showing a fancy lady in her gloves being wooed by a man using a Marlboro cigerette! The line at the bottom says the are for successful men and for lovely women. Cuz ya know better to be lovely than succeful for the gals! And I'll say get the glittery bar! Talk them down to 150 and invite us all over to cocktails and smokes on the patio. ;) Have fun with your stand and don't change a thing.

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  4. WOW! That thing is great kiddo! Whats her name needs one for her front porch and I need one for the back patio here. Im under the assumption that summer is gonna get here one of these months so Ill actually be able to hang outside w/out a jacket and enjoy a drink and a ciggy outdoors!

    I love it! A+

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  5. Thanks guys! I would throw a summer bash and invite all you loafers over for a mai tai or 4 if it was possible!

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  6. That is really cool. I really dig it. I think it looks great just like it is. I don't think I would change it unless you really want to. It's great that you've got a place around there that you can find things even if it's only ever so often.

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