My (Aqua) Blue Heaven Friday

Welcome to another exciting friday of Aqua Blue Heaven! Today's bunch-o-awesome is all about the drinking glass. You could say they're good for orange juice. I'd say I'll see your OJ and raise you a vodka. You could say they're good for Diet Coke. I'd say I'll see your Diet Coke and raise you a Jack Daniels. I don't know about you guys, but when it comes to glasses, mine are of the mix-and-match variety. One of these days (Alice, bang!zoom!) I'll show you my collection of vintage glasses. They don't quite match per say but they all sorta match in theme of color, so it's all good in this hood. But not in the mixy-and-matchy cutesy tootsy way like that crazyass Rachel Ashwell and her shabby chic pink and red gingham conglomeration of nightmares. Actually, I think the nutbag holds a patent on the "shabby chic" phrase and I heard that if you say the phrase out loud, she'll appear in a mirror, step out and redecorate your house in chipped-paint white sideboards and overstuffed, rose chintz throw pillows and bitch slap you with a lavender-scented scrapbook before stepping back into the mirror. No, seriously. It's true. Anyway, whether used for cocktails or going virgin (ha!), these vintage 50's aqua glasses pretty much rock. Or roll. I can't decide.



Aqua & pink vintage 50's...hmm...atomic circus-y (?) set from Goldmine.





Aqua & pink stripey vintage 50's set of 8 glasses in a coolio carrying...type... uh, carry...thing. From Bendiga.





Aqua and white vintage 50's frosty glasses. From Sson777. (They're described as being "mouth blown" in the listing....uh huh huh huh...why, yes, I do have the humor of a 15 year old boy. Why do you ask?)





It's like I always never say: you can never have too many glasses with steamboats on them. Vintage 50's/60's aqua and gold set of 4 glasses from Jen's Closet.





Fun aqua and green checkerboard-y pattern (sort of, but not really) set of 4 vintage glasses also from Jen's Closet.






Wicked awesome (I said that just now in my head with a Boston accent. You know, in case you were wondering how I say things in my head) atomic throwing stars in one of my all-time favorite color combos, olive green and aqua. Vintage 60's set of 2 glasses from Before He Finds Out.





And since we're on the subject of all this drinking, remember the days when you sent out invitations to do random things like drinking? Yeah, me neither. But I wish I did. I wish we lived in a swankier time where it was apropos to send invites for cocktails and crudites on sticks and Dean Martin on the hifi at 8:00 sharp. Neato bandito vintage new old stock package of cocktail invitations from My Vintage Whimsy. I think I've just found my new mission. (Not from God. He wouldn't approve.) A mission to bring proper cocktail parties back!

Jungle Madness

Welcome to June's Vintage Giveaway! Seeing as in one week it will be O-fficially summer, I thought it only apropos to give away something apropos of summer. Duh. So what could be better than something tiki-themed? Everyone loves tikis. Yo' mama was a tiki. I'll tell you what's better than a tiki theme~ a tiki theme and cocktails.



So this month's giveaway is this fun plastic cocktail shaker and cups set! OK, so it's not technically vintage, dated 2002, but if you wait another 13 years it will be, so there. I got this as a present 7 years and it's never been used, so it's time I destash and bestow this re-gift upon someone else. It really was a well-thought, charming little gift from someone, but I just have way too many actual vintage cocktail shakers and glasses already that I've collected over many moons. Am I bad a person? Let's consult the Magic 8 Ball. *shake shake shake* Magic 8 Ball says: "It is certain." Sigh.

It's tiki time!



No, really. It says so.




I'm pretty sure that any native anywhere wouldn't drink something called a "Grass Skirt" but who am I to argue with a cardboard box?




Each cup has a tiki mask on one side and a cliche-ishly named drink recipe on the other. ("Lei Lady Lei" sounds like something stupid and corny I would say, so naturally I'm both repulsed and enchanted.)


Everyone and anyone is welcome to sign up! It doesn't matter if you've never left a comment before or you're not following this blog (though it sure does help. Zing!) And it's totally free to you! To be eligible, just leave a comment that you'd like to be entered in the contest - or - you can drop me an email if you'd rather keep it on the down low.

The winner's name will be drawn from a hat (seriously. I really do it that way!) in one week, on the 21st. What better way to celebrate the first day of summer than by getting loaded on a "Grass Skirt"?






"Jungle Madness" by Martin Denny.

Mele Kalikimaka

In case you've ever wondered what kind of high-class, fancy pants sort of Xmas decorating I do, wonder no more, my little figgy puddings. This is what happens when you drink and deck the halls...




...you get a garland of mini cocktail shakers and martini glasses. I had boring-ass white lights (not a fan) strung around the hallway arch and it needed some kind of tacky white-trashification...a few Mai Tais later and voila! A Martha Stweart Christmas is born. I have a couple dozen each of the martinis and shakers~ they're not vintage of course but schmacy all the same, from a few years ago when I had a "real" job, a retail management stint that sold kitschy crap like this at Xmas. I've been trying to figure out a way of making a necklace out of them, but so far it's a fail. Too heavy and clunky. And also, I'm pretty sure the white girl Mr. T-meets-Flavor Flav look is...not good, at the very least.



Notice the hand-crafted (AKA mass-produced in China) attention to detail in the olive-on-stick.



And the lid comes off the shaker! I love working, movable parts on mini things. The shaker would make a swell gift-giving receptacle, but considering it's all of 3" tall, what could one put in it? Poppy seeds? Tic Tacs? Valium? "Merry Christmas, Grandma! Look inside! It's half an ounce of dope! Good for you!"

(More trashy decorating to come, assuming the spiced rum holds out...)

The Way You Look Tonight

September 4th is my 10 year wedding anniversary, people. TEN. YEARS. Ten very long years. Ten very short years. Why September 4th you probably don't care to ask? No one really knows. It's not significant, not in the way that say, if we waited exactly one week and took the plunge on September 11th would be significant. It was just a random date pulled out of our keisters, married outside with about 27 bucks to our name. Cheap and easy. (Like me. Heyyyy-ohhhh! Nothing is sacred).

Here is a small sampling of what I've learned and not learned in ten years:

1. Why am I still the designated underwear-on-the-bathroom-floor-picker-upper? And they're NOT EVEN MINE.

2. It's OK that not all those years were perfect, full of sparkles and unicorns and puffy stickers. Some were downright crap on a cracker. But admitting it means I'm turning somewhat human, right? Otherwise, I'm always perfect.

3. I still can't watch someone else hurl without clenching my teeth really, reeeally hard, or else I might blow chunks too.

4. After 10 years, the ball and chain still seems to think I like 3 Musketeers bars. I can't stand them. But thanks for trying.

5. No matter how many times I bitch that I DO NOT CHECK POCKETS when doing laundry, something important ends up in a pocket, gets washed and ultimately ruined and the world as we know it will come to end. How DARE I.

6. When I say "Don't buy me anything for my birthday, seriously" it ends up with me saying "I can't believe you didn't buy me anything for my birthday!". Some lessons will just NEVER be learned.

7. Boys are gross.

8. Boys are wonderful.

9. "I'll mow the lawn tomorrow, I SWEAR" really means it'll get done next week. Maybe. But probably not.

10. Aside from the financial mediocrity, we have a pretty great life.

What with our white trashy, poor-as-dirt wedding, I have no videos or big picture albums, no hope chest of wedding day mementos, no digital or online stuff, just a handful of pictures. And I'm perfectly OK with that. In fact, our Big Anniversary Day will be business as usual, send the boy off to school, work, work at the university, night classes, Top Ramen. We really know how to celebrate. One day we'll get our Tahitian vacation, though it'll probably take another 10 years.

Enjoy seeing a rare glimpse of me and a not-rare glimpse of me with a cocktail.

Smooching. Gross. I know. I don't like looking at it either.



Wearing a vintage 60's set, an Asian silk cocktail dress and beaded cardigan, the first thing I bought at an actual vintage clothing store. And yeah, the cardigan had moth chomps that I didn't even attempt to hide. I like to think of it as good luck holes. Or something.