I often run across goofy decorating ideas in old magazines — and that in itself is the fun in reading them — but I think I’ve found one that takes the cake. Back in the ’80s, women everywhere were dressing according to their “season” — remember that? I was an autumn . . . actually a cross between an autumn and a winter. I even had a couple teachers in 6th grade who had a girlie bonding moment with my class by evaluating each girl for her “season.” We thought it was the coolest thing ever.
Continue reading “Be one with your decor”
It’s never too early to think Christmas!
It happens every fall. Just as the leaves start turning and falling off the trees, and the landscape begins to look a little more sparse, I start thinking about Christmas.
I will freely admit that fall and winter are my favorite seasons. Fall I love for the cooler weather and beautiful colors, and winter I love for the excuse to stay cozy inside and being able to enjoy the occasional snow day. True enough, after Christmas hits, winter tends to grow old very, very quickly. I suppose I love winter partially for the rush of being able to decorate another tree and capture that homey Christmas spirit once again.
Each year my tree gets a little more retro. I haven’t yet gone the way of the aluminum or flocked tree, but it seems that each year my vision pushes me to go with more retro color schemes. Last year it was blue lights and silver and white ornaments, which would have looked superb on a flocked tree, but still looked cool nonetheless.
And then a few months ago I discovered Bronner’s. Oh my . . . talk about a gigantic playground for Christmas decorating enthusiasts! I become even more hooked when I started noticing some of their awesome retro ornaments.
Case in point:
Silvery goodness with a classic starburst design. It also comes in green, gold, and blue. Get it here!
Oh my, how I love this thing. It’s called a pine star ornament, and it’s about as retro as they get. it also comes in gold:
They’re shatterproof, too, which is even better news for those of us with small, hyper, and sometimes violent boys who think that Christmas ornaments make good baseballs. Or weapons.
Here’s a true starburst ornament, hence its name:
I am in love. Truly, madly in love. Is it taboo to feel love for a shatterproof ornament that sort of resembles a sea urchin?
I am not kidding when I say that these ornaments are just a tiny sampling of what this store has to offer. There are ornaments for every hobby, every era, every nationality, and every quirk. They also carry lights (amazing how many different types they have!), outdoor decor, stockings, hats, and pretty much every other item that has a direct or vague association with Christmas. Go there. Get lost. You won’t be sorry.
An unhealthy addiction
Going on the title, you might expect me to ‘fess up to something really bad — a nasty meth habit or something along those lines. But no . . . the addiction I’m about to peruse here is only a tad more lethal.
::::: Deep breath :::::
I have an addiction to retro Christmas graphics. I buy thin, worthless wrapping paper at discount stores merely because the design is retro. I will buy a bulk lot of 250 Christmas cards (when I only send out about 25 each year) because the font is totally ’50s. I need help, and I realize that this is the first step.
Of course, the addict will go in seek of the poison, and that’s just what happened when I stumbled into Etsy the other day. (I swear I didn’t type the URL . . . I just ended up there!) I saw this, noted it was the correct size for my table, and I was a goner.
A plastic.’50s. Christmas. Tablecloth. PLASTIC! I spent money on a PLASTIC tablecloth (new in the package)!
Then again, I have small children, so I can still use them as an excuse.
But the retro Santa, coupled with the nifty ’50s design, sent me over the edge. I just couldn’t say no, plastic or not. What’s more, it’ll look right at home on my chrome table.
Going retro at Home Decorators Collection
Many of you retro fans are well aware that there are many sites on the ‘net that carry retro products — either true vintage or reproductions. The true vintage ones are always good, of course, but it can be a pain to find what you want in good condition or for the right price. The reproductions, on the other hand, can be just plain cheesy for those who are going for a true retro ’50s or MCM look. When straight googling doesn’t get us what we need, however, we can sometimes find some gems just by taking the time to browse a store’s site.
I’m a big fan of the Home Decorator’s Collection. (Note: this is not a paid advertisement!) Not only do they have a plethora of products, they have a look to suit just about anyone, including us admirers of all things 50’s. I spent some time going through their site today and came across a few products that would look right at home in a vintage-inspired decorating situation.
The 50’s were all about geometric shapes — squares, circles, random lines, boomerangs, etc. With the right color scheme, this wall panel would look almost as if it were original to the house.
What atomic age would be complete without something that looked inspired by the planets? This mirror looks positively out of this world. (Sorry — I couldn’t resist.)
Funky, crooked squares — what more could you want in wall art?. I have a votive holder that looks something like this, and it makes my kitchen complete. Love it!
Copper canisters from your kitchen. I distinctly remember my grandparents’ lake cabin — practically a museum for 50’s decorating — having a set of copper canisters. These give a slightly more modern look to the copper with the hammered texture.
It’s called a raindrop mirror, but we 50’s fans are thinking STARBURST! Such a classic design.
The best aspect of shopping at the Home Decorators Collection, though, is the astounding array of area rugs. They have them all broken down into styles, with a huge selection of sizes, and it’s not hard to find some rugs that would spruce up any house with retro styling.
This first one doesn’t try to hide its retro styling; it’s called the Milan Fifties Rug. And fifties it is! Sigh . . . I’m in love.
A little more “white space” on this one (er . . . taupe space?), but that design looks like it’s been lifted from some vintage curtains. Great retro colors as well.
They called it the Atomic Age for a reason, and this area rug, appropriately called Planets, will give your house that “other-wordly” feel.
I love this one for the neutral colors and simple geometric pattern. It reminds me of background graphics you’d find in an advertisement for . . . well, take your pick of products. Sheets? Sure. Salted almonds? Yep. Clear telephone reception? Uh huh. That’s the comforting thing about looking at old advertisements: they’re all almost interchangeable. Different happy faces, a small variety of fonts, but really, they were all pretty much the same.
Great stuff, eh? It’s so cool to see designers trying to bring back (or maintain) some of these classic designs. I’m very tempted by the Milan area rug, but I truthfully don’t have a good place to put it . . . or do I? Oh dear — the wheels have begun to turn. Now look what I’ve started!
Until next time, this is your personal shopper, signing off!
Gifts to give, but not receive
The last little things from the American Home magazines that amuse me are the little ads in the back that advertise everything from soup to nuts (so to speak). There were a lot of these in the December issue, understandably, since that issue would have gone out in November — prime Christmas shopping season. And yes, most of the gifts are very tasteful and sometimes kitschy. Some, however, are just . . . plain . . . scary.
Continue reading “Gifts to give, but not receive”
The kitchen of tomorrow
One of the most gratifying reading from the 1955 American Home magazines comes from the futuristic ideas that always seemed to exist in magazines of that time. So much had happened in the previous fifty years to bring peace and happiness and an easier life overall to the American housewife. It seemed that the majority of the drudgery could be eliminated by machine: washing machines, dishwashers, push-button stoves . . . one could only dream about what other inventions would come along in future years. It’s no surprise, then, that in 1955 people were dreaming about “The Kitchen of Tomorrow.”
Continue reading “The kitchen of tomorrow”
An unexpected treasure hunt
We happen to have a narrow little air-return vent under our kitchen cabinets that I had never given much thought to until a few days ago, when I thought I lost yet another kitchen gadget down its depths. At one point in time, we had a wooden grate that fit over it; however, after remodeling the kitchen with yet another layer of flooring, the grate somehow disappeared, leaving a little gap under our cabinets. Because this hole is right where we do most of the food prep, etc. in the kitchen, it’s very easy to accidentally kick things into the hole.
Exasperated after kicking yet another item into that vent (I lost a food thermometer two months ago), I needed to get into the vent and get out the stuff I had lost. I was also mildly curious to see what else was down there. After all — if I had lost two items in just a few months, imagine how many other things had made their way down there in the last 56 years!
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The good, bad, and ugly of 1955 decorating ideas
The American Home magazine collection from 1955 has been a hoot so far. First there was the bad soup collection, then the green ruin they actually presented as a good idea, and now I have a smattering of miscellany that I’ve found in the bound collection. Not everything presented in the magazine is a bad idea. There are some pictures of kitchens that make me yearn with desire — a sort of “wow-I-love-that-kitchen-and-would-do-just-about-anything-to-have-one-like-it-today” sort of desire.
Continue reading “The good, bad, and ugly of 1955 decorating ideas”
Not so green with envy . . .
I promised I’d post some pictures from the 1955 American Home magazines that I received a few weeks ago. What fun it has been leafing through them! If you missed my recent post on bad soup ideas from Campbell’s, you must go back and see it. There are some things that are better left in history, and that’s one of them.
There are some other things that history buried, and we should be forever thankful. Certain decorating ideas, for example. Sometimes I stare at rooms bedecked in vivid colors and myriad patterns and wonder what it would have been like to actually live in a room like that. Did the occupants suffer from dizziness or chronic gastric complaints? Did those ailments suddenly stop after moving? Once you see these pictures, I believe you’ll feel the same.
Continue reading “Not so green with envy . . .”
A great find!
A friend and I visited a local consignment shop the other day. Despite it being local (ok, ok, it’s a few miles out of town, but I still consider it local), it was the first time I had been the first time I had been in there. To tell the truth, when I stepped into the store, I felt a little let down, because I had hoped for fewer clothes and more piles o’ stuff where I’d have a good chance of scoring something retro.
Imagine my surprise when I started lifting up dishes in a stack and found this gem:
Continue reading “A great find!”