Thursday, August 30, 2012

Magic City


We just received an order from the props department at Magic City and are so very excited!  We disconnected our cable years ago so I'm a bit out of the loop on television shows but this one looks amazing.  Magic City is set in 1959 Miami Beach and appears to be a mid century modern style mecca.
I'm a complete sucker for beautifully designed sets and amazing cinematography (Pushing Daisies, anyone?) and this show seems to have it all.  The pictures on their site are so grand and opulent and true to the period.  I've often imagined what it would be like to be able to shop for a large project and found this article to be very enlightening.  And now, our little shop gets to be a small part of this very big project.
You can bet I'll be catching up on this series and keeping my eye out for the adding machine, perhaps on the side of a Paul McCobb desk where a beautiful secretary sits in her Eames chair with her perfectly placed pin curls and pencil skirt.  Oh, I just can't wait to see it all!

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Commas Save Lives

What?!  You don't believe me?  Well, just look at the two sentences below and see if you disagree.
Let's eat, Grandpa!           vs.           Let's eat Grandpa!
See what I mean?  This is important stuff my friends!  A few years ago my girls and I read the book Eats, Shoots, and Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make a Difference and really enjoyed it.   It's definitely worth checking out from your local library if you haven't read it.  Lots of good stuff in there!

Knowing how important punctuation is, can you imagine how excited we were when Big Daddy and I came across this little cutie on one of our typography quests?  Isn't she pretty!?  I've been admiring all of the marquee letters on Etsy and thought this lovely would be the perfect place to start.  Big Daddy did his electrical thing and I added a little trim to the inside and I must say that I absolutely adore her!

Say, you know what the real problem with this thrifting/upcycling lifestyle is?  You want to keep every last fabulous thing.  I do keep a few from time to time but this one I'm going to share.  (I've already called dibs on the first pi and ampersand we come across, don't you worry.)  I think I'll hang her in my bedroom for now, you know, just to keep her safe and all.  In the mean time you folks watch that punctuation.  Commas really can save lives!

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Borrowed Thrift


Disney Tin Tray - Vintage Walt Disney World Round Serving Dish
I've been thrifting for a long time and you know what that means...  I have a LOT of stuff.  Yes, it's fabulous stuff but even if you put a bunch fabulous things together it's still just a pile of stuff.  And my piles are piling up.  That means it's time to start sharing some of my favorite things in the shop.
Disney Tin Tray - Vintage Walt Disney World Round Serving DishI think I'll begin with a couple of vintage Disney serving trays I found some time ago and fell in love with instantly.  The old school graphics are absolutely charming.  And can you just imagine using them to serve at your next backyard barbeque?  I can.........(queue dream sequence)............................................
Disney Tin Tray - Featuring Florida Walt Disney Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck. Goofy The Eames chairs resting comfortably on the bright green AstroTurf covered patio....me in my ruffled half apron exiting through the sliding glass door with these trays held high...the brightly colored shiny aluminum tumblers full of icy Tom Collins nestled safely in the souvenir of our most recent Disney vacation...in the other hand a plate of deviled eggs, carefully sprinkled with my best Hungarian paprika and garnished with curly parsley on the side. (Oh my, maybe I'm not ready to let go just yet.)  But the truth is that I don't have the Astro Turf to really put these babies to good use so I'm going to have to pass them along to someone more worthy of their retro charm.  And that is one of the things that is the most fun about this thrifting life.  I get to spend some time with all of these lovely things before passing them along.  It's sort of like borrowing from a friend.  Yes, that's exactly what it feels like.  And now it's time to send them off to someone who does have the patio to put them to use.  (I just hope they invite me to the shin-dig.  I could use a good Tom Collins!)

Thursday, August 2, 2012

On this day

Twenty two years ago today my life was changed forever.  I was eighteen and had only been out of the house a few weeks when it happened.  Sitting in a dance club for the first time with my best friend, feeling very insecure and nervous, I was approached by a cutie who wanted to dance.  Because it was early and the dance floor was wide open I just couldn't do it.  I asked him to come back later when more people were dancing and thank goodness he did!  We spent that evening together, and the next and the next, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Fifteen years ago today we were married in a small ceremony in an historic downtown Austin restaurant.  It was a day we had worked towards for a very long time, scrimping and saving and planning..and it was all worth it.  Surrounded by family and our closest friends we celebrated the love we had found and the future family we were so very looking forward to.
Today, Big Daddy is still a risk taker and I'm still playing it safe.  Together we are an unstoppable team and balance each other perfectly.  I am grateful that we have made this incredible journey together and look forward to the many adventures yet to come.
Happy Anniversary Big Daddy!