Adventures in Estate Sale Book Hunting: Mid-Century Wow!

I snagged this book recently at an estate sale. Its bright turquoise color (it's a lot brighter and turquoisier in real life) caught my eye. I thought it would make a great book vase.

And then I opened it.

Copyright 1956.

In pristine condition. (Check out those chairs!)

Mid-century wow!

Did you know gray can be contemporary? My house has gray walls. It's as if the mid-century gods have smiled on me and given me their blessing.

Did you know that you can start your scheme with a wallpaper pattern? Look for one steam engines and men on horses.

Wait...what???

Well, maybe not everything the mid-century gods recommended was so Mad Men cool.

Case in point.

Or this beauty that in our family is known as an "Oh honey" house, because that's what my grandma said one time when she walked in and saw the flame-stitch wallpaper I had just hung in my kitchen.

On the other hand, there's this very stylish game room with built-in bookcases. I love bookcases. 

And do you see those books on the left? I'm pretty sure my mom and dad had that same set.

Of course they've got ideas for decorating bathroom in there, like this one.

 

Or these pink ones. If there's one thing I can say for the present, I think our bathrooms beat their bathrooms hands down.

That being said, this is a pretty cool sink.

Hey look! There's Rudy's g-g-grandmother!

And a shout-out to my very famous brother, Steve. Look! A built in puppet theater!

And a shout out to my mom and dad...Why didn't we have a popcorn machine like this one?

And a shout-out to my grandmother who use to have a wrap-around dining bar in her very mid-century cool home in rural Oklahoma in the 1960s.

This looks like an ad for West Elm. Check out that triangle glass table.

So did I make a find at that estate sale? Oh heck yeah!

So now the question is...vase or no vase?

Cave Drawings

Sometimes they deceive you. They want you to think they are best friends. Nap-taking buddies.

But the rug in my TV room tells a different story...or maybe that's smells a different story. Rudy and Oreo have each claimed the room as their territory--several times each, if you know what I mean. So it's out with that old rug and...

...in with new hardwood floors. Wahoo! But that meant removing that built-in entertainment center on the far wall.

What to do with all those shelves? Well, put 'em in the garage, or course. 

See them there on the right? And while we were at it, we moved the couch out there, too. Can you say man cave?

But wait! Look how much storage I have now for extra RDCBs!

All lined up with a different color on each shelf.  Sigh... Can you say woman cave?

Book Review: 1Q84

Title: 1Q84
Author: Haruki Murakami
Format: Audible
Reading Dates: Jan 27, 2013 - May 26, 2013
Rating: **1/2

I've decided that's it's one thing if you invest a short bit of time in a book and you end up not liking it. It's altogether another thing when you invest several months and nearly 47 hours of listening and you end up going "Huh?"

I really liked the set up and I was intrigued by the first part of the book. Then it really slowed down, and by the time of the stakeout I was thinking to myself--this is what they always say stakeouts are like--long drawn-out affairs with nothing interesting happening.

I kept hoping that something would happen at the end to clear everything up, but it never did. Someone should have fired Chekhov's gun.

Book Review: The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements

Title: The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements
Author: Sam Kean
Format: Kindle
Reading Dates: Jan 27, 2013 - May 7, 2013
Rating: ***

I just couldn't hold the thread of this book. I'm wondering how much of that was due to reading it on a Kindle and not having the periodic table in front of me the whole time.

There were parts that I liked--especially the stories of the scientists and their discoveries, but at a certain point in the chemistry, I just got lost and felt like I was a sophomore in high school again. Just like then I sorta knew what was going on, but not enough to keep me interested.

I was hoping for descriptions of the science that were as easy to follow as those in The Emperor of All Maladies, but alas, it wasn't to be. It's a shame, because I really feel like I should have liked this book--just like that class in high school.

Dream Big!

Quick! Name three big things. Here's my list...

1. Daniel Boone (all those of a certain age are now humming a theme song)
2. #1 Son's mastiff, Boss





3. Moby Dick--both the whale and the book. How do I know this? Well, recently one of my Etsy clients asked me to create a book for her and she wanted it folded from a classic, so I headed to Half-Priced Books to see what I could find. They had GIANT copies of Moby Dick right at the checkout, so I grabbed one and lugged it to my car. 

Here's the final product.

It even looks cool with its dust jacket still on.

So how big was this puppy? (Or is that guppy?)

Here is the same word folded in an RDCB. Holy cow! Holding that many pages up while folding really gave my hands a workout.

But bonus! Look what I found on the clearance table while I was at Half-Priced Books. More fun stuff to make!

May Showers Bring Brand New Flowers

You have already met my friend and personal Svengali for all things decorative, Barb. 

Guess what. She's gonna be a grandma! And today I went to a lovely shower and brunch for her daughter, Mandi. 

Festivities were at our friend, Sharon's. Sharon does not need a decorating Svengali. She has the same gene that Barb has. And a Pinterest account. Here was the gorgeous setting for the very tasty brunch.

And here is the bouquet I made for Mandi's nursery.

It came with zinnias...

(that's pink China from the Rand McNally Atlas)

...and mums (maybe part of the Sahara?)...

and some bright allium...

(courtesy of the Atlas and an RDCB)

All thrown together in an an English garden kind of way...

...if English gardens grew inside RDCBs.

Here is Mandi receiving her bouquet (and a chance to check out more of Sharon's decorations)...

...and here she is getting ready to take them home.

What a beautiful mama! Lucky kid!

Adventures in Estate Sale Book Hunting: Houston, We Have Liftoff

Last weekend I went book hunting at an estate sale and even though I didn't find any RDCBs, I did come away with a few beauties. Case in point, here's Astronauts on the Moon, The Story of the Apollo Moon Landings. And best of all, it's a pop-up book!!

Open  up the first page and...

3...2...1...liftoff!

Once they get close to the moon, two of the astronauts climb through the tunnel connecting the command module with the lunar module and get ready to land.

But poor Buzz has to stay in the command module all by himself and wonder why he drew the short straw.

Gently, gently the lunar module settles into the gray dust.

The astronauts go exploring and send bags of moon rocks back to their ship.

Later, after docking with the command module, the astronauts head for home, launch the service module and land with a splat in the Pacific Ocean.

And they're home. 

I have a feeling this book is going to be a favorite when future grandkids come along!