retro-luxe

It's a Family Affair...

2011-09-17T22:26:00.001-05:00

Totally badass.

Got OCD?

2011-08-14T15:44:00.009-05:00

Do you suffer from OCD? I do. My OCD manifests itself through a peculiar obsession with paint chips. And finding the perfect paint color. I have struck out. Many times. It's expensive y'all! By the way, oops paint can always be donated to preschools, teachers, folks on craigslist, etc.

Anyhow, now that I have found Michelle Molinari at Curb Appeal, I can purchase my paint with confidence! Michelle did another round of mockups for my shutters, this time, with added landscaping. She felt that I might be experiencing disappointment with the color schemes based on an expectation for something that paint alone could not do. I thanked her for helping me to visualize shasta daisies, but assured her that I was just nutty, with a slight dose of OCD.

Here were the contenders for round 2:
Sherwin Williams Flower Pot

Sherwin Williams Foxy

Benjamin Moore Gray

Benjamin Moore Silhouette

I was grooving on the grays she sent, but they were lighter on the picture than on the chip, so I asked her about this. Here's what she said:

What you noticed about the color chips vs. the application of that color on the exterior is TRUE, and one of the major reasons paint companies make their fortunes. As a former color consultant for Benjamin Moore, I would venture to say that almost half the sale of exterior paint to D-I-Yers is due to choosing the wrong color initially, because they are not told that the paint color will always appear lighter than the chip when applied to the exterior. Color perception/saturation is directly related to the amount of light that is bouncing off of it. Exterior light conditions pretty much mimic that of a fluorescent tube light, which washes out most colors. Some high-end paint stores have a light box which has bulbs in it that you can place the color chips in, to see how it will perform inside and outside. The outside setting is simply a fluorescent bulb. The inside setting is a regular incandescent bulb.

In fact, in locations on the Earth that closer to the North Pole, lighter colors appear much richer. A pale butter yellow looks like a light khaki. Conversely, that is why, in tropical regions, houses can have so much more intense color. The equatorial light is so strong, those deep, intense hues look great. In the weaker sunlight of upper Canada, those same exterior colors would look painfully garish. In America, the general rule is to choose a color two shades darker than you think you want. I choose one shade darker in the Northern portions of the U.S. , and 2-3 shades darker in the South. In New Orleans, for example, very dark grays, greens and tans are the norm for the body. The flood of sunlight makes them appear acceptably lighter.

So, I went darker and asked Michelle to do one more mockup of Benjamin Moore's Wrought Iron, which looks practically black on the chip. This one, my friends, is the WINNER!

It's softer than what we currently have now:

Seriously, check Michelle out. Here.

Orange Doors, Mid-Century Style

2011-06-20T18:36:00.006-05:00

So delicious!

Found here.

Found here.

Found here.

Found here.

Wanted: Curb Appeal

2011-06-14T10:41:00.008-05:00

I need an exterior intervention. When we got our Crestview door, I had my heart set on painting it black or red. We went with the black because certain family members objected to red doors as being "Too Episcopal." So, here's what we got:

Then, I painted the shutters black.

It's not working.
The black is a little harsh. It doesn't help us showcase the door, or make it "pop." The door is kind of lost in with all the black.

I have pretty much decided that I am clueless when it comes to picking out colors, and in this case, I am severely boxed in by not wanting to change the color of the door (custom paint job) and the existing red/brown color of the roof. I was becoming slightly obsessed, the coffee table was overrun with paint chips and my husband was tired of looking at them. So, I did what swarms of others have done and hired a "color consultant." Trolling the internet one day when I was supposed to be studying for graduate school I found Michelle from Curb Appeal Concepts. I paid $39.00, filled out a questionaire, and emailed her pictures of my house. Less than 24 hours later, she sent me some mockups, and a kind email. Turns out she knows my peeps at Room Service! She's Lucretia's cousin! Friends, it is a small world! I digress...

Here's what she sent...

Shutters in "shadow."

Shutters in "oak grove."

Shutters in "fiery opal."

Michelle brilliantly suggested that the key to tying in my roof color was to landscape with mulch the same color as the roof. Bingo. Here's the thing...She recommended "Shadow" as the best choice. I don't like that purple thing its got going on. I should have said "No purple" in the spot on the questionnaire where they ask you if you don't want any specific colors. (I did put no "Mamie Pink" or "aquamarine").

So, while my problem is not solved, I do think that I'm closer. I'm leaning toward a lighter black, ie. gray, or a color similar to "shadow" but with no lavender vibe going on.

What do you think, peeps?

Que viva los tacos!

2011-03-24T20:31:00.003-05:00

Judge returns Texas beauty queen's crown:

SAN ANTONIO — A 17-year-old Texas beauty queen allegedly told to "get off the tacos" after gaining weight has had her crown returned by a judge after a jury ruled that she was wrongly stripped of her title.

Domonique Ramirez won her lawsuit against the Miss San Antonio pageant, Luis Vera Jr., her attorney, told The Associated Press

"She won 100 percent," Vera said.

Verdict: Judge returns Texas beauty queen's crown

You can never go wrong having another taco...

SXSW 2011

2011-03-22T20:56:00.004-05:00

I usually avoid SXSW because of the crowds, but I did attend a showcase for Takashi Kamide, who miraculously was able to travel from Japan. He was at my neighbors, Naoko and Jonathan's house, a block away. Naoko made amazing Japanese appetizers. We sat and listened to Takashi Kamide out on their deck, under the stars, with a nice breeze. Emotions were high and the music was hauntingly beautiful. It was a wonderful evening.

Before and After

2011-02-11T11:04:00.001-06:00

It's been 4 years since we moved into our dream house in lovely Windsor Park. Here is the first in a series of before and after pics. The "before" pics are what the realtor posted to advertise the home and represent how our home looked when we first saw it.

Front of house, before:

After. We painted the shutters and got a door from Crestview doors.

Front Living Room/Dining Room
Before:

After. We kept the glitter popcorn ceilings but redid our floors, took down the wallpaper, and painted.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Goodbye, Tura...

2011-02-08T20:39:00.002-06:00

This one was our favorite...

2011-02-08T18:41:00.001-06:00

My son went through a big Darth Vader phase...I can relate!

More Offensive Retro Ads...

2011-02-07T11:44:00.000-06:00

My personal favorite...

Building from the bottom up

2011-02-03T14:42:00.000-06:00

It is 24 degrees outside where we live – it is colder here than New York City right now. But it’s pretty dang cold all over the country and I heard on the news that even in Chicago the snow was so overwhelming that Lakeshore Drive completely shut down with 900 cars on it, all stranded for about 12 hours. Imagine that! In addition, more than 6,000 flights were cancelled today.

I winced at hearing that. Sometime in the upcoming weeks (or months) I will be going through flight attendant training just so that I can be one of the lucky people who works in the air travel business and gets stuck in Cherry Point, North Carolina for 4 days. I don’t have a complete grasp of what I have gotten myself into, but if I did that would take the fun and mystery out of it. So full steam ahead! Yes, I am willing to bring you that third gin and tonic on your flight that was delayed for six hours! You deserve it.

But before I embark on that new career (a very low-paying one, I might add) I am going to finish building a house that I have been the general contractor on (an even lower paying job) for the last 12 months. It is our house, the one we will live in, my husband and I. I won’t get to live in it very long before I have to leave, but I am going to make the most of it when I am there. I do have some construction photos here for that whole clay-mation feel.

We are at that “final inspection” phase of the building process where days turn into weeks and weeks turn into months. You want to move in but the city tells you that you have the wrong kind of faucet on your claw foot tub, you have the wrong form for your HVAC inspection, or that you must obtain a “tree prescription” for your city protected trees. It’s enough to drive you over the edge multiple times. I have been over that edge more times than I can count already.

My friend Meredith, the creator of this blog, sure helped me a lot with decor and color decisions. I consider her input invaluable! When you have been thinking about nothing other than where to get the best deal on 2x8 lumber or Simpson Strong Ties it is impossible to think of colors and tiles and flooring. My mind would just go blank. I needed help and Meredith came to my rescue. Look at these fabulous light fixtures she found one day while someone was putting them on the curb as TRASH. I think they came from a Bath & Bodyworks or something like that:

We used a lot of recycled materials, renewable materials, and high quality materials in the name of energy efficiency, but I would say that these copper balls are the icing on the cake. Someday soon I hope we live there and I can sit and play with the dimmer switch and watch these fabulous lights in all their glory all evening long.

God Bless America, Miss Arkansas can yodel!

2011-01-19T19:43:00.007-06:00

Well, I didn't get to many comments about what you guys want to see on the blog...so I'll just post whatever the hell I want.
Starting with this clip from Saturday Night's Miss America Pageant:

Miss Arkansas, you was robbed!
God Bless America...

Pardon the long absence...

2011-01-17T10:10:00.011-06:00

I recently attended the Ben Hur Circus. I fell in love with a Shriner and ran away with him. Those Shriners, with their awesome hats, and spiffy rides, are SO HOT!

No, seriously. The real reason I haven't blogged in ages is because of these folks. My kids! A worthy distraction!

We've all been distracted. Jennie has had a job change that involves a huge commute, and has taken on a philanthropic project (that is a hard word to spell and even harder work to do), so she has no more time for blogging!

Stephanie (our resident bartender) is in the middle of a new, fabulous home construction. She recently accepted a job as a flight attendant. She'll be too busy either picking out paint colors and mosaic tile or traveling to exotic locations and riding camels in her spare time to give this lil' ol blog much love.

So that leaves moi. I have some time, but I got a promotion at work, and I'm starting graduate school this summer. I have also been suffering for some time with blogger malaise. I'm looking for inspiration! Woman cannot live by retro alone... Please take some time to comment about what you'd like to see.

In the meantime, please enjoy this cool blog I discovered recently:
Old Brand New

Cheers!

The Management
(Meredith)

Happy Santa Lucia Day!

2010-12-29T06:00:00.000-06:00

I meant to post these on Santa Lucia Day...
From my favorite episode of Andy Griffith.

Peace out!

Retro-luxe

Happy Hour Friday: The Harvard Veritas

2010-10-01T08:36:00.001-05:00

The Harvard Veritas
1 oz. London dry gin
1 oz. Cointreau
1 oz. lime or lemon juice, strained

Shake with lumps of cracked ice, strain into a champagne flute. Top with 1 oz. creme de cassis.

Happy Hour Friday: The Vermonter

2010-09-17T07:00:00.007-05:00

Why can’t I have a vacation home in Vermont? Why not? Right now I am wondering: Why can’t I make enough money to have a country home in Vermont, a city home in New York, and Texas home in Austin? I’m only half joking. I’m old enough now that it could be a realistic lifestyle. The problem is I definitely do not make that kind of money – and never will, regardless of my age.

I am lucky enough to have friends, though, who hook me up. My pals from Austin have access to a great vacation home in rural Vermont, which is where we are right now. Other friends set us up in New York when we passed through. And I have other friends who are excellent travel companions, adventurous and outgoing people who I love to explore with. Come to think of it, I don’t need to own that vacation home, really. I have great friends to travel with or visit, and I have great friends in my home town of Austin and that’s really all I need after all.

Here’s a cocktail that I created to dedicate to Leon, said friend who is currently hosting me in Vermont. Because of him and his wife Stella, I am happily enjoying fires in a fireplace, fall colors in the Vermont trees, pumpkin patches on the side of the road, and fresh raspberries from the farm stand next door.

The Vermonter

1 ½ oz. Woodford Reserve Kentucky bourbon

½ oz. grapefruit juice

¼ oz. raspberry infused simple syrup*

¼ oz. ginger infused simple syrup**

Shake over ice and strain into an ice filled rocks glass. Garnish with a fresh raspberry.

*Raspberry Simple syrup

½ c. water

½ c sugar

½ c. fresh raspberries

Combine in a saucepan, bring to a boil then simmer 5 minutes. Cool and strain through a fine mesh sieve.

**Ginger Simple Syrup

½ c. water

½ c. sugar

3 T. grated fresh ginger

Combine in a saucepan, bring to a boil then simmer 5 minutes. Cool and strain through a fine mesh sieve.

Craigslist, Again

2010-09-14T06:00:00.001-05:00

My Craigslist saga continues.
I thought you might be interested in hearing some of my responses to some of the more unusual inquiries I've had as a result of my Craiglist postings, specifically concerning this lamp:

Found here.

Dear __________,
Thank you for your inquiry about the 1950's chalkware lamp. The lamp looks the way it does in the picture. It's the very same lamp! That's why I took a picture of it and posted it on Craigslist along with the description, so you could see what you were getting. I understand that you want to know if it looks like another lamp you may have met before, perhaps in another life, and I appreciate you sending me the link to the alleged lamp you feel my lamp has a connection to. Here's the thing: I don't want to click on that link! I don't want to see any porn, and I don't need another computer virus. I'm only interested in a hassle free, speedy Craigslist transaction. Will that work for you?

Dear __________,
Yes, the lamp is still available. If it was no longer available, I would have taken the ad down. I am a responsible, law abiding citizen guided by an overarching principle of integrity that touches everything I do. I appreciate you sharing your personal testimony about Jesus Christ and the wondrous work he has done in your life. You know, I feel like Jesus would have really liked this lamp. It's so incredibly special! It's blue, and soothing, and peaceful. It's in pretty good condition. It does need a good scrubbing though. Maybe if we both pray really hard, the Lord will clean it for us! I'm willing to give it a shot if you are!

Dear ___________,
Yes, the lamp is still available and yes, Windsor Park is the neighborhood where that mentally deranged man murdered his wife and lived with the body for 25 days. But that happened five streets over from us! The man is in a jail and will spend a lot of time locked up. So he won't bother us during this Craigslist transaction. Really, it's okay. If you come during the day, you'll be safe in this neighborhood! Just try to get here before 8:00 pm, okay? That is when it gets dark...

Dear ____________,
Thank you for your inquiry about the lamp. No, I don't want to take less money for it. I need that money! I'm thinking about driving down to Mexico to get my chipped tooth fixed. They do it real cheap down there and $25 just might cover it! I could also use some new socks. I might just go buy some booze! Either way, I've got big plans for that $25!

The One About Craigslist...

2010-09-11T08:41:00.006-05:00

After seeing this article about hoarding in the New York Times, we were spurred into action and decided to clean out our garage. Rather than have another garage sale, I decided to list a lot of my vintage items on Craigslist, starting with the furniture. Here are some shots of the loot...

I know that Craigslist is a headache but I surmised that a garage sale is a bigger headache, and we're still having weather in the upper 90's each day, so it would be a hot headache. It's one week later and I've only sold the lot of red diner chairs ($40 for 6). I've had about 30 conversations with folks, via email and phone, about the items, about their work schedules, about where they live, about directions to my house, about the reasons why they missed their appointments with me to come and view the items, about their kids soccer game schedules, and about their conflicts with significant others over whether or not to purchase the item. Does this sound familiar or is it just me?

I've learned form these prospective buyers lots of interesting anecdotes that I hadn't previously considered:
1. Building a home with your spouse can lead to marital problems.
2. Diverticulitis CAN put you in the intensive care unit.
3. Round Rock and Georgetown got an average of 8-10 more inches of rain from Hurricane Hermine than Central/East Austin did.

Upon reflection, I realize now that many who I have corresponded with had no real intention of purchasing the item, they just wanted to CHAT about the item(s). They were interested in the history of the item. They wanted me to know they used to have a similar item in the home where they were growing up. They wanted me to know that the item was underpriced or overpriced. They wanted me to go out into the garage and MEASURE the item because they thought I needed practice with a tape measure.

I am not complaining, ya'll. I'm a pretty good sport. This is like a modern, sociological phenomenon. My husband walked in on me last night and eavesdropped on the tail end of a conversation with a prospective buyer.
Husband: "Who were you talking to?"
Me: "A lady interested in the red/orange chairs."
Husband: "Why were you saying "Bless her heart?"
Me: "Well, because her daughter has re-injured her knee from playing volleyball and she's laid up in bed."
Husband (with incredulous look on face): "Well, God Bless America!"

The One About the Knockoffs...

2010-09-08T07:25:00.009-05:00

I have that shopping gene. The one that compels me to troll the internet for bargains even though I HAVE EVERYTHING I NEED. The one that compels me to tell EVERYONE how much something costs with a maniacal satisfaction:
"Nice shoes, Meredith."
"THEY WERE ONLY $11.98!"

So, while perusing the world-wide interweb the other day, I came across these stapes of mid-century design from Overstock.com, of all places.

Wood leg white Eames knockoff chairs found here for 196.99 a pair...

Vinnie White Cradle Chair for 134.99 found here. They also have one in blue.

There's even a knockoff Saarinen tulip chair for $138.99 found here.

There's lots more, but I don't feel like making any more cabbage for Overstock.com today...

This is a complicated conundrum. When Overstock.com starts carrying Eames and Saarinen knockoffs, it means that the mid-century modern/retro trend is so mainstream that it's officially "over." Sad news for folks like us. I've been "over" the Eames chairs for awhile, not because I don't like the design, but well, because they're so trendy and ubiquitous. This is the same way I felt when grunge went National after Nirvana in the 90's and you could buy the "uniform" at Hot Topic at the mall. My friends and I SUFFERED for that look in the 80's. We painstakingly applied knox gelatin to our hair and wore safety pins for earrings. Then these mall rats come along and think they can BUY COOL? I digress...

The second part of this conundrum is the Knockoff vs. Original debate. I'm not even going to go there. You won't find any author of this blog who is sympathetic to the "original is best" side of the argument. WE'RE POOR. I may have to sell my children's organs to pay for this plumbing fiasco in my home. You won't see me in a Design Within Reach store paying $1800 for a Saarinen table. We like the designs, but don't like the prices. There have been knockoffs of these designers around since their designs debuted. And the knockoffs are collectible too. If YOU can afford the original and that's what you want, go for it.

We want you to be happy, cupcakes.

Happy Hour Friday: Sweet Honey

2010-09-03T08:06:00.003-05:00

This weeks cocktail comes to you from an Austin seafood joint, the Shuck Shack. Their hush puppies are to die for and their oyster po-boys aren't too bad either. Recently sampled by the ladies of Retro-luxe, the Sweet Honey cocktail aims to please. Honey and gin? Count me in.

Sweet Honey
by Marissa @ the Shuck Shack

To make the simple syrup:
Boil 1/2 cup of water. When water comes to a boil remove it from the stove and add 1/2 cup of honey and stir. Chill the syrup.

In a Collins glass squeeze a large slice of lemon and muddle.
Add ice and equal parts and honey syrup to fill about a third of the glass. Pour it all in a shaker and shake 10 seconds. Strain this back into your Collins glass that is now filled with fresh ice, fill with champagne and garnish with a lemon slice.

FYI:
Remember Lara Nixon from last weeks post on sangria? She co-teaches mixology classes in Austin and their fall semester is just about to start. The class is called Tipsy Tech. Check out their list of classes -- take one or take them all! You won't be sorry.

Connie, You Was Robbed!

2010-09-01T06:00:00.002-05:00

I'm still smarting over Connie Britton not taking home that Emmy! Connie, who plays Tammi Taylor on Friday Night Lights, looked amazing in this beautiful "Dallas Cowboys blue" sequined gown. Her dress is a touchdown, a field goal, and an extra two-points all rolled into one!

Image jacked from here.

Friday Night Lights has wrapped filming for good here in Austin, a lot of it right here in my neighborhood. It was so fun to holler "There's the Dairy Queen! There's Bartholemew Pool! There's the Reagan High School!" as we watched it. Sadly there won't be any more opportunities to run into the cast anymore. My friend Susan met Jesse Plemmons (Landry) at the taco stand. He was from the little town next to the little town where she was from. She also saw Brad Leland (Buddy Garrity) in the cereal aisle at Randall's. My former boss met Kyle Chandler (Coach Taylor) at Threadgills. Perfect gentleman. My step-dad saw Tammi Taylor at Hut's Hamburgers and said she looked very glamorous. My mom once sat next to Minka Kelly (Lyla Garrity) at the nail salon and said she was real nice. Sadly, I never did run into Taylor Kitsch (Tim Riggins), but I sure wanted to...

Here's a great scene filmed at our local Minimax grocery store with that dreamy Tim Riggins protecting Coach's daughter from a Tornado. Folks down at the Crestview Beauty Salon are still talkin about how they blew all those windows out!

Buddy Garrity, a womanizing, good-hearted, football booster, is one of my favorite characters. Wouldn't you want to buy a used car from him? Check it out:

Here's the best scene ever, back from Season one. PANTERS WIN STATE! It has it all, the guts, the glory, and the pageantry that IS Texas Football:

I still miss Smash...

When Retro is Revolting...

2010-08-30T18:43:00.009-05:00

These politically incorrect, retro ads were waiting in my inbox courtesy of Hugh, owner of that rad Lincoln we discussed, who you may recall also once gifted me Emily Post's Etiquette with the inscription, "I hope this helps you get your shit together."

There's something here to offend everyone...we guarantee it!

Ouch!

Camel's taste good like a cigarette should!

Woe be unto you:

WTF?

This one is SCARY:

"Like a turtle needs a seat belt..."

Mother's little helper! I must say that this is one ad campaign that would still probably work for me...

And while you're at it, just have a beer!

I'm sure the one on the next page was an ad for capped teeth...

"Golden Peacock Bleach Creme" for that milky white look!

Ick:

Tired of dieting? Try tapeworms!

Happy Hour Friday: Red Red Wine

2010-08-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

This week's happy hour cocktail comes from cocktailian Lara Nixon. It is an absolutely delicious version of sangria, a summer essential. In her Red Red Wine Lara substitutes a local spirit for brandy, Balcones Rumble, an armagnac that provides a wonderful balance for this drink.

Red Red Wine

1btl Crios Rose

6 oz Balcones Rumble

4 oz Paula's Texas Orange

4 apricots

Cherries, preferably Rainier but any will work Strawberries

Combine liquids and cut apricots into wedges ( remove pits) and gently muddle. Leave this in fridge for 48-72 hours. Strain and discard apricots.

Serve each glass with freshly cut strawberries and pitted halved cherries. Don't skimp on the fruit; in my mind sangria should be almost like an appetizer. Also, be sure to have wooden skewers on hand to serve with the cocktail for fishing out the lovely fruit!

Luxe on Lavaca

2010-08-25T19:48:00.006-05:00

A former downtown boot and saddle shop has been converted to lavish digs selling for 4.4 million.

Photos by James Bruce. Lots more here.

Lord Miss Agnes...

Estate Sale Haul

2010-08-14T15:22:00.006-05:00

Have a look-see at these incredible treasures I've recently scored at local Estate Sales.

First, from the Time Capsule Estate Sale I attended a few weeks ago:

Lot o' vintage linen napkins and rings.

Gold pole lamp, only $15.

Mixer's Index (dial-a-drink).

From today, totally incredible pair of lamps with bottom glowing orbs. I've always wanted wanted one of these! I didn't need two of them, but the price...$12 for the pair! I am officially on lamp probation!

>

Swizzle sticks from the Pedernales Country Club, that's Willie Nelson's Golf Course Club, ya'll. 10 cents!

Astrology salad bowl and tongs, $2.00! This will go great with my astrological chip and dip bowl...

Living room much improved without that gaping hole, no?

Happy Hour Friday: Prince's Smile

2010-08-13T07:00:00.001-05:00

Prince's Smile
From House and Garden, 1973

2 oz. gin

1 oz. calvados or applejack

1 oz. apricot brandy

dash of lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir 20 seconds. Strain into a cocktail glass.

The Horror...

2010-08-09T08:27:00.000-05:00

This gaping hole in my living room has been a feature of my life for the past month. This, combined with not being able to drain from the kitchen sink, use the dishwasher or the laundry machine, has been a TOTAL NIGHTMARE. It's been so disturbing that despite my verbal linguistic abilities, I've been unable to talk or write about this subject. However, now that this hole is filled I have determined that perhaps my cautionary tale of woe can be of use to you.

First, if you own an older home, you need to know that CAST IRON PIPES WEAR OUT.

Second, you need to know that if your home is on a slab, there are two ways to fix the problem.
One way is to jackhammer through the slab. DO NOT DO THIS. It's messy, loud and when jackass plumbers are involved, it's a total disaster. Tunneling underneath the slab to fix the problem is a much less invasive way to address this problem. IT'S ALSO VERY EXPENSIVE.

Let me offer some advice. If you're buying an older home, DO A LEAK TEST. It costs more, but bringing in cameras to check out your pipes are very revealing and could save you money. If you decide to continue with your purchase, GET A LOT OF INSURANCE. Those special endorsements in homeowners policies that they sell regarding seepage and leakage of water really come in handy when this occurs. We have Nationwide and they've been awesome so far.

Tunneling starts soon. The silver lining? Replacing leaking drain lines will really improve the value of your home.

Other random anecdotes...

Some other titles for this post that I thought of were:
Jackass: The Plumbers Edition and My Mother Has Been Doing My Laundry for 4 Weeks

Plumbers in Texas have their own vernacular. I've been talking to a lot of them and there are some commonalities. First, they all have a Texas accent. I haven't encountered any yankee plumbers since this started. Second, they all pepper their explanations and commentary with terms like "honey" and "sweetheart." They also say "yes ma'am" a lot. I've found this real amusing.

Happy Hour Friday: Audrey's Earl Grey Marteani

2010-08-06T07:00:00.001-05:00

I don't remember how or even exactly when I discovered this recipe by Audrey Saunders but it has become one of my favorite drinks of all time. I drink Earl Grey tea every morning instead of coffee and I have been doing so for years so I was naturally drawn to an Earl Grey cocktail. I love the bergamot; the more the better as far as I am concerned. I recommend Rishi Organic Earl Grey but it is so powerful that you must be careful to not over-steep the gin. This recipe calls for infusing the gin for 2 hours, but if you use Rishi try 45 minutes. Be sure to check it periodically for strength - if you overdo it the tannins in the tea will over-power the gin and you'll ruin it! I know this from experience.

This is heaven in a cocktail glass....

Audrey's Earl Grey Marteani
Ingredients
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
1 ounce simple syrup (1:1 sugar-to-water ratio)
1 1/2 ounce Earl Grey tea–infused Tanqueray gin (see recipe below)
1 egg white Garnish: lemon twist
Instructions
Measure all the ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice, and shake hard to a 10-second count. Strain into a chilled martini glass, 1/2 rimmed with sugar, and garnish with a lemon twist.
Earl Grey Tea–Infused Tanqueray Gin
1 750 ml bottle of Tanqueray gin (for its flavor and high proof)
4 tablespoons loose, Earl Grey tea

Measure tea into bottle. Cap and shake, and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours. Strain through a fine sieve or coffee filter into a bowl. Rinse out bottle to remove loose tea, and pour infusion back into clean bottle. Will store indefinitely refrigerated.

Mid-Century Round Up: Tufted King Headboard

2010-08-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

My friend Stacie alterted me to this incredible piece found on here Craigslist. In her email she noted, "It may not be you but it's the you you could be." My imagination is captivated by the possibilities!

Time Capsule in Brookside Estates

2010-07-31T09:00:00.001-05:00

I happened upon this amazing estate sale after dropping the kids off at daycare today. Holy tamales! This home is in our neighborhood, Brookside Estaes, in Windsor Park (East/Central Austin). We've walked by this house dozens of times. House looks typical enough from the street...

Who knew that on the inside lurked a retro-licious time capsule?

Coral laminate? I'll take it!

Nice copper collection!

The wallpaper left me speechless...

Galley kitchen with red/orange laminate countertops.

Formal dining under the most incredible swag lamp EVER.

Accent walls!

GOLD Tile!

Swoon!

I need to go back and get this...

The formal living room had LUCITE furniture purchased from the 80's...

I've always loved those smoke mirrors...

But wait, there's more! The upstairs had two bedrooms and a bathroom...for the kids! If it was any better I couldn't stand it!

An INTERCOM. I've wanted one of these for years. You'd hear me saying:
"Another cup of coffee please!"
"Bring me a beer!"
"Go to BED!"

A laundry shoot! Wad your pants up super small to make sure they get down all the way...

The POOL, boss, the POOL!

For the "Patio Belles..."

Last but not least...glitter light switch plates!

The only problem? It's right across the street from a house with a double lot that contains a lot of rusted old RVs, boats, trucks, etc. Too bad, so sad!

Will post pictures of my purchases soon...

Retro, Nautical-themed Taxidermy...

2010-07-24T08:44:00.004-05:00

Essential for campy beach decor.

Found here.

Found here.

Found here.

Found here.

Found here.

Can you name all these fish?

Happy Hour Friday: Highland Fling

2010-07-01T22:31:00.000-05:00

I'd say this fella is definitely going to have his Highland Fling.

1 1/2 oz. scotch whisky

3/4 oz. sweet vermouth

2 dashes orange bitters

olive for garnish

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a cocktail glass and add the olive.

From House and Garden, 1973

(Let me know how this one turns out because I haven't tried it yet. And tell me what kind of scotch you use.)

Ingenuity and Style

2010-06-28T07:00:00.003-05:00

Photos here, by Trevor Tondro for The New York Times

Did y'all happen to see this article from nytimes.com? Retro-luxe is absolutely impressed with the use of space, ingenuity in furnishings and design, and "green" vision of the cottage builder. Not to mention her awesome biscuit-making husband!!

Read it immediately, cupcakes.

At-Home Loungewear for Ladies on Lithium

2010-06-26T08:30:00.004-05:00

This summer, Retro-luxe is mindful that even a casual coffee klatch with the ladies requires careful attention to hair, makeup and a hint of saccharine posturing to make the right impression.

These Perma-prest Koffee Kasuals from Sears, combined with the right medication, will make every morning seem sunny!
Particularly if it is already over 100 degrees at 10:00 am!

Be your most beautiful during the at-home hours in Sears Loungewear!

Patio Belles, from Sears

Happy Hour Friday: French 75

2010-06-25T06:04:00.001-05:00

LE PARISIEN: "The French team's apocalyptical World Cup ends in a manner that is both desperate and nightmarish -- a logical conclusion to an attitude and a game that was unworthy, shameful and revolting. Thanks guys, you have ruined this nascent summer for the French who were counting on you to help them forget their daily worries. ... (Domenech's) disappearance from the footballing landscape is the only good news of the day."

I love their dramatic exaggerations. " Apocalyptical"! "Nightmarish"! Oh, France, you crack me up.

To commemorate France's utter disintegration in this years World Cup and their remarkably quick exit, tail between legs, we are having French 75s. Who knew they were capable of such a thing? This is one to be remembered by the French for a long, long time, the poor things. I alternately feel bad for them and want to make fun of them. But mostly I make fun.

French 75

1/2 t. simple syrup
1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice
1 oz. gin
4 oz. champagne

Build in the order given in a champagne flute glass filled with crushed ice and stir a wee bit.

Vacation Preparations, Retro-luxe Style

2010-06-22T07:08:00.005-05:00

As Retro-luxe prepares for a fabulous upcoming vacation with friends and offspring to the beautiful Southland, she's taking stock of the necessary preparations and arrangements. And that entails careful consideration her hairstyle! We wouldn't want to make a bad impression now, would we?

Looks like these ladies are having a fabulous hair day.

Happy Hour Friday: Restrauteur

2010-06-18T07:00:00.015-05:00

Has anyone been to Rickhouse in San Francisco? Last September my husband and I went on vacation to SF and northern California to visit the giant redwoods. Our time spent in San Francisco was essentially a tour of mixology bars. Before I travel to a city, the first thing I do is research the bars and plot out a map of where they are, how to get there and what days to go. I often plan my days around visiting a bar, ending with dinner near or at each one. Ain't no shame in my game, people. My goal in SF was to visit as many as possible in two weekends, but when we found one we liked it was hard not to visit twice (Cantina).

One we regretfully did not make it to was Rickhouse. Their website home page is both cute and annoying -- they describe their offerings as "precious." That right there scares me away. But this cocktail, featured in Imbibe magazine, is fantastic! This isn't something you whip up in 30 seconds, but my god is it delicious. Super gingery, slightly herbal and citrusy with a little bite. If you like a Moscow Mule you'll LOVE the Restrauteur.

Restrauteur

3 slices of fresh ginger

1 oz. London dry gin

1/2 oz. yellow Chartreuse

1/2 oz. Fernet-Branca

3/4 oz. fresh lime juice

1/2 oz. simple syrup

Ginger beer

lime wheel for garnish

Muddle the ginger in a shaker glass until the juices are released. Add everything except the ginger beer, fill with ice and shake for 10 seconds. Double strain through first, your Hawthorn strainer, and second, a fine mesh sieve and pour into an ice-filled Collins glass. Top with ginger beer, stir well, and garnish with lime wheel.

Imbibe magazine, Mar/Apr 2010 issue

Self-Serve

2010-06-14T07:00:00.004-05:00

Berenice Abbott photo of an automat in Manhattan, 1936

Bamn! automat, modern-day Manhattan; photo found here

Here in Austin, a city that loves to eat, we are experiencing a few food trends. First, the trailer eateries. From the banh mi trailer (Lulu B's) on South Lamar next to the office supply store, to the 'Hey Cupcake' trailer on happenin' South Congress, these places are springing up all over town. People are content to forego a seat and belly up to the window to order their sandwiches, cupcakes and even crepes.

No longer the demonized "roach coaches" of yesterday, which would make the rounds at many an office building and construction site to sell tacos and sandwiches, this new trailer fare is hip. I'm not sure when that conversion happened -- or how -- but it did.

Tonight my family and I ventured out for a cool summer treat at another trendy spot, the self-serve frozen yogurt joint. Do you guys have these where you live? I swear there are at least five that I know of in this town. You walk in, grab a container and serve yourself frozen yogurt from spigots in the wall; choose your toppings, then pay by the ounce.

Now, I'm obviously not a food writer. But all these places do have a certain retro vibe -- the trailers in a blatant way, and the yogurt places in more of a "retro futuristic" way. Specifically, the wall dispensers give a nod to the automats of the 1950s (and '60s, I believe). Remember those?

A quick Google search told me that automats are making a come-back. "Bamn!", in Manhattan, promises "comfort food that just makes you happy." Have any of our New York readers tried it? Were you happy after eating there? Give us a report.

We'll be eagerly awaiting this trend's arrival down here on the Third Coast. In five years or so...

Happy Hour Friday: Daiquiri

2010-06-11T06:04:00.003-05:00

The poor Daiquiri. Misaligned with the frozen slushie pouring from drink machines in every bar with a disco floor in the 80s, it earned a reputation as being something college girls would consume in large quantities because it was sweet as candy. Remember that swill, strawberry daiquiris!? I sure was surprised when I went to bartending school and learned that a real daiquiri is a classic cocktail and has nothing to do with strawberries, slushies, or college girls. It's a beautiful drink in its simplicity and balance, no frozen drink machine required.

Daiquiri

2 oz. light rum

1 oz. fresh lime juice

1/2 oz. simple syrup

lime wedge for garnish

Shake the rum, lime juice, and simple syrup in a shaker full of ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Mid-Century Modern Austin Pad

2010-06-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

Retro-luxe reader Eileen tipped us off this this fabulous home in wonderful Windsor Park:

As you can see, home features original cork floors. To see more, including original bathroom tile, click here. The best part? This home can be yours! It's for sale. Contact Eileen at the Mayre Company for more details.

Retro-luxe Summer Reading List

2010-06-07T06:00:00.003-05:00

Here it is ya'll! Retro-luxe's first Summer Reading List! Whether you vacation on the Romantic Riviera or on the oil-ridden Gulf Coast, we hope you will be enthralled by SMUT!

For the philosophers: Role Models by John Waters. A paean to the power of subversive inspiration told through profiles of his favorite, perverted, personal cult icons: Leslie Van Houten, Johnny Mathis and St. Catherine of Sienna, to name a few. This is what I'll be taking to the beach.

For the Kennedy obsessed: Jackie, Joan and Ethel by J Randy Taraborrelli. Concerning tragically-fragile Joan, classically-lonely Jackie, and uber-competitive Ethel, and their individual and collective dealings with their egotistical husbands' careers, infidelities, and of course, the obligatory Kennedy scandals.

For those who like to kick it old school with your smut: Valley of the Dolls, by Jacqueline Susann. This 1960s melodrama chronicles the experiences of young working girls and their various degrees of success, love, fame and their eventual and impressive self-destruction aided by barbiturates, cancer, and suicide.

For the Hollywood-Golden-Age-Celebrity-Obsessed: Ava Gardner: Love is Nothing by Lee Server. Great page-turner with pulp text like "Love became her terrible habit...something hopeless to resist, impossible to get right." Lots of booze, brawls, gossip and sexual proclivities described in this Cinderella story about the most beautiful actress who ever walked. Frank figures prominently in the book and apparently figured prominently in the boudoir...

Give the Drummer Some!

2010-06-05T22:40:00.004-05:00

There's just no way to describe this... you have to see if for yourself.
This drummer is really working his show.

Texas Motor Speedway, ya'll.

Happy Hour Friday: Vodka Lavender Lemonade

2010-06-04T06:00:00.004-05:00

This is a drink I discovered in, of all places, the Spec's Liquor mailer a couple of years ago and, suspecting that it would be as boss as it sounds, I immediately went out and got the Lillet Blanc so I could make it. Not disappointed! It has become a summer staple around my house and I haven't met a single soul who doesn't absolutely love it. It’s a real crowd pleaser!

Vodka Lavender Lemonade

1 oz. vodka
2 oz. Lillet Blanc
3/4 oz. lemon juice
1 oz. lavender simple syrup
club soda
fresh lavender flower for garnish

Fill a collins glass with ice. Add all the ingredients except the garnish and stir well.

Garnish with lavender blossom.

Lavender Syrup

1 c. water
1 c. sugar
2 T. dried food-grade lavender flowers

Mix the water, sugar and lavender in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Boil for one minute. Remove from heat and steep for an hour then strain through a fine sieve. Bottle and keep in the fridge for up to two months. (I always add a few teaspoons of vodka to simple syrups; this stabilizes the sugars and prolongs the life of the syrup.)

However Hip: Hicks Hexagon

2010-06-02T18:00:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Desire to Inspire for reigniting my obsession with this classy Hexagon wallpaper by David Hicks.

Found here at Desire to Inspire.

Found here at Mu'Mu Design.

Found here.

I think at the very least I may need to paint my dresser a glossy black...

Tossed and Found...

2010-06-01T19:45:00.006-05:00

Check out these lights I scored on bulky pick-up day:

They are more of a copper/rose color than the gold in the photo.
Bulky pick up day is when you can take your household trash to the curb and the City of Austin will pick it up.
God bless America...
Stephanie gets these for her new house.

Happy Hour Friday: Bebbo Cocktail

2010-05-28T06:20:00.006-05:00

I don't know where the name Bebbo comes from, but it's cute and the drink is delicious. I love the addition of honey, and depending on the honey you use the drink will vary greatly. This is from the Cocktails+ iPhone app which I highly recommend you buy if you're a drink app geek like me. Many of the cocktails in it are creations of Jamie Boudreau, but this one is by Ted Haigh from his book Vintage Spirits & Forgotten Cocktails; From Alamagoozlum Cocktail to the Zombie.

Hey, do you like my new No.8 lamp? I scored it at Backyard Salvage, my new favorite Austin haunt for recycled home goods and building materials. The owners' primary business is demolishing houses; they keep any good stuff left behind and sell it to people like me. Everything from ceiling fans to confessional booths to old theatre seats -- to No.8 lamps.

Bebbo Cocktail

1 1/2 oz. gin
1 oz. fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz. honey
1/3 oz. fresh orange juice
maraschino cherry

Stir without ice to dissolve the honey, then add ice and shake. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a cherry.

Don't Hate Me because I'm Beautiful...

2010-05-25T06:00:00.001-05:00

My sister gave me the most awesome, incredible birthday present this weekend--a framed, autographed, personalized 8 x 10 glossy of my personal style icon:

I have to admit I was a little perplexed as to why it said "Linda Gray" instead of "Sue Ellen."

All this time, I thought Dallas was a reality show...

Doesn't Sue Ellen, I mean "Linda" look fabulous?

Retro-luxe is Watching...

2010-05-24T06:00:00.001-05:00

The Future is Unwritten, documentary about Joe Strummer of the seminal punk rock band, the Clash. The documentary uses archival footage and interviews to chronicle Strummer's journey from hippy, adventurous art student, to surly punk rock warlord and frontman of the Clash, to his middle-aged deep depression and quest for meaning and musical endeavors in his post-Clash life before his untimely death of a heart attack in 2002. Much of this movie is comprised of interviews with aging, former punk rockers sitting around campfires. That part, not so sexy. The archival footage of the Clash and the vintage interviews with the Clash are extremely sexy.

Big idea here: it's complicated being a punk rock warlord, particularly one with a conscience. Punk rock and massive success don't mix so well because massive success is not punk rock. Other take-aways: The Clash rocked. They also looked fabulous doing it with their great hair and great style. They went beyond the fray in their ability to bring ideological intelligent themes to a genre where for most the only message was "Fuck you." The Clash said, "Fuck you because..." and it was refreshing.

How sexy was Paul Simonon?

Found here.

Found here.

Happy Hour Friday: Mint Julep

2010-05-21T06:20:00.028-05:00

Mint Julep. Mint Joo-lip. The name of the drink rolls off the tongue as readily as that bourbon goes down. This is a true southern cocktail, friends. Never mind that Mint Juleps are are associated with that Derby Day bullshit (I hate horse racing and I wish it was illegal); I like to think of juleps as independently fabulous, regardless of that association. Often thought of as backward and dimwitted, us southerners can actually lay claim to several important cultural contributions such as the julep, Andre 3000 of Outkast, and Al Gore and his environmental crusades. We got it goin' on down here.

In the south, mint grows like a weed in herb gardens, pots on the porch, or alongside houses near drippy faucets, dying back in the winter but always returning in the spring ready to offer itself up for juleps. The Mint Julep is a cocktail you can experiment with, adding infused bourbons or simple syrups (my friend Lara adds peach infused simple syrup and muddles fresh mint instead). Adjust it to your liking. This is one to make your own.

"They say that you may always know the grave of a Virginian as, from the quantity of julep he has drunk, mint invariably springs up where he has been buried."

Quote attributed to Capt. Marryat, C.B., 1840

From Flip 'N Drink, the cocktail app by Gary Regan

Mint Julep

2 oz. bourbon

1 oz. mint infused simple syrup

5-6 sprigs of mint for garnish

lots of crushed ice

straw

Add crushed ice to a julep or collins glass until 2/3 full. Add the bourbon and simple syrup and stir well. Add more crushed ice until it piles over the top of the glass. Add the mint garnish and a straw.

To make mint infused syrup:
Bring to a boil 1 c. water, 1c. sugar and one bunch of fresh mint. Simmer for 5 minutes, cool, and strain into a bottle. Add a little vodka to stabilize it and it will keep in the fridge for a couple weeks, maybe longer if your lucky.

Mid-Week Mid-Century Finds

2010-05-19T07:00:00.001-05:00

I like these!

Vintage metal farm table, $140

Hanging lamp, $70

Fainting couch, $199

Retro bar cart, $140

Green 1950s chair, $55

Orange sleeper sofa, $200

One Rad Ride...

2010-05-17T06:00:00.008-05:00

I've recently been contemplating such existential questions as "What does my ride say about me?" I think my ride, a 2002 Honda Accord (silver), communicates to the world a boring message of apathy and, regrettably, conformity, with just a touch of incredulous rage:

"Hi! I'm a middle class, working mother of two with NO TIME to clean up those Doritos and Legos pieces strewn all over the car, much less time to have the front bumper repaired after that ASSHOLE ran into me with the kids in the car and DID NOT STOP in front of the Mighty Fine Hamburgers at the Megalomart shopping center. Carseats, check. We're safe, practical, and (save for the front end) indistinguishable from all the other mundane silver Honda Accords in the parking lot. Though we TRY to look cool with the KOOP radio sticker on the back of the car, I think you know we're just PHONING IT IN."

It could be worse, I suppose...Minivans broadcast, "On my way to the soccer game!" and Volvo station wagons scream, "I'm real pretentious!" or worse, "I'm a hippy!" (depending on your model). In fairness to us all, however, it's not like there are ANY COOL CARS out there in the world today. Nor have there been in the last 10 to 15 years or so. And those classic cars require upkeep, friends!

I learned recently that my friend Hugh, may be parting with his '97 Lincoln Mark VIII. How rad would that be? Just check out the tail lights...The exciting, two door feature would do wonders for my plan to discourage my children from getting in the car with me ever again. This bitch goes fast too, with a V8 engine. I wonder how many cup holders it has...

What are you driving?

Happy Hour Friday: Singapore Sling

2010-05-14T07:02:00.001-05:00

Image jacked from MSNBC.com

I have a confession to make: I have fantasies about being a flight attendant. And you know what else? I want to be a Singapore Airlines flight attendant. Look at those ladies! Can you even imagine Southwest or American Airlines flight attendants decked out like that? These women, practically painted into their batik print gowns and oozing with sexiness and class, are clearly the creme de la creme. They also happen to get to travel all over the world regularly (which is my true fantasy - traveling the globe all year long). Can it really be so bad to wait on grumpy passengers for 8 to 14 hour flights in exchange for free global travel? Wait, don't answer that.

A few weeks ago I had a golden opportunity to visit South Korea with a good friend who happens to be originally from Seoul. She was visiting her sister in Seoul for 3 weeks and invited me out, hooked me up with a low-fare deal on Singapore Air, and treated me to the ultimate Korean site-seeing extravaganza for 10 days. On my flight out I was thrilled to see that Singapore Air was serving Singapore Sling cocktails, going so far as to list the ingredients on the menu. I couldn't wait to see that drink cart rolling down the aisle so I could make a toast to my own good fortune: getting out of Dodge and going somewhere I had never been before.

But then here came that cart, and much to my dismay the Singapore Sling was a bottle of premixed scary looking glowing "Singapore Sling" liquid.

I passed on the cocktail.

Here's the real, delicious deal.

Singapore Sling

2 ounces Beefeater gin

1/2 oz. Cherry Heering

1/4 oz. Benedictine

1/2 0z. triple sec

2 oz. pineapple juice

3/4 oz. fresh lime juice

Angostura bitters to taste

club soda

Shake all ingredients over ice except club soda and strain into an ice filled collins glass. Top with club soda.

Linda!

2010-05-12T07:00:00.001-05:00

If you know me, you know that I love the '70s AM radio hits. Love them. And another thing I love is that our local radio station plays those hits of the '70s all weekend long. Every weekend. As if there wasn't enough to love about THE WEEKEND already!

And at least once during that time, I get to hear this classic by Miss Linda Ronstadt. She was boss. (Do you like "boss" as an alternative to "awesome"? I need a new word.)

Goodbye, Lena Horne

2010-05-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

Etsy Love: Pantsuits for Spring!

2010-05-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

Because a pantsuit adds that extra panache...

Found here.

Found here.

Found here.

Found here.

Happy Hour Friday: Pisco Sour

2010-05-07T06:00:00.004-05:00

Continuing in the classic cocktail vein this week I present to you the Pisco Sour. Friends, I am in love with this drink. Pisco is a south American brandy and it is funk -ay. Not at all what you might expect in a brandy, its slightly musky and earthy tones are is well complemented by lemon juice and simple syrup in this drink. The bitters - an integral aromatic addition - must only be added at the end and might well be considered the best part of the drink. Another one of the classics being rediscovered by bartenders, you might find it on the cocktail menu of the new trendy restaurant that has just opened down the street.

Pisco Sour

2 oz. Pisco brandy

1 oz. fresh lemon juice

1/2 oz. simple syrup

1 raw egg white

Angostura bitters as a garnish

Shake all ingredients over ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a few drops of bitters.

Vintage Lampshades

2010-05-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

Today's post features my friend Annie of Deadly Nightshades, where you can get vintage-style, fiberglass lampshades at a reasonable price. She also owns Time After Time, an incredible vintage clothing store located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. GQ voted Time After Time one of the 25 best vintage stores in America. You can read about it here. Time After Time has been in Chapel Hill on Franklin Street for 28 years!

How did you get into the lampshade business?

I started to make shades cause I got so sick of finding lamps with shitty shades on them. I figured even if no one else wanted them I could at least make them for myself and for lamps we got to sell in the store. It was basically figuring it out by trial and error and some strokes of good luck. We happened to get a hole puncher from an old shade factory form the 40's. The fiberglass was hard to find.... I only know of one place in America that sells it. That is why we sell it by the yard, for people who might want to make or repair their own shades or make Japanese screens or general crafting. I tried lots of different dye but good old Rit has worked the best for me.

The "Rectangle Eddie" found here.

What is the process like?

Well, it's not rocket science. All our fiberglass is white so I have to dye it. Shades are custom made. Figuring out measurements can be tricky and always makes me wish I had paid more attention in geometry class. The finished product is exciting. People come up with combinations I would never have thought up and many times I am surprised by how awesome they look.

The "Soup Pot" found here.
Any tips for care of these sort of lampshades, vintage or otherwise? I'll often see an awesome vintage lamp but the shades are dirty...
Here are some tips from our website. Another tip that is not there is to just hit at the shade with an old white tube sock!

Check 'em out, yall! They also do custom jobs.

Retro-luxe is Watching...

2010-05-03T06:00:00.001-05:00

The Rockford Files!

Photo found here.

The Rockford residence: a crappy trailer on Malibu beach. Rockford described it best: "It's cheap, tax-deductible, earthquake-proof and when I get a case out of town, I take it with me."

Rockford was also fond of wearing off-the-rack blazers.

Found here.

He advertised in the yellow pages.

Found here.

His vehicle of choice, a gold Pontiac Firebird Esprit, was not too shabby. There's a car chase in every episode. My 7 year old always gets excited to see what he calls the "Rockford," when he shifts into reverse, speeds up backwards in a straight line and sharply turns his wheels, leading to a 180 degrees spin. Then Rockford shifts back into forward gear and punches it. According to Wikipedia, Secret Service agents use this one a lot and refer to it as the "J-Turn."

Found here.

The Rockford Files remains one of the best detective/police dramas to date. We love the well-developed characters played by strong actors, and get a kick of out seeing guest actors like Isaac Hayes, Linda Evans and Joan Van Ark.

Photo found here.

Character Angel Martin, played by Stewart Margolin, is one of our favorites. Here's classic Angel:

Writer Juanita Bartlett composed excellent scripts and maintained a unique balance of comedy and poignant drama throughout. You can rent Rockford Files on Netflix or watch seasons 1-3 for free on Hulu.

Happy Hour Friday: Negroni

2010-04-30T06:00:00.002-05:00

It's hard to say where this cocktail comes from or when. Some say it goes back as far as 1919 which makes it a true classic. It is enjoying a slight resurgence of popularity lately and that could be due to Americans new fascination with Italian herbal liqueurs, Campari being one third of the ingredients in this drink. I myself began a little love affair with Campari and Aperol while living in New York City a couple of years ago and am now on a slow journey to discover all of the varied Italian liqueurs I can get my hands on. A friend told me recently that Fernet Branca, a bitter liqueur I posted about recently, has become the darling of some gay communities and is being ordered as a shot at bars which I find hilarious as well as a much better choice than Jagermeister.

If you really dislike the taste of gin, stay away from Tanqueray and try Plymouth instead as it is much lighter on the juniperiness; let's just say it's not your mother's gin. Nevertheless, this drink is a sipper, not a gulper.

Negroni

1 oz. gin

1 oz. sweet vermouth

1 oz. Campari

orange twist for garnish

Stir in an ice filled mixing glass and strain into a chilled cocktail glass or an ice filled rocks glass. Garnish with and orange twist.

Mid-Week Mid-Century Roundup

2010-04-21T10:15:00.010-05:00

Friends, the Craigslist (Austin area) roundup is back! And check out the Brasilia items this week...man oh man do I love that furniture. Enjoy.

Brasilia hutch (drool, drool, heart palpitations!!), no price listed

Set of 4 Brasilia dining chairs, no price listed

Brasilia credenza, $750 (not familiar with this "vertical line front" of Brasilia...are you?)

Starburst clock, $95

Walnut twin headboard/footboard, $90

Teak nightstands, $500 (ouch!)

Mid-century desk chair, $65

Solid wood twin headboard, $50

Set of three formica tables, $100

Flickr Flavr O'The Week: Orange Doors

2010-04-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

Found here.

Found here.
'
Found here.

Found here.

Nothing Says "Springtime Fashion" Like Double-Knit Polyester...

2010-04-19T06:00:00.003-05:00

From the 1969 Sears catalog. Where else?

These SEARS ladies are having a collective, fabulous hair day...

Happy Hour Friday: Jalapeño Pineapple Infused Tequila

2010-04-16T06:00:00.001-05:00

Down in Texas jalapenos are abundant. You'd be hard pressed to find even a convenience store that doesn't have jalapenos in it. You may not find serranos or habaneros, but by god there will be a barrel full of jalapenos near the front door of EVERY grocery store. We use them in everything - breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you don't like them, don't come here.

A couple of summers ago I got really into this infusion of tequila I adapted from another recipe. I would keep a bottle of it in the freezer and have a little glass, like a liqueur after dinner, in the evening. I'm really not so fancy as to drink liqueurs after dinner, I just love tequila and any excuse to drink it.

One of the nice things about this infusion is that you can use a middle-of-the-road tequila and it no trace of its mediocrity will be noticeable - a bonus for a girl on a budget. The longer you infuse it, the more pineapple juice will dilute the tequila, but also the more heat will accumulate from the jalapenos. It's a fine balance that must be monitored every 6-12 hours or so until it suits your taste. If you forget about it and over infuse the jalapenos you will have some serious fire-water on your hands.

Jalapeño Pineapple Infused Tequila

1 750ml bottle of decent tequila - reposado is even better, though

2-3 good sized jalapenos, halved and seeded

1 pineapple, peeled and cut into chunks

1 sprig of rosemary

Combine all the ingredients in a glass container and refrigerate covered for 12 - 36 hours, tasting every 6 - 12 hours for heat. When desired infusion is reached, strain the ingredients through cheesecloth. Eat a few of the pineapple chunks - what the hell, it's the middle of the day and you could use a little buzz right about now - you've earned it. Store the tequila in the freezer.

adapted from Lark Creek Inn Tequila Infusion

We Love Wood Redux

2010-04-15T06:00:00.001-05:00

We at Retro-luxe love wood! It was the subject of our very first post, almost a year ago. Sadly, the majority of the world doesn't share our passion for wood...wood paneling that is. It's usually the first thing to go when these hipsters commence their horrendous "makeovers." Back in the day it was a favorite decor choice for families who enjoyed it's warm, cozy appeal, and it looked fabulous. We at Retro-luxe encourage you to leave the wood alone, unless it's hideously cheap and/or and made out of plastic.

Check out these wood paneling ads from our coveted stack of 60's Better Homes and Gardens magazines.

Mad Men Living Room Makeover

2010-04-12T07:20:00.001-05:00

Betty Draper redecorated her living room!

I realize this is old news for many, however for yours truly, this is new news. Due to the fact that I have small children en la casa, we don't have cable. There are good and bad things about this...you can't watch Madmen or the Daily Show in realtime, but you can also go weeks without knowing that Jesse James cheated on Sandra Bullock, a definite plus. I've spent the past week delightfully viewing season 3 of Madmen, courtesy of Netflix, the greatest invention since contraceptives. Never fear, there will be no spoilers here, in case there is anyone else who hasn't seen season 3 of Mad Men...I will say that the storyline takes an amazing turn that is riveting and brilliantly conceived.

“A modern Chinoiserie breakfront, a Dunbar Japanese-influenced sofa, silk Duponi drapes, Murano vases, and a classic Drexel end table.” That's what Betty Draper's decorator said. In classic 60's style, they're anxiously awaiting Don's seal of approval.

Photo found here.

Do you remember what the Draper's living room looked like before?

Photo found here.

The verdict?

I'm glad they kept the grass cloth walls, and the credenza, which I love. I like the new coffee table and I love the new seating. However, I loved the old couch too. It was so glamorous. I prefer the new curtains because they lighten up the room and seem more elegant. Thumbs up, overall. That is until Betty had to go and put that hideous Victorian fainting couch in front of the hearth. I'm wondering if we'll be seeing much more of this living room in the future...

If you'd like to read more about Mad Men living room decor, check out these posts: Helen Bishop's Living Room--Get the Look, from Casasugar
Mad Men Decorating Style from House Beautiful
Mad Men Inspired Home Decor from Woman's Day
When a Chaise is Not Just a Chaise, a photo gallery contextualizing the 1963 redecoration of the Draper's living room.

Happy Hour Friday: The Tillery

2010-04-09T06:00:00.005-05:00

Named after my new street, Tillery, this drink I feel very much reflects my tastes as a bartender. I find it to be the perfect combination of rich, herbal, sweet and sour flavors.

The Tillery

1 oz. rye whisky

1/2 oz. Averna Amaro

1/4 oz. pomegranate molasses (available at larger liquor stores, middle eastern food markets)

1/4 oz. fresh lemon juice

1 t. agave syrup (simple syrup if you don't have agave syrup)

fresh pomegranate seeds for garnish, if available

Shake over ice and strain into an ice-filled rocks glass, preferably your favorite vintage one. Top with a teaspoon of pom seeds.

Porter and Dolly...

2010-04-08T06:00:00.001-05:00

In the immortal words of James Henry, "if it was any better, I couldn't stand it."

Dolly is so beautiful.

Marina Abramovic’s Artistic Pad

2010-04-06T06:00:00.007-05:00

This article in the New York Times features two very cool pads inhabited by Marina Abramovic. You can see these images and others in the slide show here. I've recently become obsessed with this artist since reading an article about her in the New Yorker magazine, in the March 8th issue (Walking Through Walls by Judith Thurman, found here).

Her NYC loft is austere and stark, with mid century modern pieces.

Her upstate country abode is shaped like a star, which is a symbol she identifies with from her country of origin, Yugoslavia.

Here are some fun facts about Marina:

She's a performance artist.

A retrospective of her work is currently on exhibition at MOMA.

She's participating in one of the exhibits, where Marina will be sitting motionless all day long for 72 days, and starting across the table from various museum patrons who stand in line for a chance to sit motionless across from her, but for not so long, say just an hour or so. You can read about this here.
You can see Marina live during museum hours here, just click here and click "watch live." It's fascinating! I wish I could see it in person...

Marina likes use her body as a medium and push it to extremes...

Image found here.

In one piece, Balkan Baroque, she spent 6 hours a day for 4 days scrubbing 1500 cow bones, weeping, and singing Balkan folk songs.

Image found here.

To culminate a meaningful relationship, Abramovic and her lover, Ulay, started out at opposite far ends of the Great Wall of China and walked toward each other. After three months of walking they met in the middle and said goodbye. I've once had a boyfriend who broke up with me by leaving a message on my answering maching, so I find this level of stamina and commemoration particularly impressive.

Her farewell performance will be her funeral, which will take place simultaneously in 3 different cities. In each city there will be a coffin. No one will know which will have the real body.

Congratulations: Book Give Away Winners

2010-04-05T08:45:00.003-05:00

Congratulations to Stephanie and Mamacita for being recipients of our "Girls Like Us" book give away. After reading a post that lengthy, you both deserve a prize! You'll be getting an autographed copy from Sheila Weller, the author! Thanks again, Sheila!

Carole King, with her Grammys for Tapestry. By Jim McCrary

Happy Hour Friday: Appetizer a l'Italienne

2010-04-02T06:00:00.004-05:00

The Italians could use a little boost right now, what with all the papal scandal and pedophilia run amok. I can't get down with that nut-ball they call the pope, but I can get down with their Fernet Branca. So I'm going to focus on the good things - their booze.

The Italians make some wonderful herbal liqueurs that can come off quite bitter, but like anything else in life, they grow on you. The Italians drink some of these herbal liqueurs on the rocks (those bitter sips can be a bit of an exercise in self-flagellation), but mixed into cocktails these liqueurs blossom.

This one is a soft and lovely concoction.

Appetizer a l'Italienne (from Imbibe Magazine, Mar/Apr 2010)

2 oz. sweet vermouth

1 oz. Fernet Branca

dash of Absinthe

2 dashes simple syrup

Stir over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Flickr Flavr O'the Week: Barbie-cakes!

2010-03-30T06:00:00.000-05:00

Do you love Cake? Do you love Barbies? Do you want to combine your love of Cake and Barbies into an incredible, edible work of art? Then this Barbie cake post is for you!

Barbie/Southern Debutante found here.

Slumber party Barbie found here.

Barbie Emo found here.

Tiki Barbie found here.

Drunk Barbie found here.

Mud Wrestling Barbies found here.

Happy Hour Friday: El Presidente

2010-03-26T06:00:00.006-05:00

There is something right with the world when a really smart progressive thinker becomes leader of the free world and manages to pass some form (any form, please!) of public health care in his first term in a country that has never had such.

Gracias, Señor Presidente!

El Presidente

2 oz. light rum

1/2 oz. fresh lime juice

1/2 oz. pineapple juice

dash of grenadine

Shake over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Wave your little flag.

Guest Author: Sheila Weller

2010-03-25T06:08:00.001-05:00

Today we are fortunate to feature an interview with Sheila Weller, author of the book GIRLS LIKE US: CAROLE KING, JONI MITCHELL, CARLY SIMON -- AND THE JOURNEY OF A GENERATION. Sheila writes social history for Vanity Fair (she penned the article about Ali MacGraw in Vanity Fair that we blogged about several weeks ago). She's also is a blogger on the Huffington Post (see here, here and here) and a senior contributing editor for Glamour magazine.

How did the women you profiled typify their generation?

For one thing, they had more creativity, ambition, and desire for adventure than they/we were led to believe, as children that we were allowed to have. We were little girls and preteens in the Mad Men era--and they, like we, burst out of that convention and re-made the rules, painfully, with risk (but also rapture), step by step. Not one of them had a stylist -- that de rigeur helper that Rihanna and Gwen Stefani and Taylor Swift count on. They styled themselves! But they were style-setters, showing millions of Americans a new way of dressing and embodying young adulthood. All of their looks have been recycled by designers over the years, again and again.

Photo found here.

Carole King got pregnant at 17 and so immediately shot-gun-married her (sexy, talented, brooding) boyfriend, but, while raising two kids (and taking care of this difficult guy) she became a worker-bee (this was very early for young women to embrace "work"), creating hit records. Then, most significantly for the generation, when the early '60s morphed in the mid-late '60s; when adventure, sensuality, communality, and hipness replaced earlier ideas of responsible adulthood -- she had a kind of second young adulthood: moved, with her young daughters, to Laurel Canyon, experienced different boyfriends, amassed a "family of friends," and embraced yoga and meditation. MANY early-married women in their late twenties threw off their "old lives" at this same time, and became "young again," and free, while still keeping the wisdom of their earlier selves. Carole was the wise, slightly older earthmother in her "family of friends," and the nurturance and loyalty she got and gave manifested itself in TAPESTRY, her 1971 masterpiece, which epitomized the entire early '70s, plain and simple. When Carole let her once-straightened hair grow out long and ripply, millions of girls like her threw away their straightening devices and stopped wanting to get nose jobs. She pioneered the natural earth-mother look with the form-fitting granny dress. The TAPESTRY photo of her at her window, doing her needlepoint set a template for girls for five years.

Joni, too, worked painfully to change from one kind of girl -- the dutiful, chaste, proper-proper '50s-bred Canadian prairie daughter -- into a new type that she in fact helped coin: the ethereal, dignified, creative bohemian....the evanescent, gossamer princess with her tastefulness, mystique, talent and high standards. She, too, got pregnant unmarried -- but instead of rushing to marry her boyfriend, she did the bravest thing...and something that, in 1964, some forward-thinking young women were just starting to do: She went through the pregnancy alone, in secrecy from her parents but NOT ashamed. She lived alone in a rooming house in Toronto, subsisting on stale donuts and pizza...but she sang every night in a coffee house, even as her pregnancy became evident. What a bold, brave move! To me, this life of hers (which other young women, in different ways, shared) was bolder than, say, Dylan's pretend life as a rail-riding hobo (he was a middle class boy from Minnesota, who got a ride to NY with a friend). Joni had the baby and, with great ambivalence and over a long period of months, first put the baby in foster care and then relinquished her to adoption. It was impossible to be a mother and a songwriter then (today, it's not only easy, but famous young women proudly tout their pregnancies and toddlers in US and LIFE AND STYLE magazine), and she made a choice that allowed another part of her -- an amazing musical and lyrical artist -- to emerge. After a brief marriage to the slightly "older, wiser" man we were supposed to want, she outpaced him, left him -- and truly embodied the new bohemian female spirit in the Summer of Love 1967: her antique clothes, her pen-tel'd psychedelic musings, her love of living alone in the roiling city ("Chelsea Morning") and her coining of a new way to take different lovers while not being viewed as vulnerable or pathetic ("Cactus Tree" -- she, and all of us then had to work at feeling emotionally and sexually liberated, we were literally "busy being free") finally evolved into a style of being female that she both embodied and described: the "Lady of the Canyon": mystical, sexy, glamorous, of few words, a man-magnet, hip, and earthy.

Photo found here.

Photo found here.

Carly was the woman of the whipsawing changes of the early '70s -- when feminism changed everything we knew. Young women were ditching their husbands and boyfriends because all of a sudden everything you thought you knew about man-woman relationships had...changed. The locus moved from the West Coast -- Laurel Canyon and SF -- to sexy-but-intellectual thinking-class New York City, where women from Seven Sisters colleges were writing political tracts and starring in political movies and writing sexy but political novels and poems. (Think: Gloria Steinem, Erica Jong, Jane Fonda, Ali MacGraw). Carly, who'd gone to Sarah Lawrence -- and who had come from an upper-crust family that had a comfortably liberated, even decadent, view of sexuality -- embodied this new '70s woman. Her "That's the Way I Always Heard It Should Be" was a ballad in which, for the first time, a young WOMAN questioned marriage because of the freedom that SHE, not he, would lose. Her spurt-of-fame whirlwind romances with the creme de la creme of guys -- Cat Stevens, Kris Kristofferson, Warren Beatty, Mick Jagger -- proved that you could be classy, respectable (her father, a publishing house co-founder), serious, intelligence...and still have a liberated love life. Carly's "You're So Vain" was the first (and most kick-ass) feminist rock song, proving that a woman could make fun of a guy who dumped her, with great wit and good will. It became one of the most famous and iconic rock songs of all time, but before that, it expressed women's new power and delicious comfort with power, in a myriad of ways. Carly was the young smart urban woman of the '70s -- high-topped felt hat, stovepipe pants, macrame shawl, tight, sleek, bell-bottoms: she embodied that 1971 birth-of-feminism/ smart Seven Sisters Girl look. Every woman wanted to look like her.

Photo found here.

Photo found here.

GIRLS LIKE US is now in paperback, with a new introduction and a special Book Club Readers Guide. You can order it from Amazon through the book's website www.girlslikeusthebook.com and see pictures, watch videos, and read reviews and author blogs as well. If you would like a copy of Girls Like Us, leave a comment. We'll have a drawing one week from today.

Mid-Week Mid-Century Roundup

2010-03-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

Today's Craigslist offerings:

Set of 6 Danish Modern dining chairs, $400

Redwood/aluminum picnic table, benches, $395

Virginia House Maple vanity, for your ranch decor (check out other photo), $400

1950s rocking chair, $60

Walnut mid-century headboard (Hollywood Regency, anyone?), $95

God I Love My Neighborhood....

2010-03-23T06:00:00.001-05:00

Just when I was starting to feel embarrassed that the XMAS lights were still up, I take a walk and see enduring testament to Halloween in my 'hood.

What's behind this grandiose statement? "F*** You" to the Fundies? Halloween fatigue set in before it was time to remove the decorations? Or is it just a permanent homage to the horror genre? Whatever the reason, I'm loving it.

God Bless America.

Happy Hour Friday: Manhattan

2010-03-19T06:00:00.003-05:00

I was turned on to a delicious sweet vermouth, Dolin, by a very good mixologist girlfriend of mine, Lara Nixon, several months ago. She made me a Manhattan cocktail with Dolin sweet vermouth and I was changed forever. Friends, throw out your Cinzano, your Martini and Rossi, and get yourself over to your fancy liqour store for a bottle of Dolin sweet vermouth (while you're at it, get the dry one too--it is equally wonderful).

Here's the deal: when you've got a superior sweet vermouth on hand, change the ratio of your bourbon to vermouth to equal parts. Most Manhattans call for 2 parts bourbon and about one part vermouth, making a very strong cocktail (Maker's Mark, for instance, is 45% alcohol--most vodkas and gins are 40%). A high quality vermouth--usually about 16% alcohol--both enhances your drink and lowers the alcohol content. It's a win-win!

So friends, please revisit the Manhattan, and do it in this old-style classic way. And don't forget the bitters!

Manhattan

1 part bourbon

1 part Dolin sweet vermouth

a few drops Angostura bitters

Cherry for garnish

Stir bourbon, vermouth, and bitters over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry.

The Parker, Palm Springs, Dahling...

2010-03-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

These lovely photographs from Tilton Lane found here on flickr beautifully capture the glamorous maximalism that is Jonathan Adler's Palm Springs Playhouse, the Parker...

Mid-Week Mid-Century Roundup

2010-03-17T07:00:00.003-05:00

'70s lamp with shade, $45

Retro yellow lamps (2), $50

Vintage tallboy dresser, $190

King-size headboard, $150

Avalon dresser (teak?), $175

Redwood/aluminum folding patio chairs, $165

Retro-luxe Design on a Dime (or not)...

2010-03-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

Fine readers, in this post we'll examine a well designed room and see if we can recreate this look on by shopping locally at vintage stores and perusing Craigslist.

For inspiration, we've selected this room for it's vibrant orange and nod to Chinoiserie, a Retro-luxe favorite.

First, imagine these in an energetic, acid orange:

Found here on Craigslist, and quite a bargain at $170.00!

Why not add these chairs for more of a maximalist effect? They'd make Kelly Wearstler and Jonathan Adler proud!

Groovy, plush, velvety goodness found here for $200!

Go with a cream color on these end tables so as not to compete too much with the orange:

Found here on Craigslist for $50.00.

Craigslist/Thrift Store gods are not smiling on us in the lamp department. So I checked Overstock.com and found this one for $139.00. It fits the vibe in the photo.

Or, you could go totally maximalist and get over to Room Service right now to score this over-the-top fixture. It would make the room come alive!

Classic Cher

2010-03-15T09:58:00.003-05:00

Here is a medley of my three all-time favorite Cher songs. How I wish I could have been a back-up singer for her -- you know, if I could actually sing and wasn't 5 at the time.

This just makes me happy. Enjoy!!

Happy Hour Friday: Rosé

2010-03-12T06:00:00.006-06:00

I am really diggin' the Rosé these days. It started one evening last summer in Anchorage, hanging out at a local wine bar with my sister-in-law, Kristen, drinking flights of Rosé . Now I'm hooked. Here where I am now, in the very low part of the lower 48, the weather has warmed, the trees are budding, SXSW is a few days away, and people want to be outside in the sun soaking up some much needed vitamin D. This is when Rosé is perfect. To me it's like making the transition between the seasons: from wanting red wine all winter to wanting white all summer. Rosé is the in-between and I am a happy convert.

Rosé is not a blush nor a blend. It is nowhere near white Zinfandel, thank Jesus. It is created by letting the skins of the red grape stay in contact with the wine before fermentation for a short period. Rose can be dry and fruity at the same time, a combo of personality traits that I find endearing in people and wines alike.

I recently discovered a lovely and very inexpensive Rosé de Malbec from Argentina. A lot of strawberry on the front end, a clean and crisp finish on the back end. I might be getting a case of this one soon, especially if we have more days of 73 degrees.

When Retro is Revolting...

2010-03-11T07:00:00.000-06:00

Today's post, inspired by If I Didn't Have a Sense of Humor's recent post on smoking camels, illustrates that retro does not always equal fabulous. Though Don Draper may look sexy smoking on Mad Men, for the majority of Americans, smoking did not look so glamorous and it smelled worse. Remember the car? Let this ad take you back....

As I recall, those smokeless ashtrays weren't really all that smokeless...
Gum anyone?

Mid-Week Mid-Century Roundup

2010-03-10T07:00:00.000-06:00

Okay, friends.

It's been a while since I put a Craigslist post up and I do apologize. This workaday thing is really cramping my blogging style!

Peruse today's offerings, which include some lovely dishes and some really unique pieces of furniture -- including Brasilia, my personal fave.

Hope you're all doing well, cupcakes.

Vintage green crystal "Tiara" brand dishes, $50

Awesome set of retro chairs, tables and lounger, $750

Broyhill Brasilia Cathedral table, $595. LOVE THIS!! Learn more here.

Drexel Declaration dresser, mirror, nightstands, $850 [Learn more about this line here]

Paul McCobb planner desk and dresser, $1500

"Sculptured Pine" MCM bedroom set (dresser, nightstand, mirror), $299

1950s Conant Ball dining suite, $750

Happy Hour Friday: Harry's Pick-me-up

2010-03-05T06:00:00.003-06:00

This week my husband and I moved out of the home we have lived in for almost 15 years. We decided we wanted to sell it back in the fall and cash in on its ridiculously high current value in order to spend that money on building a new home that we designed, one that has more than one bathroom, lots of closets, and is in a part of town with lower property taxes and pecan trees. Our little 1940s bungalow has served us well over the years but we are ready to move on.

Well, we didn't know how quickly we would actually be moving on: the house sold before we ever put it on the market. A couple from California saw it in the paper (a nice little feature in our local daily), came to see it the next day, and we sold it to them the following day. Less than a month later, Tuesday of this week, we vacated and moved into our temporary rent house (another bungalow) as well as closed on the sale that morning. Needless to say, we are emotionally and physically exhausted as well as a bit upside down and topsy turvy; our little bungalow is still across town, but it has new people in it. Life sure can be surreal at times.

By the way, I'd like to mention that our dear friends Jodi and Erik came over the weekend before our big move-out and we had brunch and cocktails, the last in our little house, before we loaded 3 vehicles with stuff to move. I made us Alfonsos (featured here two weeks ago) and readers, let me tell you, they were delicious. Please do try these the next time you are in the mood for champagne. I used Gruet Brut on the recommendation of my local liquor store proprietor. Perfect.

So here I am now in our rental bungalow. While unpacking I came across a little gem. Some time ago my friend Mike Miller of Lo and Behold Antiques gave me the ABC of Mixing Cocktails autographed by its author Harry McElhone in 1938. On its cover is a caricature of "Harry", and on a second cover is a photo of the bartender proudly holding his shaker.

LOVE IT.

So this week I present to you, verbatim, Harry's Pick-me-up. I couldn't have found this one at a better time.

#148. Harry's Pick-me-up

1 teaspoonful of Grenadine syrup, 1 glass of Courvoisier Brandy, the Juice of 1/2 a Lemon.

Shake well and strain into a medium-sized wine-glass, and fill balance with Champagne.

Visual Accoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman

2010-03-04T06:00:00.001-06:00

This will be so interesting!

For more info, visit http://www.juliusshulmanfilm.com/.

The Perfume Post

2010-03-03T07:00:00.005-06:00

I write this post to you today, dear readers, exuding the confidence and satisfaction of a woman who has discovered her signature scent. And I smell real good!

For some reason, while reading Sheila Weller's fascinating Vanity Fair article about Ali MacGraw, I began to wonder what kind of perfume Ali wore...no need to wonder these days, what with the internet there to demystify the world at your fingertips. A quick google took me to the incredibly comprehensive Perfume Shrine.

Ali MacGraw wore Florence Gunnarson Wild Fern Oil.

Rita Hayworth wore Shalimar.

Ava Gardner wore Mitsouko. Photo found here.

Marilyn Monroe famously wore Chanel #5 to bed...

Katherine Hepburn wore Vol de Nuit.

And Jackie? Whenever in doubt, I like to wonder "What would Jackie do?" Jackie would have worn Joy, Fleurissimo, Bal A Versailles, Ode to 1000 Patou, Jil Sander 4, and Jicky.

Jackie, having a wonderful hair day.

As it dawned on me that I didn't have any perfume to wear, except a few drops left of some old Egyptian Musk oil I bought from a street vendor in the early nineties. I needed to go shopping! That's probably what Jackie would have done...

Whenever I have a wild hair I always call my sister Rachel. Recently liberated from wage slavery, she's pretty game these days for any spur of the moment shenanigans. We arranged to meet at Sephora in 15 minutes.

Once there, I didn't see any of the kinds of perfumes that Jackie wore. I did try Fracas, which I'd always heard about. Too sweet! We went on around squirting the perfume on those skinny paper sticks they give you that look like pregnancy tests. Rachel was on some kiosk, taking a quiz ostensibly designed help one find her "signature scent," answering questions pertaining to her favorite holidays and desserts. I was not encouraged and felt faint as it was starting to smell like a whorehouse in there. I've never really been in a whorehouse, but you get the idea. The olfactory overload, coupled with the typically loud noise level my sister and I bring with us everywhere we go, and the fact that Rachel had already squirted lip gloss all over the floor (defective tube), brought on a keen sense of anxiety, the kind of anxiety you have when you figure that you may be escorted off the premises momentarily. I was ready to throw in the towel when I found it. A lovely perfume in a stunning black bottle. Bvlgari. A couple of squirts and I for some reason I could spontaneously and vividly recall the Trevi fountain scene in La Dolce Vita with Marcello Mastorianni. That is a good thing, my friends! My sister immediately began spraying it all over herself, even on her knees, which was a new one for me. When I felt territorial about her having some too, I knew I'd found the one. Mission accomplished!

Here I am enjoying my new signature scent...

What's your signature scent?
Looking for one?
Check out the Perfume Shrine, particularly this post here.

Bring on the Glamour!

2010-02-28T06:00:00.000-06:00

These metallic gold and brass accents are so retro-luxe!

Image via Material Girls Houston.

From Amanda Nesbit via The Glam Lamb.

From Palmer Weiss Interior Design, found here. Stunning!

Happy Hour Friday: Tremblement de Terre

2010-02-26T11:21:00.004-06:00

I am not making light of the events in Haiti by posting this drink today. Rather, I hope to bring your mind back to the victims of the earthquake by posting this link to Habitat for Humanity. Still, the largest threat to the residents of Haiti is homelessness and homelessness breeds diseases (a larger threat still) as well as mass hunger and a shortage of access to clean water. It's pretty much the worst nightmare any of us can imagine for human beings. Habitat will help build homes as well as teach others the skills to build homes, establishing self-sufficiency and jobs where they are much needed.

I read an article called Neighbors' Keeper in the New Yorker by Jon Lee Anderson yesterday about a Haitian woman who grew up in Miami but was deported to Haiti a couple of years ago. She survived the quake and is now somewhat of a local hero who walks several miles every day to procure food and water for her friends and neighbors. The lady is an inspiration, I'm here to tell ya.

Tremblement de Terre

2.5 oz. cognac

.25 oz absinthe

1 lemon twist for garnish

Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Have several, then your wallet will magically open up revealing all the credit cards you can use to donate money one more time to the causes in Haiti.

Lost and Found...

2010-02-26T09:49:00.007-06:00

Retro-luxe friends, I know Jennie is slammed at work and Stephanie is real busy with a home demolition (don't worry, nothing retro-fabulous was gutted, we can assure you), so I'll just post something random today.

A few years ago, on the lovely Orange Beautiful blog, I saw these earrings, trekked all the way out to Banana Republic, and made them mine.

I rocked these earrings! I wore them to weddings, parties, work and even just around the neighborhood to walk the dog. This weekend, I packed them for our trip to Dallas, where people still dress up fancy and shop at Neiman Marcus, only to leave them behind in our hotel room! Someone at the Marriott Hotel on the North Central Expressway has a very guilty conscience for not turning them into lost and found... Sadly, I didn't even wear them to my husband's Aunt Kiki's funeral, a heartfelt affair that involved a visit to a beautiful church, and culminated in a warm gathering where family members shared storied and toasted her memory with tequila shots. In all, a fabulous setting for a "last hurrah" with loved ones and earrings.

In honor of Aunt Kiki's memory, I went shopping on Etsy...

From VintageandGlam

From Renagray.

It's Snowing in Austin, Texas, Y'all!

2010-02-23T12:53:00.002-06:00

This never happens!

Retro-fabulous Modern Gal: Christina Hendricks

2010-02-22T07:00:00.003-06:00

Photos found here, here and here.

I totally agree with Meredith about Ali MacGraw's undeniable beauty and style. And as someone who has wished to be flat-chested and size 2 at different points in her life (but is not), I have to also sing the praises of a new icon for ladies at my end of the figure spectrum, Christina Hendricks, probably better known to you as Joan on Mad Men.

On the one hand, I kind of hate myself for still thinking about stuff like body image. As I get older, I keep trying to focus more on the internal rather than the external; to not get derailed by every ounce gained or new wrinkle. Even Christina has said that she finds the whole discussion about her body rather boring. And though she does earn much-deserved praise for her top-notch acting chops, I can imagine how frustrating it would be to have this whole sidebar topic always present.

But this is America, with its youth-and-thin-obsessed culture and we still take note of things like this. It is in that context that I salute Christina for embracing her curves, for not dieting down to an unreal (for her) size 2 and for giving the curvy gal someone to identify with.

And in case you want to emulate her flawless look on Mad Men, here is a makeup tutorial. Viva Christina!!

Happy Hour Friday: Alfonso

2010-02-19T06:00:00.003-06:00

Break out your Dubonnet Rouge again. And the champagne! This cocktail is beautiful in color and technique, and the sugar cube dissolves while you drink it. What could be more charming?
And Classy. The Alfonso goes back to the 1930s and comes from Harry Craddock, rock-star bartender of his day and author of the Savoy Cocktail Book.

Alfonso

1 sugar cube soaked in Angostura bitters

1 oz. Dubonnet Rouge

4 1/2 oz. chilled champagne

1 lemon twist, for garnish

Build in this order in a champagne flute and add the twist. For a sweeter drink, cut back on the Dubonnet.

*Grandma Hooker Update!

I have been informed that tough cookie Grandma Hooker, previously seen in Happy Hour Friday swigging Bailey's, is to be released from rehab in one week. That's great news! Happy Friday, Grandma Hooker.

Retro-luxe Fashion Icon: Ali MacGraw

2010-02-18T06:00:00.002-06:00

Vanity Fair’s latest issue has really been interesting. Besides the fascinating article about the backstory behind Raging Bull, there’s a real juicy one about Ali MacGraw, written by Sheila Weller. You can read all about how she left Robert Evans, (Hollywood producer who almost ruined the Godfather) after falling for bad boy Steve McQueen on the set of The Getaway. Who would not fall in love with Steve McQueen?
Whoa Ali! Her bohemian attire, blended with her classy, preppy-chic sensibility, contributed to her iconic style.

Found here.

Found here.

Found here.

Ali's an inspiration to straight haired, flat chested, size 2 women everywhere (even in Texas, where Aqua Net reigns supreme).

Mid-Week Mid-Century Roundup

2010-02-17T07:00:00.005-06:00

Just a few things this week...what am I missing, friends?

59-piece set of pink "Arcoroc" dishes, $50

Beautiful Argentine chest, $399

Pair of tufted brown rockers, $80

Cute pair of end tables, $120

How the Mr. and I Spent Valentine's Day...

2010-02-16T06:00:00.000-06:00

Better Homes and Gardens, May 1959

Happy Hour Friday: Dark and Stormy

2010-02-12T06:00:00.002-06:00

Cold, rainy weather inspires this cocktail post. It sucks here, to be quite frank (rain and sleet today - yea!), and from what my in-laws tell me, the east coast is in its own particular kind of suckiness with several feet of snow and about 3 snow plows in all of Maryland to move it. So I present to you the Dark and Stormy cocktail, often found on the menu of many awesome bars. Rum is a turn-off for many - it brings back memories of nights spent retching over the railing at the gay dance club that you snuck into at age 15. Oh, was that just me? Sorry for reminiscing.

Anyway, I'm here to tell you that rum is a wonderful, varied, and delicious spirit that deserves your attention now that you aren't sneaking into gay bars anymore.

Dark and Stormy

2 oz. Gosling's Black seal rum

3 oz. ginger beer

1 lime wedge for garnish

Build in an ice filed high-ball glass, garnish with lime wedge.

Blogging Inspiration...Share My Muse!

2010-02-11T09:17:00.010-06:00

Hey cupcakes.
Thanks to those of you who commented on our "When Blogging Turns to Blah" post. We appreciate your support as we plod though this creative malaise. We hope it is not contagious!

Ostensibly, this blog is supposed to be about retro design and decor. But sometimes it seems that we've exhausted that topic, now that turquoise walls and George Nelson lamps are as ubiquitous as granite countertops and travertine tile recently were. Woman can not live by retro alone! One kind reader suggested that we post reviews about books we've recently read. Truth is, I haven't been able to finish a book in years. I'm too busy bribing my 7 year old to make up his bed, disengaging legos pieces from the shag carpeting and arguing with my 3 year old about whether or not it's okay to wear her plastic Disney heels and lipstick to walk to the park (think Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, but in a toddler version). When I'm not busy threatening my children, I mostly stick to magazines and blogs, which are more suited for the limited attention span that I'm plagued with since the kids came along. During those 10-20 minutes I have to read, I'm also needing to shake it off, and LAUGH. Here are some of the blogs that help me to do that.

What would Janet Austen Do?
Penned by Mamacita, a hilarious Houston mom, this blog can be counted on for a daily dose of humor, wisdom and sarcasm, with some excellent recipes tossed in for good measure. Here are a few of my all time favorite posts for you to enjoy:

Lunch at Costco
End of Mommy Blogs
Bikini Wax
Dear James Taylor
How Crazy People Get Dressed in the Morning

Luscious Pastry, penned by my homegirl, Anne Charlotte, graphic designer and pastry chef extraordinaire. Who knew a blog about food could be so side splitting?

Luscious is the New Heroin
That's Luscious, Not Lushes
The King and I
Sweet Home Luscious
Who's Your Daddy?

ENJOY!

Mid-Week Mid-Century Roundup

2010-02-10T07:00:00.001-06:00

Cupcakes,

I've been perusing Craigslist this afternoon and have found some treats for you. And one for me, which I am not posting here yet, because I don't want one of you crafty devils to scoop it up!

Enjoy!!

2 green chairs from 1955, $75

59-piece set of vintage cocktail glasses, $70

Set of 4 teak tile-top tables, $200

Cute red chair, $45

1960s turquoise chair, $125

1950s Heywood-Wakefield dining table, $275

Vintage Lane cedar chest, $220

When Blogging Turns to Blah

2010-02-09T06:00:00.002-06:00

Dear Retro-luxe Readers,

We apologize for the lack of posts recently. A general feeling of malaise has set in, which combined with an overall lack of technological skills, has left us feeling less than peppy. Rather than "phone it in" and post lame trash that would clog up your Google reader, we're just quiet over here. Jennie's real busy with her new role as an ambassador to our local area food bank, Stephanie's preoccupied with real estate transactions and tons of details pertaining to the construction of her new house, and Meredith is just real lazy, laying around and watching reruns of the Rockford Files and wondering why the hell she didn't buy a Pontiac Firebird instead of a Honda Accord. Given that absence makes the heart grow fonder, we thought you might be even more curious about what we all looked like, so we've decided to post this picture of ourselves:

Can you guess who's who?

We're planning some fun things for spring, but readers, we need to hear from you. Please leave us a comment and tell us:
What do you like about this blog?
Not like?
Should we just hang it up?
What do you want to see more of?
Who was your favorite Angel?

Happy Hour Friday: Cheers, Hookers

2010-02-05T07:00:00.003-06:00

She comes from a long line of Hookers.

I mean it.

This is Grandma Hooker of Florida, USA. She is the elder-stateswoman and beloved grandmother of my friend, Kara. Mrs. Hooker recently broke her ankle and is holed up in rehab for several weeks. From the looks of this photo you might think she is in a certain other type of rehab, but that is not the case. She does not get to have happy hour too often, but thanks to her visiting grand-daughter she did get to this particular day!

As you can see, and as I was told by Kara, Grandma Hooker was very happy to get a few sips - or gulps, rather - of that Baileys Irish cream. And you know what? Seeing Grandma Hooker happy makes me happy, too.

Get well soon, Mrs. Hooker!