Meet Lucca and Clifford

This is Lucca and Clifford.

 

Lucca was received as a bribe at the 18 month doctor visit and ever since has been the figure of choice for, well, Lucca. Lucca does everything big Lucca wishes she could do - attend school, fly a plane, drive a car, hang with the My Little Pony crew and Clifford is usually by her side. Lucca is about 2" tall and flat. If Lucca is not immediately seen in the morning I have to listen to "Lucca!? Where are you Lucca!?" over and over until Lucca is found. Usually she is napping in a castle tower but some mornings it is a bit more of a challenge. One morning, after a good 20 minute search, Lucca was discovered only because I caught the glimpse of a tiny red hand sticking out from under the school house. She has also been known to hide under a bus or be stuck in the trap door slide of the Sesame Street Clubhouse.

It usually isn't as vital if Clifford isn't around in the morning but Lucca has to know where Lucca is before her day can begin. We probably have 75 super cute Little People figures ranging from Disney Princess' to a construction crew but Lucca always has designated this little guy as Lucca. Yep, I could probably get rid of all of those Little People and she wouldn't even notice!

Linen Closet Napper

Note: I shall not be held responsible for cat hair on the clean towels.

Doomsday Dinner

We all have survived the end of the world premonition and more importantly, the craziness of Christmas. Fortunately I was more stressed about getting Christmas plans organized and underway than the end of the world. Though last Thursday night Mark and I decided to indulge in some Runza. If I had to choose a last meal (sadly?) eating at Runza just might be it. We were waiting for our food when we heard 667 being called. Was that our number? No, that was the order after, wait, what was their number!?

LOL, yes, the evening before doomsday our order number was:

I would have expected my chili and cinnamon rolls to be a little warmer!

 

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!!

 

(a more merry post will hopefully follow though I won't promise anything!) hehe

 



Coca-Cola Ice Box

My parents are still digging stuff of mine out of their house. My neighbors must think I'm crazy (rightly so) because a couple more boxes are brought every visit. This visit brought my 4-H project from 7th grade but first I will tell you about my icebox stoop.

This is where my house's first icebox sat. The kitchen is to the left and up a step and the side door (convenient for ice drop off) is to the right. 

 An overhead view. If you look in the middle and a few boards out from the wall, you can see the hole where the drain pipe was (still is in the basement) so the ice could drain away.

So what is one to do with this space? I was using it for recycling but I am lazy and never seem to motivate myself to drop off said recycling until it is an out of control pile. Not a big problem but this spot is easily viewed from the kitchen since the basement is always open for the cat. Tired of looking at a giant pile of plastic I decided since this spot originally housed an ice box, why not "reinstall" one? Of course I have one...who doesn't??

Back to my 7th grade 4-H project. This one, as many projects did, came from the back of my parent's garage and was purchased at an auction for $5. At that point in my life, while most of my friends were in want of the latest clothing and shoes, I really wanted (I guess I still do) a vintage Coke cooler/machine but had no way of affording one. So my answer to this "need" was to get out the spray paint and make a Coke logo stencil. The ice box was missing a leg and is made from a hodgepodge of cheapy wood so this was a definite improvement.It won a big ribbon and went to the state fair so I was happy.

The top props up and I can cram all of my Coke bears right inside.

  Plus I can store some of my misc. Coke things in the bottom.

Now I just need to do something about that stained up 90's wallpaper in the background, add a few more shelves and my basement stair landing will transform into the perfect Coca-Cola area.

Fresh Step Kitties

I spotted this ad a while ago in Real Simple

I had forgotten about it until I recently spotted it again in my Better Homes and Gardens I started getting for free via Coke points. It made me laugh again so I cut it out and put it on the fridge.

This month when the magazine arrived at my doorstep I was delighted to spot another ad!

Ha! This one also was immediately removed from the magazine and is sitting on my desk. I start laughing everytime I see kitty's expression.

Not wanting to wait until next month to see if there is another one for me to giggle about I googled and Yes! indeed there is a third!

I can hope it will be in my next issue but for now I will preserve it on my interwebs.

I have to admit I am liking the second and third kitty's rooms. The yellow wallpaper, the Royal Copley cat vase (I have one floating around somewhere) and the knitting in the second and the plaid carpet, yellow chair and telephone stand in the third. I'm not sure I would like the ads so much if kitties were standing in a normal plain old room. Then again, the expression on their faces! hehe yeah, I probably would.

The end of my new found love for Billy? or is it the beginning?

My drama for this morning via Mark via the LA Times:

IKEA anticipates death of paper books, tweaks bookcase

September 9, 2011 |  6:33 pm

 

3

65

Will this symbolize the death knell of the paper book?
Furniture giant IKEA will debut a new version of its classic BILLY bookcase that is intended to store everything except well-thumbed reading material, a report says.
Coming out next month, the tweaked bookcase will feature deeper shelves meant to display "ornaments, tchotchkes and the odd coffee-table tome -- anything, this is, except books," the Economist reported.
The Swedish furniture company is already pushing glass doors for its bookshelves, anticipating that customers will increasingly utilize bookcases for decorative purposes, the report said.
IKEA may be right. Certainly, times are changing -- and digitizing -- for the book business.
About 12% of American adults now own an e-reader, the first time that number has pushed into double digits since the gadgets became available. Sales of e-books in America finally surpassed those of adult hardbacks in the first five months of the year, and online retailer Amazon.com reported that it sells more digital books than ones printed on paper. Borders Group, once a book peddler to rival Barnes & Noble, is liquidating all of its U.S. stores.
Some have predicted that like the mastodon, bookstores too will go extinct.



Mark should have known I would be distraught the rest of the day by this news. The death of the paper book? I could care less by that comment. A new Billy? WHAT!? I'll have to Google a little harder because I can't find if they are discontinuing the original size or just adding an additional thicker version or even how much thicker the shelves will be.

Living in Nebraska, I just recently discovered the joy of Ikea a few years ago and purchased my first lovely Billy last year to test out the infamous shelves and house a portion of my troll family.

Yeah, it's just a little fuller now...

I measured and had visions of buying 1 1/2 more Billys with doors to fill this wall. It would have been glorious. Now I'm thinking do I "rush" (the closest one is an 8 hr drive) out and buy 1 1/2 more shelves? But if I someday move my shelves maybe I could expand so maybe I just want to find another spot for this Billy and start fresh? After all, I am obviously the target audience of this new version of Billy because I'm not seeing many books on my shelves. I could fit another row of trolls on shelves which are 2" or 3" wider!

What is a Dolly Gram??

I wasn't expecting to find any new "treasures" this weekend as my mom and I were planning on attending a doll auction where, apart from maybe a troll or 2, the items don't really fit my taste. They did have a box with a few trolls but I had all of them and they went for over $60 soo that is a little out of my allotted troll doll budget. But wait, what on earth are these guys!?

 They are marked Dolly-Gram by Western Union on their rear ends.

I will have to guess they are from the mid-late 1960's and were a gimmick by Western Union to try and regain some interest into the dying art of a Telegram. 

The one on the left is a paper mache bank.

Obviously these guys caught my eye and they were tossed into a box with several other boxes near the end of the auction so I was crossing my fingers all day no one else was itching to buy them. 

Surprise? No other interest whatsoever in them so they came home with me!!

We also managed to squeeze in a fun estate sale which had a basement packed FULL of various holiday decorations. It was mostly cutesy stuff from the past 10 years but I managed to find some festive Halloween and Christmas things. I also found this neat World's Fair book from 1893 for $2 and a 1933 World's Fair plate for $1.

Super cute mini Tupperware which came with the auction lot

Darn it Cara! Is that another piece of Pyrex!? Yes, but it was only .50 and look how lovely it looks on my orange counter! 

I thought it was $1 but it turns out everything was 1/2 price the second day of the sale. The metal stand is too big but I think it will fit my snowflake casserole. 

And I couldn't go the weekend without adding to my troll family. This guy, er, gal is ceramic with very poorly painted eyes for some nice character?

Soda or Pop?

I am obviously hurting for wall decor (yeah right!) so Nicolette was kind enough to donate to my cause. I had to show her I combined her contributions with a few of my kitschy ad items and am already enjoying them on the wall.

 

The boring 70's diagonal paneled wall before.

And after! 

Now I seem to be thirsty for something sugary, caffeinated and carbonated every time I walk in the room. I wonder why? 

Endangered Pink Bathroom

Sadly the days of this cheery pink bathroom are probably numbered. I can picture a new owner covering this bathroom with brown/gray slate tiles.
I would move the toilet and vanity to my house but that would be silly not to mention I don't have a spot. Wait! The basement DOES need a new toilet. mm, no, my family thinks I'm weird enough for wanting the furniture. Taking an old toilet would be crossing the line.

The sink vanity my grandpa made from salvaged televisions. I hate to think of what he was salvaging television-wise in the early 60's. Poor little guys but I guess they were heading to the dump anyways.
The sink he salvaged from The Brown Palace Hotel. I'm not sure how. It wouldn't surprise me if he was driving by, noticed they were doing some remodeling and went back later to dig through their construction trash. He may have gotten it legitimately as well but the other way is funnier to think about.

The linen closet (seen through the mirror) also made of salvaged TV bits.

I love the tile on the counter and floor. The grout is a little dingy but it has held up well through the years.

Kind of an awkward shot but pink tiles surrounding the tub and the glass block window.

What 60's bath would be complete without some coordinating fishies?

Vintage Formica

Since my grandpa passed away last week I think it would be appropriate to pay a little tribute to his (and grandma's) time capsule-esque home. He was almost 101 and would have still been living at home, fishing regularly and probably driving...if it were up to him. If it wasn't for his bad knees I believe he still would easily have been living there, minus the car keys.

I say capsule-esque because it is a teens bungalow my grandparents and the owners before them remodeled in the 1950’s through the 60’s. And when I say remodel, I mean repurposing the built-in buffet, painting, updating tile and changing the fixtures and appliances – none of this crazy lets blow out the walls and slap granite everywhere stuff.

My photos are kind of sparse since we were cleaning and it was a little cluttered so it was hard to get good shots. I’ll hopefully get more this spring/summer as we get ready to sell the house.
If anyone wants a sturdy bungalow with some 60’s flair (including a pink bathroom) in a fantastic Denver neighborhood let me know and I will keep you updated! I would move in myself but Mark doesn’t want to move 500 miles away. Something about his family all being here and the fact we already have a house along with some other excuses.


Moving on to the post: I am a little jaded by the thrifting, antiquing and garage saleing I have done my entire life so it takes something really crazy and weird to get me excited, not to mention distract my attention away from a box of vintage Christmas. My dad was cleaning grandpa’s workshop when he came excitedly up the stairs dangling something in front of him. At first I couldn’t tell what it was but when the first flash of pink caught my eye I did a little squeal. Yes, umm, outdated tile samples? That is what my nerdy self found exciting? The worst part is my dad KNEW I would be excited by this or else he would have casually left it on the counter downstairs with the other stuff he thought we should look through to price for the estate sale or toss.

(Yes, I was being clever and photographed it on the gold veined and speckled counter top)

Why did grandpa have these lurking in the corner of his workshop? My guess is they came in a garage sale box of man stuff he bought and he just knew he would have a use for these colorful squares someday. I think we might be related somehow?








I can't decide which I would have chosen as my counter had I been creating a kitchen at the time. Maybe Lipstick Red Linen? though a plain color with some coordinating would be fun. Boomerang, er, "Skylark" is one of my all time favs so I would have probably gone with that in Aqua well, maybe coral or primrose?

Welcome Billy!

Billy the Bookcase that is!

Of course, since we had to drive through Minneapolis why not spend the day at Ikea? (after a quick run to the Lego and Sanrio stores across the street)
My mom has been pining over the cube shelves since she first laid eyes on them last year. We only had the PT Cruiser so my dad and I literally had to tear her away from the shelves as she decided to give them a hug and then refused to let go. Since this year we brought the van and left my dad at home I too decided to jump on the organizational unit bandwagon with a Billy Bookcase. Yes, the line is called Billy. I do not name my bookcases despite the fact that does sound like something I would do.

Cammie wanted to help...or claim the boxes. She currently has a fort she made for herself out of the empty boxes in the dining room.

Yay! I did it all by myself and it only took about 10 minutes to put it all together and get to this point.

To differentiate this cheapy bookcase from just a cheapy Target bookcase I got glass doors to classy it up which extended my 10 min assembly to approximately 2 hours. I was too lazy to run down to the basement and find the electric screwdriver plus I figured I would crack or drill right through them. Mark's short bookcases look silly now so I guess I will have to get a Billly #2 and a Billy #3 to match.

What do I currently have on Billy?

I thought this shelf turned out cute and I also know I will just keep piling on little critters so I better get a picture now.

Ninja? Wrestler?, Hamsters? Mice? Del Taco. And Nicolette (I know you secretly stalk my blog) I now have a good spot for my mini mug you gave me. Good as long as Mark doesn't get too excited when pulling out one of his outdated Almanacs.

No, there are no longer any Cookie-Crisps or trolls inside this box. They were removed and eaten probably close to 20 years ago now. *gasp* Now I feel old and am wondering why I think a cereal box is appropriate to use as a decoration

Giants Up North

Last year on my trip to Minnesota I discovered the joy of posing next to ridiculously large statues along the road.

I mean, who could resist the call of giant ice cream or a monster viking??

This past week I was back and decided to see what else I could find. I tracked down Paul Bunyan in Bemidji

His native friend across the street (my picture with him must be on Mom's camera)

Some guy with no feet in Big Falls

Smokey Bear and family in International Falls

Husky the Musky in Kenora, Ontario

a Dala horse in Cloquet

and Lego Woody at the mall - a bunch of Japanese girls were pointing towards me (I'm hoping towards the general direction of the Lego store and not me) so this will be my excuse for my awkward pose though I do see my pant leg is all bunched up so maybe those girls were pointing at me.