Recent Finds...

There really hasn't been too much thrifting recently because we are trying to save some dough for the trailer and other things. I did manage to find a few thing here and there...

I have been looking for another cabinet like this blonde one that I have my Tiki collection in. The picture in the link shows the beginning of my collection and now the Tikis are busting the seams of the cabinet. I wanted another one to flank the room and hold some of my Tikis and books. I found this one that is the exact same model but in a dark finish. It does have different knobs than the blonde cabinet and the glass is missing. I think I am going to paint it to match the blonde cabinet. The finish on this dark one isn't quite as nice as it looks in the picture. It won't look exactly like the blonde cabinet once painted but oh well. I may also get some glass cut to fit.

I picked up this Milton Bradley US map puzzle from 1961. I have been looking for one of these for a while. This will be used in a project for the Shasta trailer. I got the cabinet and the puzzle for 25 bucks at a estate sale.

I found these tapered legs at a thrift store for $1. Not a bad deal. I don't have any plans for them right now but you never know.

This isn't actually a recent find. I found this plant stand at a swap meet for a dollar. It needs a repaint that I just haven't got around to doing.

I found this circular plant stand a few days ago at a thrift store for $4.50. It too needs a repaint. None of the welds on either stand seem to be broken so I think both were a pretty good deal.

Garage Sale Captain's Chair...

We found this chair at a garage sale last weekend. Not a bad looking chair. I'm not sure who made it or even how old it is but it kinda has some danish lines to it. I'm going to sand it down and refinish it at some point. It really needs it. The chair cost me a whopping 5 bucks.

EDIT: Someone left a comment that this is a Paul McCobb Planner Group Occasional chair, circa 1950. Made from maple wood with a walnut stain.

Phone Table & "New" Phone...

We went around to a few garage sales yesterday and didn't find a whole lot. I won't show them all today... gotta save some for later when I am looking for something to share whith the readers.

The few things we did find were pretty good prices. I picked up this turquoise phone from 1962 for 3 bucks. It is a bit faded and has a couple cracks which arn't too major. The rotary mechanism seems to work fine. I'm not really sure what to do with the cords. It has some long cords which are not plugged in like a new phone. They are hardwired in. I could open it up and remove them. See, we don't have a landline anymore. We just use our cell phones. I was going to take it to my parents to see if it still worked or not. Who really cares. It was $3.00! I mostly find these in shops they are 30 bucks or more.

The "new" phone found a home on our phone table that we bought a few years ago. I really like this table. It has a hard fiberglass shade and the light works fine. The chair pad is in decent shape. The bottom of the seat was covered over in some horrible fabric. When I pulled off the fabric I was happy to find the original fabric which is a little faded (from a few butts sitting on it) but no rips. It also has a nice little plastic drawer under the table top. Mostly it gets used to house the stack of phone books they seem to enjoy sending us. I think I paid under 30 dollars for it so it was a good deal.

A Great DIY Project...

Gregory on Apartment Therapy found this old stereo cabinet...

And turned it into this...

I gotta say that this the kind of project that I can admire. This sounds like something that I would do. He did a nice job on it. Pretty cool idea. You can see his project progress here...

The Stereo Cabinet #1

The Stereo Cabinet #2 - The Strip Show

The Stereo Cabinet #3 - Enter Sandman

The Stereo Cabinet #4 - No Guts, No Glory

The Stereo Cabinet #5 - House of Stain

The Stereo Cabinet #6 - A Stain In the Neck

The Stereo Cabinet #7 - Moving On

1961 How-To-Do-It Encyclopedia (Part 3)

BASEMENTS:

Today we have a great basement section. Quite a few pictures in this one.
But first... the quote of the day from the book...

"Newest item for basement floors is vinyl-asbestos tile which is better looking and more durable."

Remember kids: Asbestos is bad.

Some of you may have seen this first picture over at Retro Renovation. Pam used it for her accordian section. It is a great picture. I like the Tiki feel of it and the rattan furniture is neat. Pam pointed out the pole turned palm tree which is also pretty swell...

Can I have the floor lamp in this picture???


This bar is the great! Very Tiki. The diagram sure does make it a functional space. Darkrooms and HAM radio areas? This place has everything...

The next three are some great living spaces...

Here is that wood paneling that was stained dark in the horrible 70's. Some outstanding sofas too..

I'm not a big knotty pine fan, but I really like the built in TV...

And finally. Your creepy kid picture for the day...

Next time: Bathrooms!

1961 How-To-Do-It Encyclopedia (Part 1)

I finally got my hands on a complete set of the Mechanix Illustrated How-To-Do-It Encyclopedia. There are 16 Volumes and was published in 1961 by Golden Press and Fawcett Publications. These are a great reference for today's do it yourself types that are looking to replicate the Mid Century style. A bunch of the info and pictures are just plain comical. Mainly because it isn't how it is done anymore. If you get a hold of these books, I wouldn't advise following the electrical and HVAC info too closely. You would probably burn your house down. :)

I think there are some really neat stuff in these and I thought I would share the good stuff. A few of the topics are kinda bland and I'm not showing you all the pages of course. Some topics don't have much to look at while others take up half the book. Many of the projects have a good discription and diagrams to build off of.

If you would like to see more of a certain topic don't be afraid to let me know. I will try to accommodate everyone. I can scan whole pages if it a topic everyone wants to see. Again, a few of the them I will just glaze over because of not much to look at. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do...

VOLUME 1

AIR CONDITIONING:

Nothing too great in this section but I dig the look of this HVAC control unit. Too bad they don't look this good anymore.
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ALARMS:
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APPLIANCE REPAIR:

I just like these pictures. The woman with the window fan looks like she could be on a game show.

Who knew a toaster could bring so much joy?

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AQUAIRUMS:

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ARCHERY:

I would actually like to do this. Not too shabby on the reference material in this section. I'm sure there are better modern tutorials out there but I like to know how they did it at one time.
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ASTRONOMY:

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ATTICS:

I love the look of this room. The furniture is the coolest. I noticed that there are two wire boomerang ashtrays on the coffee table. I have one like that...

http://atomicaddiction.blogspot.com/2008/01/ashes-to-ashes.html

Ya gotta like home-built beds and cabinets. His space bedding is neat. I like the globe with legs on it too.
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That's all for now folks. There is a lot more to look at so come on back, ya hear!

Have a Seat...

We found this beautiful chair in a Madison antique mall this December. The rosey colored textured fabric looks like it was put on yesterday. It rocks and swivels which adds to the usability. The lines are slicker than snot. For 40 bones it wasn't a bad deal at all.

Still trying to find a propper home for it to stay but it is small enough to move where we need it. So until a lightbulb goes on, it will just be a hobo in our house...moving from room to room.