spinning // la bella italia

i think i can safely say that the one purchase i will never regret splurging on is my record player. it makes me so happy and i love looking for new albums at the thrifts to add to my collection. i have quite a proclivity for picking up records solely based on their cover - you can blame this blog - and i've lucked out that most have been in decent condition. 

i actually drooled over la bella italia on project thirty-three awhile ago, so i was pretty happy to stumble upon it last week. and let me tell you, it's fantastic. quite frankly, i'm a nut for the accordion, but this album really is perfectly cozy, romantic, nostalgic and beautiful.

ciao!

thrift store finds // 06.27.2011

i haven't had a monday off in awhile, so i took advantage of today by (what else?) hitting up a few thrift shops. i went to five stores and found not a single thing; however, when i got home and looked in the back seat of my car, i realized i've been using it as a thrifted finds storage space (this is reasonable with a small apartment, yes?). i had a clear-out and found a delightful/disturbing trend amongst the items.

i will always be a pisces, despite the astrological nonsense announced earlier this year. my sister shook her head at this slightly unsightly find.

i think i bought this because it reminded me of texas. i don't know how i feel about it post-purchase.

i'm conflicted on this little lady. i've never been a holly hobby fan, but i cannot deny the appeal of that striped floral background. it makes me squee a bit.

i may be undecided about the others, but i totally love this small sentiment ♥


i obviously cannot leave behind embroidered pieces or what i've come to call yarn art. i already have too many pieces hanging in my apartment and i have nowhere to hang these new additions. maybe some will make their way to the shop?

to prove my devotion to this art form, here is a book i bought this weekend.

yes, i originally picked it up because my beloved grandpa called me muggins. but the reason i paid for it instead of just having a sentimental moment or two?

this illustration on the first page. it's foolishness, i tell you! but, seriously, how happy would i be to find a real-life framed yarn art in those colors and in that style? the dainty squid is sooo lucky...

have you found anything great lately? or stumbled upon any personal trends? let's hear them!

leadership

happy saturday to you! seeing as how i'm stuck at work today, plugging along on a leadership board project, i thought i'd share some totally hip and awesome records i recently acquired.

 

in all seriousness, i couldn't pass these up at the thrift store. they were super cheap and i was drawn to the nearly monochromatic illustration style. i haven't even listened to them, but perhaps i should... especially the second one.

hoping your weekend includes something infinitely more adventurous than reviewing and editing the scope of services on a bid contract,

house beautiful // volume two

i finally had some time to scan more vintage advertisements from my 1955 house beautiful magazine! huzzah! are you ready to go back to 1955? let's hop to it, then.

frank lloyd wright paint colors? yes, please. i'll take that font, as well, thank you.

i'm totally loving the orange and gray color scheme.

this kitchen instantly reminded me of the draper's when they were fake-happy and still living together. yes?

why strain muscles and endanger health shoveling snow? indeed! imagine how excited the housewives must have been with the influx of new technology.

i'm not a huge fan of blonde furniture, but this set is awfully nice with those beautiful vintage lines.

that starburst pattern makes me so happy!

i've always loved the thought of cork flooring, but i had no idea it was a design concept in the 1950s. just goes to show that nothing is new, i suppose. and, obtw, that dining room chair is fantastic.

again with the amazing blonde furniture. that hutch is dreamy.

there were so many blanket ads in this particular issue (perhaps because it was a november issue?), so i tried to pick the prettiest.

these glasses are too much for me to handle. i want all of them. can you imagine stumbling upon these at an estate sale or thrift store? that's a happy thought. and i really, really love the packaging. those colors would be great in a vintage-inspired living room.

i certainly don't change the channel in anything less than a taffeta gown and sparkly strappy shoes, do you? 

this is just a gorgeous design. the furniture is impeccable, as is the modern open vibe. 

the description for these tiles makes me smile. ad copy was so different than it is today.

this design actually looks more comfortable than a modern-day sofa bed, yes? it is furniture with a future.

 girlfriend looks crazy stressed. i think she's about to hit her man over the head with that rod.

once again, the language of vintage ads delights me! fanciful, winsome, debonaire, blithe. i feel the same level of giddiness when i hear baby, it's cold outside every christmas. i can still hear my grandmother exclaim, "say, pass me another cigarette, will you, bill?" everyone just seems so innocent, except, of course, for the exotic portrait. she's clearly a vixen.

i don't know about naugahyde, but that sectional is brilliant. 

i think i have enough color ads to do one more volume, so stay tuned! you can see the first volume here.

house beautiful // volume one

last weekend, i came across a stack of vintage magazines at an estate sale. i almost passed them by (they were $6/magazine - and that was after a 25% discount), but i kept coming back to flip through the pile. at the bottom, i found a november 1955 house beautiful featuring frank lloyd wright on the cover and i just gave up. i had to have it. dating back to my short-lived days as an interior design major, frank lloyd wright was (and is) my ultimate design aesthetic crush.

later that night, i brought the magazine along to keith's so we could look through it together and sigh contentedly over outdated ads and gorgeous mid-century designs.

frank lloyd wright is ah-mazing. that's all there is to say.

the roots of the modern recliner? i think so. and they're "smart-looking," too!

who hasn't hugged themselves in delight at the thought of a faux wood-paneled room? i know i have.

i'm totally digging the acid green, yellow, red, black, white, and gray color combination. 

oh, knoll. you've been on my mind since interior-design-major days.

i have much <3 for that sideboard/buffet in the first picture. swoon.

that's odd... mother always used to call me her little rainbow.

i think this daystrom ad was the showstopper and ooh-aah-maker of the whole magazine. i would love that pink dinette. or the red... i'm not picky.

keith and i got to talking about old appliances and how everything was blank-omatic. not two seconds later, we flipped the page and there was an explosion of -omatic goodness!

i hope you enjoyed looking at these old ads as much as i did. this issue was quite large, so i'll be scanning more and doing more posts soon - i just couldn't wait to show a few gems, though!

*update: i uploaded all of the original ads on my flickr page if you'd like to see the high-res versions.

**washi tape clip art courtesy of pugly pixel**

children's records

how great are the illustrations on these children's records?

i would love to own these! you can see more children's 78s here (some have linked mp3 sound files!) or you can check out different record genres at the archive of recorded 78 rpm records (i especially dig the grimm fairy tales for hip kids by al 'jazzbo' collins).

(via how to be a retronaut)