Floor Me!

 ("The Smoke Room" of the S.S. America.)

I having new ideas about the living room flooring Readers!
Above is one of the interiors of a proud Ocean Liner that no longer exists, the S.S. America of the United States line.
Random I know, but while researching Ocean Liner interiors for our upcoming dance, I stumbled across the tale of the S.S. America. (A steam ship that served for many years, and then met a regrettable fate on its way to becoming a floating hotel in the Philippines.)
My other interest in this particular ship lies in the world of musical theatre...



Cole Porter's "Anything Goes" set aboard the Luxury Liner "S.S. American" (in homage of the actual S.S. America) It was this fabulous ship that Porter set his high seas high jinx and launched the show and soundtrack into the history of American Musical Theatre.

For ages I have dreamed of having this 16 point nautical star painted on the floor of the living room.

But now I am considering scrapping that idea and going with this design.

 (The circle pattern in the center of the floor is what I'm crazy about!)

Although the pattern on the floor is actually older, it reads more "atomic" to me that "nautical" I think if I painted it on the floor I would do the gold circles and lines in metallic gold paint, but I'm stumped on what to do the base color! This color scheme on the now long gone ship is perfect, but I dont think a dark blue/teal floor would compliment my now Coral walls.

I am really sold on the design from the S.S. America!

Any ideas as to a color to swap out for the blue?!


-Mick-

Wow Pintrest!

I have seen so many "failed" pintrest projects on Facebook and online, so when a friend posted this crazy way off cooking cinnamon I was pretty skeptical... Looked like a mess waiting to happen. I sprayed cooking oil into the waffle iron, sat the cinnamon role in the center shut the lid, and a few short minuets later... Incinerated a perfectly good pastry.

So I tried it again, and this time as soon as the green "finished" light came on I flipped open the waffle iron and it was perfectly golden brown!

It's a weird concept, but a REALLY Great one! The waffle shape holds more icing on the cinnamon role and helps cut down on the sticky fingers, while still tasting just as great!

I will definitely be doing this more often, as far as I am concerned its the new best way too cook them. The only tedious thing is that in order not to burn the roles you ahve to be standing right there waiting for the timer to finish. But it is well worth it!

Try it if you dare and tell me what you think!

-Mick-

Rockin' The "To-Do" list, A Little Landscaping...

 (Friend Jordan knows there is LOTS to do!)

Well Readers, 1960 is upon us and as I look around the Casablanca waiting for spring I happen to notice... everything needs a little sprucing up! This weekend Patricia, friend Jordan and I started to tackle to "revamp" of the backyard.

Three years of fabulous parties, and neglect from my job at the theatre has taken quite a toll on the back yard. However with a few weekend of work and some fresh paint all will be good as knew! Sunday morning I started by collecting and disposing off all of the broken and downed mesquite tree limbs, and planning out a way to terrace the gravel pit. Jordan then helped me by moving rocks from the front yard, all the way out back to build a small wall that will help with erosion. I mean, should it ever decide to "rain" again...

(Before.)

(After.)

I have QUITE the pile of rocks collected in the front yard, there were enough to stack into a small retaining wall to stop erosion. We also took the wider rocks and added to the seating of the fire pit. So now the fire pit has two tiers and lots of seating!

(Before.)

(After.)

(Corabelle approves of these new levels!)

 Hopefully the next thing to cross off the list will be getting rid of all that junk wood in the back of the fire pit. I had planned to just burn it in the pit, but as it's never going to rain again it needs to go.

Meanwhile I plan to start priming and repainting all 36 pieces of the lawn furniture during the week and exporting it back to the lake with a nice fresh coat. This week will be the turquoise pieces! With help we plan to knock out two projects a weekend...

Maybe by April we will have this list crossed off!

-Mick-

"Beyond The Sea"

(Spring is nearly upon us!)

Although still a few months away, preparations have already begun on one of my favorite events of the "Casablanca Social Season"! The Spring Break Dance is the one night where all our members turn out in their best formal attire to dazzle and dance the night away, and 1960 will be no diffrent!


For this year and "new decade"'s theme for the dance we have chosen "Beyond the Sea" by Bobby Darin! We plan to transform the dance hall into a sensational Ballroom aboard the S.S. Casablanca and dance the night away.

(Our 1960 paper"lantern" invitation!)

If the above picture is to bright and you can't see, this years invitations have an ocean liner at sea on them!
Committees have been formed and projects assigned! We are very excited about this years theme and colors, the invitations are turquoise and white with a burgundy envelope. The actual dance decorations are varying shades of blue and green...

(Jade & Sea foam ribbon.)

We hope to out do ourselfs with lights, lanterns, and ribbon streamers. With new music and new dance steps everyone is really looking forward to the big night "on board". I also plan to make sure the whole theme is a nice balance of "nautical" and 1960 swank...

 (Not overly red/white/blue, carnival cruise ship, palm trees, parrots and mass produced 'card and party' decorations.)

 (I am thinking more along the lines of a Captains Ball on a 1960's luxury liner.)

Wish us luck!

-Mick-

From Crystal to "Basic Black"!

Can you believe this post is just about door knobs?! The weekend before last while at the Bowie Flea market I stopped by one of my favorite booths. The man who runs it has an associate that works in Detroit doing architectural salvage. As a result, this seller has the most AMAZING variety of door knob back plates, door knobs, hardware, and lots of cast iron goods.  What I love even more that the wares of the booth is the colorful stories that the guy gives you with them!

(The current glass/ crystal door knob on the bathroom door.)

As often is the case at the flea market, I REALLY wasn't looking for anything... But this guy always has the most amazing odds and ends. So as usual I spied treasure in his piles there on one his tables, he had this GREAT pair of black porcelain knobs. I have a set of white porcelain knobs on the french doors, and I have never seen a set in glossy black! So for the arm breaking sum of $4.00 I walked away with the set. 

(New black porcelain knob. I love how Art Deco it makes the door look!)

I am a regular customer at this booth, and I have found many wonderful things to put in the new rooms at the Casablanca. Each one comes with a different back story and this one was wonderful too! The seller tells me that "Black knobs like this date all the the way back to the 1860's and that "If you watch Gone With The Wind, you'll see that set of knobs on the doors of "Tara"".  I thought this was a really cool tidbit, and then later I remembered that Gone With The Wind was filmed in 1938/1939... so did he mean the knobs were popular of THAT era (1930's) or actually of the 1860's?  No matter how old they are or aren't I love them. The flooring in the bathroom will be black and white, and I'm leaning towards doing a white toilet with a black seat on it so it will all match.

Also when I found the knobs, one had been painted over. While the seller was closing the deal on his sale with me, he called the color "apricot" which struck me as funny and wonderful. As you don't often hear regular Texas flea market guys say "apricot" usually it would just be classified as orange. I am not making fun of the guy, I am all for guys knowing colors by their proper names! It's the only way to get exactly what you want!

As always, we will be back to his booth next time!

-Mick-

Bathroom Update!

 (This is EXCITING!)

Patricia and I did extensive Home Improvement research this weekend Dear Readers! We spent nearly all of Saturday in and out of stores, comparing prices and colors. I purchased a sample to try out before making my final choice and I have to say I am sold on the "stock" pinwheel from Lowe's.

The sales guy at Lowe's was concerned when I just started taking out sheets of tile and laying them on the floor. I needed to see it in real life, not on a display picture. I think this will work quite nicely and I'm 100% sure we will use black grout.

The above two pictures will give you a good idea of color scheme! Black and white pinwheel tile with black grout for flooring. I now plan to paint the walls to have a wainscot. (I might have the wall around the bathtub tiled.) Using Valspar Notre Dame on the bottom four foot of the wall and Comet Dust on the top four feet. The ceiling I think will be a basic white. All the fixtures and hardware will be chrome. The claw foot bathtub and metal linen cabinet will be painted burgundy. (And I will have burgundy towels and things)

(My 1940's white enamel cast iron pedestal sink!)

(Awesome working 1930's vanity lights I picked up in Kansas.)

(1930's Toothbrush and glass holder)

I have so much cool 1940's and 50's junk to fill the bathroom with, but I just have to be patient... get it painted, tiled, plumed, and get it all hooked up.

Heheheh nothing money and time wont fix!

-Mick-

Bathroom Tile Dreaming...

(Eyes on the Prize!)

Since I was telling you about the Herman Miller fish in Mondays post, I thought I would share with you what I'm hoping to do the bathroom! The black and white pinwheel tile picture above is what I am set on for the bathroom floor. That pattern of tile with either black or grey grout.

 (To show you what I'm hoping for I have Google'd imaged pictures of grey tile bathrooms, I take no credit for the photos they have all come from Google Image.)

I think I have finally chosen a grey and maroon color scheme for the bathroom to go with the other  1950's colors of the Casablanca without repeating a color.

With a maroon tile border on the base of the wall.

I think doing black grout on the floor to make the white pinwheel patterned tile pop, and doing white on the walls to keep the grey tile crisp will look nice. Or do you readers think doing grey on both the floor and wall grout would look better?

(This is someone's lovely bathroom. I love the grey tile, with maroon top piece, and light grey walls above the tile wainscot. This is very much what I have in mind. I think I would also want a maroon runner piece one tile away from the top, so that the wainscot would have a double border.

Other and the floor tile in the first picture, I haven't price checked any of this... I'm sure though that this is what I would like put in.

Does you readers have any tile advice? Color advice? Do's, dont's? The room is 12'x6' so I know what I need on flooring. I am thinking the wainscot will be 4' high, as the walls are 8'.

I am also thinking of tiling JUST the floor, and then painting the walls two tone grey with a small maroon trim piece. (not a chair rail, just a thin stripe of maroon about 4 ft high.)

I think with the grey and maroon I think I can add dark green in with towels, maybe paint the claw foot tub dark green with silver legs? I also have a metal closet I can paint to match what ever color the tub ends up being.

So what do you readers think? Tile all the way, Tile floor and paint, or maybe do the floor first and paint the walls while I save up to tile the walls?!

AH! I AM GETTING IN OVER MY HEAD! HELP!

-Mick-

Miller, McCoy, and the Hippopotamus Twist!

It was a busy weekend for us dear Readers! Saturday Patrica, friend Margaret and I went to the Casablanca to take down and pack away the Christmas decorations. It turned out to be quite a job!

(I hated to take it down!)

Apparently I have picked up quite a few "vintage Christmas" things, this year when we started I had two medium rubbermaid buckets full, and now I have FIVE! So I think its safe to say I can lay off the Christmas stuff.

(Back to its "normal" set up.)

The bookcase is one of the things we picked up in Missouri, I'm glad to have a place to put the books vs stacking them on the floor! Above in the shadow box shelves I have displayed our growing collection of McCoy vases.

 

(The two new McCoy vases I picked up for $6.00)

Sunday having packed away the majority of the decorations, we treated ourselfs to the Bowie Trade days at the Bowie Flea Market. 

(Emily, Jennifer, Cindy, & Patrica with their new Hippo's!)

We had wonderful weather for the market on Sunday. We walked around and found some great stuff, the girls picked up these neat ceramic hippo "card and pen holders" for a steal at $2.50 apiece.

(Pony Time- by Chubby Checker!)

This record comes with kind of a cool story. My resolution this year is of some wise words my Grandmother Jordan gave me "Do good, and good will happen." Well while digging through records at the flea market Patricia and I found this one, when we were paying the seller the wind whipped a $5.00 bill out of his hand while he was making change. I slipped under a hand rail and chased the bill around the corner of the building and stopped it before it blew away. The seller was so thankful of me going after the lost bill that he just gave us the record!  Also, "Parkway" is the name of a favorite restaurant and bar where all the actors here in town like to go!

(Herman Miller Studio Fish!)

Ever since we started dreaming of a real bathroom at the Casablanca I have been hunting and collecting Miller Studio fish. OF COURSE after I decided to collect them they became insanely popular again and now they are hard to find at a thrifty price. I have about seven fishes gathered up (and one air bubble) in all colors blue, yellow, and one pink! SO I was pretty thrilled to find this pair for a steal at $4.00 for the pair! I can't wait to have the bathroom finished and hang them on the walls!

It was a fun and busy weekend, with lots of surprises!

-Mick- 

March Of The Blow Molds!

Well we're back Dear Readers! I'm lagging behind in my posts already... remember last year when with the help of Missouri Michael I made an impulse buy of 43 vintage blow mold yard decorations?! Well here's the second installment of that story. Nine toy soldiers, three choir kids, four Santa clauses, and two snow men!

(And this guy, but he belongs to Patricia!)

(I picked this up in Lawrence KS, 

we welcome all faiths at the Casablanca!)

 I think i'm am going to keep all the toy soldiers, the choir kids, and the larger snowman. The rest I will provably start selling off on Craigslist this coming November.When we left Missouri after a spending New Years Eve with Michael, you couldn't see out the back of the car it was so full of junk treasure!  Once we returned to Kansas to finish out our vacation we repacked and stacked the car for the trip home from Kansas to Texas.

(layer #1)

(Layer #2)

Everything fit! With a little room to spare, AND Patricia could see out the rear window for the 6 hour trip home! With any luck, Monday I will be able to show and tell you all about our Kansas/ Missouri adventures and show you pictures of all the things we got in their new homes at the Casablanca!

("The Blow Mold Room")

Gosh and there is still a couple of trips worth of blow molds left to bring down the rest from Missouri.

Happy Friday everyone!

-Mick-

Welcome 1914, er... 2060, I mean 1960, GAH 2014!

Welcome back all you lovely Readers out there in Blogland!

I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday, in fact I am still on mine and will be back soon with all kinds of finds and stories!  So for now here's a look at the most viewed posts of 2013 or as we at the Casablanca tell it, 1959!

(GREASE! My producer friend Lynn made a special redheaded poster for me!)

#5 The Sets from our production of Grease!

(The annual Casablanca Costume Ball! The theme was "Disney Movies"!)

#4 The 1959 Costume Ball!

(Jets, Sharks, and Chicks swinging at the "56th Street Gym".)

#3"Dance at the Gym" the West Side Story cast party!

("It's Only A Paper Moon")

#2The 1959 Spring Break Dance, our formal affair!

(At Long last!)

#1"Color Me Coral" We finally achieved living room walls!

Finally, our most viewed post, for the year and for all time. A tribute to the memory of our dear friend Andrew.

Andrew Raymond Duncan.

He will never be forgotten.

Back in August when this happened, the outpouring of sympathy from all of you blogger friends helped ease our time of pain with your comments and kind words (even a few personal phone calls). Thank you for that, It means the world to us at the Casablanca.

  *   *   *

Lots of good times, a few sad, plenty of wonderful, and always fabulous! That is what you wonderful people have come to expect, and what we love to give you "Here at Mick's!"

Here's to a bright new year!

-Mick-