Half & Half, Oh And A Radio Too...

Well readers I know it seems like all of us have a problem with buying lamps! I am the worlds WORST about buying a lamp just to get the shade. I've done it many a time, and this year history was bound to repeat it's self.

Exhibit A:  Recycled coffee pot lamp, with vintage red venetian blind shade $45.

Exhibit B: A 1954 Chalk-ware lamp titled "Arabian Dancer" I was given for free with a terrible Victorian shade.

Well I know what I like, and so paid the $45 for the coffee pot lamp because I really wanted the shade, once home I put the red shade on the dancer and Viola!

Haha! When I'm right, I'm right... yet another "So over-the-top-tacky it's cool" product from Mick J. and to think I almost threw it away! (half naked foreign men chalk-ware lamps really aren't my thing...) but now im glad I kept it! He now has a place on top of the Muntz TV I refinished.

*  *  *

 While in Kansas we helped our friend move her father and stepmother into a new retirement home. They were trying to downsize while moving into their new place so a few things went to Goodwill and in the "Nobody wants it"  pile was a "record player" and I thought to myself 'Just what I need another record player'  and then I stuck my head down the hallway and saw it and...

Just like that I had myself another "record player"!

 

 A 1946 Bendix mini-console Radio & Record player combo.

I am SO excited to finally have a console radio that has cabinet underneath to hide/hold stuff. No sooner had I gotten the ok to load it in the car, I already knew where it was going to go at the Casablanca! I've been searching and searching for a bed side table that was period and could possibly store stuff, and here out of the clear blue sky came one! I don't feel bad about using it as a table because that's what they had been doing with it since the cord to the player had been cut off. Just about perfect for the Casablanca, I owe a big thank you to those people!

-Mick-

The Best Things Come Last!

So American Pickers... GET OVER YOURSELF'S! Haha  Just because they show your picks and finds on the History channel doesn't mean the rest of us haven't been schlepping through dirty bargain basements and fields to find that great vintage piece long before then! In the little town that my family stays in there is one small antique store but as we all can attest to 'Even the smallest store can have the biggest find' like my prized turquoise boomerang glasses. Well this year was no different and I went in with money and came out with an arm full of treasures!

Four more Boomerang glasses $2.00 (I'm trying to get a full set of 16) a "Thompson's" malted milk shaker $4.00,

 a bundle full of vintage golf club shaped swizzle sticks $2.00, a "Black Kow"  bottle $4.00. My favorite buys from this were hands down the glasses and the swizzle sticks! Now 1941 "Black Kow" the bottle reads

"Just A Swell Drink!"

"The Perfect Drink By Itself"

- Also excellent mixed with ice cream, milk or cream.

Try a Double Black Kow Soda 

Made with Black Kow Ice Cream

And genuine Black  Kow bottled in Columbus Ohio-

This bottle is headed for the shelf in the kitchen of the Casablanca with all the other old "pop" bottles i've found over the years. Pretty good haul for $12.00!


-Mick-

"Fly Me To The Moon..."

The Moon Marble Company that is!

Located in Bonner Springs Kansas, you can read all about them from they're website found HERE these people specialize in making art-glass marbles, As well as selling factory made marbles and a plethora of retro merchandise!  Im telling you these folks have everything from marbles to vintage/reproduction party games to novelties such as "squirrel underwear" and A cutlery clock...along with everything else imaginable!

 I could have spent a fortune in there but I settled for a grand some of $40.00  and that got me the following...
A retro 1940's "Pin the tail on the donkey" game, a reproduction tin Zeppelin wind up toy, a zombie brain jello mold (hehe for Halloween this years theme is going to be killer...), some picture postcards, some green glass alligators...

I very nearly bought a "cigarette dispenser" its that one you've see in movies in the shape of a donkey and when you press its ears down the cigarette pops out of the donkeys... well as you can see in the picture... had it been metal I would have swooped it up but alas it was just a plastic remake. (I still may ended buying one, even though I don't smoke I just think one belongs at the Casablanca).  As I've said I could have very easily spent all my money there, maybe next time haha! If your in the area (or even if your not) I highly suggest you give this place a try there's something for everyone and I guarantee you'll leave feeling nostalgic, even if the things aren't from your childhood you'll wish they were!

-Mick-

Catch Up With Curtis!

Now that he's graduated college, Curtis has taken up residence in his college town of Lawrence Kansas. The friends we stay with live about 20 minuets away from Lawrence so we made plans to meet up and hit the town. We met up at the more famous antique mall in Lawrence and again i had a lot of restraint (more so than usual)!  the only thing that really caught my eye was this "folk art cat"...

However rather than pay $9.00 im pretty sure I can copy its beer bottle-light bulb design and make a few of my own! After that we spent the rest day doing home improvements, well Curtis did anyways...

wall art

After that we went out to eat at this place called "Local Burger" in historic down town Lawrence, this place is know for its all organic food and drink. I had a "Buckaroo Burger"  with fried onions and a  sugar cane Coca-cola Curtis got a turkey wrap and it all cost around $19.00  pretty reasonable if you ask me. After that we talked about his hopefully upcoming return to the Casablanca in 2011 (some of the parties) and then headed our separate ways. All in all a good day and a great time!

Tune in soon for the yearly visit to the Moon Marble Factory, and the blast from the past I found there!

-Mick-

I May Have Picked The Mid-West Clean...

In my nineteen years of coming to Kansas...

As you will recall from this post Joyland is my favorite junk store to date, and this year was no different. I must say I had quite a bit more buying restraint,

I think i'm coming off of "lamp fever"  I found these two beauties... but with no price and a water stain on the back of the shade I left them for some other 9 year old redhead to find and start a collection.

 

 (My loot, findssome snowflake Pyrex$3.95, an Ice scoop $5.00, & 3 records $1.50)

There was a lot of junk collectibles here and there but nothing really eye catching, I very nearly purchased an early 1900's wheel Chair, but it was in pretty bad shape. So I went and dug through the 78' records stack a and found the titles "Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny!" - Andrew Sisters, "Night & Day" -Frank Sintatra, and "Down Argentine Way" on original 78's no less! Spotted the Pyrex on a shelf it has a few chips in the lid but other than that it's in pretty good shape. And then there's the Ice cream scoop...

 

I grabbed this A) because it looked old. B) because I received an ice cream maker for the Casablanca for Christmas.  Well the price on the tag was $12.95 and even though it was mostly brass that's to high for me. I haggled the guy down to $5.00 and snatched it up! He told me that it had been in use in an actual soda shop in Topeka KS and he picked it up when they went out of business in the 80's. Well I did some research on my "Hamilton Beach model 60B" Ice cream scoop and found out that its from the 1940's and its worth about $30, and I mean how cool is it that it was used everyday in a real soda counter!

Well after that I went back in and found these record albums Jesus Christ Superstar (the movie soundtrack, with lyric book included!), and Swinging hits from 1938-45.  This summer we at the Casablanca got into the habit of throwing records on the player while we sit down and eat dinner and the Big Band music will be perfect!

 

After Joyland  we had lunch at a place called "Spangles" a 1950's themed chain restaurant, some pretty cool stuff on the walls.

(and ceiling...)

(I'd love to cover my counter tops in this!)

(My sister poses with Elvis)

Well that about rapped up day one of my hunting in Kansas! 

Tune in for my "Catch up with Curtis" you'll remember him from his annual summer visit he now lives in Lawrence KS until then!

-Mick-

Well This Is It 2010!

I know its early, but Things have been crazy at the flower shop.  Then right after Christmas I will be taking a short leave of absence on blogging until January... So here are a few Holiday favorites for you!
During "It's a Wonderful Life" my friend Eric (Who played George Bailey) found a song that pretty much describes the Casablanca's "neck of the woods" this time of year.

 (The song I believe is called "From the Family")

As most of you have read I strive to keep my place presentable, and the people who visit friendly and moral (for the most part). However I cannot help it that my patch of paradise just so happens to be located in Dog-patch U.S.A.  and this song pretty much hits the cultural nail on the head.

(Our 2010 Casablanca Christmas Card, from us to you!)

I'm not sure if I will get to post again before New Years, so lets cover that occasion too! Here we have the Cast of It's A Wonderful Life on closing night. For the very last show we brought out candles and sang after the curtain call.

 So just in case I dont appear back on the blog-o-sphere before 2011, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New Years, Happy Boxing Day,  what have you!

And again, thank you So much for Stopping by Mick's I've loved sharing this last year with you and reading about all of your adventures and finds! Just for fun, tell me out of all my posts what your favorite one(s) have been this year!

Here's to 2011

-Mick-

The Giveaway Winner!

First of all let me say I'm sorry. I know this post should have gone up LAST Monday but this close to Christmas things have busy!   But you've waited this long, so let me introduce you to our "Grand Prize Authority"- Mary.

(Mary in pink, has just finished her Wichita Theater debuting role as Ruth Bailey in It's A Wonderful Life)

I asked her to pick a number between 1-16 and she came back with 8! Maria Stahl over at Shallow Thoughts From Iowa Is our lucky winner!

Maria send your Mailing address to me in an email and I'll send your prize on its way!

Thank you everyone for entering and reading, I will try to get a few more posts in before the new year!

-Mick-