Pack Your Bags, We're Going to FLORIDA!

Readers I can hardly stand the excitement!  A few of the Casablanca Members have pooled together our resources and later this summer we will be taking a week long trip to the FABULOUS new Cabana Bay Beach resort hotel at Universal Studios in Orlando.

This place looks to be cool for even the hepist of cats! We have booked a family suite like this, I'm loving the colors and the entire hotel is themed "1959" SO it's going to be absolute terrific taking our trip during "1960"!

I can hardly wait to get in the pool!

This is so exciting! Not that I don't have enough projects going on already, but we'll be thrifting outfits for our stay.  I have never been to Florida before so this will be quite a trip!

We'll be sure and drop you a card!

-Mick-

Oxi-dental Laundry...

I am not sure where this dirty little spring table cloth came from, I only know its been around for YEARS! At one point it was in my dads rag barrel, another time it was thrown over a sewing machine to keep dust off in the barn. Somewhere along the way I rescued it and took it to the lake. However we've never used it because it was so dirty looking...

(Ta-da!)

At the advice and guidance of Hannah & Erica I picked up a can of Oxiclean and let the tablecloth soak for about a week. Thanks Sisters! It definitely helped with the over all grunge, but there were a few tough stains that just wouldn't come out.

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(Although, these spots are a LOT lighter than they were!)

One draw back to this project, and I'm not sure if the cloth was just rotted or I mixed the solution to intensely. A few holes popped up between washes.

And as I said, not sure if the cloth was rotten but this big hole appeared and only got bigger with the second trip through the washer.

I will have to try and patch the holes before the next washing. Any more advice Sisters?! Over all I am pleased with how it cleaned up (holes and all) at least now we can use it with out it looking disgusting!

And I bet we'll be using it soon!



-Mick-

Bowie Flea- Episode 4

(What a Haul!)

You might be wondering where episode three is?! Well March's trip was pretty uneventful, so here we are and April has a spring bounty!

I was SO happy to find this turquoise Pyrex Fridgie, I am sooooo close to completing my set. I am a good customer of the seller and she knocked it down from $17.00 to $10.00 for me! At the Casablanca we have a shelf that we keep the fridgie sets on, and I change them out with the season. I plan to put the turquoise out for my birth month of June.

(Looking kind of green here, but they are my FAVORITE!)

I am forever buying sheet music, I don't play piano, BUT I have high hopes that someday we'll recruit some one who does for the Casablanca! The selection entitled "The Witch" will be great to display for Halloween!

Patricia and I picked this up at the church basement ladies store in Bowie, they are so sweet and nice. this particular piece was imported from Italy, (or as the lady said "It-leigh"). We think its old, it has the feel and weight like some other potter we have from the 1920's.

Is it a sugar bowl? We plan to use it on a hors d'oeuvre tray that looks like a giant lettuce leaf for dips and things. 

One booth at our favorite antique store in Bowie The Red Barn had a 90% off sale! I came away with the McCoy ducks planter, for a pocket breaking $0.40 and the two Franciscan salt and pepper shakers in the "American Ivy" pattern for a whole $0.50. And we picked up a 1950's Parcheesi game for just pennies on the dollar.

(Two more very cool vases.)

The Church ladies thought that these were McCoy as well, and I have my doubts. They are really neat though and for $1.00 for the pair I wasn't about to argue with their Pottery ID. McCoy is JUST starting to catch on (again) down here. Everyone's seeing it on Pintrest and its gaining popularity.

We tried "The Bowie Diner" for the first time and it was DELICIOUS, will definitely be stopping in there more often. The mashed potatoes were excellent, the portions huge, the fried catfish was to die for, and the decor, well...

Hehe, it's rural Texas!

Until next month Bowie!

-Mick-

I Love Lamps!

Seriously Readers, I might just have a problem...

I scored this AMAZING tripod floor lamp for $45 on Saturday! As soon as I laid eyes on it my heart jumped, and I told Patricia to be the voice of reason. However, I have always admired these so after some thought and a trip to the bathroom, I grabbed the price tag and ran walked calmly to the register.
BOY am I glad I didn't put it off much longer, turns out there were FOUR other people in the store that were seriously eying it! As I was checking out a lady came in the store front and gave a defeated sigh (she had apparently been on her way to buy the lamp, I offered it to her but she said "fair is fair".)

Found this beauty at Goodwill for $4.99, i'm not crazy about the shade (I don't think its the original) But I picked it up to use as a prop in a production of "Hairspray" later this year. I cannot WAIT to get my 1962 groove on, again!

 Lastly we have this lovely Asian Special that friend Missouri Michael (of the late "Cul-de sac Shack" Blog) picked up for me at an auction this weekend! This coming in as the most expensive lamp at $50.00 but it is SO worth it, just for the shade! Hopefully soon it will be illuminating the fountain side table in the Coral room!

I like all three lamps, but I am just WILD about the floor lamp! It will be making its way to the Casablanca soon... now to just find a place to put it.

Well, here it's Monday and I am broke once again, and my room looks like an antique store!

-Mick-

Goodbye Miss Daisy, Goodbye.

My Grandmother Jordan passed away last Thursday, she was a crafty, kind, wonderful, incredibly fabulous Lady who taught me everything I know about hosting parties. She is one of the main factors that made me the person I am. My biggest theatre fan, she saw every one of the shows I was in and everyone of  the sets I disigned. She always truly believed in the career path that I took! (She loved hearing about what was going on at the theatre, and what shows I was working on.) We were very close, one of my favorite parts of teenage life was driving her to the beauty shop every Wednesday since I was 16. Which earned her the nickname "Miss Daisy". Haha oh the trouble we got into!
Today we put her to rest. This post small is insufficient, but at the current time it is all I can offer.

(This is one of the very first 78 records I bought as a kid, it is "our song")

I Love you Miss Daisy.

"Be seeing you..."

-Mick-

"Beyond The Sea" The 1960 Spring Break Dance!

 

Oh what an enchanting evening we had last Saturday dear Readers! Join me as your Host and on on board reporter to the ins and outs of this Atlantic crossing!

(It's Spring Break 1960 Here at Mick's)

60 Guests turned out in their finest apparel to send of the 1960 Social Season at the Casablanca, it was SUCH a wonderful night! After the group photo we all "boarded" the S.S. Casablanca and set sail for Havana! 

(Philip and Paige!)

Not only did guests sport their finest vintage formal wear, but most came with nods to our nautical and historical theme! 

 (Michelle & Joseph drove seven and a half hours from Little Rock AR to attend, 

ALSO they came as a young and newly dating Marilyn Monroe and Aurthur Miller!)

(Friend Hannah did such and AMAZING Job with the streamers and lanterns!)

(Friend Russ crafted a model of our Ocean Liner out of card stock and rice crispies!)

Soon the Ballroom of the S.S. Casablanca was packed, and our entertainment hosts for the evening Cindy and Seigen kicked off the floor show.

As we bid Bon-Voyage to Lake Diversion and started on our pleasure cruise to 1960 Cuba, our hosts seemed to have a minor disagreement...

(While rumors on board have sited the celebrity hosts as 

"weighing anchors together on this crossing" 

They are just good friends and fabulous entertainers!)

With the dance officially open, passengers of all age and status took to the floor for a whirl around the room!

Next to appear in the floor show was friend Melissa our very own Connie Francis!

We rolled across the ocean blue listening to the latest hits of the day and pretty soon it was time to Hokey Pokey...

(

(And THAT'S what it's all about!)

Friends and couples in their elegant splendor fox-trotted and cha-cha'ed the night away from Port to Starboard!

Soon the party was in full swing!

While guests enjoyed gyrating to the latest dances, friend (and on board recording cohort) Melissa snapped souvenir photographs for the ships passengers!
Next up in the evenings floor show we had Friend Seigen singing "L-O-V-E" and Readers, it was a truly magical moment in the evening!

(Pure Casablanca Magic!)

As wonderfully Latin treat, Terrace our very own Miss Casablanca 1959 invited the dance goers to Sway...
 

 I was so THRILLED that everyone really danced at this years dance, people were up for almost every song!

Next in the floor show, friend Kelcie stopped the show with Cole Porter's "Always True to You"...

Friends Kelcie, Caitlyn, Alexys, Terrace, and Jacob keeping the ball rolling...

What's more romantic than Cole Porter tunes on a cruise ship? WHY Cole Porter tunes from a show about BEING on a cruise ship!

Friend Katy crooning "Buddy Beware"...

(The lovely Miss Paige! With "I Get a Kick"...)

What a sweet little number! As the floor show took a short intermission, the records urged everyone one to make two lines (Boys on one side, Girls on the other) and STROLL!

 Right after the stroll, the dance committee handed our voting ballots for dance King and Queen! Guests headed to the Pursers office/Coat Check to cast their votes. While we waited for the results we tried out a brand new dance called "The Locomotion" led by friend Joe! (Who drove six hours to attend the dance!)

Round and Round the room we went 'jumping up, jumping back, until we had the knack!' 

We Cupid Shuffled the night away-

It was great fun but the votes were still being tallied, so friend Melissa F led us in The Bunny Hop!

Each year Melissa drives eight hours in from Albuquerque NM to join us, and it has become tradition that she lead The Bunny Hop! Here's to three years going!  

Finally the votes all tallied we had our 1960 Dance King and Queen...

(Much to the surprise of everyone on board the ship, SEIGEN & CINDY!)

 So as is tradition, the new King and Queen led the court in dance to the Mills Brothers "Queen of the Senior Prom"!

 Then came the moment we had all been waiting for, our very own "Crooner" Michael took the floor and smooth as silk, sang our theme song of the dance "Beyond The Sea"

ARGH?! Just as Michael's intro began to play my camera ran out of memory!?!?! I wish I had his performance recorded, because readers it matched, if not surpassed that of Bobby Darin's version.

(That's All!)

It was such an enchanting evening, everything about it was perfect to the last detail! 

 (This years "Photo Setting".)

I never could have pulled it off without the help of dance committee- Patricia, Cindy, Seigen, Hannah, Jordan, Melissa, Margaret, Russ, Terrace, Jacob and so many others that helped get everything ready for the dance, as well as kept things running smoothly. Thank you all! Also a HUGE Thank you to all of our talented performers in the evenings floor show! You all were fantastic and made the dance a hit!

Here's to smooth sailing in 1960!

-Mick-