Brushing Up.

Another wonderful Bowie flea market find dear Readers!  Last Saturday Patrica, friend Cindy, and I headed out to Bowie TX for there monthly trade days to see what we could dig up. There was one booth with lots of "this and that" that was ripe for the picking.  Amid all the piles I found this little $4.00 treasure that has me jumping with joy!

(1920's/30's ceramic wall mount toothbrush holder.)

I love it when little details that I had over looked just pop up right in front of me, this will really add to the new bathrooms 1930's look.

What sold me on this little gem, was the fact it ACTUALLY still had the original wall mount AND flat head screws with it!!! One almost NEVER finds all the parts, and without the wall mount, you cant hand the holder on the wall... so I was sold.

This set was however missing the small glass cup to "rinse" with. So picture my surprise when I found the glass at Salvation Army in a town ONE HOUR away from Bowie! The best part? The glass only set me back $0.25!

I cant wait to have the walls finished so I can actually move on to the fun part, I'll patiently wait for the day when I can hang up my toothbrush and call it home!

-Mick-

I Can Hardly Stand The Wait...

Seriously Readers! I'ts boiling to a point where I just want to chuck the turkey and set up the Aluminum tree! Lucky for us (and I mean all of us vintage loving folk) it seems like we have been scoring all kinds of goodies in advance for FANTASTIC deals!

I found the this plastic tree at Salvation Army thrift for $0.10, and the candle was a Goodwill find at $1.00. There was also a rather sad looking snow man, Rudolph and Santa with the tree, but they were in such bad shape they were left behind.

Scooped up the blow mold Santa Clause cookie jar! The kitchen of the Casablanca is usually decorated with Santa mugs and other things so this will fit in perfectly.

 Here we have a small handful of the vintage ornaments I've picked up this year. The rest are packed away and waiting to be put up! They looked so pretty out in the sun light, I can hardly wait to see them on an aluminum tree.

Our friends (young and old) get excited over Thanksmass and Christmas at the Casablanca, it is provably my most favorite holiday to decorate for and this yeah I have a feeling our Winter portion of the Social Season is going to be wonderful!

We hope yours will be too!

-Mick-

Halloween Dec's! (Better late than never?Right!)

(The Bestile pumpkin is provably my favorite!)

(Say hello to 'Big John'!)

Well Readers, as you know our "Disney" themed 1959 Casablanca Costume Ball was a hit! Here's a look at some of the decorations. I spent about $20.00 on new- "vintage looking" paper decorations this year, but all of it is stuff I will keep and use from now on.

Here we are in the kitchen, I take everything off the counters so that way we can just set the food up like a buffet (this works best). This year we served hotdogs so we set up a "station" by the stove. 

Having thrown this party a few times, I have conveniently covered the counters in plastic so when the party is over, one can just scoop up the mass and have a clean counter again!

The buffet spills over to the kitchen table, I reused the black sheet from our spring break dance photo drop, and threw an old tattered lace table cloth over it for spooky measure.

(Skeleton is new, was not beistel, but he fit right in!)

A few things here and there in the living room!

 

Andrew's picture is not part of the Halloween display. In fact I debated putting his picture away for the party. However I was reminded, that the Halloween Costume Ball was his favorite party at the Casablanca. So the picture stayed in its place of honor.

(Spookified Sputnik!)

(Cobwebs by friend Emily!)

 (Some Ghoulish Grooves...)

(We cut the bats out of construction paper 

and used heavy twine to hang them up.)

Most of the decorations were put up by friend Hannah, Patricia, and Myself. As is tradition friend Emily is our in-house cobwebber and when she does her thing she does it EVERYWHERE! haha there was spider webs wound up in all the fans, and it was almost impossible to use the rotary phone in the kitchen, but the decorations looks terrific as always! Thank you lovely ladies for helping get things ready for the party!

-Mick-

Here's Your Sign...

When you come down the big hill at the Lake, one will come to a crossroads where stands a sign post with a variety of colorful destinations, Dear Readers. Some will go left, others will go right, and then there are those who go both ways.

(Friend May circa June of 2010)

The summer of 2010 was a BIG summer for the Casablanca, our membership grew from 12 people to about 24, June 19th I threw the very first "big" party at the Casablanca "As Time Goes By" , we had our first out of state visitors, and one weekend in June friend May dropped in for a visit all the way from Rio De Janeiro BRAZIL!  She was an exchange student in High School and we got to be great friends. So when she came back to visit in 2010 she stayed the weekend with me and we had lots of fun, did a vintage photo shoot and cooked out, but most of all she gave the Casablanca the notoriety of being "World Famous"!

The old sign which you saw in May's picture looked a little worse for wear these three years later, and all the paint had peeled off. So last Saturday I took the sign down from the post, repainted it and gave in some 1920's/30'2 art deco lettering vs the cursive on the old sign.

-New to the sign, the "status" quote "Playground of the theatre elite..." was given to us by blogger friend Stan, and is more of an inside joke than an actual bearing on the Casablanca's status. Although, I will say most of our members that flock to the Casablanca and dazzle the docks of Lake Diversion are involved with theatre, so the quote is very fitting! Haha

I hope you all will look for our sign when you come to "summer by the shore" of Lake Diversion!

-Mick-

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

 May all your haunts be happy ones dear Readers!

-Mick-

I Love A Blonde With Good Legs...

(Hey there sexy, welcome to the Casablanca family!)

I was not in the market for a coffee table dear Readers, but when I spotted this one at Goodwill it wouldn't let me leave the store without it! Obviously from the 50's 60's I love those slanted base legs. I hemmed and hawed over it and passed it by... Patricia showed me a picture she had taken of it earlier in the week but hadn't had time to send me, and I still wasn't sold. We really need an ottoman for more seating in the new living room, but i've yet to find a 1950's 60's one to fit the bill... so for a bank breaking $10.00 this table started a new 'leg' of its life at the Casablanca.

( Corabelle- "Daddy, you know we needed an ottoman here...")

Cora is unsure what to think about it, but she likes to crawl under things so I'm sure she'll be lounging underneath those laminate surfaces soon.

What finally sold me on the table is the blonde wood, Formica tops, and legs kind of match my grandmothers small side fountain table (that is between the two chairs in the back ground) and I could always use this pair in my "real house" someday. Along with, while the new room fights the battle of  "Blonde furniture vs Dark" this now brings the blonde count up to four pieces, and dark to three (not including the legs on the sofa and chairs which are dark.) I wouldn't mind having all blonde pieces, BUT the Predicta TV cabinet and the perfectly good working piano that friend Joe gave me are dark wood! So it is a TBC toss up... 

Now I need to find a long skinny "atomic" planter to put in the center of the coffee table!

-Mick-

The 1959 Casablanca Costume Ball!

(Ghoulish greetings dear Readers!)

Come one, come all to the Casablanca Costume Ball... what fun our friends had last Saturday night at the annual costume party! This years party theme was "Disney movies, and TV shows" and our friends came up with some pretty clever costumes!

(Nearly 60 guests in all!)

(It's Halloween Here at Mick's

Everyone really out did themselves this year on costuming! I don't believe there was a single store bought costume present.

(The Noble family as The Incredible's!)

(Friends Peyton and Kacie as Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum)

(Friend Caitlyn as Jesse the Cowgirl and Zack as Genie from Aladdin)

(A close up of Caitlyn as Jesse the Cowgirl.)

(Friend Joe as Wreck It Ralph and Patricia as Venellopy VonSchweets)

(Friend Cindy as Jimminey Crickett! The girl version of Jimmney Cricket.)

(Tres as Will Turner and Austin as Captian Jack Sparrow!)

(The Schaeffer family as Mary Poppins, Burt, and a gang of chimney sweeps)

(Alex as Minnie Mouse, Heather, Heathers sister, and Cody as The Kids and bird from "UP")

(Photographer Teresa, and Margaret as Mr. Potato Head.

Her shirt had Velcro pieces on it, and you could rearrange the face! )

(Jordan as Cinderella's carriage pumpkin and Jarrod as The Mad Hatter.)

(Kate as Rapunzel, Joseph as The Lone Ranger, and Austin as Captain Jack)

(Myself as Ron Stoppable and Bonnie as Kim Possible!)

 (Jesse the Cowgirl and Austin P. as Christopher Robin.)

(Matt as The Pixar Lamp Logo)

(Friend Austin D. as The Magic Carpet and Jacob as Aladdin.)

(Friend Stephine as A Newsie, Jennifer as Cruella Deville, and Dan as Captain Nemo!)

(Caitlyn, Brianna as Alice in Wonderland, and Jasmine as Lilo.)

(Chris as Jack Skellington and his wife Sarah as Sally 

from "Nightmare Before Christmas", 

and friend Melissa as "Lady Dog" from Lady and the Tramp.)

(Caitlyn again and Friend Emily as Boo.)

(

(Friends Russ and Deanna as Walt and Lillian Disney.)

(Russ even made "business cards" for Disney Studios to had out at the Party!)

(The Williams family! Friend Spencer as Peter Pan, baby Emma as Tinker Bell, and Lara as Wendy.)

(Corabelle as Belle from Beauty & The Beast.)

(Ron Stoppable and Hannah as A Greek Muse)

There were so many GREAT costumes, and I know I sadly didn't get pictures of all of them. I owe a thanks you to Mrs. Wilcox, Caitlyn, and Jordan for the majority of the pictures I do have! 

Once everyone had arrived and we had taken the group photo and movie, everyone made themselves at home, chatted, and helped themselves to the Hot Dog/Chili Dog Buffet we'd set up in the house.

 (Sheldon and Kayleigh bob for dessert!)

After dinner the evenings entertainments began, a special thank you to friend Margaret, for being the chairman of the "eats" committee and organizing everyone to bring food! Because we didn't know what the weather  was going to do we didn't set up a stage, so everyone piled out of the house and congregated in the front yard. A few kids turned their car headlights on for "Stage lights" and the show began!

(Hannah and the Hann-ett's singing "I won't say I'm in love".)

(Next up the Hit singing group Mom and Pop with "A Whole New World".)

(After some techincal difficulties, Genie Zack takes it away with "Never had a friend like me!")

(And for our show stopping finale friend J.T. with the help of his brothers and the cast of Beauty & The Beast invite you to "Be Our Guest!")

Applause all around for our preforming troupe, it was now time to hand out ballots and vote for the Costume Contest and the coveted Hallomingos (Halloween flamingos)! After the voted were tallied the results were as follows!

THIRD PLACE-

 (The Group from "Up"!)

SECOND PLACE-

(The Family Von-Schaeffer as Mary Poppins, Burt, and Chimney Sweeps!)

 AND FIRST PLACE FOR THE 1959 COSTUME CONTEST-

A TWO WAY TIE!

(The Nobel family, Rachel, Caleb, & Craig as The Incredibles!)

 (Chris and Sarah as Jack and Sally! from "Nightmare Before Christmas")

The voting was SO hard, there were so many fantastic costumes! We love that our friends really get competitive and go all out for the contest. Prizes awarded, guests made their way to the Drive-In to find seats for a viewing of Disney's "Hocas-Pocas" on the big screen.

(A little chilly, but a lot of fun!)

Around 10:30 some of our younger guests had to depart from the festivities, but the party was far from over! 

 (Zack, Emily, Jacob, and Mary playing the writing game "What If")

Some of our friends and Casablanca member's were preforming in a production of "Little Shop of Horrors" and planned to drive our and join the fun after the show. True to their word, they arrived to the party around 11:00P.M. and much to my surprise in full costume!

(Sheldon, and the Ladies of the "2 O'Clock Club"!)

 (Friends Emily A as Pocahontas, Terrace as Lilo, 

Alexys as Briar Rose, and Kelcie as a Mouseketeer!)

These gals arrived just in time to eat a hot dog dinner and join us for a (not so Disney, but) long time Casablanca tradition,  we ALWAYS show "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" on the Drive -In as the last movie of the Costume Ball, and OH YES, we dance the Time Warp too!

("Science Fiction, Double Feature...")

By midnight the temperature had dropped down into the low 50's and there was a breeze that stepped things up from chilly to freezing in periodic gusts. However most bundled up and stuck it out to the end of the movie. The movies credits flickered across the screen right at 2:45A.M. Sunday morning. After picking up our mess, Patricia and I said goodnight and goodbye to the last party guests, and friend Austin P. wrote down another successful party in the door frame of the kitchen.

Later that day I posted some lyrics from this famous Disney song as parting words to our wounderful friends.

"Now it's time to say goodbye to all our company,

M-I-C, See ya real soon! K-E-Y, 

Why? Because we like you!

M-O-U-S-E."

-Mick-

P.S.

 I will try to have a post about all the house decorations sometime next week!