Hello my sweet buckaroos. I have a lullaby for you.
The Moylan Sisters: Peggy Joan and Marianne
Aren't they sweet? And I assure you that the film is actually just a little washed out. They had noses in real life. Here is an interesting website on the cute little scamps: The Moylan Sisters Lots of good memorabilia, songs and articles there for the perusing.
As I do, I was recently poking around online dreaming about vintage appliances. It's true - the romance is dead between me and my modern lackluster appliances. As luck would have it, I came across a super cool video on YouTube by a gentleman named Paul Chaks. In it, Paul details how he made his dream of a beautiful vintage come true. I find it very inspiring and wow, it's gorgeous..so I wanted to share it with you all! See now how one man's dream turned into a beautiful reality:
Glorious, no? I love everything about the new kitchen. The great details of the actual kitchen renovation/restoration as well as all of the beautiful and well-chosen vintage details all around the room. Every moment it was Kapow! Turquoise! Makes me all light headed and I think that I left my smelling salts on that beautiful center island.
I wonder if I could talk Paul into letting me come up to Canada to make a vintage casserole recipe in his wonderland of a kitchen? Baked Alaska? Probably not but hey, a girl can dream! Was I the only one gasping at the photos of the glorious GE All-In-One Kitchen Center and wall-mount refrigerator? Totally worth shipping thousands of miles and across an entire country! Here is an ad for the wall-mount refrigerator/freezer:
Gorgeous! She's thinking, "I'm the luckiest woman in the world!"
(Though, if her husband comes home and sees all of those doors standing wide open, she's bound to get a lecture about how they don't own shares in the electric company.)
General Electric touted it as the refrigerator that "Hangs on the wall like a picture!" The idea was that no longer would the cook have to stoop or bend. All of the cold groceries could now be right at eye level. It also allowed for more counter space. I love it and don't know why this idea isn't in production these days. I also love how they show it here in the ad, with a little desk under it.
And to make us all daydream even more, here is a vintage postcard collected by my Flickr friend Roadsidepictures:
So gorgeous. So streamlined. Yes, please!
But let's get back to the fellow who is lucky enough to have these treasures in his very own house! That Paul - not only is he a lucky bird... but talk about hard working and determined! I dropped him a note and asked him if he'd share some more details with us. He agreed and here is our conversation:
You show in the video that your quest for the amazing turquoise kitchen started after you brought home that sweet stove. Does your love for vintage things go back before that? What do you think that it is about vintage things that draw you to them?
My love of vintage things goes way back! When I was youngster, I would take apart old appliances to see how they worked. My parents would sometimes have to lock me up on garbage day... I think what drew me to vintage items was the style - furniture with rounded arms, lamps with those fibre material shades 'woven' on to a frame, chrome toasters with etched designs all had (and still have!) a huge visual appeal to me. The designs are so simple, but elegant.
I'm absolutely amazed to see all of the work that you've done on the vintage appliances. Do you work on appliances for a living or did you get into it after beginning the kitchen restoration? Can you tell me more about how you found the appliances?
Thank you! I have surprised a few people with the kitchen project, including myself! Although I am not a repair person, my early adventures with small appliances led me to try working on larger ones. My folks had appliances that were considered 'old' at the time, but they'd be 'vintage' now - I found it pretty easy to work on them and keep them running and I guess that experience was what I drew on when I worked on the 1956 GE set. You may not believe this, but I had never undertaken a complete restoration project before I tackled these appliances! I was literally 'learning on the job'.
The entire set was found in Texas, near Port Arthur. I belong to a group called Automaticwasher.org and being a group of collectors, members often post entries on discussion boards about vintage appliances available in their area. There seems to be an inverse relationship of where highly desirable items turn up and where a collector is actually based! People did question my sanity when I said I was considering appliances that were thousands of miles away; however, finding the items that I really wanted (and the fact that they had never been installed or used) was something I couldn't resist. Just as aside, I learned a great deal about arranging for transport and dealing with imports getting these appliances to me in Canada, too.
I'm learning more and more throughout the restoration of my own home that patience and perseverance go a long way. We can see from the video that your kitchen took nearly two years. Any words of wisdom and encouragement to those of us who are still in the trenches and feel like we still have so far to go?
Patience is definitely required! I would say that keeping the image of the finished product in mind is a great way to get you over the inevitable bumps in the road to restoration. Just thinking about how wonderful a restored vintage living room will look decorated for the holidays, for example. Think about how wonderful having dinner in your 'new' dining room with your favourite people will be and never mind that pile of drywall that's still lurking at the bottom of the stairs. LOL Never be afraid to try something non-standard - a piece of pipe meant for a sink may just be the missing part to restore a chair leg! Also, ask questions - there are discussion groups and forums on-line where folks who have been through restorations will be happy to offer advice and information.
Such wonderful advice! I love the idea of using the power of visualization to get us through. I think that this would be a great time to look at some before and after shots of Paul's kitchen:
Before
Before
After Renovation & Restoration
Hello, gorgeous!
And while we're here, how about a quick video of the washer/dryer combo?:
Never has doing laundry been so lovely!
You mentioned at the end of the kitchen video that you could now work on "new projects". Can you tell us more? What do you have in the works?
Oh my...At the time when the video was completed, I had a 1950 Westinghouse 'Laundromat' automatic washer sitting in the garage waiting for me! I did get that going, though (and I have attached a couple of pictures!).
Before Restoration
After Restoration
Wowie!
Okay, at this point I just have to insert the video that Paul took of that beautiful machine during a wash cycle. I could watch this all day.
Sweet, huh? If I lived at Paul's house, I wouldn't even need TV. I'd just watch laundry go 'round and 'round all day! But enough about my vintage appliance lust...Now back to Paul's story!
Shortly after that was completed, I acquired a 1953 Westinghouse matched washer and dryer set - that restoration is just about done now. I got sidetracked from that project with partial restore of a 1961 Whirlpool dishwasher and a 1958 Frigidaire dishwasher. I still have a few kinks to work out on these and once they are done, there's a 1950 or 1951 Youngstown Kitchens dishwasher waiting for me!
I could watch the videos of your appliances all day long. Any tips for readers who want to bring home vintage appliances? Any safety tips?
For anyone interested in buying a vintage appliance, bear in mind that what may appear fine on the surface may be pretty scary inside! I have had vintage refrigerators that worked fine and showed no signs of trouble but when I did some tinkering, I found the wiring for the interior light had dangerously brittle insulation (it crumbled in my hands!). I would strongly recommend that any appliance be carefully inspected to see if there are any obvious problems and if there is any doubt, it would be worth having the appliance inspected by an electrician or repair technician. I only have experience with electrical appliances, but I would also recommend that any gas appliance be inspected for leaks or defective parts. The good news is that most vintage appliances are not that complicated to do a basic inspection on. The back panel of most vintage ranges for example is easily removed and the wiring can be seen clearly. Look for signs of trouble like burnt or scorched components, broken wires, or splices. Something I have done (especially on the vintage laundry machines) is to ensure they are properly grounded. That can be a simple as replacing the power cord and attaching the green lead from the new cord to the frame of the machine. I tend to err on the side of caution and thorougly test a new acqusition connected to a ground-fault protected outlet. If the breaker pops right away or shortly after the appliance starts, this could mean big trouble!
Great tips! It's always a good idea to be safe and have electronic items inspected by the pros. Finally, since it's apparent that you believe in making your dreams come true, is there one item or project that you dream about for your home?
Don't laugh, but I would love to add a pond to the garden and surround it with native marsh plants! That should keep me out the garage and away from the dishwashers for a while. LOL
Okay readers...is there any doubt after seeing how dogged Paul is that he'll make that pond and garden dream come true? And if his kitchen is any indication, it will be glorious! Though, I think that I'd find it hard to stop tinkering with those beautiful appliances or heck, to leave that kitchen and pretty dining nook surrounded by shiny bright percolators.
Thanks so much to Paul for letting me share his story. I think it's a great shot of adrenaline to those of us who are in the throes of restoration - as well as those who hope and plan to be one day. Figure out what makes your heart go pitter-pat...visualize...and realize!
If you want to see more of Paul's appliance restoration videos, go here. I'd be lying if I said that I haven't watched them all. And maybe twice.
Until next time (kitchen dreams can come true...it can happen to you),
x's and o's,
Eartha
It's probably no secret that I love kitsch. But my favorite kind of kitsch? Granny Crafts! These are the crafts made by the senior set for craft fairs, gifts, home decor...what have you. I'm absolutely obsessed. If you were to take me to an estate sale where one room is full of ten cent vintage Pyrex pieces and the other room is full of granny crafts, I'd run squealing like a child to the granny craft room. And then I'd bite people if they got in my way.
(I can hear all of my fellow Pyrex collectors out there thinking, "Make a note to go junking with Eartha. She would make a mighty fine distraction while I rack up the valuable Pyrex." )
This weekend has been especially good to me in the Granny Crafts department. Didn't bite anyone AND I got tons of crafts and craft supplies! Most of them came from the same estate sale where it was easy to tell that the homeowner had never been afraid of a googly eye. Amen to that.
Most times, estate sales will be packed with people trying to beat each other to the finds. I hit a rare estate sale where well, nobody wanted any of the stuff that I wanted. It was like I'd been really, really good and Karma was saying, "Take all you want, Miss Sassy Skirts! Then go back for more!" And I did. The Mister and I went to this sale three times in one weekend.
Here's some of what I got:
Bunny Corsages! I die!
Tiny little bunnies in baskets!
And as great as those are, these are the ones that really got to me:
Little people! Made of handi-wipes and felt! Whee!
You'll notice my beatnik chicks made by Amber Von Felts up there,
looking pretty bemused at the new additions to Kitschville!
I had never seen these people before so I was as pleased as punch. I got a few pairs of them too! And as a bonus - an unopened pack of the handi-wipes so that I can make my own little people. Whoot! It felt as if the crafty lady had left them there for me so that I could follow in her tiny little footsteps.
Just look at those faces!
I also got a bunch of old craft supplies:
Pom Poms!
Fuzzy Sticks!
The cashier charged me the prices that were on there from back in the day. Which tickled me. I was all, "Time warp!" (Funny how estate sale cashiers never seem to get crazy vintage collector humor.)
Rick-Rack and piping!
My gosh, rick-rack is one of the building blocks of the universe, if you ask me.
What would I take to a desert island? Rick-rack, that's what.
Googly Eyes! Um yes, I have a certain affinity.
And just a few days before, I found four of these girls:
I think I really love them. What I love more is thinking about the person who made them.
I also have them in florescent orange and bright blue.
And this clucky lady:
She's a bread warmer that goes over a bowl or basket.
Just lift up her wing and grab a toasty roll!
And finally, a package of Vogart textileprints:
Not necessarily a granny craft but it does remind me of my own late grandmother. She loved Vogart products. I love the colors in this bullfighting scene. And the lady on the front of the package just Vogarting away.
I'm going to be putting a lot of these crafts in my shop tonight if anyone loves them as much as I do. (see here for not-so-secret discount code) I have vowed not to hoard granny crafts. Granny crafts should be shared with the world!
I found some other great things this weekend too. Things that play right across my heartstrings. I'll share those with you soon! I hope that you all had weekends that were custom made for your kind of happiness as well.
Tune in tomorrow when I share with you a wonderful story about a fella who made his vintage kitchen dreams come true.
Until next time (remember, you can never have too much craft glue or be too close to the front of the estate sale line when the doors open)
x's and o's,
Eartha
I like this part: "We are remodeling our bathrooms and have a pink toilet that works great, not damaged in any way, but it is ....uh... PINK."
Well, I'll be! That poor toilet might as well have a poo ring with a width that rivals the Mighty Mississippi from the tone of that sentence.
People are SO afraid of pink toilets. Why, did you know that you can sit on them and they flush just like other toilets? You don't get sucked down and wrapped in rosy colored cotton candy clouds where unicorns braid your hair in pretty, pretty ribbons (though that might be fun). It's true! I even have it on good authority that men can use them without losing an ounce of their well-earned "manliness".
And I promise you, people...they will come back in style. People are going to be clamoring for them before it's done. And getting on waiting lists at the big box stores and paying as much as a car note for the matching sink. And those young House Hunters couples will whine in televised bathrooms all over the world because the houses don't have pink fixtures. And their Realtors will try to ease their heartache by telling them that they can have a pink bathroom added for several thousand dollars. A pink tide is going to sweep the nation. Like a porcelain Pepto pink wave. Mark my word.
And no, I didn't go pick this one up. One spare in the garage is enough.
On a related "I'm a vintage fixture pusha' woman" note, I'd like to say to Rae from Nashville: Go pick this up. Start your pink bathroom hoard! This one looks like a mighty glorious flamingo pink!
Until next time (color is NOT our enemy),
x's and o's,
Eartha
