Wedgwood Tulsa

Flea Market Finds

2011-05-19T22:09:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday, I went to the flea market that is held at the fairgrounds on most Saturdays. Since I didn't think I would buy anything, I took a few pictures of some of the neat booths to show you. I'd love to have all of these bakelite bangles. There was also a large collection of bakelite pins. They were very expensive, I'm sure, so I didn't even ask the price.

This booth was entirely filled with western gear. This is only a small part of the booth. They had even more cowboy boots, as well as vintage tooled leather purses and jewelry.

A boxing kangaroo caddy is like the one in "Pulp Fiction." The mister has one, too. The pouch is perfect for storing a watch and the tail holds rings. There's a slot on the side that can hold a wallet.

This is one of my favorite booths. This dealer is a regular at the flea market. She specializes in vintage costume jewelry, but she also has vintage clothing, records, household items, and all sorts of things. Last weekend, her booth was decorated in a Hawaiiana theme. This is just a small section of her booth. The whole thing was decorated and it really was impressive.

The green people fighting and the blazing car going over the cliff really add to the greatness of this poster.

There were plenty of vintage hats, shoes, handbags, and accessories in this booth.

I thought I would go home empty handed, but just as I was preparing to leave, I saw a booth filled with records. They only cost $1 a piece. I found a couple of fun '60s records with great covers. One is by Paul Peterson, the actor who played Jeff on "The Donna Reed Show."

The other record is by Paul and Paula. Add some Chubby Checker records to the lot and it's time for a twist party.

Atomic Ranch House for Sale in Wedgwood

2011-05-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

A pretty cool house has come up for sale in our neighborhood. It's a 1959 ranch house with the original kitchen cabinetry. It has 2 bathrooms, one tiled in pink and the other blue. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping someone who appreciates the atomic ranch style will buy it. For more information and photos, please follow this link.

Our House on Album Cover

2011-05-11T13:56:00.000-05:00

Shame on me! After I posted yesterday about the OK Sweetheart video that was filmed at our house, I remembered that I never posted about another musician who was photographed at our house. J.D. McPherson shot his album cover photo in our living room. The album is called Signs & Signifiers. I think most people who read this blog will love the album. Do yourself a favor and check it out.

The living room looks a little different now.The photo was taken before we replaced the green carpet with tile. The furniture in the room is still the same, but the mood of the photo is entirely different from that of the OK Sweetheart video.

OK Sweetheart

2011-05-11T13:14:00.000-05:00

Our house was recently the location for a video shoot. OK Sweetheart filmed a music video for the song "Home," the title track on their recently released album. The video, filmed by Nathan Presley, features OK Sweetheart's Erin Austin. I don't think our house has ever looked so cute. Other Wedgwood residents participated, too. You'll see their houses, at least their opening doors, in the part of the video where Erin delivers cakes to her new neighbors.

Here a few behind-the-scene photographs.

Our bathroom became a makeshift wardrobe room.

The family room furniture was moved into the living room. The family room needed to be bare for the "moving-in" segment of the video.

While Erin and Nathan are filming in the kitchen, baked goods are being prepared. These are the confections Erin will take to the neighbors.

They're inedible props, but they sure smelled good.

Retro Den

2011-03-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

Retro Den is Tulsa's newest vintage store selling mid-century modern furniture. I've been in a couple of times, and drive by everyday on the way to work. It looks like the inventory changes frequently, so I should probably stop in more often.

They have a large variety of items, such as furniture, clothing, and household items. It's a fun place to shop.

By the way, this isn't a paid endorsement, or anything like that. I just want to spread the word about this store.

Flea Market Finds: Vintage Poodle Purse

2011-03-23T08:00:00.008-05:00

Regular readers of this blog know that I usually post things that I've bought at the flea market that I attend every Saturday. Lately, I haven't been able to go to the flea market because I've gone back to school. Foolishly, I signed up for a class that meets for 6 hours on Saturday morning. One Saturday, we got out of class early. I stopped by the flea market on the way home, but didn't expect to find anything so late in the day. It's best to go early before all the good deals are snatched up. Luckily, I found this adorable vintage poodle purse from the 1950s.

Retro Knitting For The Home

2011-02-09T10:02:00.002-06:00

I've recently taken up knitting. After finishing my first project, a scarf, I found this free knitting pattern online. It's a vintage pattern for an afghan with a poodle design. The pattern is from the Columbia-Minerva Afghan Book, published in 1960. As I browsed the internet for vintage patterns, I wondered why I hadn't taken up knitting sooner. There are so many vintage patterns that can be found for free, or very inexpensively at sites like Etsy and Ebay.

The local craft store where I bought the yarn didn't have the 9 skeins of grey yarn I needed for this afghan, so I chose taupe for the background color and pink for the poodles. I may change the poodle color to black or cream, but for now it's pink. The poodles' collars and eyes will be rhinestones.

Here's my progress, so far. I've finished 2 squares and only have 61 more to go.

Since I'm new to this hobby, I'm still pretty slow. This project is going to take months to finish.

Snow-topped ranch houses

2011-02-03T12:05:00.000-06:00

Here's a shot of our back yard, taken a few days ago through the living room window. The metal lawn chairs look like they're wishing for spring, but they're covered with snow. We got 14 inches of snow in Tulsa within a 24-hour period, which is an all-time record for us.

My neighbor's house has a tall snowdrift on the front porch. I would have shown more houses in the neighborhood, but I'm too wimpy to go outside.

I'm Back

2011-02-02T09:24:00.002-06:00

I’m happy to be back after several months of absence from the blog! I stopped blogging when my dad had a heart attack in September. He was in the hospital for 2 months, but now he's home and he's doing great. While he was in the hospital, I really got out of my normal routine of going to the flea market every weekend, shopping in antique stores, and looking for mid-century treasures and junk. That’s made it hard to come up with blog topics. I’m slowly getting back to my normal routine and I’m ready to blog!

Last weekend, I found a bunch of vintage Nancy Drew books at a local thrift store. They're the older editions with blue covers and dust jackets. A lot of the books I found still have their original dust jackets, although they're not in perfect condition. Some of the books have copyright dates in the 1930s, but I think they're really from the 1950s. Nancy Drew's clothing and hairstyles give that away.

The cover art on one of the books, The Clue in the Jewel Box, has a style that is different from the others. This book is probably older. It looks like it was published in the 1940s.

Here are the books on the shelf with some of the other vintage children's books I've collected.

To Be Continued

2010-09-27T21:18:00.000-05:00

I don't want to be a downer, but I want everyone to know that due to a family emergency, there may not be any posts to this blog for a short while. My dad is in the hospital in critical condition after apparently suffering a heart attack. I just want everyone to know that this blog has not been abandoned, and that I will start posting again soon. I can't offer a timeline, yet. Please check back soon for more posts.

We're Back!

2010-09-22T19:35:00.001-05:00

My husband and I just returned last weekend from a two-week vacation. We drove to San Francisco, stayed there for about a week, then stopped at Yosemite National Park and the Grand Canyon on the return home. We tried to photograph as many old Route 66 motel signs as we could along the way. The sign above is from the El Vado Motel in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Sadly, this motel has closed and the windows are boarded up.

Other stops in Albuquerque included the Dog House,

The El Don Motel,

and Monterey Motel.

Our next stop was Holbrook, Arizona, where we stayed at the Wigwam Motel. I couldn't resist making this photo black and white.

Other places in Holbrook include Brad's Desert Inn,

El Rancho Motel,

and Holbrook Inn.

In Seligman we spotted the Supai Motel,

and the Copper Cart restaurant.

Further down the road in Kingman, Arizona are the Hill Top Motel,

Orchard Inn,

and El Trovatore Motel.

Near the Grand Canyon, in Williams, Arizona is the Turquoise Tepee, which is not a motel, but a curio shop. There are many motels along Route 66 in Williams, but we didn't take many photos, since we've been here before and have lots of photos already.

We were sad that we couldn't stay on vacation longer, but a stop at Pop's in Arcadia, Oklahoma cheered us up. Pop's is a contemporary Route 66 attraction with a 66 foot tall pop bottle sculpture, gas station, diner, and a "soda ranch" that sells nearly every type of soda pop imaginable. We had burgers and fries at the diner and then selected several varieties of pop to take home, such as Moxie Blue Creme Soda (delicious), Bubble Up, and Rye Cola.

Our last Route 66 stop was at the Round Barn in Arcadia, then we made our way back home to Tulsa.

1957 Ranch House

2010-09-20T21:56:00.000-05:00

Take a look at this large 1957 ranch house that's currently for sale in our neighborhood.
There was an open house on Sunday, and I went nuts when I saw all the original features in this house. Hopefully, the person who buys it will appreciate them, too.

The house has nearly 3300 square feet of living space with 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, a 2 car garage, and it sits on a 1/2 acre of land. I'm not the associated with the realtor, but if you would like to see the listing, here is a link.

The house has the original Nu-Tone door chime and clock.

A built-in planter divides the living room and the dining room. Many musicians entertained in this house, including Dizzy Gillespie. It's said that he cut his hand on this planter.

This pink and black bathroom is one of 3 bathrooms in the house. Aside from the wallpaper, it appears that everything is original to the house.

It has a pink sink, toilet, and corner tub.

These towel rings are just like the ones in our house, except they're black with gold glitter. Ours are clear with gold glitter.

One of the bedrooms has a built-in vanity with a pink tile countertop and vintage bullet wall sconces. There are 3 closets in this room with their original doors and hardware.

This unusual ceiling fixture is in one of the bedrooms. All of the ceiling fixtures appear to be original to the house.

One of the most unusual features of the house is the large bar area.

The circular wet-bar has 1950s Formica countertops and a Nu-Tone appliance center built into the countertop. The knobs on the cabinets are surely original.

The curved built-in seat is one of two in the bar area. The backs of the seats are covered in pink boomerang Formica.

A brass starburst escutcheon adorns a doorknob on the interior of the house.

This bathroom has burgundy and peach tile, with matching peach fixtures, including a corner bathtub.

The third bathroom is tiled in a pretty shade of green.

It has a green corner sink, and the original light fixture, medicine cabinet, soap holder, toothbrush holder, and Nu-Tone fan.

This bathroom has floral accent tile, and a lucite towel ring with gold glitter. This towel ring is identical to some of the towel rings in our house.

I just hope that the person who buys this house will not destroy all of the cool things found inside.

Center door knob

2010-09-15T07:00:00.004-05:00

One of the little quirks of our house is that the doorknob on our front door is positioned on the center of the door.

The Asian style escutcheon was manufactured by Schlage and is original to the house. The exterior black and red color scheme is also original to the exterior of the house. Although the house has been repainted many times over the last 55 years, the color scheme has always remained the same.

Here's how the center doorknob looks from the inside. If this photo looks familiar, it's because I've used it before in my post about my inability to keep a houseplant alive.

For a sad update to that post, here is the current condition of the plant. I still haven't found a fake plant for a replacement.

Frankoma Trivets

2010-09-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

My grandma gave me these black trivets when I was 11 years old. She thought I should have them because they were from the '50s. It seems strange for a little girl to have her own trivets, but I did.

The trivets were manufactured by Frankoma, although they're not in the usual Frankoma style. They are solid black with a fleur-de-lis design. Frankoma pottery typically comes in earthy colors, like green, gold, and brown. Sometimes the red clay is allowed to show through the raised patterns, like the trivets in the photo below.

Although I don't really collect Frankoma, I have several pieces of it. The Frankoma factory is located in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, which is a town west of Tulsa. I suppose it's fairly common for people in this area to have a few pieces of it, even if they don't collect Frankoma.

Turquoise Things

2010-09-10T07:05:00.000-05:00

Nearly five years ago while we were in the process of looking for a new home to buy, I already had the interior color scheme for our future house picked out. I wanted the main colors throughout the house to be pink and turquoise, with smaller bits of orange and chartreuse. When I saw the turquoise kitchen and pink bathroom in this house, which is now ours, I was thrilled! Here some of the turquoise things in our house.

Franciscan Starburst dinnerware with aqua atomic starbursts

Aqua walls

Midcentury modern fiberglass chairs in turquoise

Turquoise floor tile

Vintage Pyrex in turquoise, yellow, and pink

Turquoise rotary dial wall phone

Libbey Mediterranean glasses from the '50s with turquoise fish design

Barkcloth curtains with turquoise boomerangs

Midcentury sputnik lamp

Francie, the turquoise poodle

Turquoise drawer pulls

Sink and countertops

Midcentury Madness

2010-09-08T07:08:00.001-05:00

A lot of people ask me how I got into collecting vintage and mid-century modern stuff, or how long I have been collecting. That is really hard question for me to answer because I have been interested in the 1950s and 1960s for almost as long as I can remember. I always liked my mom's Barbies and paperdolls better than my own, which isn't surprising considering the difference in quality. Reruns of shows like The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet were some of my favorites. Then Nick at Night came along and I became hooked on The Monkees, The Patty Duke Show, The Ann Sothern Show, The Donna Reed Show, and Laugh-In.

When I was a kid, I went with my family to the flea market every Saturday morning. One day, I saw an album by Bobby Rydell. I recognized him as Hugo Peabody from his role in Bye, Bye, Birdie, which was my favorite movie. I bought the record and started collecting old records by the stars of the T.V. shows and movies that I liked so much. Ricky Nelson, Bobby Rydell, and The Monkees were my favorites. I also looked for and collected movie star magazines with teen idols like Fabian, Annette Funicello, Ricky Nelson, and Tuesday Weld on the covers. The magazines in the photo are the ones I bought at that time.

So, that's how it all started. It expanded from there and now I'm living in my dream house, a 1955 modern ranch.

Please leave a comment if you'd like, and tell us about an item that started a collection for you, or how you became interested in mid-century modernism.

Pyrex Mixing Bowls

2010-09-06T06:41:00.000-05:00

I bought this set of 3 Pyrex mixing bowls a while back and I'm just getting around to posting about them. The bowls are in the Cinderella shape, which means they have handles on the sides. The pattern, called Butterprint, has an Amish farming couple, a rooster, and bundles of wheat. The largest and smallest bowls are turquoise and the middle bowl is white.

Normally, I collect only solid colored Pyrex. These bowls were an exception because they're turquoise. I'm always looking for things to add to my turquoise kitchen. I've never really been a fan of the patterned Pyrex, and this pattern hasn't really appealed to me much in the past because of its country style. The Butterprint pattern has really grown on me, and now this mixing bowl set is one of my favorite things in my small Pyrex collection.

Perry Mason's Midcentury Modern Office

2010-09-03T08:47:00.001-05:00

I've been slowly working my way through Perry Mason on DVD. Of the nine seasons produced, seasons 1 through 4 and part of season 5 have been released. I used to watch this show in reruns in the '80s, but I hadn't seen the show since. I forgot how cool it was.

Perry Mason has the perfect midcentury modern offiice. Here's Raymond Burr as Perry Mason in his office. Look at the furniture in the background. The ceiling fixture looks like it might have been manufactured by Arteluce. I don't have any idea about the manufacturer of the dining table and chairs. Maybe someone can help identify it.

The walls in Perry Mason's office have strange paneling. I don't know what to think of it, but I love the print on the wall.

On the wall behind his desk, he has some great '50s wall sconces. Too bad the show was filmed in black and white. It would be nice to see what color the sconces are. They are definitely two different colors. He has the coolest light fixtures!

The couch in his office is long and angular. It's so '50s. The show began in 1957, and all of these images are from the first season. I'll have to keep watching to see if his office changes in later seasons. The midcentury modern interiors don't provide all of the eye candy for the show. There is also a lot of great fashions and hairstyles, which range from everyday working people to movie stars. The show is worth watching for the midcentury styles alone.

Here's one more fun thing I noticed whole watching the show. In this scene, Perry and his secretary, Della, visit a Hollywood agency. In the background, there's a photo of Jayne Mansfield on the wall.

Heavy Metal

2010-09-01T06:27:00.000-05:00

When I posted my flea market finds yesterday, I didn't mention that the waffle iron is missing its electrical cord. This would normally make the waffle iron useless, but we have a special gadget in our kitchen.

It's an appliance center made by Westinghouse in the mid-1950s. It's built in to a brick wall next to our wall oven. It has a kitchen timer (which no longer works), 2 electrical outlets and 3 retractable electric cord in various sizes to fit different appliances.

The little door opens up to show the retractable cords. One of the cords was the right size for our new waffle iron. We're ready to eat some waffles!

Flea Market Finds

2010-08-30T20:03:00.001-05:00

I didn't find a lot at the flea market on Saturday, except some old magazines. I got an issue of Woman's Home Companion from my favorite year, 1955, which is the year our house was built. The other 3 magazines are from the 1940s. The McCall's April, 1946 issue shows a little girl holding her Shirley Temple doll, and presumably waving her father off to war. I got another Woman's Home Companion from 1947 and a Ladies' Home Journal from 1941 that has a pretty bride on the cover.

I saw some nice things at the flea market that I didn't buy. There was a really nice aluminum glider with the original cushions, which were upholstered in vinyl with a '60s floral pattern. The glider must have been kept in a sunroom, because it looked nearly brand new. I'll have to start taking my camera with me so I can show off the things I see, but don't buy.

After the flea market, I went to an estate sale. It was the final day of the sale and everything was picked over. Despite that, I still found a few small things. Everything was marked down by 75 percent.

I found some vintage embroidered tea towels in aqua and pink, a picture frame from the '50s, and an old chrome waffle iron. I have actually been looking for picture frame like this, so I was happy to find it for only 50 cents.

The waffle iron is from the '60s or '70s, I'm guessing. It has wooden handles, instead of bakelite like the older ones have. It isn't too new, because it is the type of appliance with a detachable electrical cord. Saturday turned out to be a pretty fun day. I had fun looking at things at the flea market, found a few things to buy, and spent very little money!

Vintage Cosco Stool - Restore?

2010-08-26T07:00:00.010-05:00

Cosco step stools are a '50s kitchen requisite. This one belonged to my Great-Grandmother who lived in a 1930s Craftsman-style house with a 1950s kitchen. Although she lived in the city, she had chickens in her backyard, which we would eat when we visited her house. It was years before I realized that the chickens in the backyard were the same ones on my plate. I was very upset when I found out.

I can remember sitting on this stool in my Grandma's kitchen while eating fried chicken. I was very young at the time and liked sitting on the stool because it made me taller. My brother and I used to fight over sitting on it and we had to take turns.

It has beed used a lot and it really shows. A lot of the paint has worn off the back of the seat.

The vinyl on the seat is beginning to split.

The chrome legs are rusty and there are paint splatters on the red metal parts. The rubber on one of the steps has cracked and broken off and one of the rubber feet has cracked. There is a defect to nearly every area of the step stool. It's in pretty rough shape, but still very functional. It's a very helpful item to have in the kitchen, especially when you're short, like me.

I'm wondering if I should try to restore this step stool, or if I should leave it just as it is. I saw a vintage aqua Cosco stool at the flea market recently and it was beautiful. It was in like-new condition. It made me think about the potential this one has to look shiny and new.

Of course, if I were to change the color to turquoise it would match my turquoise kitchen.

Has anyone out there ever attempted to fix up an old Cosco stool?

2010-08-24T19:57:00.004-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I posted about the 100 follower giveaway on the blog, Sassy Lassie's Vintage Life. I entered the giveaway myself, and guess what? I won! The package arrived in my mailbox yesterday. The box was filled with vintage goodies from my favorite era. It included a vintage sewing pattern (I think it will even fit me), and issue of American Girl from 1957, some pretty fabric, and pair of white frames from the '50s that were wrapped in a vintage hankie.

I've already enjoyed looking at the American Girl magazine. There were even some celebrity sightings in the American Girl magazine. First, I noticed this 7Up ad featuring Tuesday Weld.

Then, I came across this ad with actress Carol Lynley modeling an adorable polka-dot dress. Like Carol Lynley, Sandra Dee also had a modeling career before she became an actress. Both Carol Lynley and Sandra Dee can often be spotted in '50s magazines. Thanks, Sassy Lassie! I love it all.

Plant Update

2010-08-23T17:17:00.000-05:00

Last week, I posted about all the trouble I've had keeping my houseplants alive. This is how my plant looks today. All but one of the branches have fallen off. I figured out too late that I overwatered the plant. When the last branch fell, I noticed that the remaining stub was soggy inside. At least I know what I did wrong, but that isn't going to help this plant, now.

Lots of good suggestions came in on how to keep my plants alive, and some plants that are easy to maintain. However, I've decided not to try another live plant. I'm hoping to find some vintage fake plants to replace this one. Nothing but the most fake, kitschy plastic plant will do.

Pillow Talk

2010-08-19T20:15:00.001-05:00

When I was a child of 11 or 12, I bought this vintage Frankie Avalon pillow at the flea market. I've kept it all these years. I'm an '80s kid, so by the time I acquired it, it was already about 30 years old. Now, it fits in perfectly with our guest bedroom, which we call the "Beach Party Room" because of the Beach Party movie poster on the wall. I've had the Beach Party poster for about as long as I've had the Frankie Avalon pillow. When I was a kid, I also had a Fabian poster and a Great Balls of Fire movie poster. No New Kids on the Block for me!

More recently, I found another pillow to go with it. This one has Fabian on it. Yeah, I know he can't sing, and that he was a totally fabricated celebrity (pre-Monkees) fashioned to cash in on the Elvis craze. Somehow, that only adds to his appeal to me. Besides, he actually recorded some pretty cool songs.

The Fabian pillow was an Ebay find. This is one of those times when I'm thankful for the internet. I don't think I would have ever found a Fabian pillow if I'd had to track one down in a local shop.

I've often wondered if there were other teen idol pillows in addition to Frankie and Fabian. Might there be a Bobby Rydell, Ricky Nelson, or Bobby Darin pillow out there somewhere? I came across an ad for these pillows in an old magazine that seems to answer my question. The ad showed only the Frankie Avalon and Fabian pillows, so these are probably the only ones ever made. In addition to the pillows, you could also send off for an area rug shaped like a record!

Just for fun, here's a photo of me with Fabian!

Cereal Killer

2010-08-16T07:12:00.000-05:00

I have a confession. I am a serial plant killer. This is the third or fourth plant that I've put in this planter. Three months ago, it was three times fuller than it is now. And the limbs weren't drooping. It seems that every time I walk into the bathroom, another piece of the plant has fallen off.

Before the plant above, I killed this plant, which is called Lucky Bamboo. Only, it wasn't so lucky. It died.

When we bought the house, this sad old fake plant was in the bathroom planter. I don't like fake plants. A real plant would look so much better. Perhaps the previous owner's luck with houseplants was as bad as mine.

A friend suggested that I might have better luck with Ivy. "It's nearly impossible to kill," she said.

The built-in planters are one of my favorite features of our house. They were so popular in the 1950s. Our house has four of them, located in the foyer, kitchen, and this bathroom. This kitchen planter is filled with very old plastic plants. The are probably original to the house, although I'm not certain. They have to be at least 40 years old. They don't make plastic plants like these anymore. I love them because they are so ridiculous. Because I love these fake plants, I am not tempted to replace them with new plants that I would certainly kill.

The foyer also has a built-in planter, which was filled with these fake plants when we bought the house. I made the mistake of replacing the fake plants with real ones.

The foyer planter has gone through the same series of dead plants that the bathroom planter has seen. This is one of them. It has since died and has been replaced with another plant that is also on its way out. Somehow, I will have to reconcile my love of built-in planters and dislike of fake plants with my inability to keep my houseplants alive. It looks like we'll be going back to the fake plants.