This week we have something a bit different for you guys: A vintage mobile home!

This home is located in Scotts Valley, CA and is listed by Unique Homes and Land (and found through Trulia). The home was manufactured in 1970, is a little over 1,000 square feet and has two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The asking price is $99,000.

The Kitchen

Check out that oven!!!

Dining Area

The Bathrooms

So, what do you guys think? Could you swing living in a mobile home if it was 1970’s-tastic? I think I could do it, even if it was just for that oven…

Hey y’all, check out all the cool stuff that is up for sale on eBay right now!

First up, this sweet Vintage 50s 60s Pink Poodle Pennys Cotton Towel from seller buttonjunkie.

This cute little kitty figurine is actually a nightlight/perfume lamp! Check out this Vintage 1950s Irice Spaghetti Cat Kitten Night Lite Perfume Lamp from seller  2lepsics.

I really love the color and pattern on these linen  kitchen towels – it kind of reminds me of Peter Max art! Check out these Vintage Retro Unused Parisian Linen Kitchen Towels from seller  meerkat818.

These vintage Meyercord decals are so cool and so kitsch! Check out these Vintage Retro Kitschy Meyercord Decals from seller mayalo8071.

This Vintage Teak Wood Danish Modern Wall Clock from seller perky_1 is so neat!

Are you looking for the perfect vintage cabinet for your retro bathroom, if so this might be just what you need! Check out this Vintage Mid Century 50s 60s Metal Bathroom Cabinet from seller anxiety777.

Oh yes, more kitschy steak picks….love these things! Check out these Vintage Wooden Red Bull Steak Marker Picks from seller bluejeane1.

What an amazing clock! Check out this Vintage 60s Space Age Sputnik Vedette French Wall Clock from seller iouiouiou3.

Super-duper love vintage gravel art! Check out this Vintage 60s Eames Era Mid Century Modern Gravel Art from seller postfiftymodern.

Awwwww, aren’t these vintage towels/napkins just adorable! Check out these Vintage Seahorse and Fish Paper Napkins Guest Towels by Noveltex from seller postfiftymodern.

Nothing beats vintage Chalkware Ballerinas! Check out these Vintage Puccini Art Novelty Company Ballerina Wall Plaques from seller giantrobota.

What a sweet salt and pepper shaker set, and in the original cello too! Check out this Vintage Aqua Turquoise 1960s Lustro Ware Salt and Pepper Shaker Set from seller shabbytabby.

Here is just one of the ultra FABULOUS paintings being offered by El Gato Gomez this week! Check out this El Gato Gomez Mid Century Modern Retro Space Painting and be sure to check out all of the other great paintings by El Gato Gomez too!

You know me and poodles……love them to bits! Check out this Vintage Ransburg Pink Poodle Metal Waste Basket from seller lancehoag2012.

This pink linen dish towel is SO cute…..AND poodles too! Check out this Vintage Pink Poodle Let’s Go To Paris Linen Towel from seller ironladyny.

Do you know anyone with the initial ‘S’ that is looking for a super cute retro brooch? Check out this Vintage 1950s Retro Pink and Black Brooch from seller sandysatticantiques.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!! Poodle bathroom curtains!!!! Awesome! Check out these Vintage 1950s Retro Poodle Theme Bathroom Curtains from seller desertclutter26.

I am completely obsessed with these wooden cat plaques, every time I see them I love them more and more! Check out these Vintage 1960s Mid Century Danish Modern Masketeers Cat Wall Plaques from seller anotherrarefind.

What a cute little wall pocket…..with cherries too! Check out this Vintage 1950s Cherries on a Frying Pan Wall Pocket from seller e-earlybird.

I really like this Vintage 1950s Pink Poodle Rhinestone Pin from seller stepcreator.

How cool are these vintage Calypso wall plaques…..love! Check out these Vintage Mid Century Modern Calypso Band Wooden Wall Plaques from seller stibbsjan.

These Vintage Mid Century Modern Green Music Note Wall Pocket Plaques from seller wdlnd-hls, are so FAB!

Finally, have you been yearning to outfit  your bathroom with some amazing flamingo curtains? Well now you have a chance with these Vintage 1950s Harmony House Flamingo Bathroom Curtains In Original Box from seller clockpeddler2.

Have a great weekend y’all!

*Disclaimer: No Pattern Required is part of the eBay Partner Network, and that means that when you click on our eBay links we may earn a very small commission.

Now, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I LOVE to look at thrift shops and antique stores when I am in a different city.  I find I often see a lot of the same stuff at home,  so I always find cool different things when I head somewhere else!  I’ve got some pictures of some neat mid-century things that I saw at the antique mall in West Seattle.

I had to get a picture of this, as this immediately made me think of our lovely blog hostess, Ruth – these baskets were all filled with vintage cookbooks!  Ruth, if you’re ever in that area, you should definitely take a look here, as you may find some great ones for your collection!

I really liked this ashtray, as it is such a mid-mod, boomerang shape.  However, I have yet to think of a good repurposing for vintage ashtrays – does anyone out there have any suggestions of other things to use them for?

Poodles, Poodles, Poodles!  These poodles were all so utterly adorable!

I liked this piece as well – this serving dish is from the Gourmates by Glo-Hill collection, which I have a collection of.  I just got a kick out of it having a Canada Centennial engraving on it, and finding it at a shop in Seattle!

They had so many salt & pepper shakers as well, including quite a few cute ones.  However, I found them to be pretty pricey – are salt and pepper shakers usually in the $25 and up range in the US?

So today I showed you all of the things that I didn’t buy … come back next Wednesday, and I will show you what I did buy!

A few weeks ago Mike and I were scrounging around a local antique/flea market-y type store. This place is a whole mish-mash of stuff, so you REALLY need to dig otherwise you could miss something good! There was a side room loaded with stuff they called “electronics”….even though some of the stuff really was not what you would consider “electronics”…..technically anyway. I guess their definition of electronics was anything that had wires???? Could turn on with a switch?…..I guess that would make it more “electric” than “electronic” though wouldn’t it? I digress.

There was a big sign proclaiming “Everything in this Room 75% off” and “ All Electronics 75% off”, wow – Really?!? Well you know this girl is all over a sale like that, so I just HAD to root around to see what I could find.

Right away I spotted this cute little vintage bathroom bar light. I came in for a closer inspection and saw that it actually looked like it had never been used, as most of the original parts were still sealed in the original bag…..and there was no sign of the usual dust and grime from a light hanging in one’s bathroom for the past 30 some odd years.

I looked closer at the price…..$3. The light was cheap from the start……but  taking the discount into account, yes – I am sure you are ahead of me here -  the light was all of 75 cents.

You just know that I could NOT pass up a cute vintage unused bathroom light for 75 cents!!!

And here is the whole kit and caboodle. You can see everything is here, even the instructions!

Here is the sealed baggie with some of the mounting hardware.

Here is the back of the wiring box. You can see the wires look like they have never been wired in for installation, and you can also see the old ‘Union Made’ sticker.

Here are the instructions. This light was made by the Frankelite Company in Cleveland Ohio. I tried looking the company up, but is looks like they no longer exist.

Here is a close up of one of the stars/snowflakes. The design is applied with tiny raised glass beads – it’s not just painted on.

And, one last look at the glass light cover…..super cute!

What do y’all think, did I get a good deal at 75 cents?

I’m back! Did y’all miss me? I’ve got some pics of the more mid-century highlights from my road trip to share with you today.

On Sara in Az’s recommendation, we went to XXX Root Beer in Issaquah. It’s a little out of the way, but definitely well worth the trip!

From what I gather, they have been using the same recipe to make their root beer since 1930, and I can tell ya, it is delish!

Served in a gigantic frosty mug, no less!  They also serve burgers and fries – I highly recommend the veggie burger.

This vintage menu was hanging on the wall by our booth – check out those prices!

They also have this fantastic 1950s Buddy Holly tour bus parked in their lot.  Unfortunately, we didn’t make it to XXX in time to see the vintage travel trailer show, but they do appear to have lots of car shows there throughout the year.  Even if they don’t have one going on, it’s still well worth the trip!

We also came across Dick’s Drive In, which appears to be a Seattle based chain.  Everything about the place screams out mid-century, from their signage, to the walk up window, to the menu.  We didn’t try the food here, but their milkshakes were fantastic!

Now, for something I got a kick out of …

This is my kitsch-tastic velvet pirate ship painting, that hangs in my basement.  We went for some snacks and a drink one night to a bar called West 5 in West Seattle, and lo and behold, what did we see on the wall …

It’s the twin pirate ship painting!  How bizzarre is that?

It was on their wall that seemed to be filled with ship art.  West 5 is a vintage styled bar, and if you happen to be in the area, I would recommend popping in for a drink.

That wraps up part one of my Retro Roadtrip, come back on Friday for part two!

I don’t know about you guys, but I have a TON of vintage linens that I have picked up at random places over the years. Garage sales, antique stores, thrift stores and even church sales usually yield a bunch of vintage linen selections, some that are too cheap or too adorable to pass up. I even have a hefty collection that I inherited from various family members. Every once in a while my storage gets too crammed full and I have to re-organize slightly to be able to jam in all my treasures, and this last time I went through and snapped some pics of my favorites!

Is it wrong to start with my very favorite? Maybe I should have saved this for last, but I just love this soooo very much I had to put it out in front. This is a square tablecloth that I bought many, many years ago in an antique store. The deer are embroidered in each corner. Love it!

This is another square tablecloth that came from my grandma’s collection. I bet this cloth saw a lot of swanky cocktail parties in Chicago!

This is a large rectangular tablecloth that I picked up for $1.50 at my local Goodwill. I adore it, and it has no stains!

This was another thrifting find. I just think this boy and girl are so charming.

Another thrift find!! This one has some stubborn stains that didn’t come out with soaking, but I thought the flowers were so great that I haven’t been able to get rid of it. Maybe I will use it in a crafting project some day.

Another inherited square tablecloth, this one from one of my great aunts. They were all very talented ladies!

The work of another aunt. This is part of a set of bonnet girl tea towels that I just love. This one is my favorite, but there are 8 towels in total.

Cactus napkins! These were found at a rummage sale for 5 cents each!

Another gem from my grandmother’s kitchen! These were part of her regular everyday dishtowels, one of the more showy ones that would hang on the oven. Her kitchen was pink and gray!

And last, one of my most recent acquisitions, a set of little cottage napkins that I found at a garage sale. Yep, you are reading that tag correctly, they were 10 cents each!

So, do you guys have a vintage linen collection? What are your favorite pieces? Feel free to share in the comments below, and if you want you can email me pics of your collection to ruth@nopatternrequired.com!

Hey y’all, check out all the cool stuff that is up for sale on eBay right now!

First up, have you ever seen vintage ballerina towels before?!? I know I sure haven’t…..so neat! Check out these Vintage 1950s Royal Terry Ballerina Towels from seller snowboarderutah.

These vintage drinking glasses are super cool and super atomic! Check out these Vintage Atomic Mid Century Starburst Drinking Glasses from seller moxnichts.

What a cute little vintage trash can! Check out this Vintage Rubbermaid Blue Atomic Trash Can from seller starglyphs.

Oh my gosh, it’s the perfect pink new old stock comb set! Check out this Vintage Retro New Old Stock 3 Piece 1950s Pink Comb Set from seller diamond108108.

I’ve seen a lot of vintage mailboxes, but I’ve never seen a perforated metal one before…..fabulous!!! Check out this Vintage Retro Decorative Mid Century Modern Metal Wall Mount Mailbox from seller queensign.

Whoa……………….this table is amaze-balls!!!! All those stars……SO dreamy! The seller does not mention shipping in the description, but he does have a phone number listed so if you are interested I’d give him a call and see if you could work something out. If nothing else, I know you could get uShip to pick it up and ship it out! Check out this Vintage Retro Atomic Starburst Dinette Table from seller nursecarlotta.

Totally cute vintage wallpaper……..little fish and seashells…..it doesn’t get any better! Check out this Vintage 1950s Fish and Sea Life Retro Wallpaper from seller  eclectic-addict.

Oooohhhhhh, pink Kromex……so cool and so hard to find! Check out this Vintage 1950s Pink Kromex Aluminum Canister Set from seller brucetucker1957.

And wow, what would go better with the pink Kromex than a pink poodle mixer cover!!! Love!!! Check out this Vintage 1950s Pink New Old Stock Dora May Mixer Appliance Cover from seller vwmayo.

My favorite vintage fabric ever……..frieze……..SO awesome!!!! Just think of all the fun you could have with this! Check out this Vintage Retro Atomic Turquoise Frieze Upholstery Fabric from seller cooperbird.

Have you been looking for some fab-o vintage door escutcheons? If so, these might be just what you need! Check out these Vintage Retro Diamond Shape Door Escutcheons from seller giginiello.

I think these vintage stacking tables are super-duper neat-o, and wow – you get 6 tables in this auction…..just think of all the options! Check out this Vintage Retro Mid Century Modern 1950s 1960s Biltmore Stacking Table Set from seller lightnin48640.

So, so sweet – vintage lamb chalkware plaques still in the original box! Check out these Vintage Miller Studio Chalkware Lamb Plaques In Original Box from seller graybarn.

And, if lamb plaques aren’t quite your thing maybe these poodle plaques are! Check out these Vintage Miller Studio Chalkware French Poodle Plaques In Original Box from seller meandmyvintage.

What a perfect little soap dish for any kitchen – retro or not! Check out this Vintage Retro Kitchen Soap Dish from seller wildirishrose90.

Here is just one of the ultra FABULOUS paintings being offered by El Gato Gomez this week! Check out this El Gato Gomez Mid Century Modern Retro Googie Abstract Painting and be sure to check out all of the other great paintings by El Gato Gomez too!

You must check out this FAB Vintage 1966 Belart Lighted San Francisco Bay Picture from seller tmgolfcas.

Eeeeeeeeeee! A poodle trash can……so sweet! Check out this Vintage 1950s Retro French Poodle Waste Basket from seller delisciousvintage.

And finally, wow……you simply must check out this AMAZING Vintage 1930s Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme Linoleum Floor Covering Rug from seller rhinestoneman. I know the price may seem a bit high, but these are Rare…..with a capital R! How completely cool, what an amazing piece!

Have a great weekend y’all!

*Disclaimer: No Pattern Required is part of the eBay Partner Network, and that means that when you click on our eBay links we may earn a very small commission.

Hey y’all, Andrea has today off so I thought I would post a mini edition of ‘Kool Kitsch’ ……most of these auctions end pretty quickly, so if you are interested act fast!

First up, have you ever seen a more dreamy poodle shower curtain!?! And they are pink poodles too!!! Check out this Vintage 1950s 1960s Pink Poodle Shower Curtain from seller gatherthegoods.

You always see the F&F cat and dog salt and pepper shakers, but you hardly ever see the wall pockets! Soooooo cute! Check out these Vintage F & F Ken L Ration Plastic Dog and Cat Wall Pockets from seller mattode.

Ooohhhhhhhh, amaze-balls vintage glasses……….and they are in the original box too!!! Love!!! Check out these Vintage Retro 1950s Libbey Red and White Drinking Glasses from seller tessastiques.

Vintage ceiling shades are just the best, this would look so perfect in any kitchen…..retro or not! Check out this Vintage Retro 1950s 1960s Kitchen Theme Glass Ceiling Shade from seller theplace777.

You know I love me some mermaids…..how great would it be to have mermaid salt and pepper shakers! Check out this Vintage Palmar Mermaid Salt and Pepper Shaker Set from seller 1tubbed64.

Finally, I cold not resist posting these adorable vintage knobs. I know I’ve shown the rabbit knobs here before, but with this auction lot you get such a cool variety! Adorable! Check out these Vintage Amerock 1950s Childrens Drawer Knobs Pulls from seller mhmjcott.

See y’all back here tomorrow!

*Disclaimer: No Pattern Required is part of the eBay Partner Network, and that means that when you click on our eBay links we may earn a very small commission.

My Grandmother is an enigma. She has many stories to tell, but keeps most of them close to the vest. It’s not until you start prying and questioning do you really find out the juicy tidbits from the past. I suppose I am guilty of this myself…..always wanting to know more than I want to give. Maybe I inherited that trait from Grams?  Maybe it’s buried deep, deep down in my DNA from long ago. One trait I know I did not get from Grams was my collecting trait, but more on that later.

My Grams has many, many fabulous stories about the war years. I can only imagine what it must have been like to be a young adult in the mid 1940s…..both terrifying and exciting.

My grandmother and her girlfriends went out to California in the Summer of 1944. They decided to go to the San Francisco/Oakland area where her girlfriends were going to get jobs as riveters…..yes, just like Rosie The Riveter!  Her friends went out to California a bit early to get training, while Grams stayed behind and finished teaching her classes for the semester. Since Grams already had a teaching degree and was under contract she knew it would be fruitless to go out and train to become a riveter, only to have to return back to her teaching job in a few short months.

Grams finally made it out to California and joined up with her friends…who were now riveters….but now she had to find a job too! She likes to joke about how she only lasted one day on the job at some unknown pancake house – where apparently, as a waitress, she mixed up every order she had……why am I picturing some variation of a wacky I Love Lucy episode here??? hee! Poor Grams, I’d probably mix up every order too.

Grams finally found her summer job at Cico Chimes Supper Club, where she said she made FAR more in tips that summer than in her whole year of teaching…..so I guess teachers were under paid even back then! She told me she had wanted to stay in California, but her Father sternly reminded her that she had already signed a contract to be a teacher and that if she did not get her butt back home, well……..he would come out there and get her and bring her right on back. And you KNOW she did not want that to happen!

I tried to look up Cico Chimes (hope I have it spelled right! – I asked Grams and she verified that was how it was spelled, but it kind of sounds out like Seeco), it was on Lake Merritt in Oakland, but I cannot find any information about it anywhere so it must have closed long ago. If anyone out there has ever heard of it I sure would like to know!

Grams speaks very fondly about the summer of 1944. Below are Grams (far left) and one of her girlfriends at Sweet’s Ballroom in Oakland where she says they danced the night away every single night. Wow! What a blast they must have had!!!

It looks like Sweet’s does still exist, but it is now called Tropicana.

Here is a vintage ad for Sweet’s from The Styrous Viewfinder blog, he has a nice post on Sweet’s too.

My grandmother did finally come back from California and she finished out her teaching contract. She went on to get her Master’s degree and was a school psychologist for many, many years. She worked her entire life outside of the home, which I guess was a bit atypical of a married woman in the 50s and 60s.

Which brings me back to the original reason I started this post in the first place……my grandmother’s glasses. My grandmother is not a very sentimental person…….perhaps one of the least sentimental people I know. I don’t say that in a mean way at all, just as a matter of fact. She is a very ‘out with the old, in with the new’ kind of person and does not like clutter of any kind…..at all. Grams even went so far as to throw out her own wedding dress because she said it was “yellowed”. I was SO sad to hear that (years after the dress was gone) because I would have loved to have that dress. She does not draw an attachment to things or objects like I do – which, I think, in a way would make life so much easier sometimes.

I remember, from long ago, seeing these starry little glasses shoved in the way back recesses of her cabinets. Every time I would go over to her house I would nervously make sure that the glasses were still there…….wondering if she had finally decided they were cluttering up the cabinets and, feeling no real attachment to them, had decided to get rid of them. Every time I went over to her house I would implore her to never, ever get rid of the star glasses and if she wanted to toss them into the trash, or to donate them,  to PLEASE let me know.

One day, after Mike and I had done some work for Grams around her house, we arrived at her home to find a box and a card on the table. The card read:

Dear Sara,

Sally, one of my students at Hillcrest School, gave me these glasses for Christmas in 1956. She was  a very nice young girl from a wealthy family.

I am happy to give them to you as I know you will take good care of them and enjoy them.

Love, Grandma

And inside of  the box were these………………

Now you can probably understand why I was SO adamant about her NOT throwing them out!

I sometimes wonder how these insanely retro glasses made it through so many years with Grams…..especially with retro NOT Grams style at all. I guess Sally must have been a special student to her? I will have to ask her about that one day, because surely as a teacher she would have received many other gifts – but I’ve never, ever heard her talking about anything else that remains in her house as a special gift from a student long ago.

I know it’s hard to tell from the pictures, but all of the design is done in silver….and it is all pretty much perfect! I really do not think Grams ever used these at all.

Really, they look like they probably did when they were pulled off the store shelf in 1956.

I put napkins in the glasses so you could see the design a bit better.

Seriously, my favorite glasses ever!

I don’t know how these glasses survived all these years, through all the moves, particularly because my Grams does not really like “retro”. Whatever the reason I’m sure glad they finally found their way to me. So thank you little Sally for your fabulous taste in atomic glasses way back in 1956, and thank you Grams for entrusting me with them…….I will love them always.