1. My favorite color is lime green.
2. My favorite album is The Beatles Hey Jude.
3. My all time favorite song is "Birdhouse in Your Soul" by They Might Be Giants. It inspired my store name!
4. I love any vegetarian food that involves curry, salsa, or tomato sauce.
5. I studied cake decorating. I can still make sugar roses.
6. My favorite books for children are the Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace.
7. My favorite grown-up book is The Great Gatsby.
8. I stop watches when I wear them. My grandfather and uncle did this as well.
9. I was a singing telegram messenger in college. My character was Bessie Mae Mucho.
10. I sometimes listen to old time radio shows when I cannot sleep.
11. I lived on an island as a little girl.
12. I am a tea lover, although I also like coffee.
13. I played a nurse in a theater production of South Pacific.
14. Paul McCartney is my all-time celebrity crush.
15. I love otters.
I could go on, but I won't! I would love to hear YOUR 15 fun facts, too.
Shhh! I'll tell you a secret. I played hooky from work for a while this morning. I'm self employed, but I try to keep regular work hours. This morning, though, I found out about an exhibit at the local historical society that I couldn't resist. The DeKalb History Center Museum is located in Decatur, Georgia - metro Atlanta. They have a new exhibit called The Mid-Century Ranch House: Hip and Historic! It focuses on the design of ranch houses and why they were so popular in metro Atlanta in the 1950's and 1960's. The museum is open Monday - Friday; you can read more at the website: DeKalb History Center - just click here.
This is the entrance to the gallery. The design of this exhibit is a lot of fun:
This display features Starburst dinnerware by Franciscan. I've sold some of this on eBay in the past.
This dinnerware is by Russell Wright. Nice retro ads just above the case, too.
A selection of kitchenware including a Sunbeam Mixmaster. My Mom still has one of these!
Fun retro 1957 Frigidaire refrigerator ad. I love the pastel colors!
This Mid-Century Modern den is just about perfect. Look at that wall of glass!
A pink bathroom! I love these. There is a great website called Save the Pink Bathroom, dedicated to preserving these in homes.
A nice photo with labels showing specific features of Mid-Century ranches.
Ranch design books and magazines. The W.D. Farmer books, Homes for Pleasant Living, were used for a lot of houses in suburban Atlanta. (I've sold these on eBay in the past, too.)
This house looks just like the ones in my childhood neighborhood:
A 1960's map of DeKalb County, showing how the suburbs were expanding - with lots of ranch homes.
This was my favorite part of the exhibit. A perfect panelled living room waits - complete with 1950's - 1960's music from the hi-fi:
And another view:
Here are a couple of popular floorplans:
Moving on through the museum, there are also a couple of other Mid-Century vintage exhibits. One exhibit is all about Mathis Dairy. This dairy delivered milk in the Atlanta area during my childhood years. We also went to field trips to the dairy.
A little history of Mathis Dairy. Interesting stuff! The Mathis kids went to my high school.
I Milked Rosebud! Rosebud was a sweet, patient cow at the dairy -- very popular on field trips. You got a little tin button to wear after you milked her.
Milk bottles and caps:
A box like you would find outside Mid-Century homes, waiting for the morning milk delivery:
The other fascinating exhibit at the museum was a display of photography by Guy Hayes (1913 - 1998). He worked for The Atlanta Journal - Constitution and photographed everyday life in the metro area.
Interesting juxtaposition of two women with homemade food:
A dog and pony show:
Carnival chalkware at a fair or amusement park. These chalkware figures were prizes on the midway. One of my friends collects them.
High school cheerleaders, 1950's vintage:
Dad and son cooking out in a suburban backyard:
Mom and children in the kitchen, 1950's:
Two young women playing music in a paneled den:
The exhibit is fun and free, and a visit takes an hour or less. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Mid-Century Modern Ranches or retro Atlanta history. I'm already planning a return visit!
"You have everything needed for the extravagant journey that is your life" (Carlos Castaneda). It's a new year - 365 days of possibilities. I will be here blogging regularly, and I look forward to sharing with you.
I found this link today, totally by chance, and thought you might enjoy it too: 52 Fun Things for 2015. Most of these little adventures are free. I love the emphasis on creativity, nature, and kindness.
Wishing you much happiness in 2015!
Hi vintage friends! Just a short note to let you know that I am running a huge sale at my eBay store through midnight on Sunday, January 4. This is a real "clear the shelves" sale with everything marked 25% - 50% off. You'll find vintage children's books, vintage Christmas cards and ornaments, vintage Valentines, Roadside Americana postcards, cookbooks, and more. I hope you'll stop by and shop! Just click here to visit: Birdhouse Books.
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas! Looking forward to chatting life, books, all things vintage, and Downton Abbey here in the New Year!
