Getting Into the Swing of Things

Hello!

This weekend Thom and I found more records. This time at the flea market. One of the vendors had cleared out an old estate and along with the fine china and silver entertaining pieces (Thom and I refrained from adding more silver to the collection) there was a box of 78 rpm records.

We picked up two "books" with four records inside each book. One book contained hits from Glenn Miller and his orchestra. It's got all the hits such as In The Mood, Tuxedo Junction, Stardust, and Little Brown Jug. The other book we picked up is a compilation of songs called "Smoke Rings". This book has Once in a While by Tommy Dorsey, My Reverie by Larry Clinton, All the Things You Are by Artie Shaw and a couple of other hits.

Thom looks over our records while sipping on his agua fresca.

Thom and I picked up the books for only $1 a record which is pretty good. Plus they are in super condition. Now if only I can find a Cole Porter compilation with Let's Misbehave in it!

We also found a couple more glassware pieces at the thrift store which was good since I felt like we were going to be short.

-HWC

Swing Heil!

I think KBD and I will need to brush up on our dance moves. It's been a while.

-HWC

Table Karma

Hello!

Well, it's been a busy week, but that doesn't mean I haven't had a chance check out our local thrift stores for more picnic items. The thrift gods were smiling today as I found the perfect wooden table base for one of our orphaned brass trays. It is simply perfect for the theme of the tent.

On top of the table base, I found another tiered server. Unfortunately this one is not silver plate to match our other piece, but it will look just fine with the Blue Willow and full of delicious desserts!

-HWC

Have Liquor Cabinet, Will Travel - Part 2

Hello!

The weekend started out great with finds at and estate sale in Alameda on Friday. This Saturday there wasn't much with the exception of pieces for the travel bar that I've been working on revamping. Thom found a set of crystal cut stemware at one of our local thrift shops. We've been scouring the shops for weeks trying to find stemware of a particular size since the travel bar has slots of a certain size.

These are most likely champagne coupe's, but they are the perfect dimensions for the stemware slots in the bar. I'm not certain who produced this set of crystal, but at $2 each, you can't beat them.

As for the bar, as you can see I've added and replaced a few things since last you saw it. A trip to the local Ace Hardware store in town yielded a lot of, well, hardware.

I didn't know what was really out there in terms of decorative hardware and I would prefer to see in person what I was buying. This is why I decided to source from our local hardware store instead of online. I found some great brass handles, decorative corners and feet that fit the look I wanted nicely.

The leather straps are just two belts I bought at the flea market and attached them with brass upholstery tacks. The buckles Thom and I picked up at a yard sale months ago just for the hell of it. Luckily, there was a matching pair.

I also found some nice decorative hinges at the hardware store. I had to replace the ones that came with the bar because the metal they were made of was much too soft and the hinges were warping. These solid brass one's fit just right and almost have the same flair as the originals.

The decanter I found a couple of weeks ago, also at a thrift store. It's not crystal, but pressed glass, but it fits the bill rather well. I'm going to keep searching though only because the slot allotted for the decanter is much larger than the one I have. Bigger decanter, more booze!

I still have a few more things to do before it's complete. I need to order some Eastlake ring pulls to replace the one's on the drawers. I also need a new brass plate for the front of the bar and finally I'll need to line the floors of the glass slots with velvet so as to protect the stemware in transport. KBD suggested I put some period decals, either travel or otherwise in the interior. I'm contemplating this, but don't know what theme to pursue.

-HWC

Lookout Weekend Cause' Here We Come

Hello!

It's the weekend again and that means yard and estate sales! Today there happened to be and estate sale down the street from where Thom and I live (about four blocks or so). So we braved the overcast morning and rode our bikes down to the Gold Coast. They call this part of Alameda the Gold Coast because of the number of very old, very expensive, and very beautiful houses found in this part of the island. Today's estate sale happened to be in one of the oldest houses there, built in 1916 I believe.

Bikes full of treasure

Fortunately there was not a lot of people at today's sale and the house was huge (an Alameda mansion) so it was a good and easy day to shop. I found stuff for my Etsy store (seller; Sewmanity) and Thom found three picnic baskets for the Gatsby picnic. We have so much to pack and carry for the picnic that we've been hoarding good sized baskets and trunks whenever we run across them. This particular estate sale had great prices so we picked up three baskets to add to our arsenal.

Thom with a lot of junk in his trunk

We managed to strap everything down with bungee cords and rode home (I think Thom's bike looks great with a basket on the back). More sales and treasures tomorrow!

-HWC

All Work and No Play...

Hello!

Funny, we've been fiddilin' with the Gramophone now for a couple of days and we're obsessed! We as mentioned before we found a stack of old 78's at Pauline's. Now we're on the hunt for specific songs. We especially want the one one below. Sound familiar?

-HWC

The Band is Here!

Hello!

Yay! Our Gramophone came! We were so excited this weekend when the FedEx man delivered our package. We unboxed it and cranked it up. It totally started to spin!

Our lovely online find

After inspecting our new Gramophone, I suspect that most or all of the mechanical parts is new old stock. The mechanical pieces are made a lot better than some of the other metal pieces found on the player. Also, all the mechanical pieces have show some patina from age. The horn, tonearm, crank, horn bracket, and case are all reproductions while the voice box, turntable platter and motor are all vintage old stock. I'm not surprised that the motor still works, they made then sturdy back in the day. The Gramophone came to us from India, via the port of Los Angeles, with a vintage Indian 78 rpm record. Though the music on the provided record would have fit our theme nicely, we were all excited to find more 78's. So that afternoon we ran over to Pauline's.

One of many treasure alcoves at Pauline's

A mix of 12", 45's & 78's

As you can see Pauline's is definitely a place you have to dig and search, but it's our favorite way to shop. I knew Pauline's would have exactly what we were looking for. As KBD, Thom and I combed through the stacks, we looked for period appropriate music and of course songs that we just plain love.

KBD & Thom get excited

We ended up finding a whole book (about 12 records) full of jazz, swing, and fox trot's from various performers and a few other records of songs we love. I'll see if I can post a video of the gramophone in action. It was a fun afternoon. Afterwards we rewarded ourselves with lunch and beer. It was a hot afternoon that day in Alameda.

-HWC

One Does Not Simply Walk into the Gatsby Picnic

Hello!

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, it's been a hectic week. We got our tickets to the picnic! Also we got an "early entry pass", but have no idea what rules and stipulations surround said pass? Do we get in an hour earlier? Two? We were hoping for early entry so we could have enough time to set up and enjoy the event without rushing.

We have finally raised enough money to buy our Gramophone! Unfortunately, we could not afford an antique. A serious search on Craigslist and at our local antique stores have proven fruitless. We really wanted a gramophone with a beautiful and dramatic horn speaker as opposed a Victrola. So we turned to the internet.

The beauty above is a reproduction from India. This particular model is sold on several sites online. We decided to buy one off of eBay since we could negotiate the price. If you were to search on eBay for this particular gramophone, the direct from India vendor claimes that it is a fully working replica. However, if you purchase it from a U.S. distributor, they will only sell it as a decorative item only, but should work if "assembled properly". We got a great deal on it and hope we can make it work (fingers crossed). If it does, our local antique store has a great stash of antique 78 RPM LP's.

It's been a busy and expensive week! 

-HWC

Go Big or Go Home

Hello!

When KBD and I heard about the Gatsby Picnic and the possibly of us going, we started waxing poetic about what kind of set-up we would like to have. We think very "blue sky" whenever we plan to attend an event. As I've mentioned before, between KBD (Theatre Major/Milliner), Thom, my partner (Costume Designer), and myself (Industrial Designer), we think in very vivid strokes.

I instantly thought of the movie Gosford Park when the words "deco picnic" came up. You would think that maybe The Great Gatsby would pop up first, but it's been ages since I've read that book (in high school) and I've never seen the movie adaptation that starred Robert Redford. In Gosford Park there are several minutes devoted to an outdoor luncheon put together for the hunting party. This luncheon is of course assembled by the household staff and takes place in a lovely permanent gazebo.

Gosford Park; the guests arrive

If you've ever seen the movie, you'll know that the luncheon is no small "wrapped sandwich" affair. There's crystal and servants, fine china, a gramophone, drama, and Bloody Marys!

Doesn't English crystal make Bloody Mary's that much more enjoyable?

KBD and I took our first cues of inspiration for our picnic from these scenes. Though we will not have a house staff to set-up for us, we still decided that our picnic should be a top notch affair. No easy feat mind you, but maybe I'll write another post about how to transport fine china and crystal to an outdoor event?

Champagne and of course celery sticks!

But then KBD and I stood back and checked out what actual picnics of the era might have been like. A few Google searches later and we came to the conclusion that picnics of the era were (probably) mostly modest affairs.

Tin cups and a good time by all.

A big gathering with a really big table.

"While grandma was in a food coma, Charles decided to draw

a moustache on her with a felt tip pen."

All that on a motorcycle with a side car?

After considering all of our options, we decided to go with the movie version of what a picnic should look like. You know, the romantic vision of a director or art director. Baz Luhrmann, while filming Moulin Rouge, had said in an interview that what they wanted to create for the movie was not "virtual reality" but something they called "real virtuality". A concept that what you see is not necessarily period accurate, but accurate to one's imagination or style (I think I explained that correctly). So we wracked our brains trying to find other films to inspire us. We of course thought of Out of Africa.

Karen contemplating her next purchase from Ralph Lauren.

"Oh! That's all my crystal, my Limoges."

Out of Africa; camping, outdoor soiree's, and safari! For awhile there we were toying with a safari theme, but decided against it. Maybe because it's been done to death. Or maybe I really didn't want to own that much campaign furniture. Who knows? Though our final theme will probably invoke some sense of world traveler, it will not be limited to Africa.

Another film that came up for discussion was Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle. Though I have not seen it yet, KBD says there is a rather good picnic scene in it. Also, since I'm a fan of Downton Abbey, there is a wonderful garden party thrown at the end of season one. Yes, the period is much earlier, but it's fun to do research.

-HWC

This Week's Craigslist Find!

Hello All,

As previously mentioned this week was rather dry for flea market & yard sale finds, so thank goodness for Craigslist!

This week's Craigslist find took us to the heart of San Francisco's shopping district, where an Indian-inspired day spa was renovating.  We were tantalized by the below photo as we were still in need of some lounging pillows for the tent & outlying picnic areas.

Actual Craigslist Photo

We scored a total of 23 pillows (stuffed with feather down to boot) and a nice carved wooden table for our Victrola.  Good thing we both thought to bring our large Ikea bags for the haul back to the parking garage.  HWC even  MacGyvered one into a back pack using the carabiner on his key chain.  Ingenious!

Today was a good day - xox KB-D

Just Another Manic Sunday

Hello!

It's the first Sunday of the month and that means the Alameda Point Antiques Faire is happening or rather, has happened. If you've ever been to "The Point", it's a wonderful venue to find whatever you need or want, but be warned, it's not a flea market. In my opinion, a flea market is a place you have to rummage, hunt and haggle for a bargain. The Point is none of these things. Everything at the The Point is good, no rummaging involved. If you're wanting a mid century dining table with matching chairs, it's probably at The Point. If you're looking for vintage linens or theatre posters from France, it's probably at The Point. But for all the above, you're gonna pay a premium. And I find that most vendors there don't haggle.

So KBD and I, wanting to save some money, went to our usual Sunday flea market haunt. It was busy as usual even though some of the regulars we know where peddling their wares at The Point. Not much today, just some more silver servers and a brass elephant bell. KBD figured we can use the bell to signal the beginning of lunch.

I blame the lack of goods for the picnic on the weather. It's been awfully gloomy the past two days, and bargains only come out when the sun is shining.

-HWC