It's Friday- Time for Happy Hour

Dear Readers, you may recall that Jennie's Tonga Room post prompted a subsequent tropical cocktail post on the Mai Tai. Jennie and I have commiserated and determined that since we love drinking cocktails about as much as we love all things retro, we'll be posting a weekly cocktail recipe on Fridays to celebrate Happy Hour and kick the weekend off to a great start. Please, drink responsibly.
This week's cocktail is the Sazerac- the official drink of New Orleans, Louisiana. Friends, this particular cocktail is smooth, civilized and luxurious. It has a long history and many folks say it is the oldest cocktail around. I enjoyed a Sazerac cocktail a few weekends ago while celebrating 10 years of wedded bliss with my dear husband at Annie's on Congress Avenue. It was truly delicious and made me wonder what other things I've missed out on all this time. Enjoy this one folks!

For a detailed recipe, visit here.

Feeling Blue?

This teal swivel chair will cheer you up! Thanks to reader AngelaDean for calling it to our attention! 

$100 on Craigslist. 

Mid Century Abstract Art on Ebay!

I've been trolling ebay for some more art inspiration. Some of these are kind of pricey. I'm secretly hoping I come across a masterpiece at my local Goodwill...

Mid-Week Mid-Century Finds

Hi, friends. We're mid-way through this scorcher of a week here in Austin, and you know what that means...Craigslist treasures!! This week we're getting fancy and have linked the actual photos to the Craigslist posting. I know, I know, you're impressed.

Enjoy and please let me know if there's anything great that I missed!

Green chairs, $150 for both. Located in San Antonio. Anyone know when these are from? I think they have a lot of potential.

Retro horse TV lamp with awesome shade, $85. Located in the fine town of Elgin.

Polka-dot bean bag from 1976, $50!! I love this. Someone buy it immediately.

Headboard, $50. I think I may have posted this before, but it's still up there. And it deserves to be purchased! For a full-sized bed.

Vinyl chairs, $75. This orange one has a matching ottoman! Might make you sweat a little in this heat, but in a nice cool living room, it'd be great!

Art Inspiration--One From the Vault

I've recently been interested in mid-century abstract art. I want some! Here are some inspirational pics from the Practical Encyclopedia of Good Decorating and Home Improvement, from 1970. Friends, I happen to own the complete set of this phenomenal publication and it was one of the reasons we started the blog. Enjoy!

Party Like It's 1975

[photos found here and here]

Friends, I am here to call for a return to sanity in the kid birthday department! Now, I know there are all sorts of social and cultural trends that have turned kids' parties from a backyard affair with a homemade cake and a few friends wearing cone hats into a semi-professional event complete with bouncy castle, $10 goody bags, 40 guests and professional photographer.

But I'm rejecting all that. Yes, in planning for my own son's first birthday party at 3 years old, I'm planning a party like those from my own childhood: a handful of kids; snacks and cake; pin the tail on the donkey (or in this case, the wrench on Bob the Builder); balloons and streamers.

I understand we are all busy and a lot of us parents work outside the home. And Lord knows that between posting on Facebook what kind of sandwich we had for lunch to Tweeting our exact whereabouts every 40 minutes, there is little time to plan a party -- or clean up after one. It's easier to write a check and take it on over to the nearest Chuck E. Cheese. And, of course, we all love our children and want to create nice memories for them. I get it. I really do.

I'm sure one day we will be eating pizza and playing video games or jumping on giant inflatables with dozens of kids. But at least for this one year, I'm taking my love of retro and my desire to simplify in these economic times straight to the backyard, where we are gonna party like it's 1975.

More couch love

The gold colored couch in the Craigslist post from yesterday really packs a punch. Those retro- 60's velvet couches can really add vibrant color to a room. Who needs prozac when you can have such an exciting place to lounge? Here are some photos of 60s velvet couches similar to the one on Craigslist. See what I mean?
From Designer Wary Myers, via Domino.
From DesignSponge, Rinne Allen.
From Apartment Therapy here.

Craigslist Couch Love

Ok Austin friends, time for some Craigslist Couch love:

Found here for $200.
Found here for $100.

Lamp Lust

All found in this wonderful flickr group here.

Mid-Week Mid-Century Finds

Here are some things that caught my eye today on Craigslist.

Found here ($10)

Found here ($75) -- to jumpstart your mid-century tchotske collection!

Found here ($450)

Found here ($80 for both)

Found here ($99)

Don't Forget the Tchotskes!

Ladies and Gentlemen, the retro home EMBRACES clutter. Peruse those stark, modern, "Dwell" magazines if you must, but do try to GET OVER IT. After all, by "embracing" retro style, you can potentially save thousands of dollars on an unnecessary renovation. So with that extra cash at your disposal, why not begin a collection? Whether you call them tchotskes, knick-knacks, bric-a-brac, collectibles, or kitch, collecting these "objects" can give your pad a vibrant punch of color, create interesting, humorous conversation pieces and most importantly, provide YOU, dear reader, with a pastime that can bring immense pleasure and enjoyment. For example:
Found here.
Found on Apartment Therapy.
Found here.
Found here.
Found here.
Some suggestions to get your started: vintage planters, West German pottery, roach clips, tidbit trays, vintage bar ware, swizzle sticks, toothpick holders, deviled egg plates, candlesticks, Pez dispensers, pomade containers, vinyl LPs, Christmas tree ornaments, tiki swag, swag lamps, retro clocks, plastic flower arrangements, vintage art, vintage china, and ashtrays.
So what are you collecting?

Chairs: Expensive, Affordable, On the Cheap

We all know the design world is also enamored with mid-century lines and frequently (consistently, blatantly) re-creates the look in contemporary pieces. Here are some new -- and one vintage -- chairs that all have "the look".

[Thanks to reader Erin for sending us the Pier 1 chair and inspiring this post!]

Do you have $580 burning a hole in your pocket? Then you might pick up this Crate-and-Barrel beauty for your house.

What's that? You also have to budget for new school clothes for Timmy? No problem! Pier 1 has an excellent alternative for an affordable $200.

If $200 is too much -- hey, we understand -- then check out our favorite, Craigslist. Today I found a comparable, though not quite as fancy, chair with similar scale and feel for just $80. Maybe that skirt on the bottom could be taken off to reveal the legs more?

Expensive (but cool) Things on Craigslist

Mitchell Gold chairs found here, $900

Majestic "Z" lamp found here, $500

Eames Atomic Lamp found here, $800.

1970s art found here, $450

Set of 6 Arne Jacobsen chairs, found here for $1200

Picnic table found here, $450

I don't know enough about these items to know if the prices are warranted...but they sure look pretty!

It's Hotter Than Hell Volume 2: Have a Cocktail!

Photo found here.
Found here.

In honor of the doomed Tonga Room, consider whipping up a tropical cocktail this weekend!


Tonga Mai Tai

Ingredients
* 1-ounce lime juice
* 3 ounces pineapple juice
* 1/4-ounce orgeat syrup (almond syrup)
* 1-ounce dark rum (recommended: Myers's)
* 1-ounce light rum (recommended: Bacardi)
* 1-ounce orange-flavored liqueur (recommended: Cointreau)
* Crushed ice
* 1 maraschino cherry, for garnish
* 1 pineapple slice, for garnish
* 1 paper umbrella, for garnish

Directions

Combine all the liquid ingredients in a large glass. Add ice and stir. Drop the cherry in the drink and garnish the rim of the glass with the pineapple slice. Place the paper umbrella in the glass and serve immediately.
Found here.

Cool Finds for Today

I like this sunny yellow rocker!

Found here ($140)

The seller of this 1962 Broyhill credenza/dresser also has a matching bed and table available.

Found here ($295)

In 1979, you can be sure I was sporting a 3/4-sleeve white cotton shirt with a rainbow that ran from elbow to elbow, paired with my Ditto jeans with rainbow stitching up one leg, across the back and back down the other leg. These chairs remind me of that outfit!

Found here ($175)

Wonderful Windsor Park

Windsor Park is a great neighborhood in Central East Austin. Located just minutes from the University of Texas, our 'hood boasts some beautiful 50s/60s ranch homes, many of which have survived those awful renovations where they rip out the beautiful pink bathroom tile and replace it with travertine tile from Home Depot. This is (was) the last affordable neighborhood close to downtown. We have great parks, donuts and taco joints over here. It's great to see so many mid-century modern enthusiasts in Windsor Park grooving on these incredible architectural marvels. Here are a few examples: