Hawaiian Hop Party Prep

There are just certain cookbooks that keep on giving and one of my favorites is 1964's The Seventeen Cookbook. This particular volume was published before I was born, but I loved Seventeen Magazine as a teenager. This was before there were approximately 85 gajillion YouTube channels and websites aimed at teens, so Seventeen was where I learned about things like clothes and makeup and read about teen models like Whitney Houston, whose lives seemed a lot more glamorous than mine. 

No, I'm not sure I CAN deal with jealousy

The Seventeen Cookbook features not just recipes, but tips for parties, dates, family get-togethers and so much more. The nation was a little Hawaii-obsessed at the time, so that theme features prominently, including plans for a Hawaiian prom. The Hawaiian Hop looks like a lot of work, but they do instruct young prom planners to enlist a lot of help. I would love to see this actualized. Maybe we'll rent a gym and try it one day. If you'd like to in the meantime, here's all you need to know to create the Polynesian prom of your dreams!

Fill that punch bowl with Islander's Punch. If you're not serving it to actual teens you can switch out that lemon-lime for chilled prosecco and throw in a little amber rum.

Take it from Seventeen - "It's going to be a marvelous evening!"

Beautiful Holiday Bows Made (sort of) Easy!

Who else has the best intentions for creating beautiful holiday packages, then ends up stuffing gifts into bags at the last minute? I DID order some fabulous wrapping paper from Spoonflower this year, including this delectable Enchanted Tiki Room print from Modern Tiki Lounge, so I've got that part under control, but what about bows? I tend to save and reuse them year after year, until they're dented beyond repair, but this 1969 guide from Hallmark has me thinking I might need to up my game. Could it be time for fabulous retro ribbons and bows? Time to start knotting and tying!

Of course, those store made bows will always be there for you if you decide to park it, make a cocktail and relax instead. I have a feeling that's what I'll do. 

Halloween at the Vermont Country Store

We happened to be in Vermont last weekend and the Vermont Country Store was kind enough to allow us to shoot some video for upcoming episodes at their Rockingham location. If you are at all into retro culture or are nostalgic for the trappings of your youth, you would lose your mind at the Vermont Country Store! They have everything from food to home goods to clothing to toys and more, all reminiscent of the past, yet still fabulous and useful. I was enthralled with their Halloween section and came home with some new decor to add to our display, which I'll share as soon as I'm done. Here are some shots of their Halloween offerings. I could go broke in there!

Do you decorate for Halloween? I'd love to see your displays!

Yes You CAN! Beer Can Home Decor

You may have noticed that canned beer is making a comeback. Many of the craftiest breweries are now selling their product in cans. There are myriad reasons some consider cans superior to bottles, but I'll bet those folks hadn't factored in the home decorating possibilities associated with canned beer. Those cans can be the basis for home decor items that are sure to be real conversation pieces. Here are a few retro ideas from 1976's Better Homes and Gardens Treasures from Throwaways. You may not ever be able to view a glass-topped table in the same way again!

I love the fact that this project calls for 147 cans collected "over a period of time." Some folks could accomplish that in a week! I also enjoy the fact that they specifically call for cans without dents. If you think this table is unique, just imagine it with a few dented cans!

"Tin cans have never looked so good!" You'll have to cut the tops out of these, but you have plenty of time before the 4th of July rolls around. Stars and stripes forever! 

Okay, you have a little less lead time for this striking Christmas tree, so you'd better get busy drinking that beer if you want to have this one ready for Christmas 2017. You know what they say about the struggle...

So sip (or swill - we don't judge!) that canned beer and set those cans aside for future use. It's positively green! Fred Sanford would approve.

Vintage Ideas for Easter Tables

Are you looking to give Easter dinner a little flair? Later this week we'll have cocktails guaranteed to add sparkle to Easter celebrations! For now, here are some ideas for a memorable Easter tabletop, courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens Holiday Cook Book (1959) some edible and some not. Go outside, find a branch and some spray paint, and create a spectacular Easter tree!

If you're after a more mid-century modern look, here's a centerpiece you can start making now, with some Perky Platter Trims to start practicing:

These adorable serving vessels are both Easter-themed and edible! And these Easter Bonnet cookies are merely a jumping off point. Everyone knows that the best Easter bonnets are over-the-top, so let your creativity run amok!

Just think how much better they'd look in color! If you're celebrating, I hope you're enjoying your Easter prep!

Flower Arranging: A Fascinating Hobby

Who doesn't want to add a little beauty to their home or dinner table? This 1941 tome from the Coca-Cola Company aims to help you do just that, with some ideas that are, indeed, fascinating. Here are a few of my favorites:

If Volume 2 is this amazing I can only dream of what Volume 1 contains!

The elegant arrangements are all well and good, but this book was published by Coca-Cola. Therefore, things take a turn for the decidedly Coke-y by the end. Take it from Laura Lee Burroughs: whether you're entertaining the Garden Club, hosting bridge night or a badminton tournament, the teens or the Boy Scouts, "Pause and relax with Coca-Cola. Eventually your success will be assured." In fact, who needs flowers at all? Park some bottles of Coke on the table and you're all set! Don't forget the hooch (well, don't put it out on Scout or teen night)! 

Kitschy Kitchens!

Have you ever stood in a boring, modern kitchen and wondered, even for just a moment, what it would be like to cook in a kitchen of Brady Bunch-era splendor (or am I the only one who's ever done that)? If so, the booklets from the Doubleday Home Decorating Program are just what you need to provide the inspiration to slap up a little wallpaper or maybe hunt down an avocado or harvest gold stove! The Doubleday Home Decorating Program was a subscription service which mailed subscribers, "once a month, a whole packet of decorating guidance and ideas" in the form of "a colorful new Handbook (prepared exclusively for our members) that gives you concentrated, in-depth treatment of a specific part of your home."

I wonder what would happen if I mailed this in now?

If you value kitschy, fun, vintage late-'60s-early-'70s decor, these books will blow your mind! Here are just a few of the kitchens I found in this amazing series:

Here's a resplendent gold kitchen for the space-challenged, with a laundry area to the left. Is that toy truck in a portable sandbox?! That's really making the most of apartment living!

This one is a little dark for my taste, but I admire their complete commitment to paisley. And that avocado and paisley range - wow!

So many seating choices here: love seat, cushioned chairs, tasseled bar stools. You could throw a party in this kitchen!

The striped wallpaper in this kitchen makes me nostalgic for my mother-in-law's house, although her striped kitchen wallpaper was brown. 

There are so many patterns and styles going on here that it's tough to know where to begin! I think my favorite part is the canisters that match the wallpaper. Why waste extra wallpaper?!

Call them tacky, call them horrible, but I love these kitchens! My personal tastes run a little more mid-century modern, but I adore the fact that these designers weren't worried about fitting in or being tasteful. Our homes should be fun, not a showcase for conformity! If you love it, it belongs in your home!