Friday, August 1, 2008

Kitsch-tastic!

Yeah!!! Summer term is over. Grades aren't out yet, but I think I did awesomely in all three classes. Oh, and get this . . . I really like chemistry now. It was pretty cool to start at something so abstract and have it built up into something amazingly complex and meaningful. Yeah, I know I'm a nerd.
To celebrate my summer courses ending, I made a trip over to Last Chance Thrift Store (Decatur location) to hunt for some treasures.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE 1970's kitschy designs and color schemes of yellow, avocado greens, browns and oranges. These magical color combos were a definite in the house I grew up in (*although I'm quite sure my folks would call them "tacky" or "hideous" instead of magical). I recall our kitchen being modest and a bit darker than other parts of the house due to the brown cabinets that overpowered the muted/pale yellow counter tops and linoleum floors (I think they were yellow . . . I'm getting old and my memory is fading). We had this amazing shaggy green carpet throughout the house and of course wood paneling on the walls in several rooms. I loved it!
One thing is for sure, I didn't grow up around fancy matching Pyrex glassware and I don't recall my mom hosting a Tupperware party at our house, but for some reason I am especially drawn to Pyrex casserole dishes and nifty Tupperware from that era. There is something about these things that are so comforting and really, really hard to pass up when I see them at a thrift store. Needless to say, I was super happy when I came upon 3 awesome items that only cost a total of $5.
The first thing I found were these matching Tupperware containers that didn't look quite deep enough to store salad dressing but clearly looked like some sort of container for a liquid condiment. After some research, I found out that these gems are oil and vinegar cruets. They are in very good shape and only cost $2 for the pair!!!
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Next I found this crazy spaceship looking item that turned out to be a kitchen timer, made by Presto (Eames Era Space Age UFO design). I had a hard time finding out a lot about this particular gadget so, I'm not a 100% on the Eames Era tip, however, it was only a dollar, I needed a kitchen timer, it looks freakin cool and it works!
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The last beauty I found was a Pyrex Woodland Brown Flower 1 quart casserole dish. It doesn't have a lid, but honestly, even when I have casserole dishes with glass lids, I hardly ever use them. This was $2, which is a little more than what I would spend on an incomplete piece, but it HAD to come home with me! It was practically begging me.
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Now, I gotta start prepping for the Indian meal I am making for Jared tonight. It seems like I haven't made a decent meal in forever. I hope I didn't lose my touch in the kitchen and it turns out well enough to brag about.
I'll be visiting everyone's blog super soon!

13 comments:

VeganCowGirl said...

Lori - congrats on finishing off first term, so nice for you, and it sounds like all things went to plan. Bravo. And who DOESN'T love 1970s browns and yellows and greens. I will have to snap a photo of two china dolls my grandmother gave me before she died...so speak to that whole design movement.

Long live tacky.

Virginia said...

You just gave me an idea for some shopping to do for the weekend! I love thrift stores!

Leigh said...

Welcome back! What a great pyrex find.

Vegan_Noodle said...

So glad to hear you are liking chemistry! It was always one of my favorite subjects :-)

What great finds! I love the casserole dish!

bazu said...

Oh I love all the thrift finds! Of course, my eye is immediately drawn to that pyrex! Awesome.

Unknown said...

so, like, you bought those for me right?

i remember my grandpa had those kind of casserole dishes growing up. unfortunately they are all gone now.

Veggie said...

Awesome thrift store finds!

I nominated you for a blogging award; check out my blog for the details!

Anonymous said...

I love vintage kitchen gadgets also. I recently found a 70's sugar and creamer set that was old corell ware. White and green. I also look for the old pyrex dishes.

Good to see you are finished with first term and able to post again. Looking forward to your brags on the Indian dinner.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on summer session being over--it must feel SO good!

I hope that you will share your Indian meal...I love Indian food!

Courtney

Maxcactus said...

Great to have you back;

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

Ooh, I love 70's kitsch as well! Great thrift scores! I have a wall of tupperware spice containers in bright orange & I wish I had more room for pyrex.

Erin said...

Awesome finds! I love kitschy stuff like that too. The oil and vinegar caraffes are so cool! I'm hoping to furnish my new place with some vintage stuff, if I ever move in.

Congrats on doing well in your classes!

Arizona bankruptcy said...

I love using 70's appliances. Maybe I'm just stuck in the era, but it makes me feel so much better when I pull out my old olive green, brown, yellow bowls and cups.