Moving In and Moving On

My time here in DeluxeVille is drawing to a close and I have but 4 1/2 short weeks until the BIG move happens. I of course have been packing my car and moving things each time I visit the Sgt, but the really BIG move will be taking place the end of May. That's when the moving truck will get packed up and ALL my things will be in the same place and all together again. YAY!! I can not tell you how excited I am about this. I'm a gal that loves to make her home a nest and living here and there and everywhere has just been a super pain in my butt.

As you can see, my things are beginning to take up space in the Sgt's garage. It sure was nice of the Sgt to move his guy toys around to make space for my crap. Every time I visit, my pile keeps getting bigger. Just so you know how sweet he is, Sgt even goes to auctions with me and lets me buy more crap to put in the garage! Now if that doesn't say love, I don't know what does? hahaha Wait till I start bringing it into the house and moving his crap into the garage! He sure will be surprised then won't he!? Just kidding Sgt *wink wink* Okay, maybe not about all your surfboards in the living room...they can go in the garage.... right??

Anyway, I did pick up a really cute kitchen table at a recent auction out in the boonies. Not a lot of people showed up so prices stayed relatively reasonable on things. I got the 50's kitchen table for $10, a very cool atomic pole lamp for $1, an old table I will probably use for a potting table for $1 and a neato Smith Corona turquoise 60's type writer for 50 cents. Which proves the point that there are still lots of sweet deals to be had out there....just keep looking!

The table top is in great condition but the legs need a little steel wool action.


A shabby but chic potting table.


Okay really, how could I not buy this for a $1! It works and it came with the light bulbs still in it. I mean come on, the light bulbs cost more than a $1 now a days!


The cute turquoise typewriter I dug out of the "nobody wanted it pile"!

Can I just add how happy it makes me to have finally found a guy who loves to go to auctions with me, has a truck that he actually uses for a truck, and lifts all my heavy things for me without me even having to ask! I've been looking for a bus like this for a long time! Riding all those wrong bus routes all those years sure does make me realize what a great bus I finally found. Thanks for picking me up Sgt and taking this crazy, vintage loving gal in the right direction!

xoxo,
~MaryDeluxe

Working vs Watching

Spring Planting


Working


Watching someone work


Watching someone work.


Working.

Happy Spring!



For my Mom....... Yup the rain barrel rocks...Thanks Mom!

Things From Local Auctions That Made Me Drool

Gathering old things together connects someone's past to your
future. When you collect you are a curator of lives.

I love the color and the amazing lines of this sofa! I can picture this sofa in a robins egg blue room.

With these lamps next to the sofa.


Mermaid lamps....every surfer girl should have a set of these!

I love old VW Bugs...I had one just like this in my early 20's! Thanks Dad!

Bunting lawn chairs....the best made lawn furniture.

A pair of 50's slipper chairs.

The Little Devil Grows Up

A Milo Post

Remember this guy?

Yup, all grown up!

Yes, he's huge and weighs in at a whopping 15lbs! He's still goofy though and enjoys expressing this side of himself in the middle of the night or early in the mornings with what we like to call..."Milo's Circus". He will often enlist the help of the other side show freak on the premises, "The Tailess Wander" in his antics. The circus side show scene often involves, high speed chases (similar to the movie Bullitt), bed bouncing, and the occasional toilet flush. As you might also guess, he's a Mama's boy, but will adamantly deny this fact with growling and hissing when ever I try to love up on him. His hissy pants ways have certainly not changed, but he often forgets himself at bed time when he demands nightly cuddle time on top of Mama! So, just in case you've been wondering....yes, the devil still wears stripes!

If you don't know the reference I made in regards to the high speed chase scene from the movie Bullitt, you can watch the clip below! Steve McQueen...1968...It's one for the car guys out there!

Plycraft Chair

I went off to an auction a few weeks ago and came across this chair pictured below. I know, you're thinking what I was thinking, Eames chair! But in reality it's a Plycraft chair. Plycraft??? I had no idea, so now of course, I had to discover what I can about Plycraft. Here is the 2003 obituary for Paul R Goldman the owner of the company. Oh by the way, the chair sold for $300 and even had the original Plycraft brochure with it. Do any of you own Plycraft furniture?

Paul R. Goldman
LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Paul R. Goldman, 91, formerly of Andover, Mass., and president of Plycraft, Inc., in Lawrence, Mass., died Aug. 12, 2003, in Los Angeles.
Mr. Goldman graduated from the Boys Latin School in Boston, Brookline, Mass., High School, Class of 1931, and the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Economics, Class of 1935.

He married Sylvia Kravath of Dorchester, Mass., and Hull, Mass., in 1935. They were married close to 60 years before she died in March 1995.

The Goldmans moved to the Lawrence area in 1937 and resided at 8 Joyce Terrace in Andover from 1941 to 1994. Mr. Goldman bought the Joyce Castle Estate on North Main Street in Shawsheen Village in Andover and developed the Castle Heights neighborhood on that land.

Mr. Goldman started building his own sailboats and then went into the woodworking business in Lawrence. In his initial business, the Plywood Corp., Mr. Goldman developed Plytube, a molded plywood tubing. With this, he designed and manufactured Plytube products for the U.S. military during World War II and the Korean conflict, including masts for the signal corps and dummy aircraft decoys among other things. After the war, he started making molded plywood furniture and in 1953, started Plycraft, Inc., in Lawrence, making fiberglass-covered boats. He later went back to plywood-molded furniture and continued in that business until 1994, when he and his wife moved to Florida.

Mr. Goldman is considered "the father of plywood technology" and a pioneer in the furniture industry. He was described as one of the "Horatio Algers" of his time in a Newsweek Magazine article in November 1962. The same article noted the installation of his chairs at the Lincoln Center in New York City. Mr. Goldman designed his own machinery to mold plywood veneer into complex shapes, creating beautiful and very comfortable furniture. His first molded chair was made for Herman Miller, then he continued to manufacture all of his own designs.

Mr. Goldman designed thousands of tables and chairs during what is known as the "mid-century modern period". Several of his chairs, including the "Mr. Chair" and the "Cherner Chair", have become classics of this period and are now sold as valuable antiques of that area. Numerous articles have been published about Mr. Goldman. He has been noted in books about this period, and some of his chairs have been on exhibition in museums around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in Chicago. His most famous chair, "The Rockwell", was first produced in 1956 and is thus named as it appeared in a painting by the eminent artist, Norman Rockwell, on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post in September 1961. Another famous chair, coined "The Swinger" because of its shape, has also become a classic. It continues to be recommended by various medical specialties because of its ability to raise the legs above the user's chest, truly the first real healthy ergonomic chair. Companies all over the world have copied this design. Both "The Rockwell" and variations of "The Swinger: are still manufactured in the U.S.

You might also want to check out this interesting article in Collector's weekly about furniture designer Kem Weber! Kem Weber the mid-century designer who paved the way for Ikea

One Happy Puppy

What does the Sgt and MaryDeluxe do on an overcast Sunday afternoon? Why we plant the vegetable garden and watch the puppy play. hahaha Nothing is better then a dizzy black lab to put a smile on your face! Silly Raven!

Deluxe-a-Fied Part II

Okay, first off, I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed getting comments from you all with your thoughts and feelings in regards to something we all have in common....vintage! A lot of your comments gave me a good giggle and one or two gave me a good eye roll! One of the best things about having technology is that it allows us to connect with other people in regards to things we have a passion for. I started this blog a few years back to do just that, share my passion for vintage crap with others who get it too. I also wanted a place to share with my family the love letters between Fran and George. I never expect anyone to agree 100% with what I say or do in my life. I really don't care what others might think about the dribble I scribble out here on my keyboard. I do this whole thing just to amuse myself and as it turns out, I guess, I amuse other people too. How cool is that!

See how dedicated I am to blogging....any spare moment I get...A sunny Saturday afternoon...blog, blog, blog!

Pricing:
Yup, as I stated before and have been reading elsewhere on other people's blogs, vintage has gone way up in price. And just because I can remember and reminisce about my good ole days of finding $5 vintage dresses in goodwill does not mean anything other then, I'm older than you and have been around much longer. How do I know vintage has gone way up in price in this day and age is simple....I have to pay more for it myself at auction. In the last 5 years auction prices have sky rocketed on anything considered mid-century modern. So, if it's costing the dealer more to buy it at auction, they are going to charge you more to buy it from them. Even though I'm paying more for vintage mid-century items now than I did three years ago, I am still getting it cheaper at an auction then from a dealer. Also about dealers, I have no problem with what they do for a living. There are some really good dealers out there that know a lot about what they sell and price accordingly. Unfortunately, there are also a lot of bad dealers who make the vintage market not such a good place. I am not pointing fingers at anyone here one way or another because to be honest with you, I don't buy online. I hate buying online. There's lots of reasons for this. One reason is that I just happen to love the hunt, finding it online is just to easy and takes away my thrill. Another reason is, I really prefer to try my vintage on and examine it before I buy it. I prefer to support my local vintage clothing dealers when I'm looking for vintage clothes and I enjoy finding my own mid-century crap at auctions, cutting out the middle man so to speak. I pay a lot less to buy locally then I do on the internet. I also know that I am lucky because I live in such a rich area of the country for mid-century crap. Some of you have no choice but to buy over the internet and pay for it if you really want it.

I personally think you can still find good deals on vintage items. The deals are out there, you just need to look for them and be patient. If you have to have a certain type of vintage dress or shirt in a certain time frame, well then, you're probably going to have to pay money for it. But if you're in no hurry and just enjoy collecting vintage, then you are probably going to do better at finding deals. After all, I've been collecting for years just by being patient and waiting till I found things in the price range I wanted to pay. Trust me, as you've seen, I can still find it out there and I don't pay out the ass for it either...I refuse to.

Scenes:
I also wanted to point out that my post was not meant to be directed at any one person I know in my real life or my online life. It has been an observation that I have made over the years about people I would see out and about. I don't consider myself as being in a scene. I personally don't like scenes and would never want to stereotype myself that way. I find that people are way to complex to be stereotyped in one particular way or another. I like what I like and do what I do because I want to. It's that simple to me. I have always lived my life for me and not for other people. Do I get stereotyped into a certain group by people because of the things I like or the way I look...yes. Does it bother me. I will say no for the most part, but every now and again it does. It depends on the situation. Lets face it, EVERYBODY passes judgment on other people. We do it all the time whether you want to admit it or not and it gets done to each of us every single day. It's up to you how you let that judgment affect you.

I tend to have always judged people based on their actions versus the simple image that they try to convey. I try very hard to never judge a book by it's cover and stick to the more important facts of what someone says, how they act, and the way they treat others. If I find that I'm not agreeing with how someone else is conducting themselves, I just stay away from them. No drama and no talking behind their backs for me, I prefer to just keep doing my thing the way I want to. I can't stand being around people who do that shit either. If they are going to sit around and talk crap about someone else and try to start drama, trust me, as soon as you leave the room, they'll be talking crap about you too. Those aren't friends. I prefer to be friendly to everyone, but only be friends with a few. I take this same approach with blogging, if I don't like what I read, no biggie, I move on. I don't feel the need to leave a negative comment or a positive comment. I have never seen the point in leaving a negative rant on someone elses's post. It does nothing but cause drama and in the grand scheme of things....something must be very wrong in your life to leave a negative comment on a person's blog who you don't know in real life. Really, if it bothers you that much what some random stranger writes on the internet....well then, the internet police should take away your internet privileges and force you to go get a real life! Blogging is just another form of entertainment and should never be taken to seriously. If you don't like it, move on....it's so easy, it's called that little arrow at the top of your screen. Remember, people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones!

Here's what MaryDeluxe thinks about negative people....and Sgt taking her picture as she's blogging!

Why Vintage:
The real reason I got into vintage things so long ago is simply because I was poor. I had to furnish my apartment and myself but had little money to do so. As an artsy fartsy kid who loved to be different, vintage was just a natural fit. You could find it cheap at any Goodwill or Salvation Army. People thought I was weird and that fit in great with my artsy, rebel, little poor, punk ass self. I rocked my vintage dresses with my combat boots and converse all over the place! Like many of you out there did or some of you might still be doing! Go you!!! As I got older, I got less angry..hahaha..and more into just pure vintage. I hit up auctions and found things way cheap there too. Now, it's a different story of course. Yup, Madmen...I don't need to say anything about that do I. I've never watched Madmen. But anyway, I didn't start buying vintage things because I was trying to achieve some image for other people, I bought vintage because it was cheap and I liked it. I still do even though the prices have gone up. I love mid century vintage in particular....always have, always will!

Vintage Top Five

I was thinking tonight as I'm puffing away on the treadmill, if I had to pick my top 5 most recent favorite vintage finds, what would they be? Notice I said finds and not things. As a lover of the hunt, I am ecstatic when I happen to find vintage things and even happier when they come along with a good deal. If you followed my blog for a while, you will know how much I love going off to auctions and coming back with treasures. So after much racking of my brain, I bring you all....

MaryDeluxe's top 5 most recent favorite vintage finds!!
(in no particular order)

This set of Franciscan Starburst from Fall of 2009. $85 score!

A mint 8 serving set of Onieda TwinStar in the original wooden case. $10. May 2008. Yes there's a great story behind this one and you should go see and read about the auction I found this at here. One of my most favorite things about auctions are the wonderful stories I get to hear and treasure along with some of the things I buy. This was a very special auction for me. Because of the family sharing the stories with me about their Mother, I also choose the other items I bought at this auction and they are the woman's 1940s suit and gab pants pictured below.

And me wearing her gabardine trousers below....June 2009....Yes, I do think of her when I wear them! That's one of the great things about vintage that I love, everything has a past and some sort of story. When I wear vintage I like to think about where the clothes might have been before me.

My Heywake Buffet....In the fall of 2008, I had a bidding battle with an old Mennonite man with a cane and came out the winner as he refused to bid higher then $35! Someday I'll find the china hutch for it but right now it works well as a dresser. It will however be moving it to the dining room to join it's place with the rest of the set in a few months!

I can't do a top 5 without including at least one lamp can I?? I think not! So I give you from back in 2006....the charmer himself...Mr Sparkles. Mr S is a Continental Art Company lamp and I fought hard for him at auction, dropping a total of $45! I just couldn't stop myself, I was mesmerized by his phallic little light bulb and just had to have him.

So now I ask, what are your top 5 favorite vintage finds? Do you have a good story behind why they are your favorite vintage finds? How did you come about finding your favorites? Post them to your blogs and send me a link so we can all have a look see please!!! I look forward to seeing your treasures!

xoxo,
~MaryDeluxe

Roadside America....

the kitschyest place in the world and the perfect place for an afternoon date! I LOVE Roadside America and I try to get there at least once a year, usually in the Summer time. Roadside happens to be about an hour drive for both the Sgt and I, so it worked great for a middle place to meet! Don't worry Sgt, in 60 more days we can start meeting in a certain room in the house for our Sunday afternoon dates! *wink wink*

Roadside America History

ROADSIDE AMERICA is an unforgettable panorama of life in rural United States. The exhibit spans more than two hundred years in time and lets you see, in exquisite miniature, how people lived and worked in pioneer days … through the years since then … right up to the present.

In newspapers and magazines, ROADSIDE AMERICA has been acclaimed as the greatest known miniature village—the most unique and detailed masterpiece of its kind in the world. Actually, it is not one village, but many—really the American countryside as it might be seen by a giant so huge that he could see from coast to coast.

Get ready to be taken by SURPRISE!!!!


Step right up folks! Right through those green curtains and on the other side of that door, you will find more then you every expected with sights that will amaze you. Oh and trolleys and trains to run!

Ta Da!!!

Hello excitement of a 5 year old!


Yup, I'm a complete 5 year old when there are buttons around to push!


I however, was not in this button pushing craziness alone!

There are just so many cool details to look at and a bunch of trains that go running around the town.


Yup, buttons to push that ran little areas in the town...here I am making a train run! You are given a Roadside America brochure that has info to read about each numbered area along the walk around the display. I'm at number 4 and it goes up to 66 so there is lots to see and read about. Oh and buttons to be pushed! Have you noticed button 4 got all the action!

I want to live in this town!

Happy town folk.


"The Twilight Show" which occurs ever half hour, consists of the overhead lights going out, the star lights come on in the ceiling, the houses light up, and they play God Bless America while they picture the Statue of Liberty, Jesus, and the American Flag on the big wall in front of the town! It is absolutely kitschtastic!

When the lights go out the visiting folk tend to get a little stupid! Pirate on! Arrggga

Roadside America from the outside!

Don't forget to wave goodbye to the giant scary Amish couple as you are leaving! Hey it's Pennsytuckey Pennsylvania, what do you expect?? Actually, I love living in this State!

On the kitsch factor scale, I have to give Roadside America 10 stars! A great date or family destination that's fun, a little wacky, and not to expensive on the wallet. There's just nothing like a little roadside kitsch to bring the goofiness out of all of us!

Sunday Date...

I am off for a Kitschy Sunday afternoon date with the Sgt, but before I go, I just wanted to say....I'm loving hearing from my DeluxeVille readers on their thoughts in regards to my last post! Your comments have brought up a lot more thoughts that I have in regards to "the vintage scene". I really hate calling it a "scene" but hey, it really has become that! It is what it is and ya get what ya get! I leave you with my "underwear from target, vintage wearing ass below!

Vintage late 40's house dress...one of my favorites!
Vintage 50's cardi
Black Keds
Socks from target
Trophy Queen Handbag
My natural hair color!

Xoxo,
MaryD

Deluxe-a-Fied

Dear DeluxeVille Readers,

Please be advised that many times along the way in my blog, I will write a bit tongue-and-cheek. This is not always appropriate content for all my readers. Sometimes, in my quest for self happiness, I will write or share information that might offend a few people, many people, or maybe just bus drivers! So, I would just like to take a moment to apologize to ALL the bus drivers, hey-wake dealers, non-materialistic people, non-fur wearers, vintage elitists, non vintage elitists, my Mom, my Dad, various family members, ex-boyfriends (you know who you are), all the little people, and anybody else that might have experienced a "bad feeling" about anything I may have written in this here blog. This is my warning, if I've offended you in the past, I will continue to do my best to offend you in the future!

Thank you for your time!

The owner of this here joint,
Miss MaryDeluxe

Now on with the show! A few questions followed by my 2 cents!

Question:

Am I the only gal out there who has gotten to the point where they think vintage has become grossly over priced?


My 2 Cents:
My frugality must be catching up with me...but I think some gals are paying way to much on vintage things. Vintage has so jumped the shark and I'm getting tired of the insane prices for things just because it happens to be from the mid-century era. I'm sorry, but that 1950's dress has a hole in it and it ain't worth $85. You can get pissed at what I'm saying all you want, but I'm probably older then you and in the 80's & 90's, I use to be able to walk into a Goodwill or Salvation Army, head to the "Vintage Clothing" area and buy a vintage 1950's prom gown for $5! I'm sure if you're in your late 30's or 40's you're shaking your head agreeing with me right now....Hallelujah, Amen, Sister Deluxe! Lets face it, vintage is cool, everyone has to have it and it drives the prices up. Eventually people will move onto another trend and prices will fall.

Question:

What the hell is up with the whole competition thing to "look more vintage" then everybody else? WTF is that about??

My 2 Cents:
Really, WTF is that about? I've seen this happening now for years and I 'm glad to know I'm not the only one who just doesn't get it? My guess is vintage has become trendy and cool! So of course now it's going to attract what I like to call..."wanna be vintage snobs". WBVS are the people who have gotten involved in "vintage lifestyle" fairly recently when it's became trendy and now think they can make up rules about who is cool and who is not. WBVS are also the people who buy their vintage in large quantities within a short time frame because they need to have as much as those of us who have been collecting for a long time. They will then say they know so much about "being vintage" because they now have 500 Bakelite bangles, 50 Lucite purses, and the required Shaheen Hawaiian dress/playsuit ....they are now instantly cooler than you. Oh and God forbid you wear something reproduction around them!! WBVS would laugh at you and stab you in the back for sure, they would NEVER be caught in "fake vintage"! I personally am sooooo tired of these fake ass bitches who think they can make rules about what someone needs to wear in order to be considered "vintage". Yes, you are so much cooler than me because you wipe your ass with dead stock toilet paper (because someone told you it's cool) and I don't....now get away from me! I say, wear your vintage proudly even without an armload of Bakelite or the right accessories! While you're at it, wear an outfit more then once and your fake vintage too! Tell the WBVSs to kiss your "underwear bought from Target" ass!

Question:

Since when did you start needing to have tattoos to be considered "vintage"?

My2Cents:
I have wondered about this myself?? I am very happy that I don't have any tattoos other then the tiny one I oh so unfortunately got many years ago on my ankle. I think many times of getting it removed. I have gotten emails from people saying that I would look better and "cooler" with tattoos and to them I say, kiss my "underwear bought from Target" ass.... I'll stay uncool, thanks! I like looking different than everyone else, it makes me standout in the crowd...I'm usually the only girl at the rockabilly show without tattoos and I love it! And before you send the hate emails, I have nothing against people with tattoos, they're just not my personal thing....maybe that will change, but I doubt it. So, if you want to judge me "unvintage" because I don't have the required amount of tattage, please just get away from me.....I bet you're also one of those "WBVSs" who wipe your ass with 1950's dead stock tp. Can I also just add that not dating someone because they don't have "tattoos" or dress "vintage" enough, is really silly. How vain you must be to date an image and not a person. I'm sure your relationships go far!


So Dear DeluxeVille Readers, what I'm saying is, you don't need a certain "vintage image" or "a certain amount of vintage" to impress me. I could really care less about how much vintage crap ya got and how ya wear it. I'm more about the person on the inside then the person on the outside. Isn't that really how it should be?

~MaryDeluxe

ps.....please forward all hate email to the Sgt!