Little grey box

  One of the really great things about my house isn't the house itself. It’s my neighbor Shirley. She has lived in her house next door for sixty years and was very close friends with the original owners of my house. I’ve only had the pleasure of talking to her a few times, but each one has been filled with insight into the life and times of my house and the people who built it.

  Recently she stopped me to ask why I didn't use the heated gutters during the last snowfall... When I stared blankly back at her she just laughed and said ”Somewhere on your back porch is a little grey box with a switch. Paul (the original owner) installed it himself. I told him he should have labeled it.”

   Thusly, I’m officially adding “electrically heated gutters” to the growing list of reasons why I can call this place The Home of Tomorrow. A tiny part of me hopes for one more snow just so I can use them.

 

Cocktails for 30

  For around 15 years or so my friends and I have held an annual cocktail party. It all started back when a good friend, who would later become and excellent brother-in-law, decided it would be really funny to see a bunch of punk rockers, goth kids, and general slackers get all trussed up in suits and dresses. Not surprisingly, he was right. It was hilarious, and we had a heck of a good time. What started as a good idea became an excellent tradition. This last weekend I had the privilege of hosting the 2013 Cocktail Party. My friends unanimously decided my new house would be the perfect location for such a swanky party.

  Never one to take the easy road, I spent the last month collecting glass wear and hors d’oeuvre trays from thrift stores. All of which, I’d decided, had to be period correct. I must say St. Louis and its surrounding areas are full of incredible finds. I managed to quite quickly fill my bar with every kind of glass a drinker’s heart could desire. Highballs, lowballs, champagne and martini glasses. I’ve got it covered and with abundance. Most of them are of the silver rimmed, Dorothy Thorpe design style. Tres chic.

  This was also the first big party I had thrown at my place. Every inch had to be clean and shiny. To explain the level of obsession that came over me, I used my electric car wax polisher to buff my tile floors to a glossy shine. My girlfriend looked at me like I was insane. Being the sweetheart that she is, and to keep me from going truly crazy, she took over the job of the hors d’oeuvre preparation. Which was perfect, because while I have many hobbies, cooking is not one of them. I’m lucky I haven't poisoned myself yet.

  By the grace of whatever divine being you believe in, the party went off without a hitch.  Everyone in attendance enjoyed themselves and I was told more then once that my time capsule of a house made the perfect setting for a cocktail party. I won’t lie, I was beaming with pride all night from the complements I was receiving. And I also won’t pretend that I didn’t enjoy the opportunity to regale an audience with my knowledge of vacuum tube based home intercom systems.

  I think my favorite moment was when one guest asked me if it was ok to take food into the den. He said, “Everything is so clean and retro. I was afraid to go in without asking first.” A friend who overheard the comment said, “Don’t worry, your grandma will never know you ate food on the good sofa.

"THE FUTURE"

Over the weekend, before we got a foot of snow in my area, I was foolishly thinking spring was here and perusing craigslist for some patio furniture. I had a few leads, but sadly none panned out. My gorgeous kidney-shaped patio looks so desperately empty, but I guess I can survive a little longer without a comfortable set of outdoor furniture. Partially because I now feel as if I’m living through another ice age, also because I happened to stumble upon the perfect distraction. My dream dinning table set. Looks like ol' Craig has come forth with goodness yet again.

As a sci-fi nerd I’ve always had a weakness for Lucite. To me, nothing screams “THE FUTURE” like clear acrylic furniture. The smooth lines and clean look compel you to keep it clutter free so you can soak in the object's own beauty.

The aforementioned table is a smoked glass and Lucite set from Chromcraft. The chairs are also Lucite with embossed electric blue flower patterned satin cushions and chrome tulip-style basses. The table top is a heavy, darkly smoked glass oval. The base is a chrome and Lucite, tulip-style base with the ingenious detail of having the very top covered by the same blue flower fabric used on the chairs' cushions. You can actually just see its color and pattern from underneath the smoked glass table top.

It's an incredible set. Just the type I’ve been lusting after for some time now. I’m proud to add it to my own domicile. Now, I just have to figure out where to put it...

From the hand of God

  Anybody need a chandelier? Looks like a church in Staunton Illinois has sadly decided to "upgrade" their lighting. If only I had high ceilings.

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/fuo/3602766738.html

"Vintage Smut"

  Had a little time this weekend to make some simple frames and hang some art. "Vintage Smut" is a screen printed set from about a year ago by artist Adam Saul. I couldn't be happier with how they turned out. The den is really coming together. As I write this I'm sitting by a fire, listening to some lounge music and sipping on a little whisky. 

Ding Dong

 Today is a glorious day. Why you ask? The answer is simple, I have a working door bell. No longer will I suffer the tyranny of wondering when my frinds have arrived or where my delivery food is. Today I am a free man!

 All thanks to a little NOS (new old stock) found on eBay. It's even a Nutone just like the rest of the doorbell system.

It's not a perfect fit, but I like how well it matches the diamond pattern on the doors.

Fisticuffs

  Possibly a futile quest, I am determined to fix all those “little things” around the house. For this adventure I challenged the light fixture located in my basement stairs to a duel. Casting aside concern for my own well-being, I delved into the darkness. Striking hard and fast, I dealt blow after blow to my dastardly foe. After what had to have been an exhausting 8 or 9 minutes of grueling fighting the fixture squealed "uncle" and I was victorious. 

  Seriously though, fixing a dead fixture is super easy. Grab some heavy gauge wire and a new socket (found easily at your local big box store) and you can resurrect any fixture. Just make sure you turn the power off and pray to Crom first.

the old wire

check out the burn marks on the old socket

wired up and ready

dig the crazy light patter it throws

lighting my darkest hour