Summer Break

 

I'm going to be taking a summer blog break.  

Everybody enjoy the sweltering heat, hurricanes, tornadoes, forest fires, and sand in your ass.  I'll be someplace climate controlled, no phones/email, and getting these little kids to fast track build an alligator filled moat around my house. 

They see me mowing!

...my front lawn!

For my current display case I decided to do a yard work theme.

 I usually whine every year 'round about now concerning taking on our forsaken jungle hell weeds among the dreadful sweltering heat and mosquitos.

This display kinda makes me feel a little bit better and gives me a fantasy world of a beautiful vintage pert and perfect landscape.

Yes, in a perfect world we would have astro turf and little garden gnomes helping out with weeds and digging us a bunker!

Once all this is done maybe I can go bowl with the gangsters.

 

Roll on...Roly Poly

I bought my 1964 Airstream around 2002 with the full intention of using it for traveling, however it needed work on most of it's inner systems.  As life changed for me the function of the airstream also shifted.  Until I could fix it up I used it to store my ebay items I had for sale.   I considered turning it into a portable business for kid's birthday parties or as the backdrop for a little TV show a friend and I wanted to create. 

Then at one time I thought I may even have to live in it. 

 Ultimately it just became a really awesome looking storage unit.  At the beginning of covid I cleaned it out and decluttered it and the idea kinda started to seed that it may be time for it to move on.  It was starting to get leaks and it was wasting away.  I didn't have the funds to do a restore or have the skills/vehicle to pull it for camping.  Then when my mom passed away a few months later my thoughts about it did a drastic shift.  I didn't want my family to be burdened by having to deal with it when I am gone.  The day after Christmas 2020 we happen to have a young woman knock on our door who noticed the trailer in the backyard and offered to buy it.  She owns a business that buys and restores vintage trailers that she finds all over the states.  I hadn't even discussed letting it go to Mr. Husband so he was a bit shocked that I seemed to be entertaining the idea.  I told her it was on her to get it out of our yard and to deal with the title etc.  I would also need time to clear everything out of it yet again.  Since she agreed to all of this along with I wasn't going to have to list it or deal with copious people just wanting to look at it I agreed to sell it for really next to nothing.   It was very hard to let it go.  It was a part of my identity for 20 years.  But I know it was for the best.  I put together a little photo tribute here to Roly Poly.

These photos were taken when I first got it:

Look how shiny!

It came with all the original paperwork and owner's manual.

Here are the diagrams of the exterior and interior layout:

This brochure was among the papers.  I love its MCM look:

Here are the photos I took in march 2020:

The interior was never much of anything special looking because someone had yucked it up in the 1990s with carpet, beige paint, and blah fabric on the couch so I don't have any neat photos of that to share.

Here is a vintage post card that was mixed in with all of it's paperwork:

When the mover pulled the airstream out he had to drive it around the block to get it in position to put on the flatbed.  I can't tell you how happy I was to see it in motion and bopping down the road on it's own wheels.  It looked happy.

It's bittersweet I guess. 

Here are a few past posts where Roly Poly was featured:

In search of...Aliens

Skellimingos at ground zero

Deed's Multi-Slicer

I saved the best thing for last of the items we picked up on our mini road day trip to Alabama back in February.

The Deed's Multi-Slicer!

(Front of box above)

(back of box)

Only 5 bucks!

It also still happens to have the slicer!

Now truth be told I despise kitchen gadget uni-taskers such as this.  I bought it just for the box but perhaps I'll try it out when I forget how to use a knife.

Gift to you all!  I scanned the box for your crafting pleasure!

 

Plasticville 5 and 10

 During our road trip to Alabama back in February we stopped in at a super neat antique mall called the Vintage Emporium.

I came across this Plasticville 5 and 10 mini store model and had to have it.  I even spent more that my 6 bucks limit I usually have per item.  15 bucks!  But it's so freaking cute! 

I collect a lot of stuff but one collective category is items still in their original package that would have been from mid century 5 and dime stores.  I did a 3 month long series back in 2017 all about 5 and Dime merch and ads that starts with this post (just keep clicking "newer post" and you can view them all in order.)

I also have a Plasticville Super Market that is a smaller scale size.  Vintage food packaging is another of my things too!

Inflatable Hanger

 This week I am going to show a few things we picked up on a little mini road day trip we took to Alabama back in February.

We went to an estate sale, a thrift store and an antique mall.  I know we picked up more than 3 things but I can't recall what else and these 3 happened to be already photographed and loaded as drafts soooo....

This Mint in Package Inflatable hanger was from the estate sale.  It seems like it would be a really good idea to use for hanging up sweaters.  I'm just leaving it in the package as is for display.  I think it was 4 bucks.

Albers Tamale Pie

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For Cinco De Mayo I made us Albers Tamale Pie.  As I am sure it's pretty obvious I was drawn to it because of its lovely presentation with the polenta shaped diamond topping.

The recipe just so happens to not give much direction on this key feature.  I made mine by lining a baking pan with wax paper sprayed with cooking spray and then put down a uniform layer of the polenta when it was still warm.  I then put it in the fridge to firm up.  Next I cut a diamond shape out of a piece of cardboard to use as a template and cut out the shapes from the prepared firm polenta.  Next I layered them on top of the casserole, topped with a little bit of cheese, and baked.  I pretty much followed the recipe as is for the most part.  My changes were I made only half of the recipe for the corn meal crust (aka polenta).  My filling came out looking more like chili than the souper look in the ad.  Taste was average.

For a Mexican inspired extra I also made us non-alcoholic margarita slushes.  I happen to find a sugar free zero calorie Margarita mix at 1.25 tree.  I just ran some ice through the blender added the mixer and had a zero guilt treat!

For more Cinco De Mayo/Mexican inspired posts:

Fried Ice Cream Falso

 Mexican Wedding Cookies

Ole! Cream Cheese Empanadas and Cinco Decor

Viva Los Teachers! Churro Cupcakes

Our trip to South of the Border (South Carolina)

Han Solo S'mores

For Star Wars Day I made us some Han Solo S'mores!

(I like to use saltines as the base rather than a graham cracker) 

The top piece is molded chocolate that I dusted with silver edible powder.  

There are mini Hans and ...

A huge candy bar sized Hans.

This is the mold I used:

Use the force and experience these past Star Wars posts:

Wampa Donuts

Han Solo in Jellonite

Death Star Cookie

Wookie Cookies

Severed Wampa Arm Cake

 

Florida Citrus Fruit Sack

I came across this neat old Florida Citrus fruit sack at an estate sale recently.  

It was out in a dingy storage building so it's not pristine.  

I love old food packaging and collect vintage Florida souvenirs so it's got double goodness going for it.

I am planning on hanging it up on a wall near my kitchen so to give it a bit more pizzazz I decided to make some fake oranges to put inside.  I priced buying faux oranges and they were a bit much for me, also too heavy. 

 

 I bought 3 sets of these hollow thin plastic balls at 1.25 Tree and painted them orange.  The leaves are also from 1.25 Tree.   Out of the bag the oranges certainly aren't going to pass as real, but in the sack I think they work pretty well.