Monday, July 31, 2023

Heading out to get some lemons...

"The playhouse will always be here for everyone to play in, forever and ever and ever. And that you have my WORD!"

Words I am lacking with this.

Here are just a few Pee-wee/Paul Reubens posts from the MHiCTY archives that represent the joy/creativity/quirkiness he brought me:

Wednesday, July 26, 2023

Spongeorama!

Going to Spongeorama in Tarpon Springs, FL has been on my gotta-do list for ages. It's a classic Florida roadside attraction that has been in operation since 1968. I also love the name of the place which I like to call Sponge-E-O-Rama.

Mr. Husband Sir and I found ourselves in the Tampa area on a bit of last minute business and happened to realize that we were just a whiff and a whisker away from SPONGEORAMA!

We made our way over through the deluge to the small quaint building. I then covered my bases by pronouncing I think we are about to be underwhelmed.

We encountered lots and lots of beautiful sea sponges, but certainly not at discount prices.

I mean, I would think since the middle man has been eliminated and these sponges were plucked out of the sea just yards from the building they would have passed the saving on to us. The above sponges started at 15 bucks each. I guess they would be like 100 bucks in the commercial market or Walmart.

There are several shelves lining the walls displaying more sponges...dusty sponges.

Samples of different types of sponges to experience in their wet form.

Mr. Husband Sir got to wear the sponge hat.

I got a quick blurry photo in the iconic diver's mask between down pours.

The day we went the free movie on the history of sponge diving was closed. So we were in and out of the place in about 5 minutes. It's very small in there and other than the overpriced sponges the other stuff for sale isn't Spongeorama themed....I mean, goat soap?

In a round about way I do already have a souvenir from there. Last summer when I was decorating/painting the bathroom I wanted to do a sea sponge paint technique on the walls. It took me a bit to locate a sea sponge in town big enough but I found one at Ace Hardware. I was thinking how neat it would be if the sponge was from Spongeorama and then I saw on the label it was from Tarpon Springs! And it was only about 5 bucks. Ace Hardware must have a connection in the underground black market sea sponge racket.

Spongeorama is located in a little Greek area with several other shops, restaurants, and interesting sites on the docks. Because of the torrential rain and our short window of time to visit we missed all of that stuff but if we find ourselves down that way again we'll try again to see the Spongeorama movie and sample some baklava.

For now we are just enjoying the bragging rights of saying we've been to SPONGEORAMA!

Friday, July 14, 2023

Plast-i-clay

Here is another fun vintage craft package to inspire some summer crafting.

I have had this package of modeling clay forever. I can't even remember where it came from.

The back of the package has some bonus fun:

You can cut your modeling time in half by using the supplied heads! Just jab them down in a big ball of clay and be done with it!

Fat astronaut, fat dog, fat cowboy, and a typical cat.

Wednesday, July 12, 2023

Pipe Cleaner Art

In with keeping with summer crafting I thought I would share this absolutely adorable vintage box for pipe cleaners. We picked this up at an antique mall for 10 bucks. A bit steep for me but I couldn't resist it!

The back of the box:

And not only was the box jam packed with pipe cleaners it did still have the 'complete instructions' inside!

Creative ideas of interest to invalids, shut-ins, convalescents!

Entertainment for hours!

Most of the ideas that are in here just have me asking "But why?! Why would you need to make simulated embroidery on an envelope (or maybe that's a bag)? Why would you think it's a good idea to cover your salt and pepper shakers in rows of pipe cleaners? Who would want a lyre shaped letter holder?" Maybe shut-ins have these answers.

Monday, July 10, 2023

What Would Jesus Craft? WWJC?

What Would Jesus Craft? by Ross MacDonald is the perfect book for some summer crafting adult VBS style!

As I was growing up I absolutely loved participating in VBS (vacation bible school) during the summer. There were crafts and snacks and friends and no tests. I would do several ones each summer up through middle school and when I was 'too old' then I transitioned to a teacher assistant. To this day as I drive pass churches during the summer I look forward to spying the banners go up and seeing what their VBS theme will be. I know ya'll are in disbelief knowing my potty-mouth and heathen ways but it's true!

I happened to see this WWJC? book online several years ago and was intrigued. I put it on my wish list and found in under the tree last year.

It's a mixture of humor, quirkiness, and VBS all rolled into one awesome craft book!

Here are a few of my favorite projects:

Goblets of His Glory

These goblets are made from old jelly jars and look like stained glass!

Last Supper Lunch Box

Decoupaged religious renaissance meets baloney sandwich!

Jesus' Pet Dinosaur Nacho Platter

I love dinosaurs.... and nachos!

Smells Like Holy Spirit Pillows

Sweet smelling oversized sachet pillows. Fill them with cat nip and get all the kitties to come to your yard!

Infant-Of-Prague Lucky Lottery Ticket Caddy

A repurposed bunt cake pan with a touch of a prosperity whammy placed on it!

This book is really cute and clever. There are 25 other fun projects along with super humorous writing. This book is a must have for my fellow VBS lovin' sinful crafters!

Tuesday, July 04, 2023

American Eaglet Coconut Cut-Up Cake

Happy 'Beef, Beer, BBQ' and Illegal Fireworks Day! We are celebrating by keeping off the streets, away from the redneck numbskulls and with cake!

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I have been slowly and sporadically working my way through making all the cakes from this 1956 Baker's Coconut Cut-Up Cakes Booklet and today bring you July's selection "American Eaglet".

I have decided to completely skip May and June's cakes as they are absolutely hideous, as seen below:

Not worth my time icing all of those crumbly raw edges for some weird abstract May Day pole contraption.

For the June cake we are suppose to believe this is a crown.

I usually like a challenge of making something weird and oddball but these two cakes are just boring and lame.

The May cake could have been a bottle of anti-anxiety pills for Mother's Day while the June cake could have been a 6 pack of Coor's for Father's Day. Or a daisy for Mom and a pipe for Dad...whatever.

Here is a quick link list of all the other Cut-Up Cakes I've put together:

January Mr. Snowman Cake

February Ever-Lovin' Heart Cake

March Coco The Nutty Clown Cake

April Quick-A-Bunny Cake

October Hallo Witch Cake

November Gobble-Gobble Gobbler Cake

December Dear Santa Cake

Friday, June 30, 2023

BBQ Display

The newest theme for the mini display shelf is B-B-Q aka: Bar-B-Q, Bar-B-Que or Barbeque!

I personally don't understand why the summer is always associated with barbequing. I get that it's an alternative to heating up your kitchen but that's the dimmest reasoning I have ever heard. So let's choose...Do you want to stand over an open fire outside in the humid 90 + degree weather with the sun beating down on you or would you rather run your stove indoors with shade and enjoy the AC giving it what it can to keep the room at 75 degrees?!

There's just no answer other than to avoid the outdoors at all costs in the summer.

No thank you to skin cancer and sweating my balls off.

But! I do enjoy B-B-Q themed vintage items so in with keeping with the lemmings (i.e., herd mentality)

I put together this bold (Well Hell Yes, It's Bold!) and saucy display!

To solve this summer heat, meal dilemma I highly recommend leaving the cooking to the microwave or a cereal bowl.

Wednesday, June 28, 2023

Pinto Bean Casserole

I am back again today with another vintage savory dish that leaves much to be desired.

The serving suggestion as seen below looks hot, bubbly, and creamy:

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I chose to make this dish because it has only three ingredients and they are all on my diet (when using whole wheat noodles). I mean, not that I have been on my diet for the past year as my wide ass can attest but if I wanted to be, this dish would work.

There's just so much wrong here. I followed the instructions and the amounts but the final result looks too noddle-y and certainly not creamy or casserole-like.

It tastes as it looks...like bland ass noodles and beans. And believe me I spiced the hell out of it. There are very few savory dishes that can't be saved by Tony Chachere's except this one. I was looking online at other recipes for Pinto Bean Casserole and discovered none of them were this boring. They had taco seasoning, cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, you know, flavor. Part of me is tempted to try and fix it up with some additional ingredients from the grocery store and the other part of me sees it in the garbage can.

Monday, June 26, 2023

Sausage Corn Bread Supper

Whenever I try to make vintage savory dishes they rarely turn out appealing. Not appealing to look at and certainly not appealing to eat. I had high hopes of reproducing this amazing looking 'Sausage Corn Bread Supper' because the ingredients were simple and their image of the finished dish looked real and gorgeous.

But back in the real-real world it turned out as a bland eyesore.

Let's pick this thing apart, and I mean that literally. I had to pick off the cornbread that had baked over the top of all the decorative sausage links. We had to pick off the apple rings because they were bland chewy disks.

And the recipe name says "Supper" right? Mr. Husband asks as he sees his dinner plate "Is this it? This is the entire meal?"

Reality started to set in with me as I realized there are no vegetables here. This isn't even a side dish. It's a bread with some bonus fatty sausage involved.

PB completely refused to eat it...but that is always to be expected.

This dish isn't an absolute from oven to garbage can kinda thing though. Cornbread with sausage is damn tasty. I home made some apple sauce as the recipe recommended and that was pretty good when incorporated with the cornbread.

Just leave off the apple disks and eat with your eyes closed.

Friday, June 23, 2023

Blogiversery Bathroom Reveal

Lord have mercy, MHICTy's is 18 years old today!

To celebrate I am sharing my decorated bathroom.

Last summer I worked on several big projects around the house even if I didn't have everything pulled together for "perfect". Ideally for my bathroom I would love to have the floors and the fixtures professionally redone but other more financially pressing things always horn in. So I am stuck with the modern era peel and stick tiles and the cracked pedestal sink the house came with.

Also the bathroom is located in a spot where there is no good natural light other than the blaring, blinding setting sun, so these photos are not the best.

But enough apologies, here's the powder room:

Several years ago I found 8 yards of this amazing atomic bark cloth at an estate sale for 10 bucks! I sewed it up into curtains for the window and shower.

I also used it as the primary inspiration, pulling the mucky green out as the color for the walls. I did a sponge painting technique on the walls with gold paint to somewhat mirror the gold in the fabric.

We snagged this vintage pink swan plastic light switch cover from the bathroom wall of a thrift store that was closing down:

The General and Angela are finally up on the wall. I found the ceramic seahorses in a storage shed, broken in chunks at an estate sale several years back. I paid a buck and then just glued them back together.

Mr. Husband replaced both light fixtures in the bathroom with vintage ones.

This is the overhead light shade attached to an inexpensive new light fixture:

I have had these chalkware fish for ages! I bought them from ebay probably 25 years ago:

There are those mermaid cuties!

There is only one small niche in the bathroom that gets a spot of decent lighting and that's this lower shelf of the storage cabinet. I included many images of this shelf to help ease the assault on your eyes of all the other horrendously badly lit photos.

I wish I would have taken before/after photos of these chalkware swans. We bought them for super cheap at an estate sale 4 or 5 years ago. They had been sloppily painted white with, I don't know, a toothbrush? I repainted them with black acrylic paint with accents of gold nail polish!

Also visible is the other vintage light fixture Mr. Husband switched out.

We don't have a lot of flat surfaces in our bathroom so here are the little we have cluttered up with doo dads and what-nots:

The Eisenhowers keep watch to make sure everyone is washing their hands properly:

Above the door I hung a bunch of vintage hair and beauty helpers. I don't think the colors work properly here but I went with it anyhow.

On the wall behind the door I am still working on hanging up a barrage of vintage bathroom related ads such as this warning about mildew being murder!