Shag Art on a Mid-Century Modern Toy

Every nerd knows that San Diego Comic-Con happened recently. And for you non-nerds, San Diego Comic-Con is great big geek fest of fun. To add to the fun and funkiness this year, a Batusi Batman toy was released. Making it even more fun, the fact that Shag did all the art for the toy box.

It's a cheeky celebration one of the more embarrassing moments in Batman history. But the Shag art is as perfect as always and seeing his version of the old-school Batmobile is a little bit of a dream come true.

Plus, the people in the box dance the Batusi with Batman.

Mad for Mid-Century on Apartment Therapy

I was reading a post about travel-themed nurseries on Apartment Therapy and flipping through the gallery of gorgeous nurseries when all of a sudden I landed on one that looked very familiar, because it was our travel-themed nursery. If you're at all interested in a travel nursery, you should check out the post, there's some great inspiration there. I especially like the paper airplane nursery (second to last image).

My Mid-Century Austin Estate Sale Finds

Last week I mentioned an estate sale I hit up. It was one of the better ones I've been to for kitchen items. The kitchen is the room that we still need more mid-century details in, so I picked up a few things.

Like this candy dish / serving dish

And this cheese plater

They also had a gold and ruby version of my mid-century cuff links so I had to pick those up in case the wife ever wants to accessories with gold, I can still match.

But the best find was a monstrous mid-century dinnerware set. There are 13 complete sets (plate, salad plate, bowl, dessert bowl, coffee cup and saucer), 3 serving bowls, 2 serving platers and enough extra pieces that we don't have to be too scared if something breaks. All told, we got just under 100 pieces of of this avocado green dinnerware set, which has a nice fade to it.

The only downside it that it's unmarked and other than a few people selling a coffee cup or two, I haven't been able to find out anything about the set.

Just look at this handle, who wouldn't want a few of these in their cabinet?

Austin Estate Sale: 3202 Silverleaf

I hit this estate sale during my lunch break today. I knew if I waited till tomorrow morning most of the things I was interested in would be gone.

When I got there, this red cookware, which I was hoping to snag, was already gone. Expect for one lonely pair of salt and pepper shakers.

But there was a complete set of mid-century dinnerware still there.

More than complete, there was 13 sets (dining plates, salad plates, coffee cups, saucers, bowls and dessert bowls), 3 serving bowls, 2 serving platers and a few extra pieces. The price was right and we've been looking for some mid-century dinnerware to add to our kitchen, so that's where it's sitting now (more pics to come soon).

I also picked up a few other bits and bobs, but I did leave a few good things behind, like this mid-century lamp, which also lights up in the base.

And some really great jewelry. I'm not a big jewelry shopper at estate sales, but the collection here was particularly nice. I got my wife what I thought was the nicest necklace and I picked up a pair of vintage cufflinks for myself (again, more pics to come).

 

So, some of the nicest pieces are gone, but if you're looking for an estate sale to hit this weekend, the one at 3202 Silverleaf is probably still worth while.

The Hunt for a New Mid-Century Cocktail

A while back I went on a hunt for the perfect mid-century cocktail to serve at home. I thought the Moscow Mule was the answer, but I overestimated two things: how much I like ginger beer and how much other people like ginger beer. I made the switch to ginger ale but the drink lost something and it wasn't unique enough to be a signature house drink anymore.

So I went on the hunt again and came across the Zombie. It's an authentic tiki bar drink, but way too complicated to be our standard dinner party drink. Anything with seven ingredients, an umbrella and some fruit is too much work. I'd be making drinks all night and never get to mingle. But next time I'm at a tiki bar, I know what to order.

So I'm still on the hunt for a signature cocktail that I can serve at home, one that won't keep me trapped in the kitchen all night.