The Lost Weekend: Boots, Blackmail, & Drugs!

Well, I'm back from an unexpected hiatus - at least back for a short post. A few days ago I woke up with a horrible cold - not the normal kind of cold (shall we say common cold) that lets you get on with your normal life even though you're not feeling your best. No, this was a flu-like cold that just zapped all my energy, made my head feel hot and heavy, and left me feeling quite sorry for myself. You know how it is, if you're really sick you just deal with it, but when you're just a little sick it can really bring out your mopey side - or maybe that's just me . . .

So, in the end I took OTC medicine that contains a large dose of pseudoephedrine and while it relieved the stuffy-hot-head, three days of it really made me feel jittery and strange - which is where the blackmail comes in. I had this weird dream - twice - where this relative of a friend of a friend was an evil blackmailer. She was known as the Wedding Blackmailer because she recorded wedding guests making snarky comments about the bride/groom/wedding/reception and then make them pay large sums to keep quiet. Isn't that bizarre?

But, here was the good thing about the weekend:

I had just found this great bath foam at Target - it's from Boots, the British drug store. I didn't even know Target carried Boots - perhaps I should check out their cosmetic section more often. This is the best bubble bath; it's scented with Bergamot, Sage, and Lavender . . . heavenly! A hot tub filled with this is just the thing for a tiresome cold. Especially when combined with a great magazine:

Luckily the latest issue of BBC Homes and Antiques arrived last week! So there's always a bright spot - and perhaps the bright spot here is that even though I fell asleep in the tub, I didn't slide under the water . . . that might have resulted in a longer hiatus!

Check back tomorrow for something less self-indulgent ~ cough, cough. Hope your week is off to a great start!

Let's Go Retro: A Spitfire in the Kitchen

Here's a dilemma - imagine you're the owner of an engineering firm in England just after the war. During the war you made nose-cones for Spitfires and now you're left with surplus aircraft-grade aluminum and no market for it. What should you do?

As you might guess, this is not a hypothetical question - it's the position in which CSA Industries found itself. And it made a clever move. It turned its attention to the kitchen and engineered the first flexible kitchen system - cabinets made of the left-over aluminum that could be fastened together in endless combinations. They were marketed under the name 'English Rose' and were very popular - and very up-market.

Think how much fun it would have been to have the cheery kitchen shown in this advertisement - especially after the dreary war years.

The survival rate of the English Rose kitchens is a testament to their quality. Despite a decline in popularity from the mid-60s to recent years, many of these kitchens remained in use. And, now they're highly sought after, and one look at the kitchen below shows why. I first saw this kitchen in BBC Homes & Antiques - isn't it dreamy?

This lucky homeowner located original cabinets and look how beautifully they 'clean up'. I love the curved drawers - was there a reason for this shape?

Below is another kitchen that's been retro-fitted with originals (from Flickr). The English Rose cabinets mix perfectly with more modern elements.

If you'd prefer new cabinets with the retro look, John Lewis offers these replicas. They have great colors and they're ready to install - no cleaning, painting, etc.

And for those of us on this side of the Atlantic, check out these American Steel cabinets from the early 1950s. While not iconic like the English Rose, they look similar and there are a few for sale on the web. Perhaps someone out there has a beautiful kitchen full of refurbished ones?

As a side note, look at her dishwasher - is that Fiesta Ware? What's retro in your kitchen? Fiesta Ware? Thanks for joining me on this quick tour of vintage kitchens and happy Friday!

Meet Polly the Dolly

Inspired by the some fabulous sewing blogs, I decided to make a fabric doll for my niece. Using the pattern from Inside the Black Apple and fabric from Amy Butler, I started with high hopes. (BTW - if you're looking for Amy Butler fabric, several eBay fabric stores carry great fat quarter packs that let you try whole collections and are perfect for small projects like this!) I used velvet for the hair, instead of felt, but otherwise stuck closely to the original. Mine isn't as well-tailored as the ones for sale by Inside the Black Apple, but I'm pretty pleased with her and think my niece will like her, too. She has her own pillow and a quilt that was based on the full-size quilt on the May cover of my new favorite magazine - BBC Homes & Antiques. The next time you're browsing through the web, take a look at the many great craft and sewing blogs - you're sure to find some inspirational ideas . . . and it's the perfect time to begin making those holiday gifts!