The Gonce House

Star Wars Christmas

2012-01-20T16:38:00.000-08:00

I know Christmas is over, but I have to share some pictures of one of our best auction finds to date - Vintage Star Wars boxes (boxes only). We found these boxes at an auction a few years ago and got in a little bit of a bidding war with one of the auctioneers! He jacked up the price (he shouldn't have been allowed to bid in the first place), but we were still happy to get them for $40. Ben staged them all around the aluminum tree when he was at the house by himself on Christmas morning. Being a big Star Wars fan, he had his own little Christmas paradise. These pictures make me happy.

New Project: N Scale Mid-Century Town/Train Set

2012-01-14T16:55:00.000-08:00

I am on the hunt for a neat N-scale train set, since that is what my little mid-century suburbia will be built around. I need to work on finding a cool one. In the meantime, I have purchased the modern home and car showroom by Plasticville off ebay (less than $10 each). Below are some of the awesome selections to be had for your n-scale designing pleasure.

Making the Drive-In Sign

2012-01-14T14:41:00.000-08:00

A while back, we made a sign for The Paradise, our homemade, backyard drive-in. A couple sheets of plywood, some spray paint, a jigsaw, and just a little creativity can go a long way! I'm hoping to eventually add a marquee/reader board to list the current features. But, it turns out reader board letters are kind of expensive. So that will have to wait til later. I'm really happy with the way the sign turned out. As of now, we just have it wired up with Christmas lights, but we'll probably upgrade that at some point in the future.

We used old metal rods and pipes that were left in Mr. Gonce's ham radio building. The middle of the structure is an old antenna mast he used.

I came up with a design, then Ben went to work with the jigsaw. We did a lot of painting and spray painting, then we strategically placed everything together.

They're hard to see in the pictures, but the starbursts we made really tie it all together.

Atomic Ranch

2011-09-30T19:33:00.000-07:00

My adorable Old English Sheepdog, Dottie, is in the latest issue of Atomic Ranch! I sent in her picture for their pet on vintage furniture photo contest a few months ago, but I had no idea she would be in it when I was flipping through the Fall issue at our favorite local media store. I was standing there talking shit about Atomic Ranch since they didn't choose her...Then I started jumping up and down when I saw her included on the "Too Cute to Not Share" page. I had no idea she was in it.

She could have won first place, by the way, if I had known about the contest sooner and had time to take some better pictures than what I had stored on my computer. She is featured lounging on our vintage Bass Bros. sectional sofa. One of my favorite pieces of furniture. We purchased it from a lady on craigslist right after we bought our house. $600. More than I've paid for any piece of furniture ever, thanks to that wonderful home buyer's stimulus check. It was mint. Now it is not...thanks to kitties and a big doggy. I plan to reupholster it in a teal shade when the time comes. As you can see, she loves her couch.

Popcorn!

2011-06-26T16:32:00.000-07:00

That's right, folks. A commercial grade popcorn popper in excellent, slightly used condition for...$75! These puppies go for $475 plus tax and shipping online. We have wanted a good popcorn stand since we built the drive-in, but never thought we'd find one cheap enough to buy. We almost didn't go to the flea market, but I'm sure glad we did.

We were also very excited to stumble upon these vintage Halloween masks, which were free when you purchased two bars of Zest soap. $1 each

Vintage lava lamp. $5

Reyn Spooner Elvis dress. $10

Vintage beer advertisement pocket mirror from my favorite seller. $1

It was a good day. Tonight we shall experiment more with the popper! Movie theater butter, here we come.

Happy Birthday, DOTTIE BUTT!

2011-06-23T00:10:00.000-07:00

Today is my puppy's birthday! She is a great, big, whopping 2 years old! Yes, the age they say Sheepdogs magically become good all of a sudden. I've been waiting for this day a long time.

Really though, she's been a very good girl lately. She's one sweet puppy. She's actually rubbing her big slobbery beard up against the keyboard right now...

So, here's a little recap of the past 2 years minus about seven weeks... (Don't forget, you can click on each picture for a better view.)

Today, she shall get ice cream and a new toy. It's a very happy day.

Antiquing with the Folks

2011-06-22T17:06:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I ventured east with my parents to do some antiquing. The three of us hadn't gone out on an adventure in a long time. It turned out to be quite the fruitful Saturday. At the first stop in Gainseboro, TN, I picked up this adorable, handmade, vintage box purse made out of...wait for it...Formica (or some sort of laminate)! It is signed on the back "A Frazier's Original Special for Bettye"! If only my name was Bettye. $10

Also, I scored this vintage gravel art of a playful kitten. $2

At the next stop, I got this small landscape print by Ozz Franca (one of my favorite big-eyed painters) $5

Our journey continued to Livingston, TN, where I scored this awesome, very art deco lamp with original fiberglass shade. $10

I also picked up this old big box VHS copy of Octaman! It will squeeze you dead and suck you dry. $1.50

I got an adorable vintage black and white gingham, halter top dress. Sadly, it does not come close to buttoning. I'll be passing it along to my sister. Even though it was a really nasty, rainy day, we all had a really good time. And I got some pretty cool stuff that I didn't need!

Vintage Magician Memorabilia

2011-06-14T16:55:00.000-07:00

We here at the Gonce house have always been interested in vintage magician memorabilia, but collecting it can be quite the financial obstacle. However, I recently got lucky on eBay and finally scored three very interesting pieces! These belonged to Gloria Marcom, professionally known as Vampira (not to be confused with the Maila Nurmi Vampira), who performed magic shows with her husband Marcom the Mountebank back in the 60s and 70s. The two were extremely popular in the magic scene; however, both died fairly recently and their personal belongings were sold in an estate sale back in March. Lucky for me, someone bought some cool stuff and listed it (quite poorly) on eBay. Even though I had no idea who the two were prior to seeing the listings, I was drawn to their story, and the rest is bidding war history. First up, a very large original pen and ink framed drawing of Gloria!

Here's an 11X14 wood burning of her logo on a nice lacquered piece of wood!

Finally (and this is the best part) here's a personalized license plate that belonged to her from 1982! This one cost a little bit more because I got involved in a serious bidding war with a plate collector...

In that pic, you can see a framed short bio of Gloria that I added to make it seem like a museum display. She was an amazing person, and I feel privileged to own these items of magic memorabilia! Maybe someday I can expand the collection....

Vintage Theater Display Pieces

2011-06-13T15:30:00.000-07:00

While moseying through one of our most frequented antique stores, we found these two gems. The seller claims they were taken from a 60's theater. The icing on the cake is they were only $7 each! They're plexiglass, and they do show some age, but who cares?! They remind me very much of the UPA (United Productions of America) style cartoons from the 50's, like their most notable character Mr. Magoo. I want to do something really special with them, but I'm not sure what yet...

New vintage inspired SHOCK MONSTER mask!

2011-06-11T04:23:00.001-07:00

I know it's still a good while until Halloween, but that never stops me from investing in an awesome mask. I recently had my mind blown when Trick Or Treat studios unveiled their version of the classic SHOCK MONSTER mask, and needless to say (see above pic) I jumped at the chance to own one. For those of you who don't know much about the SHOCK MONSTER, here's a brief rundown: Back in the mid-50s, Famous Monsters magazine hit the shelves and became an instant favorite among America's monster-obsessed youth. Not only did the magazine boast one of a kind articles on scary movies of the past, present, and future, it was chock full of ads offering odd and neato products. One of these first ads was for, you guessed it, the SHOCK MONSTER mask!

Well, kids across the country crapped their collective pants and saved up in order to own one of the most terrifying masks known to man. Imagine the horror that this mask could cause on the playground, or sneaking up on mom in the laundry room.... Well, the masks were ordered, and when they arrived, they looked like this:

Scary, but nothing like the artist promised! But hey, they were only two dollars, right?? Oh well. Not only were the masks lacking the gruesomeness of the illustration, they were incredibly cheap and most were tossed out within a year or so. Those that were sent packing to the attic suffered a horrible fate during the summer heat, also.

However, the masks continued to slowly sell and were listed in magazine and comic ads until the mid-70s! There is an incredibly informative blog post about the history of the mask HERE. Check it out.....and in the meantime, I'll be wearing what thousands of kids wished they would have had back in the 50s....a true representation of the terrifying SHOCK MONSTER!!

1940 Houseboat

2011-06-09T16:39:00.000-07:00

I don't want to sound like a local redneck, but I really want this boat! The seller says it's a custom-made, one-of-a-kind houseboat made in 1940 by Nashville Bridge Co. I think it is just swell!

I imagine the inside is awesome...or could be awesome. It's on Nashville Craigslist for an easy $2K.

Kicking off the summer at the Gonce house

2011-06-07T17:16:00.000-07:00

We kicked off the summer in style last Saturday night at the Gonce house by hosting a Dazed and Confused drive-in party. The heat didn't get us down, in fact, by showtime (11:00) it was quite nice out! Some people dressed up as movie characters, we presented our friend Nicole her own "Soul Pole" for her birthday, all the pre-show movie trailers were from 1976, lots of food was consumed, and keg stands finished out the night. Well.....we didn't do them, but we encouraged everyone else to!

Upcoming summer DOUBLE FEATURE at the Paradise

2011-06-05T04:44:00.000-07:00

So, we finally named the drive in. It only took us about eight months to narrow it down, so....ladies and gentlemen....I present to you....THE PARADISE! I told you it'd be worth the wait!

To celebrate the naming, we'll be hosting this summer's first double feature on June 18. It's titled BACK TO THE DRIVE IN. And no, we won't be showing Back to the Future, that's coming later. Instead, we'll be viewing 80s comedy classics Back to School and Back to the Beach! Now, I'm off on a mission to hunt down a copy of Back to the Beach on DVD. Its totally out of print, so it might get hairy.

"The Radio Building" Make-over!

2011-06-02T19:22:00.000-07:00

This is what we refer to as "the radio building". Mr. Gonce, our home's original owner, had a ham radio station set-up out here, and we've slowly cleaned it up since we moved in. We got rid of the junk inside and left the cool stuff, like his homemade speakers and vintage wall maps marking the spots he communicated with. We're hoping to eventually have it completely cleaned out for use as the drive-in's concession stand and other hobbies. ANYWAY...we recently cleaned up the outside of the radio building, which involved lots and lots of weed removal, hedge clipping action, and painting. Here's the before and after. Although, the before is not a true before because we had already done a lot of cleanup at the time of this picture....

New mugs at Tiki Farm!

2011-05-25T04:47:00.000-07:00

Last week, the fine folks at Tiki Farm released two new mugs......the Oi'Pona and Karo Batak. Pretty cool, but we're holding out for their Tiki Ti 50th anniversary mug that's coming this summer! If you haven't seen that one, get ready...

We Also Love Vintage Monsters

2011-05-23T18:17:00.000-07:00

In our first podcast, we mention our recent trip to Indianapolis for HorrorHound Weekend. HorrorHound is by far the best horror film magazine on the market, and they put together two conventions a year (one in Indianapolis, the other in Cincinnati).

It was our first time, and it was probably the best vacation we've had together...EVER! ...of course, we haven't been able to take many vacations.... Anyway, it was a lot of fun. We got to meet Don Post Jr., Joe Bob Briggs, Barbara Steele, Jeffrey Combs, Lisa Marie and lots of other cool people. There was a House by the Cemetery cast reunion, as well as a Halloween 3: Season of the Witch reunion. The panels for those were amazing! There was also Mask Fest, a one of a kind gathering of some of the best halloween masks on the market (as well as some classic, very expensive ones)! Ben bought a classic style "Shock Monster" mask from Trick or Treat Studios. He wears it when he's feeling saucy.

If you're into horror films, you would have a blast. Plus, it's just fun to see everybody walking around in INSANELY GOOD costumes. So, if you're in the mood for a crazy, fun, carefree weekend, you should definitely check out HorrorHound Weekend sometime. In the meantime, here are some pictures from our first encounter:

our junk

2011-04-04T18:30:00.000-07:00

This is our media room. This is where we keep our movies (laserdisc, VHS, DVD, and Bluray), some of our music, and lots of toys. Ben also keeps part of his mask collection in here. It's the one room of our house that goes against the mid-century rules. We've stuffed it full of our favorite pop-culture artifacts from the 1950's to the 2000's. Dick Tracy curtains, christmas lights, a Sound Design Studio 80 stereo system, 1955 Motorola TV/record player, 2 life size Elvira cardboard stand-ups, and lots of action figures are just a few of the highlights. The aqua, green drafting table that Mr. Gonce worked at is definitely one of my favorite items in the room. Maybe one day we'll straighten it up a little bit, but until then it's still pretty cool. Oh, we have recently decided we're going to install a bookcase with a secret door leading to the media room. We'll post pictures when that's finished.

Opening Night at the Drive-in: House (Hausu)

2011-04-03T18:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday turned out to be a beautiful day outside, so we busted out the lawn chairs and held the first showing of the season. Our friend Chris had been raving about the recent Criterion release of the 1977 House, and we had yet to watch it. We were not disappointed. Ben and I both loved it, and everyone else seemed to enjoy it as well. I thought it was crazy, silly, scary, and beautifully done. What more could one ask for in a movie?

We were hoping to follow House with a late night showing of Piranha, but we were all freezing so we took the party inside and listened to some newly added jukebox tunes. More on that soon...

New Year's Eve Decorating

2011-01-01T06:25:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, everybody! Last night, Ben and I rang in the new year with a little rearranging of the lounge. My brother originally inherited my grandfather's Thomas organ, but he just handed it over to me yesterday since he no longer had room to keep it. So...our new year's eve involved a really good pizza, some rearranging, and some going to sleep before I even had a chance to pop open that bottle of Martini & Rossi.

This year, I hope to:
1. finally tackle our first garden at the house
2. work on the interior in my 66 Mustang
3. paint and fix up the old ham radio building
4. lots and lots of yardwork

Salon Makeover

2010-12-28T16:08:00.000-08:00

My sister is a beautician, a mighty fine one at that, and she's moving into her own little shop in January. Ben (co-blogger/boyfriend/professional painter) and I are going to help get the new shop ready this weekend. Here are some before pictures. I think the place could be very cute if you bring out its 70's charm. The original shampoo bowl, station, and chairs are awesome. I'm excited to see how it turns out. Check back next week to see the makeover!

Naughty Dottie

2010-12-19T17:10:00.000-08:00

If you knew how misbehaved Dottie always is, you would laugh and laugh at this picture.

The Omni Hut - A Little Piece of Tiki in Middle Tennessee

2010-12-16T17:44:00.000-08:00

The Omni Hut was established in 1960 and has ever since blessed the otherwise lackluster town of Smyrna, TN. After years and years of wanting to go and never getting around to it, I finally had the pleasure earlier this year. I have gone back since then and plan to become a frequent customer. The owner, Major James Walls, traveled the world as an air force pilot and later opened the Omni Hut and what I would call a legendary tiki bar in Nashville (Mahi Mahi) after retiring from the force. The hut is now run by the owner's daughter, and she is so sweet. She really loves what she does, and it shows. Being a vegetarian, the menu is somewhat lacking for me. I don't really care, though, because I go for the amazing, authentically 60's/70's atmosphere. There's vegetable kabobs basted with their homemade terriaki sauce (which is available for purchase!), bread, salad, and fried mushrooms for me. And there's all kinds of delicious looking meat for the carnivores. There's no alcohol on the menu, but you're welcome to bring your own, and most of their patrons do! The Hawaiian tea is deliciously sweet and fruity. I'm craving it now. The average yokel would consider the place extremely tacky, with the black lights and neon fake floral arrangements on the walls, but I think it's perfect. It feels like you've stepped back into the seventies. After going the last time, the owner said to us, "Thank you for dining with us tonight. You could have gone anywhere to eat your dinner, but you came here." Now that's how a business should be run! Thanks, Omni Hut! I'm pretty sure I love you.

Christmas at the Gonce House

2010-12-12T06:27:00.000-08:00

It's Christmas time, and soon it will be the new year. Maybe one of my resolutions will be to make time to blog. A lot has happened since I last posted. There are many pictures to be taken and posted of all my recent finds...including our new (50's) bar!

I finally started decorating the living room for Christmas one day this week. This is what it looks like so far.

Long Time No See

2010-08-27T18:07:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I posted a blog. It's amazing how little life and how little time you have when you do have....a full-time job you despise (involving an hour to an hour and a half commute each way), a home to clean and keep organized, four cats (two of which are extremely high-maintenance), and one continuously growing, goofy, hairy, and adorably mischievous Sheepdog who wakes you up multiple times a night and constantly searches around your house to see which of your most beloved material things she can destroy.

In recent weeks, we purchased a new dinette set, which I've had my eye on for quite the while. It's a round table with gold fleck formica, and a built-in leaf. We also finally got a china cabinet. It's a Kroehler, which I love, and it is mint. I also racked up at an estate sale...leaving with an armful of vintage stuffed animals. Imagine...a semi-young woman walking out of the sale with what most would consider nasty old toys up to her eyes...quite the scene. We also moved the piano to the living room. So, we're somewhat up to date. More to come soon!

Some of this weekend's finds

2010-08-02T17:56:00.000-07:00

We decided to head out like "the old days" this weekend. We went to Manchester, TN (home of Bonaroo) to check out a the flea market. We had only been once and wanted to go back to peruse the jukeboxes. Well, the man with the jukeboxes was gone, but we did find some other things. We then came back to Murfreesboro to go to our favorite in-town antique store, and we racked up as usual... I got a little vintage made in Japan doll that I've never seen before to add to my doll collection, a vintage ELO belt buckle (I love Electric Light Orchestra), and one very large mid century pottery ashtray. The ELO belt buckle was the highlight for $4.

Crazy Witco Finds on Ebay

2010-06-25T06:46:00.000-07:00

Of course, I want the $3,500 bar.

Vintage Globes

2010-06-21T18:38:00.000-07:00

I want this vintage globe.

This is my globe...not quite as cool...but I probably paid $10 or less for mine. Do parents show children globes anymore? Do teachers teach geography with globes anymore? I doubt it. That's sad. You really do get the bigger picture with a globe, but I'm sure they just use computers now.

What $20 Can Get You at a Junk Store

2010-06-19T17:01:00.000-07:00

2 vintage Verner Panton chairs

They need to be cleaned up....but $20???? That is one thing I never thought I'd find on the side of the road at a junk store. We'll have to paint them...not sure what color, but I can't wait to see how they look once we do.

Terrarium Fever

2010-06-14T17:50:00.001-07:00

I planted about five terrariums yesterday. Here's my favorite I did a few days ago. Wouldn't it be fun to become a master terrarium maker and just make terrariums for people all day long?! ha.

The Making of a Bar - Mission Accomplished

2010-06-13T17:15:00.000-07:00

After a year of fun and not so hard work, we've really turned what was a nasty work shed into an amazingly fun hangout for our friends. We're constantly getting new 45's for the jukebox and finding new decorations for the bar. We even added a screen so we can watch movies inside on our projector, home theater-style.

Terrariums

2010-05-23T14:11:00.000-07:00

I love terrariums. They just ooze that warm 70's feeling to me and make me wish my house was decked out with gold shag carpet and luscious spanish/mediteranian inspired decor. My mom bought me my first big terrarium off ebay a few years ago. She knew I had been wanting one, but when it got here it was cracked right down the middle of the dome. I glued it back together and used it anyway. It is much like this one. But, I haven't had much luck keeping plants alive in it. I think I selected the wrong plants for this type of terrarium.

A couple of months ago I stumbled upon another vintage terrarium that is really awesome for $10...a crazy good deal. Today I finally planted it, and I am very pleased with the results. I took a little more care with this one in the soil mixture, construction, and plant selection (a lady at my favorite flea market sells really nice, healthy terrarium plants), so I'm hoping it will thrive.

Dottie helped with the planting.

The terrarium's final placement:

Accent Walls

2010-04-07T17:38:00.000-07:00

We finally got around to painting a couple of accent walls in the living room a few weeks ago. We've been wanting to do it for a long time. I think it has such a fifties feel when you have accent walls, like in all the old decorating books. The color we chose turned out a little more orange than I wanted, but I still like it. After all, we can always repaint since Ben is a painter! The room definitely needed some color, and now it's got it!

Before:

After:

HAPPY EASTER!

2010-04-04T11:24:00.001-07:00

This Weekend's Awesome Finds

2010-03-28T12:41:00.000-07:00

First thing Saturday morning, we found this metal glider and chair set. I'm looking forward to bringing them back to life with a fresh coat of paint...haven't decided what color yet. $40

Next, I found this set of Knowles Ebonette dishes. A mish mosh of pieces, some damaged others in excellent shape. Either way, I love them and the divided dish or platter alone was well worth the $8 I paid for the set!

Then, today we headed over to the one antique store in town that's worth a hoot, and I got the best lazy susan EVER made by West Bend. $15

I gasped with excitement when I found these three wall lights hidden in an old basket of one booth for $5 each.

So, we had a very rewarding weekend. We also got a few other things including 41 records for $20. Now I'm really ready for auction season. I have a good feeling about this Spring and Summer......

The Clubhouse

2010-03-22T18:13:00.000-07:00

This is the little old clubhouse way back in our backyard. I'm not sure when Mr. Gonce built it for his kids, but I assume it was in the late fifties or early sixties not long after the house was built. As you can see, it doesn't look like much, but I think it could be really cute repainted a teal green...maybe plant some bulbs around it. Plus, who doesn't need a clubhouse in their backyard?

COMING SOON: drive-in

2010-03-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

We just got our Epson Moviemate 60 in the mail. We are gearing up for an awesome Spring and Summer because we are DONE with Winter. I am ready to work in the yard and get this puppy going!

Our backyard drive-in has been a long time coming, so we're both very excited. We watch a movie almost every night, but we never spend the money on actually going to the movies...so I justify it that way.

Stay tuned, because there will surely be posts to come about our movie picks and the dilemma we have long been discussing about what the first double feature shall be!

Build it Yourself Fallingwater!!!

2010-03-16T17:51:00.000-07:00

I wish I had $100 to blow...and I wish I had the patience to put this together if I did have $100 to blow...and I wish my 60 lb. puppy wouldn't knock it over if I had the money and the patience to build it.

Frank Lloyd Wright Rosenbaum House

2010-03-07T18:51:00.000-08:00

We made our second trip to the Rosenbaum home in Florence, AL this weekend. It was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built for Stanley Rosenbaum and his family. An example of the Usonian ideal, and even more beautiful on the inside than it is on the outside. The Cypress walls and bookshelfs are so pretty, and the custom designed FLW furniture is equally as beautiful. Our tour guide this time was very informative, much better than the last. The house is equipped with two kitchens and two baths. The original kitchen is very small and no longer has any appliances (more of a bar at this point). FLW believed that a kitchen only needed enough room to cook and anything more than that was unnecessary. He would have liked our kitchen. The second kitchen is much larger and furnished with metal cabinets in coppertone and matching original Frigidaire Imperial double oven. A replacement refrigerator had been painted to match. My favorite part of the house is the floor to ceiling doors opening out to the yard with copper screening. The boys' game room is also adorable with built-in bunk beds suspended from the ceiling. It's an emotional experience. The only FLW house I've ever visited. Falling Water is on the to-d0-list for this Summer. It's only a nine hour drive, and it's gonna happen.

Mid Century Fences

2010-02-08T09:56:00.000-08:00

I have never wanted Spring to come like I do this year! Saturday was our one year anniversary at our house, so we've seen what all kinds of flowers and plants the yard has to offer us. So now it's planting and landscaping time. With our new addition to the house (see above), it's also fence time. I have lots of old landscaping and gardening books that I've always perused for fencing and landscaping ideas. My favorite fencing option is either fiberglass panels (perhaps Mondrian style), or painted plywood panels in the same fashion. If we have to shell out the dough to build a fence (which I am not looking forward to), I want it to be something I've always wanted that will be well worth the money. However, I am very perplexed as to what is the cheapest way to build a fence that I'll like the looks of and that will fit our house.
This is my favorite:

I also like the bamboo:

Some more options:

The next problem is that our yard is almost two acres, and there's no way we can fence the whole thing on our budget. So, that means we have to decide what area to fence. Does anyone have any experience in this area and be willing to give some money-saving advice regarding materials, labor, etc...??? I wish we could do it ourselves, but we would have to invest in the tools. With all my how-to books, I'd like to think we could enlist some help and get it done without having to hire a professional.... SUGGESTIONS????

This Weekend's Finds

2010-02-07T10:56:00.000-08:00

We found some pretty good stuff on this weekend's antiquing excursion. I got a pink vintage Ice-o-Mat. It's in near mint condition (which I rarely see with them), and the color is much better than most, so I went for it. $12

I also finally broke down and got something I'd had my eye on for a long time. It's a handmade covered dish from April of 1971 by Joanne with a pixie on top. I had seen it several time at this antique store but couldn't bring myself to spend $50! It was marked down to $25, so I splurged.

Then, I got a really adorable set of gazelle glasses with little metal carrier for $12.

We also got a vintage Space Neede shot glass that's really cute and a set of four Apollo 11 lowball glasses for Ben's upcoming birthday. It was a very good day for the kitchen.

Getting in the Spirit

2009-12-20T20:31:00.000-08:00

I put up my aluminum tree yesterday and finally wrapped gifts and decorated a little today. I am finally starting to get in the spirit and need to start making cookies and candy. I think I'm going to take a crack at divinity this year and possibly some other Christmas-y candies.

Christmas Exterior...Coming Soon: Christmas Interior

2009-11-29T18:07:00.000-08:00

It's our first Christmas at the house, and we hung our multicolored C9 lights today. The rest of the street is pitch dark, and we're the wacky house with the tacky lights now!

Mom's Piano

2009-11-23T17:17:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things in the house is my mom's piano that my sister was kind enough to pass along to me a few months ago. It's a Kimball early American style piano, and I think it exudes that warm seventies feeling. Its warranty and "suggestions for protecting the finish on your designer styled Kimball pianos and organs" papers have been kept in the bench since 1969 when my mom got it. If my puppy wasn't such a pain in the bottom, maybe I could actually find the time for my mom to give me lessons. She is a top-notch piano player. The piano is in our spare room downstairs, which still needs some work and some window treatments. Please ignore my poor terrarium. It badly needs to be replanted.

Grandma & her GE Americana

2009-11-22T15:32:00.000-08:00

I wish I had been an adult when my grandmother sold her house several years ago. I would have insisted on keeping all of her kitchen appliances and replacing them with new ones for the buyer. But, I wasn't. So, someday I will find my own GE Americana "breakfront" refrigerator. I check eBay regularly to see if there are any listed. There was an aqua one listed several months ago (along with matching range), but it was in Florida. It went for some insanely low price. Anyway, I will have one someday. And whatever color it is, I'll redecorate my kitchen to match. I get sick thinking about how the new owners probably threw out all of the awesome stuff in her house, and the fridge was probably one of the first things to go. It was supposed to fill up the ice trays automatically, but that mechanism had broken a while before she moved out. The trays were attached inside, and you flipped them over into a long plastic tray to crack the ice out. The top was the refrigerator, which had french doors. The bottom was a big sliding drawer freezer that had a push button on the handle that read "ice". It had a countertop with gold speckled Formica, a cutting board, and backlight. My grandmother and I recently found some old family photo albums, and these were among some of the adorable pictures not long after she got the GE. I can't remember what year she said she got the refrigerator, but these pictures are from the sixties before they (and the refrigerator) moved to Tennessee and built the awesome 70's home where I spent so much of my childhood.

Pink Motel

2009-11-14T09:57:00.000-08:00

I finally got to stay at the Pink Motel in Cherokee, NC on our recent trip to the Smokies. It was $55 a night, plus taxes. The room had a back door that opened up to a small patio, picnic area, and a flowing river stream. The room had been updated some years ago with typical hotel bedspreads and wall treatment, but the pink and black bathroom was mostly intact, and everything was very clean. Of course, the exterior and neon sign is what I went for. I'm glad I finally got to go, and I got a souvenir tank top!

Salt & Pepper Shaker Museum

2009-11-14T09:25:00.000-08:00

We recently took a little trip to Gatlinburg, TN, and our first stop was the Salt & Pepper Shaker Museum. They have over 20,000 sets. It was probably my favorite part of our trip, and it was definitely the cheapest ($3)! Here are just a few pictures of its adorableness. Oh, it's for sale, too. I wish I could buy it. It makes me want to start my own collection. It was fun going through and picking out the few sets I do have.

Jukebox

2009-09-27T18:15:00.000-07:00

We got our first jukebox, a 1969 Psychedelic Rock-ola 440...another great deal off Craigslist. When we picked it up, the owner told us it played the same slot over and over again. Ben fixed that within a few minutes after we got it home (which is another story altogether, 350 pounds of awesomeness we somehow managed to move by ourselves). So, it's working almost perfectly now and only needs a little tweaking here and there. We're really loving it and already have it stocked with some of our favorite tunes. The front glass is a temporary makeshift until we buy the original to replace it with, which we have already located online.

Dishes

2009-09-19T14:18:00.000-07:00

When we moved in, I was so anxious to unpack that I kind of just threw all of my dishes into the cabinets. It's been a complete mess, so I finally cleaned them all out and picked some favorite sets to put back in. I thought of quite a few pieces that I love and couldn't find. That means there's a ton more dishes still packed away somewhere up in the attic.

New Edition to the House

2009-08-26T19:30:00.000-07:00

I've wanted an Old English Sheepdog for years, and I finally got her. She is our home's newest edition, and she loves our floor air vents. It is rare for her to sleep anywhere but on top of one.

Bar Update

2009-07-26T08:29:00.000-07:00

We found a bar on craigslist, hung a couple shelves, and added the finishing touches. Still a work in progress, but we're very happy with it. Recent finds include our vintage nut dispenser, Hawaii lava art ashtray, Miller High LIfe apron, and gumball machine.

Vintage Paint/Decorating Booklets

2009-07-11T19:14:00.000-07:00

Last month at the Nashville Flea Market, I picked up a huge bunch of vintage decorating brochures (mostly paint companies). The dealer priced them at $1.00 each. I asked him, "how much for the whole stack?" He said $5.00. A steal! I couldn't wait to get home and look through them. I uploaded some pictures from just a few of the booklets. The stack consisted of probably fifty pamphlets, so I will probably upload more pictures soon. Enjoy!

http://s723.photobucket.com/albums/ww239/Susie-Ben/Decorating%20Booklets/

PINK Kitchen: COMPLETE

2009-07-03T17:18:00.000-07:00

Finally...a few pictures of the kitchen. We laid Classic Black Armstrong VCT, painted the cabinets Porter's "pigtail pink" (which almost perfectly matches my Custom Imperial Frigidaire range that inspired it all), and also sanded and painted the vintage Kitchenaid dishwasher we got with the house. I also hung my barkcloth curtains I got a while back.

Good Old Fashioned Fun on Memorial Day

2009-05-25T17:00:00.000-07:00

Ben finally drug out the vintage lawn darts we got at the Nashville Flea Market a while back. They were in their original box with original instructions, just as deadly as the day they came out!

May Flea Market Finds

2009-05-24T19:45:00.000-07:00

We really racked up at the flea market today. I bought eleven or twelve vintage ashtrays from my favorite seller (who I affectionately refer to as "my man") for $1 each. Ben purchased a vintage risque girly from him, along with a vintage four-eyed man bottle opener. I was very happy to find a set of six Better Homes and Gardens in a really nice bound book(!). I was very excited. They're all from 1951 and in excellent condition, but the binder's the best part. I paid $20 for it (she had priced them at $5 each). We found a really amazing shadowbox , and we took it home for $30. It's extra special because it has a little planter on each side. I think I'll get some caladiums to plant in it. We hung it tonight in the dining room, cleaned it up, and set a few things on it already. I'm really happy we found it. The best find of the day was Ben's new toy. He got a lap steel guitar that's likely from the fifties, with its original case. It's really impressive looking in person, made out of a very pretty, solid piece of mahogany. Ben's a really good guitar player, so now he's just got to perfect the lap steel so he can play Hawaiian music at the tiki bar.

My Pink Bathroom

2009-05-19T20:10:00.001-07:00

This past Sunday I started painting the bathroom so that Ben (the professional painter) would be forced to take over and finish it for me. We used "pine hutch" from Porter in semi-gloss, and it looks very pretty and shiny. It's a pale, peachy pink. I finally utilized a pair of curtains I got years ago at a thrift store, which I had left the tags on all this time ($6.99). No matter how many times I iron, the wrinkles will not come out from fifty years of being folded, but maybe they'll fall out eventually. Amazingly, they fit our bathroom window perfectly. Being a pack-rat always pays off in the long run, you see. Then, I hung up some of my vintage chalkware fish and mermaids I've also had packed away waiting to use for so long. So, a little work on a Sunday afternoon and a total of about $30 went a long way. It's still not completely finished, but it makes me really happy.

Pink Frigidaire Custom Imperial Range

2009-05-19T19:46:00.000-07:00

This is the first "big" purchase we made for the house. We closed on Friday. We bought the range on Saturday. We bought it from a lady in Nashville who had listed it on Craigslist. She was so sweet I wrote her a check for an extra $20 on top of the small fee I had to pay for the stove ($100). She hugged me before we left her house with the stove...a Craigslist match made in heaven. She had inherited the stove along with her aunt's home in Nashville. I'm pretty sure I squeeled when I saw her kitchen. It had the original Youngstown pink metal cabinets and red, floral patterned linoleum. I really should have asked her if I could take a picture. Anyway, we got the stove after about an hour of trying to get it out of her kitchen (small door frames for a double oven) and in the process chipped a chunk of enamel off its perfect finish. We've touched up the spot since, and it looks fine now. A piece of the chrome had snapped off the side when she had it, but we've got the piece and just have to find the clips to put it back on. I found an ad for an aqua one that looks like the same model in one of my vintage Better Homes and Gardens magazines that's dated 1964, so that's the best date I can get on it. It's a Frigidaire Custom Imperial. The ovens work great, but two of the four burners are shot. I have yet to fix that. The fluorsecent light still shines bright, and puts off a very nice glow in the kitchen at night. I love it so much. I plan to paint the other appliances to match, but I'm hoping I'll stumble upon a pink refrigerator instead (unlikely, I know). I can't wait to get the kitchen started so I'll feel like I can really cook. My black Armstrong tile shipment is en route, so it's only a matter of time....

Kitchen Table

2009-05-17T16:36:00.000-07:00

This is our kitchen/dining room table. We had seen it a couple of times at an antique store we stop at every now and then. When I got my pink stove, I had it in my head that we'd go back and get the black and pink dinette set. I was thinking it was priced $275, but it was only $200 when we went back. It has two leaves, six chairs, and it's in great shape. I was happy with $200, but I still managed to talk the lady down to $160. So, I think I got a steal. I used steel wool and WD-40 on one of the legs. That really worked wonders on the rust. I have yet to do the other legs, but here's a picture of it now. Pardon our floors. We've yet to refinish them.

The bonus table

2009-05-09T05:03:00.000-07:00

Here's a pic of the handmade table that came with the house that I took before we moved in. Of course, when we saw it we fell in love with it. We were informed that Mr. Gonce made this table soon after building the house. It sits between the dining room and the kitchen, and is a very nice bonus. The coolest part is that the wooden legs were made from a German WWII airplane antenna mast....or something like that! Either way, it's as unique as the house and will stay where it's been for over 50 years.

Pretty Snow

2009-05-06T18:12:00.000-07:00

Back in March, a very rare snow of somewhere in between 6-8" hit Middle Tennessee, and it was actually on a weekend when we could enjoy it. We had just moved in a few weeks before, and we got to see the house in all its snowy glory.... Now that we've started the blog, I thought I would share the pictures with everyone!

The Upstairs

2009-05-05T19:50:00.000-07:00

I think that my favorite part of our new home is the upstairs bedrooms. Ironically, it's the place that we spend the least amount of time in! There are two rooms, and we quickly decided that we would each take one and decorate it how we see fit. My room soon became the host of my autographed 8X10 pictures, Batman collectibles, Munsters stuff, and random monster toys. I chose a light green color for the walls, because it complements most of my things. My favorite thing in the room is my Fetaque Sanders "Spook Show" flyer that my cousin framed for me a while back. It dates back to the 1930s. Mr. Sanders was the first Nashville-based magician to perform in segregated schools. I have a pretty good amount of his old posters and flyers, but this one is my favorite....And it looks great in my monster room!

Susie's room, however, is the crowd favorite.

Her days of collecting vintage stuffed animals, big-eye prints, big-eye dolls, and other random vintage animal goodies has paid off! One wall has shelves that hold her countless dolls and collectibles, while a corner of the room is piled to the ceiling with her stuffed animal collection. All available wall space is taken up by some of her favorite big eye prints--and her closet is crammed full of the rest! The newest addition to her room is a 50's pole lamp that I found at a local goodwill--which almost cost me my life at the checkout line due to some jealous shoppers...

The Living Room

2009-05-03T08:47:00.001-07:00

The living room is complete, except for the perfect ashtray I have pictured in my head that one day I will find for the coffee table. The couch is our new pride and joy. We bought it off Craigslist from the original owner, who had just removed the custom fitted plastic about ten years ago.
It's tagged "Exclusive Style Crest Custom Quality by Bass Bros." She referred to it as a Doris Day couch, so I think I was meant to get it. I still need to put Pillow Talk in and watch it on the couch. It's in mint condition, just like it was in the showroom I'm sure. Each section has a piece of wood laminate on the top, which I think is really perfect. We also bought the lady's vintage Zenith console stereo, which is also in mint working condition (I think this is the only console we have that actually works). It's a huge challenge keeping the cats off the sofa, but we're working on it.

New Pole Lamp for the Bar

2009-05-03T07:54:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, we decided to make a day of it and journeyed out to some antique stores we hadn't visited in a while that are a little over an hour from the house. The goal was to get the pink flamingo mirror at the Rare Bird Antique Mall for the dining room. We had seen it there a few times, but never grabbed it. Of course, when we got there it was gone, but we did not leave empty handed. We did the rounds of the three or four stores, plus a few Goodwills, and by the end of the day the Mustang was loaded up with goodies. One goody was this pole lamp, which we both knew would be perfect for the bar. Its brass tension rod has strips of walnut in the middle section, and each shade has one layer of fiberglass shade and one of rattan. It was a splurge for us at $58, but we had to get it. We are quickly building quite the three-tiered lamp (both tension rod and floor style) collection...

The Making of a Bar

2009-04-21T18:57:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of the bonus building when we purchased the house. It was really nasty, but it had great bones. Mr. Gonce used it as his shop. Although separate, it feels like an extension of the house, connected by the carport.

We started our work by first getting all the junk out. Then, we painted the concrete floors with two coats of brick red concrete paint. It wasn't as big of a task as you may think, and boy did it work wonders! Then we painted the entire space a robin's egg blue with Lowe's Olympic 15-year $7.99 paint. Bad idea. First of all, we picked the wrong color. We thought it'd give the room a great 50's basement vibe, but instead it was just too much blue. And...never buy Olympic paint. It will end up costing you just as much money as a fine quality paint. A couple of weekends later, we repainted the room with some better quality (Valspar) $5.00 "oops" paint we had previously picked up from Lowe's at one of our many stops. We used a milk chocolate colored brown for the bottom half of the room and a creamy beige for the top. It turned out perfectly. To finish off the foundation, we found a 9'x12' piece of shag carpet remnant at a flea market for $40. The workshop was finally becoming the bar.

A little furniture arranging, picture hanging, etc...and the bar is really under way now. We took my old dining room table apart and mounted each half on the wall of the bar area. We hung my treasured marbled, mirrored tiles (found at a goodwill a few years ago, saving for the perfect place), cut and hung the bamboo Mr. Gonce had left behind, and placed the tikiware on the shelves... We got creative with some cheap Bamboo from BigLots and made some diamond shapes for the bar cabinets. This is what the bar looks like now...

This Is Our House: An Introduction

2009-04-19T17:43:00.000-07:00

This site is dedicated to the creator of our home, J.H. Gonce. Mr. Gonce designed and oversaw the building of the home in 1957 and lived there with his family until his death over fifty years later. Now, we are very proud to call it our home. Our home is difficult to categorize; not your typical sterile MCM. Located in the college town of Murfreesboro, TN where land is scarce, the house is positioned on nearly two acres of land. We feel the comfort and ease of "the country" is perfectly married with modernism. We are two very resourceful people who live on a very TIGHT budget; luckily, we have spent the better part of our lives hoarding vintage finds from flea markets, antique stores, and thrift stores giving us plenty to work with! These are our escapades in mid-century home ownership, decorating, living, and working with what you've got....