Saturday, January 8, 2011

New Year, New Tunes, New Thrifty Finds

Well we're officially one week into this new year. So far it's feeling like much of the same to me- But here's to making the most of it!
Kenny and I did indeed start the year off on the right foot by indulging in a three-course meal at one of our favorite restaurants, aptly called Vintage Brewing Co., on New Years Eve. This place presents your check to you on vintage saucers and is decked out in the most fabulous retro decor- the excellent food and brews are just icing on the cake!
All dressed up and somewhere to go! 
Actually I really started the night off right when we went to the casino and I won enough dough to pay for half of the meal!!
 I try and make a conscience effort to photograph all the really good food I've eaten. Does anyone else do this?! This meal was no exception.

Appetizers:
Braised pork belly 
Pretzels with beer cheese and spicy mustard
 Main Course:
Bacon wrapped filet stuffed with bleu cheese. Served with asparagus and mashed potatoes
Desserts:
Dark chocolate cheesecake
Warm apple pie a la mode
 Have you ever been so full that you couldn't move?? Well this is what happened and there was no choice but to go home and fall asleep. Nothing could have kept us up til midnight. Oh well, it was beyond worth it.
A few days prior, I picked up my new obsession at an after Christmas clearance at the Boston Store: 


Crosley Keepsake Turntable!! I love the retro look of this thing!
Now I have something new to keep my eye out for at the thrifts- Old records! And at around $1 an album, this is not going to break the bank. Here's my collection so far:
Johnny Mathis  is such a great crooner! Is the album on the right a Christmas staple at anyone else's house?
My favorite- Al Stewart's 'Time Passages'
I love old folk music- Gordon Lightfoot, Cat Stevens, and John Denver
James Taylor, Chicago, and Phil Collins. These three, sadly, are pretty badly warped and don't play very well. Anyone have any nifty fixes for warped vinyl?? I see there are some YouTube vids out there involving the hot sun, and an oven :/
And finally, I don't know about you guys, but my local thrifts have been extremely lacking and even a bit over-priced as of late. But I did come home with a few gems last night:
I kept picking up and putting down this hand-stitched house shadow box thing. I'm glad I decided to go ahead and get it. It's pretty charming.
Two of my favorite rooms.
Antiques Roadshow Primer. Chock full of some great info on antiques and collectibles.
I was pretty excited to find this fully functional vintage Sunbeam Mixmaster in avocado green. I already have one in the Harvest Gold color- and see that these are going for some decent money on ebay, so may consider trying my hand at reselling.

Have a fantastic weekend everyone!

5 comments:

Katie said...

Great finds!!! I love the shadow box, it's really cute. And the mixer! Wow!!

Katie said...

if your thrift stores are lacking, then mine are just pathetic. i must say, i'm jealous of everything you got, but mostly jealous of that shadow box!! Its absolutely amazing!!

Paulette said...

I love all your thrift finds! That is a cool turntable. I think I wore out my copy of Gordon Lightfoot "Gord's Gold" back in the day. And that restaurant sounds like a great place. If it's in Madison, the hubs and I will have to check it out sometime.

Betty said...

Welcome to the wonderful world of vinyl. I too have a Crosley (mine looks like the radio from a '57 Bel-Air). I mostly collect Broadway Soundtracks, '70s folk rock, Billy Joel, and children's story records. Congrats on finding the Mixmaster. I think the avocado green is the most popular color for the '70s version.

Anonymous said...

Im totally drooling over that steak! Looks like it was a great dinner. And sooo jealous over that adorable shadowbox! So glad you got it.