Home Sweet Home

13:36:00 MoonDoggie 7 Comments

Welcome to MoonDoggie's swinging pad. 

It's difficult to take photos of my home.  It's a small one bedroom flat and I have to stand in awkward positions to get some shots BUT I promised photos of my beloved ducks in their new home and felt I had better deliver. 

In the pic on the left you can see my vertigo poster, tiki cushion, disintegrating couch, componibili and stylish red ashtray.  Smoking is not allowed in my home but it was cheap and I bought it for Dave and guests to use outside but now don't want it tarnished with filthy, stinky ash.


I like how most of the things in my home have been blogged about here. In this pic you can see my blossoming tiki area in the distance.  It's above the fish tank and complimented by some of Ebbo's tiki art. The Woodstock poster is proudly displayed on the wall and the ducks fly majestically towards paradise.

I think Wreford, my dwarf hamster's home is quite funky as far as hamster cages go.  It sits upon our Alex drawer units from Ikea, which I've found out are incredibly popular in the blog world (or at least the blogs I follow).


I commented on 1950s Atomic Ranch House yesterday about liking things that other people don't like.  Our flying ducks are one of these things. 

Although popular enough for us to struggle obtaining a set, these Keele Street Pottery ducks from the 50s are 'unfashionable' enough to have caused a bit of debate around here.  Our friends think they're incredibly old-fashioned and out of place in our otherwise modern home.  Well, that's part of why we love them.  They are also one of the few vintage things my husband actually likes and the fact we sought them out together makes them even more special to me.

I'm quite happy with my place when it's tidy.  When it's not (which is sadly quite often) I bemoan the fact that I never have any space to put anything but when I think about it, I'm actually quite happy I've been forced to keep possessions to a minimum.  I manage to display some of my little treasures on my bookshelves.


I'll leave it up to you to find where I've blogged about all these things - it'd be like a treasure hunt... without a prize at the end.

Thanks for stopping by!
:D

7 comments:

Eyeball Candy

21:15:00 MoonDoggie 5 Comments


I watched The Time Traveller's Wife a while ago and this cool eyeball lamp really stood out.


Another glimpse:


I want one and I want it yellow but I'll take orange or green or maybe even white.  Unfortunately I've only been able to find a modern equivalent in chrome (via Maisons Du Monde).  This would be perfectly adequate if it weren't for the colour - I want a little sunshine in my life!
Another pic to get some idea of size - 160cm tall and good sized [...ahem] balls:


However, Ms 1950s Atomic Ranch has given me an idea.  In a comment to my previous post about drink trolleys, she suggested spraying over the trays with paint (if they were metal).  Is it possible to spray paint the lamp yellow? And if possible, would it look any good?

Sure, I'd prefer vintage but there doesn't seem to be any around and I do worry about the safety of vintage electrical items.  That said it also seems a bit silly to me to buy something new and 'vandalise' it.  Hmmm...

5 comments:

Crochet Update

21:54:00 MoonDoggie 3 Comments

Please excuse the unironed duvet cover
- ironed bed linen is just not how I roll

Just a quick update on the crochet blanket situation.
I put them all together to see how many more I need (loads more!) and was quite impressed.
I think its looking good but am starting to get nervous about joining them altogether.  The other circles I showed in my initial crochet post had to be ditched because I'd miscounted and so wasn't able to make the square sides. 

I need to make at least four times as many more but the idea is not so daunting because I find it quite therapeutic.

3 comments:

A Round of Drinks

16:31:00 MoonDoggie 2 Comments


To tide me over until we get a tiki bar, I've been looking into other (temporary) options.  I really like the look of the orange drinks trolley above which I saw on eBay.  It was going cheap but was pick up only and located too far from me so I've been trying to find another or something similar.  I managed to find this oval shaped one which if you like you can buy from eBay but am worried that it might be a bit too discoloured with age (there is no close up picture).


They seem to be constructed of metal and chrome but neither listing mentioned a maker.  I've checked kartell and guzzini but haven't found anything like them.  My usually productive internet searches have proved fruitless so far which makes me want one even more.

While I'm on the topic of drinks - I came across this atomic glasses carousel:


Sweet, huh? It reminds me of the vintage cocktail wheel I found last year:


Why do I feel so thirsty all of a sudden?

2 comments:

Sou-Sou-Souvenirs

12:49:00 MoonDoggie 5 Comments

Finally posting pictures of my new baby - the vintage plastic chandelier I got fom the best antique shop in Copenhagen.  It's quite hard to take good pictures of as I don't really have anywhere to hang it and it keeps moving in my hands (I managed to tie it to Dave's easel for these pics). 
I call it a chandelier because I don't really know what else to call it.  I've been trying to research it but I can't find anything similar.  It screams 60s to me but could also be from the early 70s.  There are no maker marks.
There are 3 tiers of orange and white discs hanging from what I think are brass rings, or are they copper?  I'd like to clean it but not sure what to use.  I'd also like to clean the discs but am not sure the best way to go about it.  The white parts have a bit of sun-staining but nothing too drastic.  Any ideas?


I love the way it looks when the light shines through...


Unfortunately, I found out when I got home that I can't hang it from my ceiling because the opening is too small to attach it to the existing light cable.  Although we could unscrew the top part, the bulb socket coming from the ceiling doesn't seem removable and we don't want to be messing with the electrics in a rented property.  The cable you see in the pictures came with the chandelier.  I welcome any ideas but I think this will probably have to wait until we get our own house or meet an electrician (if only my dad were here in Blighty).


Also hard to take photos of is my Royal Copenhagen bauble.  The pattern is actually silver although it looks gold or black in these shots.  I would love to know what year this is from - I'm aware its not very old.


I've seen horses like this in a few European blogs.  Apparently they are called Dala Horses and originate from Sweden.  I got mine in a Copenhagen souvenir shop.


I found these magnets in a shop called Notre Dame.  If I lived in Copenhagen it'd be one of my favourite shops. 

5 comments:

Quest for Tiki

19:38:00 MoonDoggie 2 Comments

Things occurred today that annoyed me somewhat.  I won't go into it here (although I did a bit of ranting on twitter earlier) and have decided instead to delve into my happy place - tiki.

Just over a year ago, I started to become properly obsessed with tiki.  My first post on the subject, Tiki Timewarp, mentioned a book by avid tiki collector Duke Carter.   Yesterday I finally obtained my very own copy (a year and a half since I'd first heard of it) and am glad I do.

Duke has quite a collection and I'm sure he's made many people jealous.  His tiki room (which I suspect has extended to his entire home) is something to behold.  He writes that "Collecting Tiki almost becomes a Sisyphean exercise as one is convinced that 'if I only had that one Tiki...' only to be supplanted by another once that long lusted-for Tiki is found".

The tiki mug I long for is 'Drinky' who CucamongaChango over on the Tiki Central Forums was lucky enough to have as his very first tiki (and kind enough to share it with me on my post).


I adore that he's holding his very own tiki mug - with an umbrella in it nonetheless.  As you can imagine, finding tiki in England isn't easy and although I would much prefer to discover tiki 'in the wild', I'm willing to scour other sources so that I may one day have a tiki bar that's even 1/10th as cool as the Carters'.

You can see some of the author's collection (and tiki room) in this video:


For interested parties I also recommend 'Tiki Mugs' by Jay Strongman and 'Tiki Modern' by Sven Kirsten.  I'm still trying to get my hands on a 'Book of Tiki' (hard cover preferred) which is proving difficult but is considered the Tiki Bible.

Oh, and a quick shout-out to Hot Rod Tiki where I purchased 'Tiki Quest'.  I was very impressed that I placed my order Monday afternoon and received the book Tuesday morning.  Excellent service - recommended to any UK tikiphile (especially if you want your own copy of Tiki Quest as it seems to be the only UK stockist).

2 comments:

Calyx-thenics

11:44:00 MoonDoggie 4 Comments


I may be a bit late to this party but I've just found Heal's Calyx range.  Designed by Lucienne Day, this 1951 pattern is being reprinted in teal and grey for a variety of items.  I'm particularly interested in the curtains (as an alternative to finding good quality vintage) but this range doesn't seem available on the Heal's website anymore.

You can still find it in their 2010 Furniture brochure though which can be viewed online.

4 comments:

Yay Me!

15:23:00 MoonDoggie 6 Comments

Online School

Found a lovely surprise in my inbox last night... MoonDoggie has been given a top blog award by onlineschools.org.  The category was Top Antique Blog and I was selected as one of the Top 45 in the world! 

Apparently blogs are nominated anonymously and scored on various criteria by a panel of 5 judges.
I was a little wary at first but I had a look at the list of winners and I'm certainly amongst some fine company.
I am honoured to accept this award and thankful to whichever lovely reader out there nominated me.
Now I better find me some antiques to blog about... ;)

6 comments:

Copenhagen V

18:50:00 MoonDoggie 0 Comments

I've worried my Copenhagen posts could be a bit boring so I've decided to just post some left over pics from our last couple of days in Scandinavia.

Part of a museum exhibition on the Danish home through the years.  This 70s living room was recreated from an actual couple's first home.

Random lovely building we stumbled across.

Flea market along the Gammel Strand (more antique rather than mid century).

Police station in Malmo, Sweden - we decided to cross the bridge for the day just to say we'd been to Sweden.
There was an antique shop nearby with lots of Stig Lindberg's Bersa plates and other gorgeous mid century ceramics but at a price. Unfortunately there was a lot of construction going on and preparation for a festival so Malmo didn't really 'do it' for us.

Another shot of the Star Flyer ride taken from Central Station.

We both really enjoyed our holiday in Copenhagen. The scenery was lovely and the people friendly.  Hopefully we'll get to walk the Stroget and drink at the Brass Monkey again one day. 

0 comments:

Copenhagen IV

13:18:00 MoonDoggie 1 Comments

Day 3 was our third wedding anniversary.  Hurrah!

We headed off to find Soemods Bolcher (another tip from my Danish friend) which is an old fashioned sweet store and factory where you can see the sweets being made.  On our way we wandered through Rosenborg Have and took a few snaps outside Rosenborg Castle (above) before locating the sweet shop.

Stopping off on the way to pick up some pastries, we managed to find the place before long.  It was a quaint old place and they even gave us a freshly made warm sweet we had just seen being made. 

After stocking up on sweets we headed to Tivoli - a theme park right across the road from central station.  Unfortunately, the sky which had been pleasantly overcast (I honestly love overcast skies) decided to saturate the park in a sudden downpour.  Thankfully it cleared up enough for me to partake in a few rides.


I'm up there somewhere... just look for the lone rider - Dave preferred to keep his feet on the ground.  The Star Flyer was thrilling and made even more so by the fact I'd failed to notice the seatbelts 'til we were on our way down!  It's 80 metres high and gives you a fantastic view of Copenhagen from above.  I'd seen this ride from my hotel room and I was determined to give it a try and I was glad I did.

Nice weather for ducks!

The rain hadn't eased up and I was feeling a bit weary from all the walking so we went back to the hotel for a few hours to recoup before heading back out.  I'm glad we did because I needed a snooze and it helped me enjoy what was to come.

After a lovely dinner at the oldest Italian restaurant in Copenhagen, we went back to Tivoli because at night it is all lit up and a spectacular sight to behold.


You may have noticed my rainbow flag.  On the way back, we had stumbled into the Copenhagen Pride Festival where we found a mug we simply had to get for a friend of ours.  The flag came free.

Tivoli truly was breathtaking by night.  The rain had eased and there were big bands and illuminations to enjoy. I had another go on the Star Flyer to see the view at night then we set off in search of Tiki!

The Brass Monkey  tiki bar is only about 6 months old and was a bit tricky to locate but I'm mighty glad we did.


Dig the hula lamp in the background (click on the pic to make it larger).  I now MUST have one for my own tiki bar. 

The drinks were great and a lot of them were served in tiki mugs which I think is the most important criteria for tiki establishments.  The lighting (and inebriation) made taking pictures difficult but here are a couple of the mugs:


Being a Wednesday, it was a bit of a slow night but this suited us fine as we got to know the manager, Andreas a little better.  I'm really sad that I'm not able to be a regular here and I recommend The Brass Monkey to any tiki enthusiast visiting Copenhagen.  It topped off our day superbly and hope to go back one day. 

You'll also be able to see some Ebbo original paintings hanging from the walls very soon!

1 comments:

Copenhagen III

19:28:00 MoonDoggie 4 Comments


Day two and David was dying for a cup of tea.  We set off for A.C. Perch's Thehandel (tea shop) which was recommended to me by a Danish friend.  The smell was glorious and we went upstairs for some tea and scones and shelter from the pouring rain.  I had cinnamon tea - mmm.

I had my heart set on returning to that antique shop I had seen the day before but when we got there it was shut again with a lock and chain drawn across the steps.  Hoping this was just temporary and still needing to get out of the rain, we went into the Rundetaarn (Round Tower).  I forgot to take a photograph of the exterior, but the view from the top was magnificent:


When we got back down I was so pleased to find the antique shop open. 


Amongst the many vintage treasures I could see from the windows the night before, I had spied an amazing mod chandelier.  I had to have it!  Can you tell which one excited me so much?


Yep - the chandelier with 3 tiers of orange and white discs.  Very mod, very me.
I also got a Royal Copenhagen ornament thrown in to represent 2010 - if you'd like to know what I'm talking about, read my Bauble Me This post. 

While the owner was packing up my purchases, she let me take some pictures of her amazing shop:

 

The owner seemed like a cool lady and even posed as I was taking a picture of the amazing unused vintage marimekko fabric in great condition.  Although she said everything was for sale, she told me not to ask the price of this.  Either she didn't realise I was a multi-millionaire [ahem] or she didn't want to part with it.  I'm guessing the latter as she said it was a perfect backdrop for this area of her shop.


The shop was filled with vintage treasures and I recommend you check it out if you're ever in Copenhagen.  Other antique stores there tended to focus on older (than mid century) items so I was lucky to find this place. 

(I'll post detailed pictures of my purchases later).

4 comments:

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