coveting: retro appliances

I posted a little while back about my love for retroiffic colored fridges, and the fire has not died out. I've always had a little bit of a passion for pastels in crazy places; after watching hours upon hours of house hunters on HGTV complain about strangely colored bathrooms, I realized one set of grandparents have a blue toilet and bathtub and the others have a pink toilet, bathtub, and sink! Theirs, obviously, are not "retro" style -- they're actually old! But obviously there's a genetic component to my fondness for a pop of color in an unexpected place.



How beautifully does this Smeg fridge fit in with the gorgeous retro kitchen belonging to Piewacket? I want one terribly, but it will be a long time before I live somewhere that I'll be selecting the fridge for, if ever. (And isn't that a lovely thought?) So, imagine my glee when I discovered the clean lines and funky colors of Nostalgia Electrics!

Now, I do not own nor have ever tried any of these appliances, so I can't recommend them or vouch for their quality. But look how cute!



I was first seduced by this 3-in-1 breakfast maker. I don't even like toast or coffee, but I want to have this thing on my countertop in all of its atomic age retro-futuristic glory. It doesn't appear to be on their website or Amazon any longer, more's the pity. But a quick exploration of the website brings all sorts of nifty things to the eye!



If I owned this microwave, I would feel like I was in a cool diner every time I reheated leftover pizza. I might wake up one morning to discover that I'd installed black-and-white checkered flooring in a retrolicious haze.



I may actually die. Hot dog toaster! I don't know why I wouldn't just put the hot dogs in my stylish red microwave, but there's something deliciously retro about unitaskers, isn't there? Now I want a malt machine.

Do you feel a pull towards colorful unitaskers like I do, or are you a strict modern stainless fan? I probably won't ever own a hot dog toaster (sob!) but I think a colorful microwave could go a long way towards making a blah rental kitchen feel a little more fabulous (and since my parents have commandeered my plain black college 'wave, I'll be in the market for one when I do move out!)

me party

Sometimes, you need to have a "me party."



Okay, so in The Muppets (which is amazing, by the way) the song is kind of comically depressing, but I am 100% behind the idea of doing fun things by yourself sometimes. Maybe I'm just a hermit (fact), but as much as I enjoy going out with friends, I need time by myself to recharge my batteries. Usually my hermit time is spent at home on the internet, but why should it have to be?

I went to a movie by myself for the first time yesterday, and it was actually a really great experience. I've always been afraid to go places by myself: what if it's boring? what if people think I'm a loser? what if it's just really awkward? This stigma is very strongly attached to movies, but movies are in truth really well-suited to solo adventures. It's all external stimulus, and it's not like you were going to be chitchatting during it anyway (unless you're incredibly rude, but I know all of my readers are impeccable specimens of theater etiquette!). A movie is a great baby-step towards more adventurous "me parties" like going to a restaurant alone (still haven't done that, but with a book, I don't see why I shouldn't!) So when I was sitting on the couch and realized that I really wanted to see Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and had no one to go with...by gum, I was going to put all the nerves aside and just go!

I enjoyed the movie very much, and it was actually a really good one to see alone: very quiet and intense, good for sitting in silence and puzzling through. I definitely recommend it to anyone who likes an intricate and mostly unspoken spy thrillers and British actors. Because I wasn't really alone! I was spending a few hours with some of my very favorite gentleman:











So, when you think about it, it's kind of like I had a really excellent date with Benedict, Gary, Mark, Colin, and Tom. And for those of you who would suspect that I am taking gross advantage of the opportunity to put pictures of enticing gents on my blog, well. I'll have you know that I'm a blogger with very high integrity, and would never stoop to using eye candy to please my readers.



Oops, I dropped something. (Oh, pouty Darcy, you're such a heartbreaker.)

operation update: bits and pieces

Remember how I was updating my room? Well, after rearranging the furniture, things definitely stalled out, but I've made a few little changes in the past couple weeks that have made me happy. It's always those tiny touches that make you smile and help reinvigorate you on a project. I'm looking around the room AS I TYPE and it's actually making me smile. I've got a long way to go, but I'm feeling positive about the path I'm on. Maybe I'll allow myself to enter the home goods section again!



For my birthday, my parents offered to buy me the lamp of my choice. And lo, six months later, I finally found the lamp that was worthy. I got this beauty at World Market (one of my favorite stores!), and I love the vintage feel. It looks like a cool DIY project, which does make me feel a little bit guilty for just buying it outright, but damask! This lamp is actually part of World Market's super nifty Mix and Match Lamps. Just pick a base and then find any shade in the appropriate category: accent, table, or floor. (My guy is an accent lamp!) I actually saw this base ("Greta" in turquoise) over the summer, but I wasn't feeling too passionate about any of the shades. When I stopped in last week and saw matching damask, I was a goner!

The lamp is pictured with a lovely little pail that JUST HAPPENED to match my comforter! I use it to keep pens and pushpins and all those desky things. Pictured with the pail is a sweet pair of Quidditch goggles. Oh yeah, you know you're jealous.



In other way past due news, I put up my wall decal! My mom got me this one way back in spring when I was still away at school. I didn't want to stick it up with only a few months left in my apartment, and then it just kind of sat on my desk for month after month. I was cleaning my room, and when it came time to clear my desk, I was sick of having the decal sprawled out on there and decided to stick it up then and there. It was a very frustrating process (those darn curlicues!), but I do love wall decals, and this one is super "me."

So the whole thing together looks a bit like this:



Go desk, go! It feels like a very Grown Up Writer thing to do, have a cute little desk set up. Now I just have to a) do some writing, b) keep myself away from fabulous office supplies, and c) stop piling up all my clothes on the chair. Those shouldn't be too tough to overcome, right?