Retro Chic | Baked in Birmingham

Chuy’s!

July 7, 2010 at 6:08 pm | Posted in Other Food, Retro Chic | 3 Comments

Birmingham has a new TexMex joint! Austin-based Chuy’s is located at the Summit, next to the equally trendy Flip Burger Boutique, and it’s just as good. My lovely friends spent our lunch hour there today, and in addition to the food being really great (I mean, it is TexMex: it’s half grease but all good), the decor is fantastic. The retro junkie inside of me was in heaven.

Clockwise from top: 1) The neon sign is only a small taste of what’s to come; 2) the taco CAR! Get it? It’s the business end of an old Caddy, and during happy hour you can fill your plate and belly with its chips, salsa, and queso; 3) great menu art, even better chips + salsa; 4) my meal: the Southwest enchilada – “a homemade blue corn tortilla stacked with freshly-roasted, hand-pulled chicken, cheese, and green chile sauce, topped with a friend egg;” 5) love the vinyl chairs; 6) the flatware is packaged up in paper sleeves and has Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish blessings printed on them. Jordan made me pray the Catholic prayer, ha!

Also, didn’t get a photo because I didn’t see any, but the owners have hidden 19 tiny soccer balls throughout the restaurant. This location is their 19th one, and it opened during the World Cup. Pretty cool!

Ole’!

The Shady Dell

June 1, 2010 at 2:55 pm | Posted in Retro Chic | 1 Comment

It’s been awhile since I’ve had a good, solid mid-century post. Zack and I (mainly me) have been wanting to find an old Airstream trailer for a while now and outfit it in complete and utter retroed-out kitsch from floor to ceiling. The other day my friend Mallory tweeted that her and her fiance want an Airstream too! Oh the joy to find out that someone who I actually know understands the awesomeness of Airstreams. I love the thought of packing up the doggies in our mid-century mobile and hitting the road.

Anyway, I sent Mallory a link to this amazing little Route 66-type motel in Bisbee, Arizona called The Shady Dell. It’s basically a big campground with a bunch of vintage Airstreams that have been remodeled to all of their original Americana splendor. There is even an authentic 1950′s style diner on site if you want to share a malt with your boyfriend. I want to go there SO bad!!! Maybe one day I’ll make it out there and I can report back what an amazing step back in time it was!!

All that said, big love to Jen, Justin, Annette, and Ken for keeping the Americana dream alive!!

Retro Kitchen

May 29, 2009 at 12:59 pm | Posted in Home Is Where My Heart Is, mid-century mod, Retro Chic | 1 Comment

I just can’t enough!! I love retro kitchens the way Alabamians love SEC football! This is from an old issue of Home Companion magazine that I found at a flea mall last week. I could kiss it. Painted floors, vintage furniture, open shelving, collections…what is not l-o-v-e?

(Sorry for the horrible scan…you’d think working for a magazine would enable me to somehow, someway, make a decent scan…)

What’s Not to Love?

April 24, 2009 at 2:38 pm | Posted in Retro Chic, Scootalicious | Leave a comment

April is coming to a close, and all month I’ve been looking at this adorable picture here at work. Roman Holiday is an adorable movie (definitely some weird parts though). Only 5 weeks till the big two-week trek across Italy!

romanholiday

Here’s the scene that this is from, right in front of beautiful Capitoline Hill in the heart of Rome! I remember standing in that exact spot just a 3 months ago, after spending hours walking down the Via del Corso with Teresa Ann, eating pizza and gelato, taking the side roads to the Pantheon and Trajan’s Column, spending money on things I don’t need, taking videos of street performers, and just chatting about girly things with Mom. Then there is was! Sigh. 5 weeks….

Sunrise Diner dishes

March 23, 2009 at 11:09 pm | Posted in Retro Chic, The Dish | 2 Comments

Ah!! Check out these AMAZING dishes I found at the Blue Building/Southern Consignment over in Alabaster. Could these be more up my alley? 4 dinners and 4 bowls for just $10 bucks. Not bad. Thanks so much to Janie at Student Life for telling me about my new favorite store!
dinerdishes

The Blue Building
210 1st St N
Alabaster, AL 35007
(205) 620-5777

P.S. Started a new category for this one called “The Dish.” How have I not had a category designated to one my favorite things on the planet?

Velorbis Bicycles

February 17, 2009 at 9:06 pm | Posted in Retro Chic | Leave a comment

Found these via Oh Joy!’s blog. So adorable, and great styling to boot!
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Check out Velorbis bikes here!

My future kitchen…

January 28, 2009 at 5:48 am | Posted in mid-century mod, Retro Chic | 2 Comments

…will be a blast from the past. Since I don’t produce product columns for a magazine anymore, I created one for myself…and for you!

midcentury2

More Retro Christmas fun!

December 19, 2008 at 4:59 am | Posted in Home Is Where My Heart Is, Retro Chic, that's what Christmas means to me my love | Leave a comment

Country Home magazine has a story in this month’s issue about these little collectibles call Putz houses. They are made of cardboard, so they are extremely fragile, and were originally sold in five-and-dime stores in the middle of the century for a few cents each, and are just so charming I couldn’t resist them! Apparently I’m lucky to find one with the tree still in tact–since they’re so delicate, many of the little intricacies don’t last. Score! I mean, they’re miniature, retro, and Christmas themed. What more do I require? I found these at the Trussville Antique Mall for about $8 each. Yay!
putz1

putz3
putz2

She shops…she scores!!

December 9, 2008 at 12:39 am | Posted in Home Is Where My Heart Is, mid-century mod, Retro Chic, that's what Christmas means to me my love | 2 Comments

Today was a fantastic day. If you know anything about me, you know I have a heart for all things kitschy, retro, and/or vintage. Today I was out propping at an antique store, and I scored an authentic 1960s aluminum Christmas tree, complete with original box + instructions. TWENTY BUCKS! I can’t wait to fill it with retro baubles, and one day it will be the baby’s tree! How cute will it be in Baby Nichols’ nursery with all pink or all blue ornaments? Oh mid-century mod, I love you.

P.S. Just did a test-run of this year’s Christmas cookie: Martha’s spiced cardamom cookies from the cover of her December issue. Can’t wait to share them with you!

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