Look What Bill Dragged Home

2011-01-22T14:11:00.000-08:00

Here's the latest thingy to grace the Orange Room. I like this fellow's style. Hey, I was going to move this blog to a tumblr and see if that would get it going again, but it went in a different direction.

Mainly I use it to post images I run across that inspire me to new heights of weirdness as far as arranging our junk goes. It's called Dragged Home and right here if you're interested.

Anything with the "chezmoi" tag is from somewhere in our apartment.

Rolling in Comics 2

2010-05-24T17:05:00.000-07:00

I won't even pretend this is Bill's doing since I 'fessed up in a post last year that we're both fiends for minicomics. This is the part of the haul from the second annual Maine Comics Arts Festival in Portland yesterday. We had a great time again this year. I got to meet several students and recent grads from the Center for Cartoon Studies, including the adorable Nomi Kane--oh wow, I just looked up her site to provide a link and there's Bill in the entry for May 23rd! I was excited to get some new Squarecat Comics gear, and though I haven't had a chance to read everything yet I see some likely new favorite artists already.

Flashback Decor

2010-05-14T20:04:00.000-07:00

Here's some evidence of an early effort to realize the dream of wallpapering with Whipped Cream and Other Delights. This must be 1993 or 4ish? Oh, and some puppets. And a swamp cooler, but that came with the place.

Little Drafty In here

2010-04-28T19:29:00.000-07:00

In case your browser is skewing the color on this I'll point out that the background is pepto-bismol pink. This is a good example of something that apparently lets off some kind of signal only Bill can hear, leading him across town to score it. Note that she's got only one sock on.

Talking Musical Prayer Clock

2010-04-26T15:46:00.000-07:00

Bill and I have a complex ritual around getting up in the morning. It involves a digital alarm clock set to about 20 minutes later (to trick us into getting up "early") that I am in charge of silencing with the snooze button. It is just far enough away to require getting out of bed. At least once a morning I cry "Please! You get it!" to no avail. This happens 5-6 times. Then he has his phone set to make a boinging noise at around the same intervals and is responsible for silencing that. It's a pleasant noise so inevitably someone makes a remark about the boinger boinging and lets it go on a while. It's kind of ridiculous, and we've never gotten up "early" once. Here comes this new alarm clock, found at the thrift store, and I am so wondering if we reduced the alarming to just this device, wouldn't my cries of "You get it!" be more successful?

Daiquiri Time

2010-03-04T14:42:00.000-08:00

Wouldn't these be great for serving a cool refreshing drink at the height of summer? I can picture Bill coming out onto a patio in one of his many, many Guayabera shirts, offering up something frothy and chilled as one of our many, many fake Hawaiian records plays in the background. First we need to get a place with a patio, or friends with a patio. In the meantime they are useful in obscuring a set of Jones soda manufactured for Thanksgiving a few years back (the one with turkey & gravy, herbed stuffing, and brussel sprout flavors), seen in the background.

Sour Cherry Chewing Madness

2010-03-01T14:35:00.000-08:00

Sometimes when you really like a certain gum and a lifetime supply is available for mere pennies at the Building 19, it's impossible to resist bringing home that lifetime supply. Bill also likes Teaberry and Beeman's gum, and I notice he's working on one of those gum wrapper chains like the prisoners make. Perhaps there will be a future post about where the wrapper chains get draped. I have a nice long Doublemint wrapper chain made by a prisoner that has never been unpacked since we moved here. Maybe a good Christmas tree decoration next time...

Take That

2010-02-06T15:18:00.000-08:00

Just did a little walk around the place and noted seven framed works of art waiting patiently to get hung on a wall. This joined the queue a couple months back. Not sure what to say about it except that I hope it doesn't end up in a very prominent place. Actually I wonder if anyone would notice if I used that nice frame and matting for something a little less...violent.

Huntin' Time

2010-02-04T15:11:00.000-08:00

Folks who have been over here know that this little hunter will be in good company. Bill has 10 or so of these guys on display, skiing and motorcycling and playing ball and whatnot. In fact there's no room for him to join his friends.

Uncle Oswald

2009-10-01T16:10:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to Jamaica Plain Open Studios and wandered around the neighborhood in some drizzle checking out some interesting art. One house gave up their porch to the artwork of Peter Phelps to benefit Hearth, a charity that helps the elderly homeless. They were taking any donation amount for his paintings. Here's what we picked with our donation. Phelps himself was out in the drizzle bringing in passersby saying "Even ten cents will get you some art!"

Kurt and Courtney

2009-09-19T12:59:00.000-07:00

Bill and I were extra late getting cell phones. I baby-stepped it by getting a pay-as-you-go phone first, which was just fine for a while, but then I got pretty texty with friends and started paying quite a bit as I went. We finally decided to get a real plan, and somehow went from one really basic phone, to two iPhones. I love mine, LOTS. But anyway, this represents the first use of the phones to support the hauling of something home. Bill took a photo while at the thrift store and emailed it to me while I was at work and I approved the purchase. I am looking forward to seeing if this approach ever works for forbidding a purchase.

Some Furrballs and Another Thing

2009-09-17T17:42:00.000-07:00

Come on! Really?

I strongly suspect the orange frame was what made this a "must have".

A Little Shot in the Arm

2009-09-15T17:27:00.000-07:00

That's inspiring. This has got to go on the wall. We have a zillion of those LP frames and not a one has an LP in it and not a one has been hung on the wall. I think the hold-up has been that Bill wants to do some fancy measuring and stud locating and wall space planning. That may be just asking too much given our busy lifestyles. At our last apartment we did manage one row, with plans to rotate LPs every couple months on a different theme. The first theme, which was never replaced, was just ladies' heads: Marlene Dietrich, Joan Jett, Marilyn McCoo, and Miriam Makeba, together at last.

Ask the Love Guru

2009-09-13T17:13:00.000-07:00

A while back at trivia there was a question about something or other, and we guessed Ouija board and got it wrong. A couple of our younger members had suggested Magic 8-Ball but were overruled. That turned out to be the right answer. It would be nice if I could remember the question, wouldn't it? They just vanish like smoke. Anyway, one of the correct guessers was returning to college last month, and Bill used the occasion as an excuse to pick up this promotional item from the thrift store as a gift for our young friend. It's a Magic 8-Ball promoting the Mike Myer's 2008 film, The Love Guru. You ask it a question, shake it up...I forget what the possible answers were but I imagine they were funnier if you've seen the movie, which none of us had.

The Beloved WTWTA

2009-09-12T16:58:00.000-07:00

My preferred way to brush up on languages I haven't used in a while is to read favorite kids' books in translation. Here's a nice addition, Where the Wild Things Are in French. Who's excited about the Spike Jonze movie this fall? Can't quite tell from the trailer whether I approve. Here's something cool: the Terrible Yellow Eyes project, where artists submit works inspired by the book.

Survivor Clown

2009-09-10T16:50:00.000-07:00

Well, summer's over and it's time to document a few recent arrivals. This clown painting has a date of '72 on it. Pretty fresh looking still. I wonder what paths it has traveled, how many trash bins it was rescued from. Maybe the artist held onto it all this time and finally decided to let it out into the world for others to enjoy. I have to say, when I first laid eyes on this painting I wasn't quite sure if it met the standards for "quality bad art". Either way I know a good spot for it.

A Bunny Friend

2009-07-23T19:12:00.000-07:00

Somebody sure loves his new bunny.

There's a Name for These

2009-06-26T17:56:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm drawing a blank on how to refer to these. You know, these plaster guys, they have some goofy joke on the base, big in some other decade, probably available at Hallmark or Spencer's. There has to be a whole collecting community around them; if I could only think of how to refer to them I'd find it. Anyway, I can't stand them and these are the only two to sneak in the door (that I know of). It does kind of crack me up that they are made from pretty much the same mold, with similar faces, but one says "Let's get stoned together" and the other says "World's Best Father".

A Mighty Lumberjack

2009-06-24T17:47:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since we featured a decanter, so here's a nice Paul Bunyan one. He's posing with Babe the Blue Ox. Next to him is a glass featuring one Big Jack, some kind of Paul Bunyan wannabe. There's something about these giants--one day I'd like to take a road trip and visit all of the Bunyan tributes around the states.

Double Bell Euphoniums and Big Bassoons

2009-06-10T11:35:00.000-07:00

Bill's love for musical instruments has spawned a fanciful and varied collection. He has a number of toy instruments, like those little paper accordians, toy keyboards, nose whistles--even Speak'n'Spells have been gathered in the box room in case they might somehow enhance a future musical recording. Then there are the staples, like guitars and a drumset. I believe there is more than one Casio keyboard around here. And what collection would be complete without:

An optigan. No photo because it's so hard to unearth in its current spot. I think it would be more centrally located if we had any of the discs you need to play it! For a mercifully brief peek at what it looks like in action, see this video clip.

A Yamaha SHS-10 keytar (as pictured in this Wikipedia article)

And a theremin

The Shirt off Bill's Back

2009-06-03T16:08:00.000-07:00

Bill likes shirts. His T-shirt collection numbers in the hundreds. Another favorite is the button-down short-sleeved plaid shirt. I think he's going for one in every color combo. Sometimes when a shirt is especially awesome, he'll bring it home even when it is a size that fits no one in the household. You are likely to be offered a shirt when you come to visit, especially if you are petite or very tall. Here Bill is excited that this "Take the plunge, sleep with a plumber" shirt, with glitter letters, won't be going to waste.

Between the Cans and Jars

2009-05-30T13:10:00.001-07:00

Today I spent all afternoon cleaning out the pantry even though it's GORGEOUS out. I just felt the pull. There are all manner of things in there not appropriate for a pantry (including a file cabinet and an overflowing bookshelf), but with all those shelves it's hard not to use it as display space. The riot of color in there gives the place zazz and zing. Here are two things I was going to try to find another home for but ran out of energy.

Made with Love

2009-05-23T17:27:00.000-07:00

This just in: a handmade Mr. Bill, "To Andrea, Love Claudia, 1980". How could Andrea part with this? Also an oldie but goodie we call Grimace but the resemblance is slight. He was a lamp but I accidentally broke that part off.

Rolling in Comics

2009-05-21T17:15:00.000-07:00

That rascal Bill, I can't believe how many minicomics he hauled home from the Maine Comics Arts Festival in Portland, Maine, last weekend! And this isn't even all of it. Did he get one of everything? How shameful. Just kidding, at least half of that is my haul. We sure had a good time at the festival. I really enjoyed getting to meet two of my favorite artists, Gabrielle Bell and Lucy Knisley, and am now a new fan of several others. Bill spent most of his time in front of the table for the Center for Cartoon Studies, musing and stroking his beard, and slowly, one by one, over a couple of hours, buying a copy of pretty much everything they had.

Creatures I Won't Be Afraid of Should They Came to Life

2009-05-16T17:45:00.000-07:00

No Shelf Wasted

2009-05-13T17:32:00.000-07:00

Sometimes at other people's houses I see these nice, tasteful shelves with all this space on them. Sometimes there's just a single item on a shelf, something very nice to look at, and the space around it highlights the item like a museum display. There is often no dust on the item or the shelf. One time, I even saw a shelf with just one item on it--lit with spot lighting.

All our shelves are filled with books or music, usually double-rowed. If a shelf is lucky enough to have just a single row of books, then it's possible to shove the stuff back to make way for a row of other stuff. Here's an example.
That's Abdullah the Butcher on the left, and a pretend cousin on the right.

Here comes another. Bill likes his pets ceramic.

From the Desk of a Mad Scientist

2009-05-04T15:52:00.000-07:00

This thing was sitting around looking decorative, and I'm just now finding out it's an embosser with the seal for one Herbert West. You might wonder why someone would want this embosser if his name isn't Herbert West. I asked that question and found out that its intrigue comes from the fact that Herbert West was the inventor guy in the Re-Animator films, spun from the H.P. Lovecraft story.

Party Time

2009-04-27T18:54:00.000-07:00

Bill picked up three attractive centerpieces for a party table. I like the one on the right with the apples.

Everything I Need to Know

2009-04-22T18:49:00.000-07:00

I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but we don't have any more room for books in here. Especially the thick ones. But I can see where this would be tempting. I can't read it but there are some great color pictorials on birthing babies, grocery shopping, flower arranging, toning abs and buttocks, and sewing.

Rockin' the Eyepatch

2009-04-20T18:41:00.000-07:00

Several people I know recently had cataract surgery. It sounds like you can really come out on top after that one, spotting things better than ever before. I hope that's the case for my mom, who had both eyes done this month. After each surgery she ended up at the Waffle House sporting an eyepatch. It made me wonder if the waitresses speculated about the mysterious classy lady with the eyepatch...and hey, wasn't it on the other side last time? Who does she think she's fooling? I've always kind of wanted to wear one but since I get disoriented and itchy wearing my own glasses anywhere but the car I doubt I'd make it very long. This dude just showed up on the comics shelf recently.

Decor of Yore

2009-03-30T16:01:00.000-07:00

When we moved into our first apartment back in 1993, Bill scoured the thrift stores for essentials. A theme emerged: mushrooms. Seems the stores were brimming with everything from kitchenware to curtains, all in awesome colors from an earlier decade with mushrooms galore. In this photo from Apt. A you can see a bit on curtains and coffee mugs.

We got rid of most of it along the way, save one saucepan that is a perfect size. I only mourn one thing and that's a "toadstool" stool that was our only chair for a long time. So I'm a little alarmed that this thing just showed up.

Crash Bang Boom

2009-03-28T15:53:00.000-07:00

Just spotted this kid's drum set in the stairwell. If this is intended for my nieces I should warn my sis. I hope it is--I think it presents a fire hazard as the stairwell is really filling up. All those books were supposed to have been sold or given away but they only seem to accumulate.

Under the Big Top

2009-03-27T15:47:00.000-07:00

These acrobats would be perfect in the orange room. Right up over the mantel maybe. There's a bare spot there where a large framed picture fell off the wall (in an explosion of glass and a loud crash that took a year off my life). So far this has only been used by my nieces as a sled to pull each other around on with a lap full of toys. At least it's not languishing in the Box Room. If it were a perfect world it could cover a tall bookshelf filled with Bill's circus books...

It's Pouring

2009-03-20T15:26:00.001-07:00

Check out Bill's most recent thrift store find, modeled here by the lovely Ronna. (You know what happens when you visit this place! You must pose with stuff.) It's a ceramic pitcher in the form of a dude with a mohawk. Let the tea party begin.

That's Really Shaving Cream

2009-03-06T14:03:00.000-08:00

Bill has 60 boxes of LPs (plus scads more unboxed) and I was going to try to find the one full of copies of Whipped Cream and Other Delights to do a post about it, then decided forget that, I will steal an image.

So he has maybe 40 or so copies of this treasure, most identical with a few pressings from other countries, and a few spoofs (like The Frivolous Five). He started picking them up after noticing that every thrift store has a copy, and speculating that they might make excellent wallpaper or be put to some interesting use. At only 50 cents a pop it seemed this could go on forever but thankfully it eventually slowed and stopped at about the number it takes to fill an LP box. We have yet to realize the wallpaper dream but there's still time. (P.S. This is actually quite an enjoyable album and we've listened to it countless times. No worries about wearing out a copy with overuse, with all the backups.)

Fascinating - Entertaining - Instructive

2009-02-12T16:37:00.000-08:00

This all-metal gadget looks like a precursor to the Spirograph. I could never really get into that toy. It seemed like cheating somehow. I like the box though. I just googled around (it's the Hoot-Nanny Magic Designer, what a great name) and see some other less awesome boxes it came out in over several decades.

Who's up for a game of Video Whizball?

2009-02-08T13:19:00.000-08:00

I shocked to my core last year when I pointed out this call for classic video games
by the University of Michigan's Art, Architecture and Engineering Library, and Bill responded that he would like to go through his collection and donate some stuff. It hasn't happened yet but the suggestion of weeding always thrills me.

I look forward to helping with the inventory, but first we need to figure out where it's all hiding and make some space for sorting. Here's something that floated to the surface during Box Room excavation: Fairchild Channel F games. The system was released in 1976 and was invented by the guy who started Intel. Read all about it in the Wikipedia entry if you're interested. I see lots of games but no console. I have a feeling they won't be parted with, even if there's no console.

Where's Nopey?

2009-02-06T16:50:00.000-08:00

It seems like we've always had this in the bathroom everywhere we've lived. If you're thinking, "ooh, that's what my bathroom needs" I just saw one for sale on Ebay for one cent. Hot item! I hope we never run out of shampoo and have to bust into this.

Little Dracula's Flying Nightmare

2009-02-05T16:07:00.000-08:00

Here's a little treasure recently unearthed during Box Room excavation: Little Dracula's Dracster race car. Features include "Road Gobbling Fangs!" I have never seen the show but the images on the box (featuring arch-enemy Garlic Man) promise great silliness.

Slitherin' Jake

2009-01-14T18:23:00.000-08:00

I got tagged by Lynnie to do a Photofind Mission: look in the fourth folder and find your fourth picture and post it. Being a good auntie all my folders have photos of my nieces. Here they are enjoying a remote control snake. His eyes blaze and his tongue flicks out--fairly scary but the girls are tough. Luckily this photo is appropriate for here since the snake is something Bill Dragged Home. He gave it as a birthday gift and it was enjoyed by young and old. Some readers might note that we had one when we lived in Michigan but had to give it up to a good home. Now we can play with it any time.

Kid Stuff

2009-01-08T17:05:00.000-08:00

Look at the smile on this recent guest! He got to stay in the room where the toys are. Behind him are two lovely drawings of semi-creepy kids. Imagine getting to wake up to that every morning...

Great Reminder to Brush

2008-12-31T07:01:00.000-08:00

It sure is hard to take a photo of a shower curtain. This one is actually clear, not black. Bill got it at the thrift store, and while it might not be with us for very long (already starting to tear at the top), I sure have been enjoying these teeth. They have a variety of facial expressions, and nice colors. I like that one that looks like it's wearing a sombrero but is really just floating by a cloud. And I feel for the ones with obvious cavities looking so sad.

Gifting

2008-12-27T18:27:00.000-08:00

Depending on who you ask, Bill is either the hardest person to buy gifts for or the easiest. I have a really tough time. I've sweated over an embarrassing number of completely lame gifts (including practically everything from our first few years together). I've been known to buy him something fairly cool and claim it was from the thrift store, because to him it wouldn't have the same gleam if I'd paid full price. I've also been guilty of giving him nothing on Christmas or for his birthday, beyond whatever he bought for himself and allowed me to slap "From Kelly" on (which seems to be fine by him). Also horrendous is my track record on finding souvenirs for him while traveling.

But other folks have some kind of Midas touch, busting out the most random things and totally making his day. Maybe the key is not to overthink it. My sister and her daughters have given him things like a big cake that looked like an orange Froot Loop, a toy pinball machine, a big painted rock, a thermos with a pinup girl on it, spiky fish clock, a T-shirt with a turkey on it. I always think, now why can't I think of cool stuff like that?? But it's always so great to see his face light up like that.

Here's something I got him this year that I ran by him first in case I was mistaken that he'd like it. It's a Raymond Scott doll! He's posed here with his clavivox. It went over well.

The Latest to Grace the Walls

2008-12-15T17:00:00.000-08:00

This fellow appears to be a clown-painted matador. I perceive a level of inner peace emanating from him, a kind of laid-back quality, that I wouldn't associate with such a terrible occupation.

That's Exactly What We Needed--Bullseye!

2008-12-05T17:32:00.000-08:00

Oh yes, at last we can play darts at home. We just need to find a place on the wall that will support this sturdy board. I feel about darts as I do bowling: it's super in theory, but then some go right down the middle, and some embarrassingly off target, and I'm doing the same hand motion every time. It's baffling.

A friend recently gave us a tour of her family home and it included a very cool attached barn. Great for parties, I'm sure, but it's current use was to hold a pile of stuff. My friend pointed out a nice dart board where she'd had high hopes of honing her skills, but unfortunately the pile of stuff was right where you'd have to stand to do that. Maybe she'll come to our place now for practice.

Bill wants to mention he got this for only $5.

Something's Not Right

2008-11-30T15:03:00.000-08:00

I recently got my own office at work (yay), and the place is just screaming for decor. I figure the first thing I need is a lamp, as the overhead lights there are hard on my eyes. Surely there's one around here at the homestead. So far the only ones I've unearthed that aren't in use include one involving a wagon wheel (no thanks) and this one here. Bill picked this up in the early 90s in New Mexico. If you get close and look at her face, you can see something's not right. Her eyes aren't going the right way and she has a blank stare that can creep you out a little. Plus one leg is bigger than the other.

All I'd need is a shade...but I'm not sure my co-workers could tolerate it.

Into the Box Room #2

2008-11-16T09:36:00.000-08:00

Seemed like time for the next segment of Into the Box Room, so I waded in and grabbed a box. This one is full of rap tapes. I was just wondering where those were. I'm in the middle of reading Grandmaster Flash's memoir, and a friend is currently trying to learn to breakdance (snicker), so that's timely.

Bill and I share a lot of the same favorites from the 80s and the collection has a lot of those but also many I'd have weeded long ago (what's Marky Mark doing in there?). As in many other areas, our tastes overlap a lot (many times we've traded lyrics to Doug E. Fresh's The Show, for example) but we also got to introduce each other to new stuff (he introduced me to Eric B and Rakim, and I shared the hilarity of Egyptian Lover). Neither of us like N.W.A. as much as this photo would suggest. Or L.L. Cool J. He just picks them up.

Voluptuous Treasure

2008-11-04T17:38:00.000-08:00

Wow. You could spend your whole life dreaming about having something this spectacular on your shelves, search the world over, and come up empty-handed. But Bill just drops into the local thrift shop and there it is. I think there's an R. Crumb/Krishna mash-up happening, plus the sexy pirate look. I'm confused but in awe!

Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2008-10-30T19:13:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd dragged out every last Halloween decoration for an event tomorrow, but nearly forgot about the monster heads! They've been out year round so I forget they're there. These are toys in the vein of those Barbie heads--remember the ones where you could apply makeup and style their hair? Wow, they still make them and they're nearly as scary. But the monster heads come with removable gross things like scars and crazy tongues and worms. For some reason Bill was finding them everywhere and started picking them up (much like his Whipped Cream and Other Delights collection, but that's another post). They're not quite as creepy as they look in the photo.

What I Squirrel Away

2008-10-20T16:46:00.000-07:00

I got tagged by my sister to share some random facts about myself. In keeping with the focus here on stuff, I'll go with highlighting some frivolous collections of my own:

1) I keep a large stash of playing cards on hand, just in case there are several people around who all want to play Nertz.

2) I studied linguistics back in the day, and keep a collection of grammars and dictionaries of American Indian and Austronesian languages. They will never get unpacked due to lack of space so are in an unwieldy tower in a less than ideal spot. (Library nerds note some are marked with the LC class number PM.)

3) I collect mini-comics by women.

4) And Playmobil, and Chinese Checker boards.

5) I allow myself to have duplicates of Sherman Alexie's books (mostly out of sight), even while trying to pass household legislation strictly banning duplicates.

6) I went to great lengths to get this little guy, just because I thought he'd look good with the polka dot tins in the bathroom. And he does!

I will pass on this important random-facts-about-me exercise to my favorite former neighbor, and our friends who haven't updated in a while, possibly because they're busy doing the opposite of hoarding unnecessary junk.

There's Always Room for Jell-O (in the Room of Shame)

2008-10-18T16:36:00.000-07:00

Remember my pain when, back in this post about Marshmallow Fluff, I was unable to provide a backdrop of Jell-O cookbooks? Well, there's been some excavating going on in the household and I made it to the back of the Box Room for the first time in ages. So right off I snapped a photo before they could disappear back into the black hole. Isn't it gross to think how gelatin is made with animal products? Yech. If you click on the photo you can get a better look at the vintage of some of these handy guides.

Ready to Spread the Love

2008-10-15T18:04:00.000-07:00

Our dear friends Margaret and Richard used to read these delightfully weird tales to their kids, and we got hooked too. I asked Bill how we ended up with three copies, and he replied, "Well, we have one for us, one for a close relative, and one to have at the ready when someone needs it." I just pointed out that people with serious hoarding problems use that as the reason they need to keep, for instance, all the cardboard tubes from toilet paper rolls, and he countered that you'd never give one of those cardboard tubes to a close relative.

All Dolled Up

2008-10-12T19:29:00.000-07:00

Bill says he picked up this little guy because he's fun and creepy at the same time. Don't our friends here look like proud parents? You'd never know Raggedy Andy was practically thrust into their arms for the photo. I guess he's made out of some kind of resin. Kind of surprising how many of those things made it through the move here without breaking. Also surprising how many were determined to be worthy of moving...

2008-10-05T11:58:00.000-07:00

Back in August when I wrote about a hideous needlepoint that was selected mostly for its orange background, I mentioned that it would be in good company. By request, here are two more examples of needlecraft from the orange room. The first one has the distinction of being dragged home by me. I try not to add to the junk pile but look at those bellbottoms! What a sweet scene.

Some recent visitors agreed to pose with a few more objects from the orange room. Enjoy!

That Secret Ingredient

2008-10-01T18:38:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was the What the Fluff? Festival, a tribute to Marshmallow Fluff, which was created right across the river in Somerville. I wanted to attend, especially after hearing about the comic book that came out in conjunction with the event, but it didn’t work out.

Our spirits were lifted though when Bill found this Marshmallow Fluff cookbook at the thrift store for next to nothing. Almost feels like we did go and came back with this souvenir. I wanted to photograph it against a backdrop of Bill’s Jello/gelatin cookbook collection, but it’s so far back in the Box Room I can’t get to it without renting a cherry-picker. So I’m going with not one but two (it’s just that good, sez Bill) copies of Amy Sedaris’ book on entertaining—she’s known for doing amazing things with the fluff.

Into the Box Room #1

2008-09-24T19:59:00.000-07:00

Bill was in Nova Scotia all last week and it sounds like he had a great trip. He hauled home an armload of good records (I'd list the bands but don't know how to make an umlaut here) and brought me some cool children's books in English and Micmac. But none of that seemed photo-worthy so I'll introduce a special feature: Into the Box Room. I'll wade into the room of unpacked boxes and overflow, also called the Room of Shame, or more simply, the Box Room, and reach out a hand and grab whatever's closest.

Here's what I came up with and I'm afraid neither of us knows what it is. Any ideas? Google's not helping.

Ahoy There, Lamp-Lover!

2008-09-18T16:23:00.000-07:00

This might look like an ordinary ship, the kind most people have on their shelves, but if you get up close your skin starts to crawl as you realize it’s made out of animal. You can’t figure out which bits exactly, maybe just tooth and bone. Then you think, nah, it’s just plastic made to look like animal. But it’s realistic enough to give you the creeps. And the clincher is, you can plug it in and it lights up.

Costume Ideas

2008-09-16T19:07:00.000-07:00

We are lucky to have a guest room in our current apartment, and it's decorated with the nieces in mind. In other words, most anything we unpacked that seemed kid-friendly made its way into that room. Here are a couple cheery paintings guaranteed to induce sweet dreams.

Takes a Licking, Keeps On Ticking

2008-09-11T16:58:00.000-07:00

This bad boy got hauled out of a neighbor's trash several months ago and has been out on the porch (or Junk Annex) neglected ever since. It was covered in filth and looked busted in spots (you can see how something has buckled in there), but the idea of having a rotating display case was too awesome to dismiss. Can't you picture maybe rows of action figures peering though, or the collection of Hotwheels, or photos of people eating? And the warm glow of the red Timex sign could serve as a nightlight for houseguests.

Bill just got it cleaned up and tested the lights, but alas, the motor needs some repair. Plus there's not really room for it. I think it's going to get passed on to some other lucky soul.

Shot of Redeye, Cowboy?

2008-09-06T07:13:00.000-07:00

Here's another decanter, modeled here by Julia the poet, covered in real animal hide and ending in a hoof. I think it kind of needs a strap so you can throw it over your shoulder like a handbag. Or just a belt clip.

Better Than a Flask

2008-09-04T19:08:00.000-07:00

Today's selection, displayed here by vegan chef Katie J., may look like a cocky clown with a few striped barrels to hide in while running from a bull at the rodeo. But it's really a whiskey decanter and shot glasses! The clown's head pops off to let the booze flow. Decanters are popular around here and may need to have their own category...

Biker Billy

2008-08-26T16:18:00.000-07:00

I was trying to think of a birthday gift for a friend turning 16, and the only thing I knew about her interests was that she liked to cook. Bill said he had just the thing, found at the thrift store just recently. Here's what he came out with; it says "Biker Billy Cooks with Fire". Luckily we ended up going with something else for the gift because it turns out he looks great in it.

Hideous, and Not in a Good Way

2008-08-22T12:32:00.000-07:00

That's my opinion of this needlepoint or whatever it is. I'm using a close shot here so you can see how stunted the squirrel looks, and the lameness of the birdhouse. But there is also a bad frame and this thing is barely stapled to it. Upon questioning Bill admitted that he'd have passed it by if the background hadn't been orange (a very bold orange, you probably can't tell here). We have a room with an orange rug, and when we unpacked, anything orange that turned up was routed there. I don't think that means we need to add on things like this. Of course, it does sort of fit in with the other orange needlepoints in there...

Heinomania

2008-08-15T14:50:00.001-07:00

Here's the latest evidence that if you wait long enough, everything you've ever yearned for will turn up at the thrift store.

Clowns Bring Cheer

2008-08-12T12:11:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd seen the full parade of new acquisitions when I returned from my trip, but then I settled down in front of the TV for the first time and spotted this on an adjacent shelf. Many, many years ago Bill had a boss who was afraid of clowns. He's never been able to break the habit of taking them home, I guess in case that guy ever comes for a visit and stays too long.

Retrospective: What's Gracing the Walls

2008-08-09T11:25:00.000-07:00

Bill tends to favor paint-by-numbers and big-eyed cats for wall decor, but this is my personal favorite. It's hanging in the bedroom solely because of the gold background, which goes with the gold in the bedspread. There are so many things in it that just aren't right.

The Museum of Bad Art is just down the road from us--I like to think this is the piece the curators would think about making off with if they ever came for a visit.

Are You Ready For This?

2008-08-08T17:35:00.000-07:00

We were driving somewhere and Bill spied someone putting a case marked Sony into their trash. I grudgingly turned the car around and he plucked it from the curb before the homeowner had even made it back inside. It looked pretty old, maybe as old as us, and inside was this reel-to-reel tape player. Bill predicted a recording of a grandmother telling stories to her kids. Instead, after fiddling for quite some time to get it to play, out blasted a familiar dance number, popular with crowds at sports events--wish I could play it for you. Think of that one that goes "Everybody dance now!" only this one is mostly techno-ish beats with the lyric "I Am the One and Only Dominator". You'd know it if you heard it. If you were going to do break into a crazy dance routine and wanted everybody to groove with you, you'd crank this up. That's what was on this tape. I'm hoping it goes back out in the trash next week.

Saving for a Rainy Day

2008-08-07T18:13:00.000-07:00

I got back from a week-long trip Monday, and the first order of business at home was the viewing of Bill's finds. The haul was mostly books but included this lounging lady. She's a bank; the slot's in the back of her head.