Hows About A Little Downtown Public Art Tour? Status: A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood

About the only piece of public art that most folks know about in St. Louis is the Gateway Arch. It is a beautiful piece of iconic sculpture that was designed by the noted architect Eero Saarinen. Like most cities and their amazing treasures...we tend to overlook that great big silver thing. Here's some other slightly smaller treasures nearby.

AhaHa! I Finally Dragged Out The Box Of Blue Heaven Dishes! Wasn't Really Sure What I Had. Status: Not Too Shaby!

Plakow! That's some nice collection of Blue Heaven (by Royal China) is it not? This pattern is not the easiest to put together here in the midwest. Dunno why. Seems like I can't walk out the front door without tripping over some more Salem Biscayne, but the Blue Heaven is about as hard to find as the Salem Northstar!

Christmas In July...O...K....It's Not July And Uhm This Isn't Really A Christmas Tree. Status: It's a NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS Tree!

Bwaaahaahaahaahaahaa! That's the best spooky laugh I've got. I felt so discouraged that I wasn't able to get this bad boy all decked out for the Nightmare Before Christmas party last year. I couldn't find the decorations! I still don't know where they are. But...I found the pics of the tree I took from the year before. Yeah!

Again...Not Vintage, But Definitely Period Appropriate! Ikea Spun Aluminum Candlesticks Via Thrift Store. Status: Ikea? In St. Louis?

I am not a fan of Ikea. I'm all too happy NOT having a Wal-kea here in St. Louis. That said...I do like a lot of their stuff...But Don't Let That Get Around! I'm about to get up on a soap box a little here.

I Guess You Heard About The Tornadoes In St. Louis This Weekend. Missed Me By A Hare's Breath. Whew. Oh, And I Got A Cool Pair Of Chairs! Status: I Guess I Must Be Livin' Right.

Yup, dodged a bullet...barely. Tornadoes tore St. Louis up again this weekend, this time just a few miles away from me. The Airport and surrounding areas took the brunt of Mother Nature's Love. But you can all breathe a sigh of relief because amidst all the senseless destruction, I did manage to keep buying stuff I don't need. ...but it is really really cool stuff!

So I Did It. I Pulled The Trigger. The Set Was STILL There In The Window Looking At Me With Those Puppy Dish Eyes. Status: A Nice Start...A Very Nice Start!

So after realizing I had a couple of Metlox Contempora berry bowls stashed away in a box...a twinkle took it's place in my eye.

A Little Trip To The Forest Park Salv. Army Yielded A Hard To Find Treasure! Status: And CHEAP Too!

Take a good look at that price tag! Holy cow! The Girlfriend gets credit for this. I walked right by it and didn't notice it at all. We DO have a fireplace and we Have used it so it makes sense to have an appropriate set of Mid Century tools.

Mr. Modtomic Procures A Mr. Chair. Serendipity? Fate? Coincidence? ::Shrugg:: Status: Mr. Modtomic To Become Mr. Upholstery...tomic, or Mod-pholsterer?

Yup, another craigslist snatching. Again, offered more than asking to ensure acquisition. I've been pining for an Eames (or great knock-off!) lounger for sooooo long. I think....I Think...this Mr. Chair qualifies. You?

I Picked Up This Gem Of A Swag Globe Lamp About A Month On Our Way Home From New Orleans. Status: Still Looking For It's Place.

Ain't it grand? I've got to find just the right place for this. It's too cool to squirrel away in the garage or something sad like that. Maybe I'll put a colored bulb in it and mount it up behind the TV.

Ain't Weekends SO Much Better Since The Weather Broke!?!? Are Ya Properly Equipped? Status: Two Cool (ers).

We were all set to fill one of these guys with ice and beer the weekend before last when we went to the drive in (Double Feature @ the Skyview: Battlefield LA / Sucker Punch --> great movies to see @ the Drive In!) but our friends who went with us beat us to the punch and had a cooler already filled and ready to go.

I Rubbed Them....Both....No Genie. ::sigh:: I Guess You Have To Be An Astronaut. Status: Still Pretty Cool Lamps - Available.

One of the advantages of authoring this daily blog is that it kicks my but and makes me take pics of stuff that I've been meaning to make available on my craigslist ads. It's a Two Birds...One Stone thing. What is it with birds and idioms? "Two Birds, One Stone...A Bird In The Hand, Two In The Bush"? ::shrugg:: That's a question for a different blog.

Not Mint In Box, But Having The Original Packaging Is Still Pretty Cool! Pyrex Coffee Carafe And Candle Warmer. Status: More Stuff On The Shelf.

It is Nearly Mint! It has been used (melted candle in warmer!) but it's still so clean! It might not have ever been actually used. Maybe the previous owner just used the candle one night when the power went out?

Dropped By Old Time Pottery This Afternoon. You Don't Gotta Buy Vintage To Get Mid Century Style. Status: Here Today - Gone Tomorrow

Old Time Pottery gets lots of cool decor stuff but once it's sold out...that's it. Don't count on another shipment! Strike while the iron is hot! Seize the day!

Does Everybody Have A Set Of These West Bend Bean Crocks Or Is It Just Mr. Modtomic? Status: Collected.

Mmmmm...beans! Loves me some Hoppin' John, pork n' beans, baked beans, red beans n' rice, three bean salad, beans n' wieners, bean dip, bean town, gettin' beaned...uhm, wait a minute...might have lost the plot a little with that...

Ain't These A "Perky" Set Of Coffee Makers? I've Had These Up On Top Of The Fridge A While And A Blog Post Has Been A Brewin'. Status: Aw, C'mon...That Was Funny!

I used to drink a lot of coffee. Now the Girlfriend has me hooked on the Energy Drinks. It's just so much easier. No cleanup. But one of these days I'm gonna go get some coarse ground coffee and fire one of these babies up! It'll probably be awful.

Vintage Steel Kitchen Cabinet / Hairpin Legs Hack. All The Ingredients Are Here...Just Lookin' For Some Time To Mix 'Em Together. Status: Part One?

I picked up these steel upper cabinets from the Habitat For Humanity ReStore a few weeks ago. Upon first perusal I didn't think much about them...then, well...

Vintage Industrial Chic? Sentimental Schooldays Nostalgia? Old Beat Up Chairs? Status: Beauty Is In The Eye...

Isn't that just precious? Looks like Joan maybe played the field...and carried around an Arkansas Toothpick for which to profess her fondness? Yikes.

Metlox - Freeform, Mobile, Contempora. ::Sigh:: It's All So, So Confusing. But I Think I Have It All Worked Out Now. Status: Unsure.

Ok, so while we were in New Orleans we stepped into a shop way over on the west end of Magazine Street called Retroactive where I found a matched pair of Metlox tumblers that I thought matched my two lil' berry bowls.

Little Update. State Of The Livingroom Decor. Status: For Now....

Since I got the Milo Baughman recliner for our "family" room I had to find a good place for the Selig Z chair. Then I got that snazzy Adrian Pearsall chair, and well....

Just some of the booty from the Wentzville Flea Market pillaging last Sunday. It's amazing what you can get for just $12! Status: A Week Old...But C'mon, This Stuff's Been Sittin' Around Forever Anyway!

I had to work 3rd shift last week and have been trying to get back to my 2nd shift sleep pattern all weekend so even though Momma Modtomic wanted us to get up and hit Wentzville this morning, I just couldn't do it. So I give you last weekends little bag o' goodies!

Quick Lane Acclaim Refinish. Found This Pair At The Salvation Army And Thought I'd Tidy 'Em Up. Status: Check Out The "After" And You Tell Me!

Lookin' kinda rough as purchased! They were cheap enough that I thought I could do very little harm in attempting a quick refinish job on them. The good news is that they are already nice and solid...just that finish...it's gotta go! See Video Inside!

An Antique Mall...On Magazine Street In New Orleans? Why Yes! Status: Another Reason To Check Out NOLA

Ah, Spring time in New Orleans...what a beautiful time of year to visit! The flowers are in bloom. It's not hot and humid yet. You can dine outside if you like on some of the greatest food anywhere. If you've never been, I've got just two words for ya: Make...The...Trip.

Wentzville Flea Market Last Weekend. 'Twas A Spectacular Day For Poking Through The Offerings. Status: Only Open Sundays!

Yea!!! It's finally warm enough to get up at the crack of dawn and drive 40 minutes to get to the Wentzville Flea Market...only to find a buddy of mine has been there picking through it for HOURS already!

The Spring Collection. Yup, It's That Time. Had To Swap Out The Salem Northstar For The Franciscan Duet! Status: Displayed...yet Available.

In celebration of the (long awaited!) coming of Spring I've taken down the Salem Northstar I had displayed on the top shelf of the china cabinet and replaced it with this fine collection of Franciscan Duet.

Mr. Modtomic Makes Available Another Great Mid Century Pull Down Light Fixture. Status: Ready And Waiting (available!).

Wow, yeah...I found another cool pull down fixture over the weekend! As a bonus I have an extra glass diffuser in a different style that goes with it! The last one I made available went really fast. Just a heads up!

Wanna Join Mr. Modtomic In "Picking" Through Another Antique Mall? Let's Take A Look Through The Spanish Street Mercantile Antique Mall! Status: Three Floors!

This is another great antique shop in Cape Girardeau, right across the street from the Brick Street Antique Gallery. It seems to have a lot more "antiques" and perhaps caters more to someone looking for higher end turn of the century stuff, but there's always stuff for us. Sometimes you just have to suss it out. The sussing is half the fun!

Time To Thin The Herd! Dropping Some Retro Lighting and Dorothy Thorpe Glassware On My Ads. Status: Available.

I find that I'm acquiring a lot of items that aren't really being utilized and realizing that I'm getting lazy about updating my craigslist ads...not a good combination. Even my mother acknowledges that we are genetically predisposed to the dreaded Hording Dis-ease.

Are Ya Out Gettin' Your Garden Ready For Spring? Surely You've Got A Stylish Water Can To Keep Your Petunias Lookin' Good! Status: Three's An Official Collection.

I've had one for what seems like forever, one I found at an antique mall on Magazine Street and the last little one was waiting for me at a thrift store just down the street from the place we were staying in New Orleans (Terrytown, actually).

I Finally Got A Nesting Sugar / Creamer Set by Russel Wright. Took a Little While But They Were Worth The Wait. Status: Like the Psychedelic Furs Said - Pretty In Pink

You might remember from my trip to New Orleans last October that I found a Russel Wright sugar bowl but no creamer. I made a trip down to China Finders on Cherokee street to see if I might be able to find a creamer to go with it, to no avail. The place ain't cheap but they usually have what you need or can get it.

William Friedle...For Those Who Think Curtis Jere Is Sooooo Five Tweets Ago! Status: In Bloom And Available.

I picked up this pair of flower sculptures a few days ago from a craigslist seller who I also bought the Danish Nesting Tables and the Ib Kofod Larsen chair from. I didn't have any idea who "Friedle" was but the style was remarkably similar to the Curtis Jere stuff so I figured I should go ahead and buy it. Better safe than sorry!