Vintage Dinneware Display

I love how these vintage plates are displayed! So pretty and perfect for Valentine’s Day.

photo credit: photopin cc

TGIF

What’s your go to cocktail to celebrate the end of the week?

FAQ

I thought I would start the new year off on the right foot and compile a list of frequently asked questions some of you may have about us here at Retro Party Central.

1.  What is Retro Party Central

This blog is a companion for my online store Stone Creek Resale

2.  Where do you sell your vintage items?

I currently sell on Amazon, eBay, and Etsy.

3.  What do you sell?

We specialize in vintage/retro barware and dinnerware.  Basically as the tagline for Stone Creek Resale states: Your resource for entertaining with retro style!

I also sell other various mid century decor items when I find them!

4.  Do you offer returns?

I accept returns anytime, for any reason.  I want my customers to be completely satisfied!  If for any reason you aren’t 100% satisfied you can return your item(s) for a full refund. Return shipping is the buyers responsibility unless the mistake is my fault and then it’s on me! You can shop with confidence at Stone Creek Resale!

5.  Do you offer free shipping?

Yes!  99% of the items in my store include free Priority shipping!

And all of my items are carefully packaged using foam sheets, bubble wrap and double boxing when needed.  I absolutely love every item I have in my store and nothing makes me happier than packaging your items neatly, and safely to ensure delivery to you is perfect!

If you have other questions please respond in the comments section!

I look forward to providing you with the best online shopping experience.  You can access all my selling platforms by visiting StoneCreekResale.com

Until Next Time,

Kathie

Happy New Year!

Top 7 Reasons to Have a Mid-Century Style Thanksgiving

Tags

1950's Glamour, Cocktail Party, Dinner Party, entertainment, family life, Georges Briard, Mid Century Barware, Mid Century Design

Happy November! This is the perfect time to start decorating your home with festive Thanksgiving flair. Here are the top 7 reasons to have a Mid-Century style Thanksgiving!

1. Mid-Century items add interest and act as conversation pieces.

Thanksgiving is one of the few times of year when you host friends and family at your home, so give them something interesting to look at and talk about. Items like this vintage mid-century ashtray would be great conversation starters:

These items add fun and whimsy to every party.

2. You may find more Thanksgiving items.

It can be difficult to find many Thanksgiving items in the store nowadays, so look for items like this vintage Thanksgiving turkey serving platter to add to the holiday ambience:

These items are often much more affordable than what you can find currently in stores.

3. Your relatives will relate to the Mid-Century style.

Your older relatives may have first-hand knowledge of Mid-Century style, and using Mid-Century items will let them feel nostalgic. If they are bringing a dish to Thanksgiving, encourage them to bring it in one of their own unique vintage pieces. They will likely have a great story about the item!

4. There are unique Mid-Century style items that we just don’t have now.

Items like this vintage decanter spritzer pump with a caddy can’t be found in stores now:

These items are perfect for Thanksgiving and will make serving easier and more fun! Since hosting parties was all the rage back in the 1950s and 60s, most of these items are made for parties and for sharing. Items like this vintage chip and dip pottery on a Lazy Susan make sharing items much easier:

5. It is easier to mix and match items!

How many people really have enough place settings of one china pattern to use for one event? Most people end up having to mix and match china patterns. Mid-Century modern style barware and serving items are perfect for mixing and matching. By picking the same era of designs, they all coordinate, but then you have the freedom to mix items. These Pasinki mid-century tumblers

would look great on the same table as these vintage Georges Briard drinking glasses.

6. Mid-Century items are elegant!

Items like this vintage glass serving tray with gold leaves are so elegant and add a touch of class to any party: 

7. These vintage pieces will never go out of style!

Vintage items are great because they have stood the test of time and they continue to be popular. These are classic, timeless pieces that will look beautiful year after year!

Enjoy your Thanksgiving, and check back on the blog in a few weeks when we will give you some great Mid-Century Christmas design ideas, as well!

Until Next Time,

Kathie

Retro Home Decor

Adding vintage pieces to your home decor is easy and doesn’t have to cost thousands of dollars! 🙂

National Gumbo Day

Tags

Cocktail Party, Cocktail Recipes, Cocktails, Dinner Party, Food

Copyright: duplass / 123RF Stock Photo

Today, October 12th is National Gumbo Day.  And did you know Gumbo is the official cuisine of the state of Louisiana?  Gumbo derives it’s name from the West African word for Okra – “Gombo”.

To help us celebrate National Gumbo Day we need a cocktail right?

The Sazerac Cocktail is considered by many to the quintessential cocktail of New Orleans.  In 2008 it became the official cocktail of the city.

So, go ahead make a nice bowl of gumbo, mix yourself a Sazerac cocktail, put your feet up and enjoy the day! Oh, and if you are in need of some very cool retro old fashioned glasses click here.

Until Next Time,

Kathie

Dream Whip Pie

Tags

Appetizers, Cocktail Party, Cookbooks, Desserts, family life, Kids, Recipes

I may have mentioned before how I’m not really good in the kitchen.  I really try and I always have wonderful intentions of making something perfect and yummy and something that looks like Julia Child made it.  The vision I have in my head is this:

Unfortunately more often than not this is the reality:

Copyright: joebelanger / 123RF Stock Photo

However, my 11 year old daughter has recently started showing an interest in cooking and baking and has even started watching the Food Network like crazy! Since I am her mom I figure the responsibility of teaching her how to cook falls to me.  Don’t get me wrong – I LOVE spending time with her and making memories.  It’s just difficult when I am trying to teach myself at the same time I am teaching her.

We recently stumbled upon my husband’s grandmother’s cookbook.  I absolutely adore it and love paging through and looking at all the recipes, poems, information, quotes, and more that she has written in there!

So my daughter and I set out to pick one recipe and make it today.  We decided upon Dream Whip Pie.  The Ingredients are as follows:

• 2 envelopes Dream Whip
• 2 3/4 cups cold milk, divided (1 cup with dream whip, 1 3/4 cup when adding Danish Junket Dessert)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 package Danish Junket Raspberry Flavor
• 20 graham crackers crushed
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• Fresh Raspberries

After reading the ingredients I figured it was sort of like a modern day Cool Whip Pie! Super easy to start out with. 🙂

Helping me with this baking journey is my lovely daughter, Linnea!

First, we had to see if stores even still sold Junket Danish Dessert or Dream Whip for that matter.  To my dismay the local Woodman’s grocery store had both of them. Being a modern type mom I decided to buy the already crushed graham crackers rather than crush them all myself.  I mean seriously, I don’t want to work myself too hard!

Next I went to the next page of the recipe book and to my disbelief there were no directions!  Ok, we can do this…I think.

First we put the 2 packages of dream whip in the mixer with the milk. And I made my first mistake!  I put all 2 3/4 cups milk in with the dream whip – you are only supposed to put 1 cup.  Sigh.

Good thing I know myself and know I am bound to make a mistake of some kind…so I bought Cool Whip while we were shopping…you know…just in case!

So, I dump out the ruined mixture, put in the cool whip, add some vanilla, add the Junket Danish Dessert Mix (which is just a powdered jello like substance), and the correct amount of milk.  Mixed it all up on high for 2 minutes and stuck in the fridge to chill for 1 hour.

Next we made our graham cracker crust. Crushed graham crackers, 1/3 cup butter, melted and 3 Tbsp of sugar.  Mix that all up and put it into a pie plate.  Set that in the fridge to chill.

So far so good!  The finished product turned out Ok.  We topped it with fresh raspberries!

While I wouldn’t necessarily call this an overwhelming success cooking wise, my daughter and I had fun and laughed and made some wonderful memories!  Thanks to my husband’s grandmother! 🙂

Swing Dance!

I absolutely LOVE this clip from the 1956 Movie “Don’t Knock The Rock”.

Isn’t the energy just so great? Makes me want to get it and start dancing!

The movie, Don’t  Knock The Rock, according to the Internet Database the movie is about “A disc jockey tries to prove to teenagers’ parents that rock ‘n’ roll is harmless and won’t turn their kids into juvenile delinquents.”

Which reminds me of my generation’s “Footloose”.  And that reminds me that each generation at it’s core, really isn’t all that different from the last.  The packaging, music, and ways of getting the message across may differ, but the feelings are the same…

Until Next Time,

Kathie

Thirsty Thursday!

This quote says it all!

Cheers!

Kathie