A Shag Christmas Greeting

From the local greeting card and gift shop... the Abominable Snowman living in MCM style on the slopes! Contemporary artist Shag (a.k.a. Josh Agle) never fails to recreate the humorous atomic graphic work of the past without sneering at it. He makes kitschy icons classy. His worlds are always populated by hip, swanky dudes and dudettes living the idyllic lifestyle.

The shop I recently stopped in carried a large number of Christmas-themed cards with the Shag illustrations... I like this piece the best (though all are worthy of admiration, I promise). And look at the Christmas tree ornament shapes of the ski-lift in the picture window!

For more Shag, please slink on over to: Shag official website

Hey! The stockings hung on the Wendell Lovett fireplace? That definitely has some possibilities...

It's a Blizzard Out There, but Inside it's Cool

Yep, it definitely is getting wintry outdoors now. Today the temp dipped from a grand high of 11 degrees (and plummeting), the blizzard winds are making the house creak, and the snow is whipping across the landscape in wispy white torrents trying to snake it's way into every crack and corner. But it's not getting into my home sweet home... Especially not after an emergency call to the furnace man to kick my heater a few times and getting it to work again!


As suddenly as if waking from a dream I realized that Mr. Winter has indeed arrived and Christmas is tagging inevitably along, not too far behind. Maybe I should start throwing a few decorations on the house?

It had all started a week ago with an unplanned visit to a Christmas tree stand and being uncontrollably drawn by a tree which beckoned me to please take it home. From that point on, there was no turning back.


Yes indeedy. Christmas has definitely arrived at the atomic man cave :)

I've clung to my Grandma's genuine aluminum tinsel Christmas year after year (and have incurred some unfair ridicule from friends over it!) Oh the memories of setting it up with her in the corner of the living room and hanging those really old decorations. But this holiday for some inexplicable reason I had a craving to go traditional and trim the real deal. There's nothing in the world like the smell of a real Scotch pine living inside your home, after all...

And Grandma's decorations look just as much at home on a traditional tree, don't ya think?


Oh, and here's the Sputnik lamp, decked out in an appropriately colorful attire of Christmas lights.



I've been waiting almost the whole year to fire up the electric fireplace...


Keep warm and toasty out there. Wear those wool socks and the long underwear, 'cuz Summer's a whole 4 months off yet. Until then, Ho ho ho ...and pass on down another margarita!

Atomic Pad of the Month for June

Living Room, originally uploaded by JAVA1888.

From a Better Homes and Gardens book dated 1960.

Pause for a moment and look. Just look at all that headroom. Look at the wood panel ceiling. Look at the lighting. Look at that sky light. Look down and gasp at that dominating copper fireplace!

Our hats off to Java1888 for bringing us this this amazing pad of the month.

Fired Up

Warmer weather may be on the way, but these Hot fireplaces are never out of season

In the 50's, Lovett designed the metal, freestanding fireplace, sometimes called a "firehood" with it's inverted space-aged coneshape with a parabolic opening to reveal the warm glow.

One of the big wannahaves of my lifelong MCM Dreamhome list has just been checked off. I've seen similar models, but last week when I stepped into my favorite retro shop "The Nest" I was lured, enticed and teased by these lovelies - two metal stand-alone fireplaces with that classic Lovett inspired design.

Firehood Find, originally uploaded by Space Commander.

One was a faultless white porcelein wood-burning beut by Majestic. She would be ideal for placement against a wall ("D"-shaped). The other was a red-orange electric by Preway ( "()"-shaped). There's been a vacant corner in my livingroom which has defied everything I've tried to make a home there. Everything was there, the retractable chimney, the screen, electric logs and the hidden heater unit. No dings, no rust. And with it being "off season" I got it for half the asking price. What a deal! Both fireplaces were likely manufactured by these companies in the '70's, but they are unmistakable in the inspriation of their design.

Here's one link I found helpful while researching my Preway and Majestic finds:
Tiki Central Forums - A Shag Style Fireplace