doitnowceciliasmith

Do it now: Acquire lime green loveseats

We have a bargain box section in the local paper.  I often scan it, circle a few things and almost never call the number listed, making excuses for myself that its either sold already, do I  want someone else's second hand crap or ... really, do i want someone else's second hand crap!?

But who could resist this one?...... 

ANTIQUE FURNITURE.  Needs restoration and TLC, three pieces, $30/OBO. FREE microwave. Two 60's loveseats, lime green, $20/each. End tables, coffee table, bookcase, $10/each

The location was a  cute little beach house right opposite the ocean in Oak Bluffs. A bit like this one. 

A nice lady called Kathy answered the door whilst being pelted with wind, rain and seawater from the first "nor'easter" of the season.  It was freezing cold and I seriously questioned what I was doing there.

Then I saw them, the lime green color, a stark contrast to the cold gray day.

In the true manner of buying anything second hand, I umm-ed and arrr-ed.... drew in some sharp intakes of breath and told her that actually they weren't really what I was looking for.  After all, the "lime green" cushions turned out to be Vinyl (ewww I hear you all screetch!), and I imagined how cold they would be on ones bottom in the winter and how ones clammy legs would stick to them in the summer - (yuk)..  not really the comfy curl-up-and-watch-a-movie kind of living room seating I was looking for.

But then I got to thinking about that neighbor of mine, with the industrial sewing machine, who makes sofa cushions etc for the decorators on the island...... I asked how much she wanted for them.

Anyway long story short, they are now mine and after a little wipe down with Murphys oil soap, they look pretty cool in my "rapidly becoming a film set for Mad Men", living room!   I think Joan Harris, (nee Holloway) would love it!

 

Do it now: find out which Mad Men character you are.

I am loving everything Mad Men right now.  I started watching season 1 when it began a couple of years ago I guess, then lost momentum or rather, I kept forgetting to DVR it.  So now I am watching the past seasons from NetFlix whilst simultaneously watching season three on Sunday nights.  I can get enough of  the the blatant sexism, the suburban twitching curtains, the adultery, the smoking, (even whilst pregnant), the interior design, the fashion, the drinking in your office at 9 am.... it's just so refreshing!

So when the poll to find out which mad man are you? showed up on facebook, of course, I took it.

the results ...... drum roll please .....the marvelous Joan Holloway, office manager of Sterling Cooper.

Unfortunately without the hourglass figure and designer wardrobe, but hopefully with all the poise, control and professionalism that any self respecting working woman of the 60's should have.

I am so happy that I am not Peggy "I don't know why I pick all the wrong boys" Olson!

 Cecilia would be proud!

PS mad men blog

do it now: Cecilia who?

I am told that one should not write a blog under a pseudonym (thank god for spell checker on that one!).  So, I suppose it is time to confess that I am, in fact, not Cecilia Smith and to reveal her true identity to you.

Cecilia Smith was a work colleague of my Grandmothers. They worked as telephone operators at Cable and Wireless, in London in the 1950's.

"Do it now" was Cecilia Smith's catch phrase and my Grandma adopted it, adding Cecilia's name to her version of it, for extra emphasis. 

As a kid I kind of liked Grandma's mysterious friend, and  I liked what she stood for. I imagined that Cecilia Smith was this perfect woman, she had all the boxes ticked and her life was like the well-conducted orchestra that featured on her completely unscratched collection of Perry Como records.