Nothing new...

We picked up a batch of magazines from the local market about a month ago. An American travel magazine, Sunset: The Magazine of Western Living, for the well to do and the well to want to do crowd. Full of exotic locations and new products, it is self consciously expanding the horizons of its readers as air travel was becoming more accessible and the idea of multi-culturalism is being birthed. It is quite cool!!!!!

These are a few things I just have to share.

The travel cup, around since the 70s. Yup, your funky keep cup is not really as funky as you think. Portable caffiene has been a necessity for some time and judging from the advertising in the magazine, coffee was getting its make over into the foodie world along with dog food, yup pooch isn't getting table scraps anymore!

I was struck by the fantastic house designs in the classifieds sections. It made me wonder why Grand Designs think boxes on boxes style of housing is so new and adventurous. The boxes or pods style is the cutting edge design in the Sunset magazine of this period so really... is it so amazing? No... actually its boring. The really cool stuff is round. Open plan living withing soft curved walls, high ceilings (for macrame hangings of course) and much of it is DIY or simple off the back of a truck construction.

I can't help but indulge in the vision of a Rondo Home amongst the trees at the top of Mt Dandie while Kevin (the legend) McCloud exclaims with delight that he hadn't expected it to be beautiful, but it is!!!!

Also in the classifieds I found an advert for the Desiderata. I remember it hanging in our kitchen, a lightly beaten copper plaque with the mysterious words in black. Being a vacuous teenager I didn't take much notice of it, I read it and wondered that's all. I doubt anyone else in our family took much notice either, it was just one of things you have because it was a bit cool and clever.

Sunset is full of clever craft ideas for the home. The construction of wooden toys includes one I actually have. Not an alligator but a dog, made by my paternal grandfather. I suspect it is was made earlier than the 70s.

Grandpa's design is more complex than the Sunset one and is plastics free. I guess like all good designs, it was recycled.

Despite how cute it is, the joints that make the body flexible bit little fingers and made it a formidable toy to play with. So the dog was approached with great respect!

Lastly, a few things I am coveting. What chic could refuse a car advertised as SASS and a chair of metal and plush cushions with a whiff of romance... really... confused? Me too.

Come on, its red and orange, she is wearing a crochet shirt and she probably flyes a red nosed plane. Lie and tell me you wouldn't want that ute??????? On the other hand... nuff said!