The mid-century modern house we bought last spring has led to all things vintage. I love hunting around thrift stores, picking up sea foam Russel Wright pieces, and egg yolk yellow fondue sets. To celebrate Christmas mid-mod style, Marcus and I threw a little mid-mod dinner party. A few photos and tips for you to get ready for the Mad Men premiere, whenever that might be.
1. Serve tasty food with vintage appeal. Taking advice from a 1950s version of Better Homes and Gardens, we celebrated "international foods." We served fondue (Switzerland!), pierogi (Ukraine!), dates wrapped in bacon (Spain!), sweet and sour meatballs (Malaysia!), pigs in a blanket with tater tots (America!), wild mushroom tart (France!), Brussels sprouts (Belgium?), and aloo tikki (Indian potato patties). I put little flags in all the dishes. We all felt very cosmopolitan.
2. Make something out of Jello. I couldn't bring myself to make a Jello mold. Too disgusting. So we served Jello shots in orange slice molds via Not Martha. Classy. These were a big hit.
3. Invest in some props. I love paging through vintage cookbooks. Food photography has come a long way, baby.
4. Tell your friends to dress the part. No need to buy a costume (unless you want to), some cat eye glasses, plastic beads, an apron, adjustments to facial hair, or cigarette holder go a long way. Looking for vintage wear, check out Hamden in Baltimore for some of the best thrifting around. 5. Play records. If you don't have a record player, you need one. We found ours on Craigslist for $50 bucks.
6. Serve vintage booze. We made rum punch and served PBR. (Avoid drinking as much as Don).
7. Process your photos on Picnik using the "1960" application.
No date has been set for the Season 5 premiere of Mad Men (at least that I know of). Sigh.
