Cats Like Us Blog

We're welcoming our new series for the Cats Like Us blog, featuring and exploring people's home Tiki bars. Since we're mad for all that the tropical, it seemed like a no-brainer! We're kicking off the series by featuring my own Tiki bar that my husband Derek and I like to escape to, our own little tropical island...that's in our backyard.... and it's our garage. Bar name: The Hut Established in the beginning of 2015 when we first purchased our home. When Derek and I saw that the garage had a pellet stove and was insulated (previous owner was a car...

"The Turban came into style starting in 1936 and were consider the hat style of fashionable American women in 1940 according to Vogue. It was a style that could be high fashion or low fashion depending on materials and decorations. At its simplest it was a long piece of fabric knotted at the forehead and tucked back under to form a wide bow." -Vintage Dancer The turban hat being in fashion during the wartime era of World War II was bore out of necessity. Often, a turban was worn by factory workers to keep their hair off the face and away...

All the lovely leopard print items that Cats Like Us has been serving us has inspired to talk about one of my personal favorite fashion icons, Poison Ivy of The Cramps. Miss Ivy has been known to rock a 60s style in which leopard and gold lame go hand-in-hand.   image source google. She's wearing more of a cheetah, but this is an awesome photo!   Poison Ivy has an exotic look with her bright red ultra curly hair, penetrating eyes and though she's a petite woman, I know she could kick my ass! When she's performing she's usually in...

We don't get out much… literally! But we are fortunate living in Western New York to have many destinations only a few hours away. So that when we do decide to take a few days off it's hard to choose what to do! For a recent vacation we decided to visit Lake Canandaigua, one of the New York Finger Lakes. This lakeside town offers a nice assortment of wineries, antique stores, fantastic food, and some of the most beautiful state parks around. It is an easy drive from Buffalo, only an hour-and-a-half! Our plans for day 1 included travel, check-in,...

Here is day 3 of our recent trip to Canandaigua. You can also read part 1 and part 2. I highly recommend the area for a getaway! Breakfast on day 2 at the Inn On The Main was a delicious egg souffle with sausage and vegetables. Our final day we planned on mostly antiquing. Before checkout we ran down the street to visit the Salvation Army, and on the way out of town we stopped at Ontario Mall Antiques.   On the short stretch between the highway and Canandaigua is the Ontario Antique Mall. This unassuming building houses a HUGE...

Here is day 2 of our recent trip to Canandaigua (part 1 here). I highly recommend the area for a getaway! Breakfast at the B&B was a 2 course meal. To start we were presented with a fresh cut fruit salad that any polynesian flair restaurant would be proud of!   For the main dish was stuffed french toast, with bacon and fruit. It was as delicious as it looked -- what a great way to start the day! We only planned one thing for day 2 and that was to go to Sonnenberg Gardens, one of the few remaining...

Holy yum! I almost drank the whole Shamrock-arita cocktail before I got to take a photo. I had to control myself! I'm a big fan of drinks that have melon liqueur and make that into margarita form equals bonus! Since St. Patrick's day is right around the corner and everyone is Irish on March 17th, feel free to make a few Shamrock-aritas....or a bucket full!   The Shamrock-arita Ingredients: 1 oz. Sauza Blue Gold Tequila 1/2 oz. Melon liqueur 2 oz. Lime juice 1 oz. Simple syrup Method: Combine ingredients into ice-filled cocktail shaker, shake and strain into an ice-filled...

  What made you start recreating vintage plaster chalkware? The truth is I had searched some time for a reasonably priced set of vintage mermaids. Unfortunately I began my search right after the price of vintage chalkware went through the roof.  I remember one day at a local antique and flea market seeing a set at the end of a vendors table. Eager with anticipation I picked up the larger mermaid of the two and immediately fell in love with it. It was in good condition, the colors were neutral and the eyes were quite fetching. Then I found out...

Who is Beth Dauria or 'Dolly' with her 'Rockin' bags built to last'? Well, she is the designer and creative business woman behind the handbag line Dungaree Dolly and dress line, Dolly Valentine. Miss Beth (you can call her Dolly) creates the bags and dresses from her own drafted patterns, some vintage inspiration, and her sewing skills to create wonderful and unique items for all us rockin' ladies! Dolly always strives for a perfect product, with her infectious smile, and over all sparkle, she puts all that magic into each of her creations. Every bag, dress and accessory is made with...

If you’re like me you tend to buy, make, and trade hair flowers and bows with girlfriends. They are a nice, retro inspired finishing touch to an outfit and look great on all hair lengths and textures--but how do you take care of them and store them? (How not to store them, thrown into a drawer!)   When you buy hair flowers or bows, even before you wear them, be sure to examine how they’re made. Some are better put together than others and depending on what they’re made from, you may want to add a little “TLC” of your...