Monthly Archives: December 2012

Vintage Blowmold Holiday Decorations

vintage blow mold snowman

According to Dotson family history, when I was a little girl, I begged my parents to buy a set of blow mold holiday candles that were taller than me.  After hours of begging, they finally gave in and I worshiped those blow mold beauties for years until I became too cool for them as a teenager.

FIE! Because I would kill to have those old blow mold candles back now for the Peach. Sigh!

Blow mold holiday decorations—those large plastic figurines that light up— have been around since the 1930s. They became super popular in the 1950s through 1970s until they were overtaken by other more popular, lighter options like the blow up decor that has become very popular over the past decade or so.

Personally, it is the old vintage blow molds that make me stop and smile when I see one as part of a holiday decorations around a house.

blow mold vintage santa
Image via: Vintage Roadside


Image via: Sosorosey

They actually came in all different sizes including some as small as six inches or so, which is perfect for the mantle.

Clearly, I’m not alone because they are now highly collectible and can garner hundreds of dollars per item.  And the best part is they still look awesome (albeit a bit sun faded at times) but will still make any kiddo around smile ear from ear!

Also, I want to go to there…

Oh, and would you look at this?

Even in the snow, I think blow mold decorations still look wonderful. And thank heavens for the invincibility of plastic that could handle the cold weather.

Image

Personally, I’ve always wanted one of these Christmas lanterns.  I could totally see it hanging from my lamp post! So charming!

What kiddo wouldn’t love to have this outside his or her door?


Image via: Niftic Vintage

I did buy some candy canes for our front yard from Target and hope to have them around for the next thirty Decembers. She gets so excited when we put them up! I hope she is still excited years from now.

Did you grow up with any blow mold holiday decor?  Do you use it today?

Merry Kitschmas! My Vintage Ornament Collection

I loooove vintage ornaments. I love the Shiny Brites. I love little wooden figurines. I love the pretty glass ornaments from Germany.  I love metallic birds with real feather tails. BUT I also love these playful little guys. Over the years I’ve amassed a fun collection of little kitschy felted friends that are just TOO cute! I  have to say, I don’t know much about them. I’m guessing they are from the late 60s, early 70s….but I’m not positive. What I do know is that most are from Japan. And ALL are adorable. They remind me very much of the Rankin/Bass animated holiday specials, with their big round eyes. I don’t put them on our main tree anymore (because there are too many of them and I like our other ornaments too!), but awhile back I got this little mini silver tree and think they fit on here perfectly!

A little small tree like this is a GREAT idea for kiddos, because they can “be in charge” of the decor. Pick ornaments made of things like felt, wood, sequins, yarn (I’ve seen some really cute ones at Target!)  and you don’t have to worry about your little one accidentally breaking anything as they decorate away!

Do you have any special or favorite ornaments?

How to make holly jolly scented bubbles with Method!

The Peach is a big fan of bubbles.  Blowing them and catching them.  It is a great and inexpensive way to have fun with your kiddo. I used to buy whatever bubbles I could find, but one day I watched a bubble pop over the Peach’s head and it sprayed into her eyes. She immediately squinted and started to cry and I had to take her in and wipe her eye with a wet compress. All of a sudden it hit me that I needed to find a better bubbles solution.  Something less… uh.. toxic.

Fortunately, I only needed to look as far as my sink! I realized I could make a batch of safer (and cheaper!) bubbles with Method.

Since it is the season for easy, quick holiday projects, the Peach and I decided that this would be a fun one and a great opportunity to use Method’s holiday scented dish soaps. I really love the sugared mint scent but the frosted fir is pretty fabulous as well!

So, here are the deets.

Pour the following amounts into into the mason jar:

  • 2/3 cup of filtered water
  • 2 tablespoons glycerin*
  • 4 tablespoons of Method dish soap

I have my assistant help me do this—it’s that easy.

Put the cap on the mason jar and shake it for about a minute or so.

Then let the bubbly fun begin! You can also stir the ingredients slowly and let it sit overnight as well if you don’t like the bubbles up top. But we didn’t mind that much!

A quick note about glycerin—I had never used or bought glycerin before, but it makes the bubbles last longer, so it is a great addition and not the freakish product I thought it was. It can be bought at any drug store or even supermarket. I had no idea that glycerin was made from vegetables—I like the gylcerin derived from coconut personally, which I picked up at Whole Foods.  You can also use light corn syrup as well, but that leaves a sticky residue where the bubbles pop.

I made a wand using a pipe cleaner. I made the opening about the size of a quarter and just twisted the ends up. Super easy!

Or you could go big and buy some cool bubble pipes.

In fact, the whole project took less than 5 minutes and the Peach loved helping make it.  She also really enjoyed the immediacy of this handy little project!  And the clean up was quick compared to many other craft projects I have tried with my three year old.

The weather was so nice this weekend that we tried the bubbles out immediately.  We spent a good hour running around blowing and catching bubbles.  Eric even got into the act, blowing bubbles for the Peach to catch.

Oh, and by the way, when a bubble broke and a little bit of the bubble liquid dropped into the Peach’s eye? She laughed!  If that isn’t a sign that Method is a safer product, I don’t know what is!

Thanks Method for inspiring this little holiday DIY!  And you can get these yummy smelling goodies at Target or Method’s Website!

I think this might be my go-to holiday giveaway for kiddos! Have you ever made your own bubbles? Wanna give it a try ?

This post brought to you by 

but all opinions are always our own. To read more on Method’s green practices, ingredients and philosophy, go here!

Want, Need, Wear, Read // Jenny Mitchell

Hello friends! Shopping for the kid’s is so much fun, but I have to admit it’s tough to just keep it to four things. Here are four really sweet items I know my little girl Dorothy would just love to find under our tree!

want: I can totally see my Dotty girl zipping around the neighborhood in this awesome Radio Flyer Bike!

need: When the weather dips, she’ll be super cozy, cute and colorful in this Girl’s Powder Puffer in Yellow!

wear: We love Studio Ghibli movies around our house and this Totoro Hat is sure to bring big smiles!

read:  We love storytime and Now I Am Big &  I Can Do It Myself by Stephen Krensky would be a great addition to our growing library.

So there you have it friends! My Fab Four. What would you get your kiddo? xoxo, Jenny

Be sure to pop on over to Jenny’s fantastic vintage shop, Frecklewonder. It’s always filled with her gorgeous finds and at terrific prices. THANK YOU SO MUCH miss Jenny!!

Retro Round Up // What I Wanted for Christmas!

Hoo boy.  Still reeling from Newtown CT. I think I hugged the Peach every 10 minutes this weekend.  I grew up in Connecticut an hour away from Newtown and my brother and his family still live in that fine state.  I remember my days at Kings Highway Elementary School as being perfect, cozy with Harvest festivals and afternoon ice skating on Mill Pond.  My heart goes out to my old home state and the Newtown community who is in mourning from the worst tragedy thinkable.

So, this Round Up was rather cathartic for me–remembering my favorite toys from my days in elementary school in Connecticut. I hope this round up makes you smile and remember the fun of childhood. So, here we go!

Sorry Barbie,  you are wonderful and all, but you are not CHER! ‘Nuf said. From Etsy seller, Miss Kitschy’s Cache.

I loved Gilda Radner. She opened up her comedy special with tap dancing. I know. Amazing. So, of course I wanted the paper doll. It is pure eighties. From Etsy seller, Sophie’s Wonderland.

vkm118_gilda

Kerplunk!  Man, I loved playing this game with my cousins!

kerplunk toy seventies

I thought Sea Monkeys would make an excellent first pet. They were so stylish—just what anyone would want in a pet.  Unfortunately, my parents did not. Sigh.

sea monkeys

Who wouldn’t want to find this beauty under the Christmas tree? Purple? And did you see that banana seat. Floral purple banana seat.

vintage banana bike

Ramona Cleary wrote a lot of great books, but The Luckiest Girl was one of my favorites! I remember checking it out of the library several times re-reading it.  From Etsy seller, Camp Wilder.

ramona clearly luckiest girl

My brother had one of these rock tumblers and of course he wouldn’t let me touch it.  But man, my entrepreneurial dreams of starting my own jewelry line to pay for my college was set wit this. But I lost interest once I saw the barely buffed gray rock my brother gave me for my birthday. Sigh.

rock tumbler seventies

Do you know how badly I wanted these Super Girl Underoos?  I know everyone wanted the Wonder Woman ones, but I totally wanted these–hello—the top is like a BRA!  Aw yeah!

super girl underoos vintage seventies

When I was a kid, my grandparents always gave me a subscription to World Magazine, the kiddo version of National Geographic Magazine. I wish they had that available today–I would totally get a subscription for the Peach!

world magazine national geographic kids magazine seventies

BONUS! You have to wonder about the toy inventor who came up with the Punch Me toy.  I guess kids need to get their aggressions out somehow… Alas, I couldn’t find one of the original vintage ones for sale, but the images from it alone are pretty genius!

Happy Monday!