I love that new Daft Punk song, Get Lucky. And I love 70s SOUL TRAIN. So this video? It’s kind of the best thing ever. HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!

Hi guys. Lots going on over here at Camp Kiddo. I’ve been working on a new exciting work project, but it’s been totally time consuming with lots of late nights. And our sweet Dottie is going through a difficult time with a beloved family member experiencing health problems. That’s why posting has been rather light the last two weeks. Please bear with us while we simply deal with life.

In the meantime, I saw today that GROUPON was offering 50% off on registration for the Color Run and I thought it might be fun to re-run this post I did on the Color Run last year. HAPPY FRIDAY everyone!

This weekend Wolfie, Greg and I participated in one of the coolest things ever: The Color Run!

The Color Run is a unique 5 kilometres event unlike any other. It’s a one-of-a-kind experience that is less about speed and more about enjoying a crazy colorful day with your friends and family. All levels of experience are welcome, all that matters is that you participate—and that you wear white clothing! Why? Because at every 5 kilometer marker, runners get blasted with colored powder, turning the procession into a moving rainbow. And friends, it’s AMAZING!!

Soooooo, the run fills up really quickly and spots in the San Francisco run were all full. But that didn’t stop us! We decided we’d show up anyway to support the runners and check it all out. We weren’t sure if we could bring Sammy  (technically, I think dogs weren’t supposed to be there) BUT he’s such a big love, everyone just lit up when they saw him and ran over to pet him. With his big smile and wagging tail, he sort of became the unofficial “Happiness Mascot” of the SF Color Run!

We started hanging out at the pinkie red kilometer color marker and as you can see, Sammy really got into the spirit of things!

We decided to check out the blue team, and those guys were all was jealous that Sammy was all pink, so they got in on the action too—giving Sam a pretty baby blue bath. The powder, by the way, is an all natural non-toxic mix. It’s corn starch and color—and it’s safe to eat, although the warn you it’s highly caloric. Don’t taste the rainbow…

The race starts out slow….you see a handful of runners coming through, with a lil splash of color. And then suddenly you see a SEA of people and the color cloud gets bigger and bigger!

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We didn’t make it over to the yellow station but it was SO great because we could see it in the distance and all you saw was this POOF of yellow. Even if you don’t run, you will still get lots (LOTS) of color splashes.

The finish line is one big colorful dance party…they toss out extra packs of color (and you can buy larger packs like that one up there) and people are just throwing color all over the place. Everyone is bouncing around and grinning. SO. MUCH. FUN! The whole scene looks like a futuristic, candy colored, post apocalyptic water color painting! Hmm, never thought I’d type THAT phrase!!

They gave away free Slurpees and Coconut Water too… Whoo hoo!

I can’t recommend this enough. And it’s a great thing to do with kids (whether they run or simply enjoy the color mania). They have Color Runs all across the country, through out the year. Even if you can’t run, you should head on down and check it out—in some ways its even more fun just volunteering and observing. There was so much happy energy in the place! Everyone was smiling {Special howdy do to our sweet pal Nuala from tea collection, who we ran into there!} Wolfie thought it was the coolest thing ever and wants to start training to run for next year!

PS

We were soooooo filthy when we got home, and it took a while for us all to get cleaned up. So we decided to wait to bathe Sammy til the next day. Um…mistake. The blue dye is reeeeally tricky to get out! He’s nearly white, but still has little blue paws and tail.

PPS

This is the video that Wolfie and I watched back in January, and it was what sold us on the event! I hope you watch it with your kiddos too!

Ah paint by numbers! What was once a thrift store classic has now risen up in the ranks and become a coveted piece of Americana history. Friends, I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to actually PAINT a paint-by-numbers, but it ain’t easy! For those who don’t know, Paint-By-Numbers are black and white canvases bearing color-coded numbered areas for the “artist” to fill in with appropriate colors. The daintiest of paint brushes and a steady hand are critical. When done well, I think they have a uniquely haunting quality. There is just something about them that makes you look twice!

So how did paint-by-numbers become such a popular fad? Let’s take a little look see!

It all began at the Palmer Paint Company in Detroit, Michigan. They introduced the first paint-by-number kits under the label Craft Master at the New York Toy Show in 1951. Artist Dan Robbins (a Palmer Paint packaging designer) is credited with coming up with the idea and creating many of the initial paintings. Robbins was inspired by childhood memories of coloring books and Michelangelo—who famously assigned pre-numbered sections of the Sistine Chapel to his students to paint. The first Craft Master set was “The Fishermen” and included a rolled canvas stamped with the numbered outline of the scene, mini tubes of oil paint, and of course an artists palette.

Popular subjects ranged from moody landscapes and seascapes to playful animals, ballerinas and still-life floral bouquets. Paint-kit box tops proclaimed they would make, “Every Man a Rembrandt!”

Paint By Numbers were not a critical success—many saw “number painting” as not only a novelty but a symbol of the “mindless conformity” of 1950s America. At the same time, the general public embraced them whole heartedly. There was something extremely charming and appealing about the paintings. They invited people who had never held a paintbrush in their life to suddenly feel creative .

“Most people think paint-by-numbers was an immediate success. Not true! In the beginning we couldn’t give our sets away. It took almost two years to get our paint-by-number business off the ground. When we finally did, it took off like a rocket. All we could do was hang on for dear life.”   —Dan Robbins, What Ever Happened To Paint-By-Numbers?

By 1954, Palmer had sold an unbelievable twelve million kits. They eventually became so popular that the White House even hung paint-by-number canvases created by J. Edgar Hoover and Nelson Rockefeller in the West Wing corridor. Amazing!

As the years went by, and more competitors started popping up, the line expanded to include celebrity portraits (what I would do for a Liberace Paint-By Number!) and more “exotic” subjects, like Balinese dancers and more tropical landscapes.

It’s interesting to note that while the original Craft Master kits were printed on rolled canvas, they eventually transitioned to the now-familiar press boards with light-blue outlines. They also switched to acrylics rather than oil paint. The original canvas paint-by-numbers are highly sought after and often worth more than their press board counterparts. I still love them all! Here are some from my own personal collection:

The “Far East dancers” and the doggies are my favorite….please note that the fella that completed the one above “signed” it. I love that.

In the 1970s and 80s, the sets started to get a little more childishly kitschy….teddy bears, Snoopy and even TV shows like Mork and Mindy got the “PBN” treatment. While I love my 70s kitsch, I think these later versions are no where near as cool as the originals. The originals were attempting to be authentic—never tongue-in-cheek. Nothing beats the subtle elegance of a stoic collie or a dramatic sunset on a western prairie.

I love our paint by numbers and especially love to think of the back story each carries. Who was the intrepid artist who lovingly and painstakingly dabbed color onto canvas? It intrigues me no end! Paint-by-numbers are much harder to find in the thrifts today, and have moved up the ranks to be a genuine collectible.

And to lend a little credibility to their place in American history, there was a Paint By Numbers exhibit several years ago in 2001 at the Smithsonian. Not too shabby.

Read more at Collectors Quest and the PBN Museum.

Last month on April 6 my sweet boy turned nine….NINE! Can you believe it? I sure can’t. He always has interesting ideas swimming around in his little head. Last year we had an awesome miniature golf party(check it out here). This year he decided he wanted to go BOWLING! So a bowling party is was. It was actually a super easy, fun party so I wanted to share a few photos with you on what we did to pull it off. First up, CUPCAKES! Wolfie is not a big sweets fan, so he never wants a birthday cake. We compromise on cupcakes. And while I was a little bummed (because I found a super cool bowling alley cake!) I was also relieved because these were TOTALLY EASY.

Bowling cupcakes! I found a mini bowling set at the party supply store for $3 and then bought gumballs for the bowling balls. Super easy and the kids LOVED them.

For the goodie bags I found these round 99 cent containers at the party supply store—I drew on some dots to make them look like bowling balls and filled them with penny candies, bouncy balls and mini whoopie cushions. The kids loved them.

Of course the star attraction was the actual bowling alley. They do birthday parties all the time and made things SO easy. For the birthday kiddos, the lane is a special black light extravaganze—pop music, flashing lights and bumpers to prevent gutter balls (you can have that turned off, but since I had a passel of 3rd graders on hand, I figured bumpers were a-ok and ensured everyone had a fair shot at knockin’ down pins!).

This particular bowling alley also has a special surprise….Mr. Pin! He’s an 8 foot tall bowling pin who comes out after their last game and leads the kids in a dance to the Cha Cha Slide. I wasn’t sure how the kids would react, but they were hilarious! They looked a little skeptical at first (“Um….what the???”) but then they jumped in and started dancing! (You can see a little Vine video here….and here)

The place serves up pizza and provides balloons and this kooky party hat for the birthday boy. It was so much fun. Afterwards the kids got to play in the arcade for a bit and then we headed home—the kids had a blast and I had the easiest clean up ever. I highly recommend it!

It’s so hard to believe that Wolfie is NINE. This little boy of mine has become such a wise and wonderful little person. He’s still goofy and silly….but now he has the added layer of being thoughtful and curious and a bit more mature. I have days where i definitely miss him being my little tiny guy (he’s getting so TALL!) but the good news is he’s still totally affectionate and up for cuddles. He’s also the biggest animal lover you’ll ever find, kind to friends, stubborn as all get out, but the sweetest little dude around. I swear he’s one of those kids that just makes everyone smile. You think your child can’t get any better when you see them toddling around in all their cuteness, but friends it really does just keep getting better each and every year! HAPPY BIRTHDAY (again) MY WOLFGANG! We love you!!!!