All posts by Alix

Crank Up the Hi-Fi! // Alix’s Retro Holiday Mix Vol. 1, 2 & 3

Holiday Kiddo, ,

Christmas time is without a doubt my favorite time of year! It has been, ever since I was a little girl. I love the lights. I love decorations. I love the spirit of happiness. And I LOVE THE MUSIC! As a result, I have been collecting vintage Christmas records for ages—there is something about a holiday song played on a hi-fi that makes it even more festive. To this day two of my favorite albums are a Johnny Mathis Christmas and a Compilation from Sears, because they remind me of the music my parents would play for us when we were kiddos.

Back in the day, Christmas music was soooo much more fun and interesting! Nowadays I feel like all we get are the latest R&B pop star slaughtering an old carol with vocal acrobatics. Back in the day, people actually wrote new Christmas songs or did innovative versions of old standards. There were also TONS of compilations featuring all the stars of the day!

Over the past years I have wanted to digitize my vinyl as a way to preserve it—and so I could share it with others. I’ve transformed a fair amount of my albums to MP3 and have managed to build a fun library of vintage vinyl.

Without further ado, here are the last three mixes I’ve put up!  They’re an eclectic mix, excellent for tree trimmings, fire side evenings and cocktail parties.  I hope they add a little cheer to your house this holiday season! Just give Modern Kiddo a nod if someone says, “Wow, where did you get this amazing holiday mix from??” Hee.

Please note: the mixes are for personal use ONLY. each mix becomes password protected after December, so grab ’em now!

ALIX’S Retro Holiday Mix VOL 1

It’s all smooth (and quirky) cocktails-by-the-fire kinda music. Some highlights?

“Too Fat for the Chimney” — Gisele Mackenzie
“Santa Claus is Coming to Town” — Loretta Young
“A Christmas Song” — Shawn Phillips (a dixieland cowboy xmas)
“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”— The Partridge Family

DOWNLOAD ALIX RETRO HOLIDAY MIX VOL 1 HERE.

ALIX’S Retro Holiday Mix VOL 2
A tad more lively than Vol 1. Some highlights:

“We Wish You A Merry Christmas” — The Border Brass
“Santa Claus is Coming to Town” — The Jackson Five
“I’m Gonna Lasso Santa Claus” — Brenda Lee
“Hey! Santa Claus”—  The Moonglows

DOWNLOAD ALIX’s RETRO HOLIDAY MIX, VOL. 2 HERE

ALIX’S Retro Holiday Mix VOL 3
Last year I continued with the retro 50s/60s but dabbled into some funky 70s. Some highlights:

“Jingle Bells” —Sammy Davis Jr.
“A Funky Christmas” — J. Hines and the Boys
“Santa, How Come Your Eyes Are Green (When Last Year They Were Blue)” — Louis Prima
“Senor Santa Claus” — Jim Reeves

DOWNLOAD ALIX’S RETRO HOLIDAY MIX VOL. 3 HERE

ENJOY my friends!

The Kitschy Chic of Space Age Aluminum Trees.

Holiday Kiddo

Every year Greg and I debate….should we get a real tree or put up our vintage aluminum tree? Of course nothing beats a real tree. The crisp, fresh pine smell is so wonderful. And having a real tree in your home is so special. But there is something undeniably magical about those old silver trees.

A product of the late 1950s, when “space age” was all the rage, aluminum trees were seen as an exciting, modern “permanent” interpretation of Christmas tree.

“Aluminum trees were first manufactured by the Aluminum Specialty Company in Manitowoc, Wis. It is estimated that this company made more than four million trees in a 10-year period. ”Shredded” aluminum strips were wrapped by hand around the wire branch and then fluffed to spread out the aluminum needles.” — Aluminum Association.

The story goes that back in December 1958, Tom Gannon, a sales manager for the Aluminum Specialty Company, was visiting Chicago when he noticed a unique looking, hand made silver tree as part of a holiday display in the store window. He was transfixed and actually brought this display tree back to his company. There, he had engineer Richard Thomsen lead the effort to produce a better, cheaper version for display at the American Toy Fair in March 1959. The trees were a smash and as a result, Specialty Aluminum took a gamble and produced hundreds of thousands of silvery trees just in time for the 1959 holidays. The rest, as they say, is history!


image: rachel carr

These sparkley silver trees were available in a wide range of sizes—as small as 8 inches all the way up to 7 footers. Some trees even had silver pom poms on the ends to give them a fuller look. Because you didn’t want to risk electrical shock by putting Christmas lights on your aluminum tree, the color wheel spotlight was introduced. These groovy spotlights had a rotating four-color plastic wheel which projected a new color on the tree as it spun— from red to green to yellow to blue.



{see the entire pamphlet here}

{I love that couple….as if the aluminim silver tree weren’t enough—they tinseled this bad boy within an inch of its life!}


When Wolfie was a baby, we thought he would be transfixed by the slowly spinning silver tree—and indeed he was! The color wheel gave it that lovely shimmer and the whole effect is pretty fabulous.  (Hee….look how little he was back then!)

So what’s the verdict folks? Would you ever have an artificial tree in your home? (Silver or otherwise?) Is it space age cool or ticky tacky?? I still love ours….but I have to confess, nothing beats a “real” tree to me.


Let’s Go Shopping // SPONSOR LOVE Part 2

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Like I said the other day, we here at Camp Kiddo are pretty darn lucky to have such amazing sponsors. They are all such a creative and colorful bunch—we consider ourselves truly truly lucky!  I know you’ll adore them as much as we do! So without further ado, here is Part 2 of our sponsor love!

1. ANORAK MAGAZINE

Friends, Anorak magazine is crazy cool. Geared towards kiddos who are ages 7-12, it’s packed full of groovy illustrations (all custom made for Anorak by a variety of amazing artists!) and  loads of fun activities. Anorak is all about celebrating a child’s world— from culture to science to fashion to stories and even sports and food. I highly recommend picking one up! They also publish an amazing little iPad app. (See it here!)

And if you have a really liddle kiddle, don’t forget! They also publish the adorable preschool mag, PLOC (featuring illustrations by vintage fave, Alain Gree! See a sample here!) I think this groovy mag would make an excellent stocking stuffer this holiday season! (Shop here!)

2. MS TIPS VINTAGE

One of our very faves, Minneapolis-based vintage seller Tammy has been serving up the best in vintage eye candy for over three years now. This adorable girlie finds THEE BEST stuff! She also has the cutest little boy, so she definitely “gets” kiddo wear. Shop here!

3. A PEARS VINTAGE

This sweet shop— run by  Miss Ashley— is newer to me but already made a big impression on us over here. She packs her shop full of cute stuff, with a focus on adorable vintage baby goodies as well as toys and things for toddlers. Shop here!

4. 1 SWEET DREAM

Oh how we love this shop! Michele’s things make frequent appearances in our Monday Retro Round Up and it’s no wonder. This sassy gal offers up an excellent variety for kiddos of all ages—and some REALLY cool vintage toys. For the month of December take 20% off with the code: MODERNKIDDO.  Shop here!


5. LISHYLOO VINTAGE

My girl Alisha is really part of the Modern Kiddo family. I’ve known her since our Live Journal days when we were obsessive Blythe collectors. Fast forward many years later and this busy mama of 3 still manages to scour the thrifts for adorable (and affordable!) goodies. Lishy Look vintage was one of the very first shops on Etsy to focus soley on children’s clothing, and the girl knows her stuff! You can count on her to always have affordable deals.  Shop here!


6. HEY SWEETIE PIE

Dayna’s shop, Hey Sweetie Pie, has a marvelous collection of vintage treats. Dayna takes excellent photos (so important when “e-thrifting”!) and has a terrific eye. Her shop tends to carry mostly things for the littles, but she also has a handful of excellent items for the home as well.  Shop here!


7.  MY CHARMING COLORs

Oh lovely little Jess! This girl is truly one of a kind. She is genuinely one of the sweetest, kindest girls you could ever hope to meet. She runs the sweet blog, One Little Moustach, which chronicles her life with her lovely hubby and adorable little boy Judah….BUT she also crochet’s like a fiend and makes the CUTEST hats you ever did see! You can get them at her Etsy shop My Charming Colors.

Whew, so there you have it! Are you interested in becoming a Modern Kiddo sponsor for December? Email me Alix [at] modernkiddo.com for rates!

Party Dress Sale for Bay Area Vintage Lovers!

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It’s holiday season and finding something pretty fabulous (and UNIQUE!) to wear for all the festivities can be totally over whelming. So I’m teaming up with the cute Tantrum girls to have a fabulous vintage pop up THIS THURSDAY! C’mon down to the store and browse all the lovely goodies we’re going to have. Tons of fancy dresses and coats and some stylish duds for the fellas too—like dress shirts and cool ties. Aw yeah! Hope to see you there!!

Show Your Roots! Coolest Posters Around.

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I was browsing Gilt the other day and was so excited to see the “My Roots” poster collection from Children Inspire Design. This is a super cool product line of modern, eco-friendly posters and wall art, designed to help children learn “compassion for the earth and all who inhabit it.”

You can use the “World Roots” maps to commemorate your family or child’s heritage by Country or Continent. There is even a version by state. Each map comes with heart stickers to customize even further. SO COOL! With the holidays coming up, these posters would make such a neat gift. They’re normally $40-50 but with the Gilt sale, you can now scoop them up for $25. Not too shabby. Find it in the Baby & Kids section. The “My Roots” sale ends Sunday night, so pop over asap!

Not a member of gilt? Sign up for free to get access to the awesome sales and a $25 credit after your first order.