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Real Life : Alix

The past week has been a little rocky, friends. My mom’s health has been through some problems and last week she had to be hospitalized quite unexpectedly. If you knew my mom, you’d know she is vibrant and youthful and full of energy. It’s sad when anyone gets sick but was doubly upsetting to see someone usually so full of life fall ill. I was extremely worried (as was our whole family) and dropped everything to fly out there to see her. So many of you sent me sweet wishes and prayers and I am so so grateful—thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Fast forward 2 weeks later and she is doing SO MUCH better. Whew!!! Her health isn’t 100%, of course, but she is looking and sounding like her old self. It was so nice to spend time with them. Unlike our summer visits where we head to the lakehouse, this wasn’t a “vacation” so we stayed at my childhood home in Flint. Nothing glamorous (it looks cuter in that photo up there), but really great to be there. I mostly stayed at home, but found a few moments to walk up to my elementary school and of course squeezed in a small thrift pop in or two. Also I was delighted to see that autumn was in full effect. I missed seeing the leaves on the ground and the trees all stark and graphic against the sky.

I scooped up some fun books while in Flint (including the World’s Ugliest Vintage Book Ever….just you wait!) and I’ll be posting them soon. In other news….brrrrrr. It’s cold out there! I was blessed with crisp but very sunny weather while in Michigan but now back here in Cali I think we’re getting ready to light those fires and turn on that heat!

Make sure you hug your mom and dad and tell them you love them friends….

Halloween Was a {pinata} Smashing Success.

Kiddo Holidays, , ,

Wow, was Halloween just last week?? This fall is flying by friends! So many of you have asked me what Wolfie decided to go as for Halloween and as you can see, he did it again. Wolfie (Mr. “I Hate Costumes”) stunned us all last year when he decided he wanted to be a meatball. A MEATBALL! He was spectacular, if I do say so myself (see it all here). This year my quirky cool boy decided he wanted to be a piñata. And I was thrilled! You have to understand friends, this is the child who practically refused to dress up for the first 6 years of his little life. Wolfie was never a pirate/superhero/cowboy hat wearing little guy. I was always so envious of people with “dress up boxes”. But my little opinionated fella was not into it. This “coming up with costumes” thing is all new for us, and Greg and I are enjoying it SO much.

We decided to go with the classic donkey shape. It all began with a cardboard box, cut out on the top and bottom. Pretty simple, right? Welllll, sort of. It got really tricky when it came to the head. Unlike a real pinata (which is hollow but still has a structure) this was pretty much an unstable pain in the donkey. I wish I had photographed the entire process, all fancy-like….numbered “steps” and what not. But the reality was I had to work on after hours and it was too dark….so this is all I got for ya!

Wolfie is a self-avowed sweets/chocolate hater—so Halloween is never really about the candy for him. (He’s a salty fan—popcorn, tortilla chips, pretzels!) Anyway, his “concept” was that because he doesn’t like candy, it’s be funny to be a pinata and throw candy at the kids. We did have a brief moment of “What if people try and hit me for candy??” And yes. Some kids eagerly rushed over grinning mischievously. But Wolfie told them he was a backwards pinata—if you hit him, you don’t get any candy. If you tell him something nice, he’ll give you a treat. (He had a secret pocket inside with ziplock baggie of candies!) Needless to say he got lots of nice words from kids clamoring for candy, and was a big hit at the school parade!

He really looked so cute. Honestly 75% of the kids were dressed in dark or black costumes: ninjas, witches, ghouls, draculas….my little pinata was a colorful beacon of silliness. I couldn’t have been prouder! And the kids at his school were awesome. He’s at that age when all the boys just want to be cool and dress like cartoons they love, and Wolfie really stuck out like a sore thumb. I was so happy that all the kids were SUPER into his costume too. YAY kids! There were some other really excellent costumes—a great Harry Potter (with Hedwig the owl), my friend Teri’s little girl was an amazing Mexican wrestler, Wolfie’s friend was Poseidon, and there was a genius Cloud with Lightning.

Wolfie’s teacher was an adorable Red Riding Hood:

On Halloween night we added a sombrero, which kind took the whole thing up a notch! I’m half German (my mama) but also half Mexican (my dad is from Mexico) so grandmama and grandpa got a huge kick out of this! Wolfie was quite pleased that lots of the houses he trick-or-treated at said he was their favorite costume (and some places even gave him extra candy!). Our friends in Alameda invited us over to their neighborhood and whew mama, those guys TURN. IT. OUT. There were 100s of people swarming the streets….crazy decorations. It was amazing but also kind of overwhelming!

At the end of the night, he and his buddies sat on the floor counting out their stash. He decided to give each of his friends four pieces of chocolate apiece (yeah, if you want more candy trick-or-treat with Wolfie!). Even though he doesn’t eat it, he still likes to look over his loot and count it etc. And just so you don’t think he’s a complete crazy boy with his non-sweets loving ways, he IS a big a fan of cherry or strawberry lollipops/ring pops!

How was your Halloween? Is your neighborhood mellow or crazy with candy lovers? What did you end up going as? Am I going to get some new fabulous contenders for the Costume Parade next year??? SO many questions!

Vintage Monday // Goofy Grape & Friends

Vintage Pop Culture

Move over Kool-Aid! Now there’s something FUNNER! OK, that’s not a word, but if you just take a gander at Goofy Grape, Choo Choo Cherry, Freckleface Strawberry, Jolly Olly Orange, Lefty Lemon, Rootin’ Tootin Raspberry, and Loud Mouth Lime I think you’ll agree.

Back in 1964, Pillsbury released FUNNY FACE drink mixes. They were meant to be a delicious rival to the popular Kool Aid. Mom’s loved it because it was a “great alternative to soda and fruit juices” (hah!).

What made Funny Face so different from Kool Aid was that it was a “sugar free drink” and each flavor had a unique character. This made it totally ideal for advertising and excellent promotions.

They even released a record album!

Here’s my lil collection:

Way Out Watermelon was a later addition to the gang. His Elvis side burns crack me up!

I love this old commercial—although be forewarned, Jolly Olly Orange and Choo Choo Cherry still have their older super un-PC names: Injun Orange and Chinese Cherry. (EEP!)

Do you remember these?? I think they sold them well into the 70s. I don’t think I ever tried them, but I remember friends having the cups!

Friday Link Hootenanny on MONDAY?? SPOOKY!

Link Hootenanny

Your eyes aren’t deceiving you. It’s the Friday Link Hootenanny….on MONDAY NIGHT! Oh I’ve been missing the hootenanny—and I was so pleased to have several of you email and tweet me that you missed it too! We have 2 days til Halloween, so I wanted to sneak in some spooky links that have been making me happy.

1. MOST FESTIVE PARTY EVER.

Who says kiddos get to have all the fun?? This fabulous costume party is ah-mazing! Everybody who was anybody was apparently there. (“Who invited the Outhouses?” ) See more here.

2. LOVELY LABELS

Our friends over at the Nimbus Factory have some adorably spooky freebies for you to download.  Check ’em out here!

3. WORLD’S MOST INSPIRING BOY.

Sayer is the clever and sweet son of my friend Kristin (KLT works). He has recently been obsessed with the human body and drew up some cool skellies—which his rad mama turned into even cooler tees. Check out the creative process here!

4. SOCK IT TO ME.


Happy Socks is one of the most colorful companies around! I’m super loving the polka dot Keds they’re rocking. If you order 4 pair of socks (or other items) you get freee shipping. Woot!

5. OH HOLY YUMMY.

Tracy (shutterbean) has many tasty things on her blog all the time. They’re so good that I love to browse her archives and this one is from last year…but it’s just that good that I had to look it up again!! Butternut Squash, Crispy Sage Crostini. AKA A little crunchy autumnal bit of heaven!!! Find out how to make it here.

6. HEY BATTA BATTA!

Elsie’s adorable little bat decor is so wonderfully simple….why didn’t i think of it?? See more here.

7. TRICK OR TREATIE COOKIES.

Meagan of Not Martha comes up with the cleverest treats around. I mean, cookies that break open to reveal treats? WOW! See how to make ’em here. Then call me up so I can try ’em.

8. OMY GOODNESS.

Um. What can I say, other than ze French….ze make even ze Paper Bag look gooood. French company OMY nailed it!  See more here. (spotted on ohhappyday)

9. MR. DRESS UP

Jordan (ohhappyday) has a most fantastic collection of DIY “Homemade Halloween” costumes this year. Some are more elaborate than others, but this charming little strong man was one of my faves! See her whole collection here.

10. THE DOTSER IS POPPING UP EVERYWHERE.

Dottie and I have been contributors over at Simple Design this past year and I was totally loving D’s latest post—5 Quirky Games to Play at a halloween Paryt. Pop Goes the Pumpkin (confetti filled balloons? sign me up!) is my fave and is sure to be a party-pleaser!! See the whole post here!

 BONUS: BOYS DO CRY.

Have you seen these yet? This haunted house in Niagra Falls—called the Fear Factory—promises chills and thrills! They also have a hidden camera that snaps photos of guests as they are getting spooked, and then kindly posts them on their web site so big chickens like me can look from afar and laugh. Hee. See more here.

BONUS VIDEO.

Ooooh creepy dolls. Patty Playpal….do you ever get the feeling she’s going to replace YOOOOOU?

http://youtu.be/UUXqbE8bC_c

It’s our Annual Creepy Cool Vintage Halloween Mask Tribute

Best of Alix, Best of Modern Kiddo, Kiddo Holidays

A few year’s ago I was out and about and ended up in one of those Halloween Super Stores. I have to tell ya friends, it was a terrifying experience. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for a little spooky action. But I was totally freaked out by all the ultra creepy masks. Psychotic clowns. Rotting zombie chain saw massacre guy. Random murderers. That creeper from the Saw movies. Besides being totally disturbing I was a little bummed. “Where are the cute costumes?? Who lets their kid dress up as a crazy axe murderer??!” I shook my head, “It’s not like back in the day when we were kids!”

Then again, hold up a second. Maybe I’m not totally remember things correctly. I mean, while most of the costumes back in the day were under the guise innocent characters, most of those old school Halloween masks were positively twisted. Case in point:

Of course creepy Raggedy Anne is still kinder than the Texas Chainsaw dude. The cheap plastic only adds to the charm.  Every year I like to round up some of my favorite Creepy Masks. Here are some of my favorites this year!

I know people have a problem with clowns, but how can you hate on these two cuties? That duck and leopard are another story. The leopard looks like he (she?) fell victim to the old, “It’s cold outside, you need to wear a coat under that costume!” syndrome.

While we’re talking leopard, this is a little more jolly looking….except what’s up with that leering pumpkin??

LOVE these guys. Bat Man looks so serious. And the crazy google eyed skull boy, casually munching cookies? Priceless.

Ahhhhhhhhh! These two would have scared the pants offa me.

Is it me, or does Superman have a mustache??

Hurray for the Halloween Parade! You Go, Paper Bag Owl!

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I loooooove a good group shot. So much awesomeness going on here. He-Man has such delicate eyebrows. And Zorro is looking positively Zsa Zsa (looks like someone has had a little filler in them thar cheek bones, eh?? ). The lady ghost is so stylish with her little mask….and who is that purple fella? He looks familiar. Hmm.

Oh little Snoopy and those sweet little hands….he’s not too happy being next to Skeltor. Or whoever that dude is.

Ayyyyyyyyy!! These kids are all adorable, but I’m reaaallly liking The Fonz. I’m not really liking that creepy doll perched on the right back there.
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I want to be Super Friends with THESE cuties!

Oh dear. I initially picked this for the faboosh “princess on the half shell” mask….and that werid thing on the end (is he in profile? is he facing straight forward? who knows!). How I failed to notice the, um, “tan” gent in the straw hat, I’ll never know. I’m going to have a little faith and assume he’s supposed to have been vacationing on a tropical island, hence his shoe polish face. Ack. Even the dog looks confused.
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These lovely ladies are adorable….the twin pumpkin mask is so sweet! But I would have killed for the ice blue satin on the end…

This might be my favorite. I love the two beatniks (awesome!). The mantle figurines (rococo AND asian!). The saddle shoes on the snarky girl in the back (adorable). But the Voo Doo Jukebox???? Help me Rhonda!!!

I’m just realizing this is the same house as the girls on the couch! How did we miss the rogue corn cob placed “just so” on that side table??

And finally, the winner of the “Phoning It In” award…..

The Halloween Countdown is Officially ON!!!