Vacation Flashback: Heading Outta Town.

Things We Like, Vintage Kiddo Photos, , , ,

I know when August hits many families are exhausted from a full summer and can’t wait for school to start. As a workin’ mama, however, I have to say I’m totally not ready! My schedule has been action packed but all with work. Wolfie’s been at a fun summer arts camp and then he and Greg visited grandma and grandpa in Myrtle Beach ….but I haven’t really had a summer vacation to speak of yet. That’s why I’m soooo looking forward to this weekend. We’re all heading down to San Diego for Tiki Oasis—a fun, retro weekender celebrating  tiki culture. I’m plotting outfits, thinking about squeezing in a day trip to Legoland, dreaming of lounging poolside and of course some nice quality time with my sweet boys. Also, August 22 is mah birthday and I’m soo looking forward to hangin’ with my girlfriends who will be down in San Diego with their families too. Expect a full report next week!

In honor of the elusive Family Vacation that I’ve been chasing all summer long, here’s a little virtual slide show of retro holiday fun!


image: bunchofpants


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image: panta rhei


image: Harold HAESLER


image: kristina^^

hubba hubba….


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image: Kristina^^

Hahaha, awwwm what’s up, Playboy University? Check that kiddo out!


image: striderv


image: king power cinema


image: musicmuseCA


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image: MS2172


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Oh for the love of matching lavender (orchid??) purple shorties, I hope you’ve had a smashing summer. Where have YOU gone this summer, dolls? Or are you planning on squeezing in one last great escape before school starts? DO TELL! I love to live vicariously through ya….

Mae Collection: Fabric Decals.

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Yes, yes, yes. I know there are a lot of good delicious yummy decals out there and I love ’em all! But when I saw these glorious clothing ones from Mae Collection in the most recent issue of Paper Mache Magazine, well, I fell even deeper in love.

I mean, really, the girl has her own beret with a long blonde hair. Can I do that in real life? In fact, I’d like her whole wardrobe, please.

And how can you not love love Mae Wall stickers?  Especially when you hear that this charming line was created by such a lovely trio of ladies named Bec, Peta and Emily who came up with this dandy idea and even sell stickers to adorn your laptop too.

Here’s what they say about their wall stickers:

“All our lovely stickers are made of fabric. This makes them perfect for children, as they are removable and completely reusable. They can be scrunched into a ball and will easily un-scrunch and re-apply to your wall, many times over. The adhesive side is washable, which is important when it comes to those precious yet impossibly grubby little ones! Our stickers can be applied to almost any surface, and will not damage your walls.

They do have loads of cool wall stickers–but these fashion maven ones are just too yummy–it’s where fashion and decor cross. Check out the spring wardrobe on this sweet girl. She can even change her hair.

This would be so much fun for a fifth grade girl’s room. Who says that tweens can’t have fun too? In between re-reading Harry Potter and picturing themselves as Hermione. And

I love the summer set too. I can almost hear the ocean and the seagulls when I look at it.

And kudos to this Australian company for being green to boot!  As well as being quite good looking, fun and unique, Mae is always doing her best to be kind to the environment using earth friendly inks and even and recycled cardboard packaging.

Mae does offer a great selection of other fabric wall stickers for the younger set that are equally charming (particularly for boys BTW), but is it wrong for me to want to put these doll clothing lines decals up in my office?  I think not!

Etsy Shop for Boys: Oscar & Theodore.

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Now, you know I love a girly girl extravaganza. But when I found this “no girls allowed” Etsy shop dedicated to vintage and handmade goodies for boys–well colored me happy. Called Oscar and Theodore, this wonderful little nook of an Etsy store is a grand find indeed.

Because I need some place where I can get goodies like THIS.

You don’t need a Mac in your last name to appreciated all things Scottish!  What wee laddie doesn’t need a vintage tam-o-shanter as charming as this one to add to his hat collection?

I adore these sweet vintage buttons that definitely have a boy slant.

This choo choo train of cuteness in ribbon form could add a nice cup of zing to any outfit. Imagine on the sides of jeans even! Or edging a plain jacket.

And boy oh boy–there are some great boy books too. (Not that girls can’t enjoy as well…)  Like this book about boats. Or this one about machines.

And she even has those oh so elusive cool board games that would make great wall art. A little boy could spend quite a bit of time just looking at all of the goodies noted in this board game. Parachute. Rollercoaster ride. Cars. Sounds like boy heaven to me!

Actually, this shop would be a grand time for anyone at any age, so check it out and enjoy.  All it needs is a slingshot to finalize the collection. Sigh!

Vintage Kiddo: Santa’s Village Merry Kitschmas in August

Vintage Kiddo Photos, Vintage Toys + Fun Stuff, , ,

‘Twas the night before Monday, a bit quieter than most
As I sat on the couch wondering what I should post…

Ho ho ho, everyone, do I have a story for you. I grew up in Michigan but every summer my parents packed up the family car and drove us across the country to Santa Cruz, California. My dad is a professor and he and my mom taught at the UC Santa Cruz Summer Language Program. It was the perfect place for a family vacation— Santa Cruz is a cool, beachie town and I have tons of amazing memories of playing in the redwood trees and swimming for hours each day. But of all the memories, I have to say that one of my favorites is of a little place called Santa’s Village. Santa’s Village was a Christmas-themed, umm….”theme park” built in 1958. The concept was simple: bring Christmas joy to children all year round. A little insane and yet….totally amazing! My brother and I were fascinated by the place (we would pass it on the highway whenever we were taking a weekend road trip to San Francisco) and would beg our parents to let us go inside. Sadly it was already shut down, but one day we pulled over and were able to sneak on to the grounds and wander around the cobwebby rides. My favorites were the Flying Christmas balls (kind of like the Dumbo ride at Disneyland, only with holiday ornaments!) and of course all the little gingerbread houses.

How cute is this place?? There was something so awesome about celebrating Christmas in the summer time…I think it made it even more magical. Like you were getting away with something sneaky!

I love how cute these ladies look in their sassy little elf costumes! You know there was a hierarchy to the uniforms—I’m guessing red elves were the entry level workers. Green elves were clearly the senior team members. Uh oh, looks like Green Team Leader Dolores swapped her beige tights for non regulation pink. I’m going to have to tell Santa about this one….

“Residents of Santa’s Village included Santa and Mrs. Claus, their elves who operated the rides and sold tickets. There was a baby petting zoo filled with goats, sheep, bunnies, ducks, deer and a Mexican burro. All the buildings were designed to look like log chalet-type structures, repleat with snowy roofs and gingerbread trim. The park had a gingerbread house, a elf toy factory, a lollipop tree and brightly colored gift shops. Around the village were tree-top tall wooden soldiers and candy canes. Santa himself had a huge mailbox to accept all the letters from children around the world.”

Pretty amazing, huh. Happy Monday to all! And to all a good week…

IMAGES: Alameda Net
Apparently there is still a Santa’s Village in New Hampshire.

Vintage Kiddo Retro Round Up!

Kiddo Style: Vintage, , ,

Did you all have a wonderful weekend?  There is something so lush about August.  Time to make that last trip to the beach or possibly the lake house.  How yummy is that?  Unfortunately, my entire family came down with a bad case of the sniffles which slowed us down this weekend. So what a good excuse to stay inside cuddling my computer to do some e-thrifting. Also these summer colds remind me to spend a bit of time looking for some good deals on vintage hankies too!

But anyhoo—on with the vintage kiddo goodies!

I can’t help but go freaky over tiki, what with Tiki Oasis next weekend.  I can’t wait to read Alix’s post from it. Whoohoo!!!!  And this little terry cloth lined boys Hawaiian shirt would be a great addition to any little person.

A is for apron as well as the sweet apple that adorns this vintage apron from the fifties.  With red tipped vintage lace no less!

Speaking of aprons, I think smocks are like the aprons of the 60/70s. And here is a sweet one that kept someone’s super sassy outfit looking clean. This art smock looks like it didn’t see to much time with Cray-Pas if you ask me, but that just means it is in better shape for your little budding artist!

TOOT!  The shirt says it all. TOOT indeed!

Do you guys remember Nina from Zoom. She could do that cool thing with her arms and totally rocked the hubba bubba talk. Well, she so would have worn THIS dress. It is Zoom cool.

Well, it looks like we weren’t the first generation to dig the owl. Afterall remember all those macrame owls from the seventies? Well I have a feeling the mom who bought this rad jumper made a couple in her time.

Stop. The. Presses. You MUST check out this little plaid jacket because it is perfect. Where is the app that turns kids size clothing into adult size, hmmm? I’m so going to the genius bar with that quandry…

This sweet little pink plaid jacket is a wonderful wonderful wonderful–

Clearly I am mad for plaid right now. But how can I resist with adding this dear little friend.  As if the plaid wasn’t enough… They added ricrac.  It’s like you KNOW my weaknesses!  If this isn’t bought by the end of the day, you leave me NO CHOICE but to buy it myself.

Who wouldn’t rumble for the bumble!  Bumble bee, that is!  I’m such a fan of the honey bees and it is so nice to see one on a boys clothing and this vintage baby boy blue top is too dear not to pass up.

This is more relevant to my parents’ generation than mine–but these skates are just wonderful regardless of any decade.  You just can see the Hardy Boys yellow bookbind peeking out of the overall back pocket of the little goy skimming along in this sweet skates–with key to boot.

Anyway, have an amazing week and if you are into vintage or even if you aren’t—check out our amazing vintage Irmi lamp giveaway from Little Miss Heirlooms, Priscilla Barros!

Happy Monday!