Did you notice the front of the box of those last two? “OUTFITS STICK BY MAGIC!” Hee. No pesky tabs here, our mods love the magic!

Ahhhh! how cute is mod missy with her Mod Mag?? Also, is it wrong to covet a doll’s wardrobe? Seriously, I think I would wear any one of those outfits myself. Did you play with paper dolls when you were a kid?

Image via The Cabin.

Do you remember that very specific gritty sound it made while your rode it? Plastic meeting concrete? So wonderful.

Even more awesome than an Eames Chair.

I remember seeing mine under our glorious snow-flocked Christmas tree gleaming in the California winter sun.  I almost swooned with joy.  I know this girl’s unbridled joy.

Image via: melinnis.

If you think about toys from the seventies, I bet the Big Wheel comes to mind pretty quickly. As it should. It seems to always be in the background of many a photo taken during that time period.

Image via: The Season of Plums and Cobblestones.

Heck, it was even featured in The Shining as the kid’s favorite mode of transportation around the hotel. Perhaps the twin girls wanted to take a ride?

Really, who could resist the wonders of the Big Wheel? Not even CAPTAIN CRUNCH!

Introduced by the Marx company in 1969, the Big Wheel became hugely popular in the U.S. partly because of its low cost to make and secondly because consumer groups said it was a safer alternative to the traditional tricycles of bikes since it was so low to the ground.

Image via: Deco Dog.

And thirdly, there were so many version you could buy!

(note the little seat up front, so your Barbie could roll in style with you…)

Oh, and don’t worry, they did have one for you Qbert fans out there. All four of you.

Images via: Original Big Wheel, Muppet Wikia, and Val*Jean.

Yes, you can buy a big wheel now for your kiddo.  But for the young at heart, there is BYOBW—Bring your own Big Wheel race down the world’s most crooked street in San Francisco. And it looks to be one part spectacular and one part terrifying.

But next year, I’m going!

Iâ€m obsessed with vintage travel. I love every thing about it—old suitcases, vintage travel posters, retro airports and I love love love old stewardess uniforms (yeah yeah, I know…“flight attendants”). The other night Miss Dottie and I were out for dinner with The Dames (our retro supper club) and she mentioned that there was a new TV show on the books called Pan Am—all about a group of stewardesses in the 1960s. While I know this show is clearly pandering to the Mad Men craze, I can’t help but say, lawdy I’m excited!

I’ll post the trailer for the show at the end of this post, but first I wanted to share with you some of my favorite old skool airlines!

Back in the day flying was much more glamorous. Taking a trip was an event. People were genuinely impressed with the miracle of flight (“Holy smokes! Weâ€re FLYING through the air in a metal ship!”) Everyone got dressed up and wore “traveling outfits” when they went on vacation. You ate food on real china with real silverware. You didnâ€t have to pay for drinks. You were a jetsetter! And stewardesses were like super models, tall, chic in stylish uniforms. Becoming a “stew” was considered quite prestigeous…and dating one? Well it was the ultimate status symbol.

Of course I know it wasn’t all sunshine and roses. The ladies had to maintain strict weight requirements and “grooming standards” in order to fly—not to mention leering drunkards pinching their pert lil booties. But at its most basic, it was a pretty glamorous lifestyle. My favorite “vintage” airlines were Braniff, Pan Am and PSA. Lemme show you why.

BRANIFF

First up, Braniff. These guys had it going on. In 1965 they famously hired graphic designer Alexander Girard to revamp their brand. He launched a campaign called “The End of the Plain Plane,” which introduced  a bold color scheme that was applied to everything from the lounges and ticket counters to the aircrafts themselves. Check out the fleet of “Jellybean 707s” in their brilliant candy colors!

Of course the other reason I love them is that Girard convinced top execs to hire Italian designer Emilio Pucci to redesign all the Air Hostess uniforms. Pucci, as we all know, is the master of the colorful, crazy print. He revamped their uniforms in his iconic patterns, adding a flair to air travel that had never been seen before.

One of his most infamous creations was the space bubble helmet (officially called a “rain dome” by Braniff) which protected your coiffure in windy/rainy weather. He also came up with a multi layered, inter-changeable wardrobe, which was dubbed the “air strip” because flight attendants would peel off various parts of the uniform (jackets, scarves etc) during flight to mix it up. Oooh lala!

images: BRANIFF

In the 70s they even had Alexander Calder paint a design on the planes to make them even more whimsical and fun. Oh Braniff, how we miss you!

PAN AM

Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) might not have had the space bubble (although that turban up there is prettttty darn close) they DID have what I think is quite possibly the best logo in aviation. This iconic airline was known a pioneer in transocean and intercontinental flying—they travelled to every continent except Antarctica. They are also credited with numerous innovations including the Jumbo Jet.

I have many happy memories of flying via Pan Am to Europe with my parents in the 70s. For some reason it always represented the ultimate in classy travel to me. It’s no wonder that they are the topic of this new TV series!

image: pollymcmillan


images: PAN AM

Back in the 90s I scored a Pan Am flight bag at the thrift store and its always been one of my prized possessions.I went through a phase where I tried to dress in a “60s stewardess” inspired way—neck scarves and tailored little dressies. Ahhh, those were the days!

PSA (or Pacific Southwest Airline)

Let’s face it folks, PSA was the total swingin†60s/70s airline. I discovered their crazy, colorful stewardess uniforms many years ago and was forever hooked. Mini skirts with hot pants and sassy go-go boots?? Sign me up! From 1970-1976 the ladies wore these amazing orange and pink or red and pink ensembles:

images: PSA

And one bonus shot, from a vintage Southwest Airlines crew. WOW. Look at those lace up go-go boots! A far cry form the khaki shorts and polo shirts flight attendants wear these days, eh?

I know we’re all about “being comfortable” these days. Most travelers wear sweats and sneaks or (shudder) shorts and  flip flops. We charged for everything from peanuts to water. We bemoan the delays and try to cram colossal rolling suitcases into the tiny overhead bins. But every now and then I’ll spy an older couple on a flight, beautifully dressed, sitting serenely. And I know they remember. To them, air travel is still a miracle of modern science. An exciting adventure. I always try to catch their eye and smile, as if to say “Hey! I remember too.”

image: julia davila
*ding*
You are now free to move around the cabin. Or watch the trailer for Pan Am. Hee.

As you all know, I have a major vintage obsession. I especially love the colors and shapes, soooo I thought it would be fun to take a look at one of my favorite colorful accessories: the vintage pin. Small but mighty, vintage pins can really pack a punch and show off your personality beautifully!

Look how pretty these pins are! I love sparkly rhinestone ones—especially those in whimsical shapes like starbursts and butterflies.

I have to say my heart belongs to those quirky enamel flower pins from the 60s. Theyâ€re so playful and fun.

The classic way to wear a pin or brooch is on a cardigan. I love them this way! Iâ€m a maximalist—so one is never enough. Donâ€t be afraid to pile them on.

While you can definitely wear pins on cardigans and dresses, I wanted to show you some other ways to rock the vintage pin. Itâ€s the perfect way to add a little punch to any outfit. First up—cuff ‘em!

This is a sweet and unexpected way to add a little personality to yer jeans. I had never seen this before and was just inspired one day to add a little something fun to my outfit. I love how it looks!

Youâ€ve tackled your cuff, why not add a fun pin to your hatband for head-to-toe cuteness? It works on any kind of hat (a floppy sunhat! a cozy ski cap!) but I love the incongruous look of a masculine fedora with a sweet flower.

Did you know that these flower pins were often giveaways? Its’ true! My awesome friend Karen (of 97 Things to do Before I turn 97) gave me a lovely daisy pin still in the package—it’s so cool. According to the label it was hanging around a bottle of Rose’s  Hand Lotion. So cool! Alas, I forgot to snap a photo. I’ll do it soon, I promise!

Scarves can be a little slippery. A sweet pin guarantees your scarf stays in place. Itâ€s also a fun alternative to a necklace. Iâ€m using flower pins in this story, but a rhinestone pin would be just as cute.

I bought this simple cloth tote at Old Navy. It was cute but it looked a little plain, soooooo I added some a handful of my favorite pins!

If youâ€re not in the mood to wear a bright accessory on your outfit, think about adding a little touch on the collar of your coat.

So there you have it. Cheerful, sweet and super easy peasy to style! Whatâ€s not to love? You can easily find them online at Etsy or eBay!

*ahem*

I will say I  did share a brief conversation with him and our producer bought him a cappuccino and he was very gracious. He left twice and then reappeared—startling me because I was trying to gossip about how he looked kind of like Richard Lewis now. I can’t lie. It was cool.

But enough of that. For now. Because I’m trying to name drop Pacino as much as possible. So I have two things that caught my eye recently that I wanted to share with you. And they both involve WALLPAPER.

1. First up. Wow. This is fantastic. I’m ready to move in people. What a clever use of photographic wallpaper. It’s warm and whimsical and SO GREAT for a kid’s room! I love the big orange plastic chair too—I believe it’s an IKEA garden chair (we have several in our backyard) but it’s a great idea for a child’s room. Enough space for  mama and kiddo to hunker down with a good storybook, but not too precious that you have to worry about any mishaps.

image: esther mokka

The little impish gnome that appears to be hovering on the wall on the right? It’s actually a wee hat rack! (I know this because I had virtually the same one when I was a little girl…well, and of course I know this because there’s a hat hanging off it.) OK, moving on….

2. How cozy cool is this sweet space? I love the bunk bed loft and once again, clever use of wallpaper. Underneath the bed is rad little playspace—and what do I see? That cute little cosco chair I showed off in my vinage kiddo chair post. Fab!


found via simple lovely + mademoiselle astuce

How cozy do they look up in there? OK. I’ll be back in a little bit with two more posts today. PLUS we have a special guest feature we did recently that debuts this afternoon and we can’t WAIT to share it with you! Alas, it doesn’t involve Al Pacino.

I love those little mod pedestal stools that look all magic mushroomy. I totally remember that old green froggy toy bin in the back/ Four beds though…hmmmm. Was that for sleep over fun or was this some Jon and Kate style family?? Let’s continue…

“Oh hey it’s Todd here. Just shootin’ some pool with my good buddy Lance.”

OK. Where to begin. The honkin’ star on the ceiling? The ‘stash on that chalk drawing? Wow. I hate to say it, but in 10 years Lance will be driving a Camaro and probably won’t have anything to do with ol’ Todd. But don’t worry…Todd will get his revenge. He’ll invent the Walkman in the 80s and become a digi-mogul. Lance will end up renovating Todd’s rec room.

Tiny Tuesdays look out! Here’s a vintage baby nursery. Intriguing…

Ahh, ye olde floating wall nursery, with the deadly medieval metal pole hanging over sweet bebe’s head. Fantastic! I confess, I do love that rug…almost as much as I love the full formal hair do mama is sportin’ in her nightie.

This next one is amazing. Lots of cool cubby space for hunkerin’ down and reading your best Encyclopedia Brown book.

Sigh. I love the wallpaper, the book nook, that aquarium and those vintage adidas. Nice kicks, kiddo….

This next one is fun. I’m crazy about polka dots (although these are a little eye-cross inducing, methinks).

Look how cute that little polka chair is too! And nope. You aren’t imagining things. The next photo is the same room, but it was in a different book! I love the little romper on the boy.

This next room is a pre-teen dream. The yellow Arne Jacobsen chair is so dreamy.  Ten points to whoever figures out what the hell is on that top shelf down there.

UPDATE!!!!!! I know what’s on that shelf. It’s a HAIR DRIER. Brilliant. Check it out:

image: sugarpie honeybunch

Ahoy matey, the S.S. Kiddo is set to sail! This theme room is amazing….down to the porthole and the bell on the wall. By the way, those white circles aren’t fancy lights. This particular book is a three-ring binder. I was able to crop the holes out of most of the photos but I didn’t want you to miss out on the grandeur of the director’s chair/desk combo. Or that starfish pillow on the bed. And while we’ve solved one mystery (the ladydrop gumdrop above), can someone tell me WHAT IS THAT GREEN THING PEEKING OUT OF THE BOTTOM LEFT CORNER DOWN THERE??

Moving on! Check out this four poster bed. Holy florals, batman! I love the matching trunk, chair and wee table on the left. Gotta say I’m highly intrigued by the colossal Fish on Wheels on the floor over there on the right.

The 70s ruled. In addition to bold colors and fun pop stylin’….there was that 1976 bicentennial action that nudged people to go all Colonial. Check out that old-timey phone! The play space is great in here (and I love those mod window treatments) but wait til you see the beddie.

How cool is that?? It’s like a double bunk/fort with a build in puppet theater. Looove.

Check out this creative little space. The slanted wall could have felt oppressive, but the big happy rainbow just livens up the whole joint.

Kory lives here—and apparently Kory is The Man. If you couldn’t tell by his rad tube socks and name emblazoned on the bedroom wall, then just feast your eyes on his bunk bed pods:

I’m speechless, people.

Next up is Sasha’s pad. And this kiddo is giving Kory a run for his money. I mean the Star Wars Tie Fighter, X-Wing and R2D2…but I’m mostly digging the color swoosh on the wall….which somehow runs across the window shade, thank you very much.

My parents were into Danish modern when I was litle—and this was no mean feat growing up in Flint, Michigan, lemme tell ya. My brother and I had these really cool mod red bunk beds that were a bit like these next ones. There is no ladder, you climb up the slats on the end. Super cool! Alas, ours didn’t come with the head-decapitating magazine rack hanging over the top bunk.

And finally….my top favorite. The Indoor Playground. HOW. COOL. IS. THIS.

As always, vintage makes me want to embrace color and just kick everything up a notch. I hope you were inspired by these rooms as much as I was. Just promise me you won’t, you know, hang any awkward magazine racks over yer child’s bed, ok? We’re here to inspire, not clock yer kiddo.

Images: From the collection of Miss Alix. Better Homes and Gardens Decorating book (1968), Better Homes and Gardens Decorating book (1975) and House and Garden’s Complete Guide to Interior Decoration (1970).