back in the day | The Design Inspirationalist

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adventure, back in the day, crew, dance, friends, friendship, kids, music, new york, parties, raves, young, youth

As you get older, there are times you look back upon your life and think of the good old days when everything was much simpler. Of course there may have still been real life things to deal with but being young meant the world was yours to take. There was no doubt there would be obstacles in your way. However, good times are always what you remember and keeping those memories alive is something we all cherish.

For this Inspiration Photo Friday, I wanted to go back to a time when music was my life. I always loved to dance so it was a given I would get involved in the party scene during my teen years. From Jersey to Florida, I explored many of these “raves” with great friends and good people I met along the way. During this time I also experimented with a lot of mind altering substances and I am sure you can imagine the stories I can tell. Like I said, being young is bliss. For me, it meant being fearless. I wanted to experience everything that came my way and then some.

My friend, Kade, sent me this photo awhile ago. When I saw it I was in awe because it brought me back to a time in my life I hold so close. The excitement of the night to come, the many people I’d meet and friends I’d run into, and how could I forget the amazing music. Dancing all night for hours on end, sweating my ass off – those were the days. Every party was a journey, a vacation for my mind. Boy, do I miss it.

In the picture is my best friend Heather {squatting} and my friend Asunta from Florida who was visiting New York at the time {white shirt}. And there I am with one of my infamous poses, blue hat and Polo shirt. All the other kids are people we would chill with at parties. I believe this was early in the morning after an all nighter in the city. And I am sure we had an amazing time.

I will never forget all those good times. I was upset to see it end when the scene started changing but it wasn’t was it used to be. A whole new generation took over and it was transformed. My friends and I just didn’t fit in anymore. Maybe its because we were growing up, who knows. All I know for sure is life was once crazy and fun and all we cared about was each other and the new adventures that would come our way. Back in the day we ruled the world and I will never forget it.

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80s, 90s, animals, Anne of Green Gables, Annie, arts, back in the day, bmx, brooklyn, cartoons, children, Christian Slater, christmas, dancing, dolls, eclectic, Gleaming the Cube, growing up, He-man, jem, kids, Liquid Television, Mister Softee, Monchhichis, Pinterest, prince edward island, Puff the Magic Dragon, Ren and Stimpy, she-ra, singing, Smurfs, Strawberry Shortcake, Sylvanian Families, The Legend of Billie Jean, toys

When I think of the good old days, I remember all the toys and games I loved as a kid. Times were different back then. Growing up in the 80s and becoming a teen in the 90s, I can say that stuff back then was so much cooler. Not to mention, designed better. I see all the toys, dolls and games made for kids today and they just don’t compare. Because of this, I promise to share the best with my kids and make sure they know what cool really is.

Because I have so much love for many things in my past, I created a Pinterest board to collect all of these memorable favorites. From toys and dolls to awesome films, I continue to collect the best of the best. Here, I share some of these goodies with you guys and maybe, if you are part of my generation, it will take you back to the good old days too. And since the holidays are knocking at our door, there is no better time than now to share them with your children.

Mister Softee takes me back to Brooklyn, where I as born. I lived there till I was about 5 or so and one thing I remember so well is hearing Mister Softee down the block. It would get me so excited! I would jump up and down and run out to his truck for ice cream. And it always was the same, soft vanilla with rainbow sprinkles. To this day, I still get excited to hear his tune and its still the best ice cream out there. I love you Mister Softee!

As a child, I was always into the arts. Dancing, singing and drawing were major loves and entertaining everyone with my talents was so much fun. It was no surprise I would love Jem. What girl didn’t? She rocked!

The toys and dolls for girls back in the day were so rad. However, I will always have a place in my heart for Strawberry Shortcake. From all the characters to the beautiful little world they all lived in, this was one I couldn’t resist. I hate how the company recreated their look because it just isnt the same. The original is always better.

Oh, how I loved Sylvanian Families. Since I have always adored animals, how can I not want to play with all these wonderful and sweet characters. All kinds of animals were introduced from dogs and cats to bunnies and lambs. I used to have the little log house and various dolls. It was so much fun to play in animals heavan.

Monchhichis! That’s all I have to say about that.

Was there anyone who didn’t like the Smurfs? I had the toys, I watched the cartoon and even ate the cereal. Smurf’s rule!

When my mother got remarried, I moved to Elizabeth, NJ. My father in law had 3 sons so you can imagine how happy I was to have brothers. Although I played with girl toys, I did love the boy toys as well. They always have cool shit! The one thing my brothers and I could play with together was He-Man and She-Ra. I loved this so much. I always thought She-Ra was a bad ass.

The first time I saw Puff the Magic Dragon, I was in love. What a unique and awesome story. I guess it’s no surprise I grew up into a pot head, haha. I will always have love for Puff. I can’t wait to show my kids this film. Just the music alone is incredible.

Oh my God, did I love Annie. I even had the Annie mansion with all the dolls and little details. The movie just made me want to sing more!

As I got older, I appreciated the eclectic, weird and unique. Nothing says this more than Ren and Stimpy. It explored a different dimension of comedy and animation and I loved every minute of it. You can bet I was a big fan of Liquid Television as well.

And how could I forgot about Anne of Green Gables. Anne will always have a place in my heart. I used to watch it with my cousin Diana and we will both never forget sitting in front of the tv watching Anne’s stories unfold. I was so lucky to have visited Prince Edward Island this past October for our honeymoon. I saw everything Anne I could see!

I am sure many people out there loved Christian Slater. Not only did I love him, I bowed down to one of his best films ever, Gleaming the Cube. I was in awe of the art of skating and bmxing after watching it. So much that I even asked for a bmx bike for Christmas that year so I could start practicing my tricks. Well, I still have that wish. It turns out I never got the bike and so didn’t get the chance to be a famous bmx rider. Instead, my mother bought me a Sea Princess bike that was pink and purple with seashells painted all over it, haha. I just couldn’t win.

Another film that really inspired me was The Legend of Billie Jean. I loved how she took a stand and didn’t give up. The story of my teen years for sure.