Pastime Loves

05 Wednesday Dec 2012

Tags

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.

There are many more things I adore from my past and you can check some of them out on my Pinterest board, which I am always updating with more faves.

Let the Countdown Begin

29 Thursday Nov 2012

Posted by melissaoconnor in Events & Parties, Everyday Design, The Home

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Tags

Better Homes & Gardens, christmas, christmas tree, color scheme, cozy, decorating, design, festive, garland, holiday, inspirations, stockings, traditional, tree, warm, wreath

Well, Christmas is right around the corner and winter days are here. Dressing up your home in a festive look can be done in many ways. Depending on the style you have throughout your house, any holiday decorating you do should still reflect that style. For example, if you have lots of white and cool colors than using silver, blues and white for your festive makeover would be successful. If you have an eclectic home than mix it up and have fun!

Here are some great inspirations to get you busy, if you already haven’t started. I was on it the weekend after Thanksgiving. I hung garland through the house, the stockings are hung and lots of gifts are under the tree. If you need a little push or want some new ideas, check out these next ideas from Better Homes & Gardens and get movin!

Choose a simple color scheme and stick to it. This will bring a traditional holiday a modern makeover. Pick two colors and go with the flow.

Keep it simple but feature the color of the season, green! By laying garland on your mantle or around a doorway, your home will immediately feel warm, cozy and festive.

Get creative and feature a main element that is not traditional. Instead of a wreath, combine a little bit of nature in a basket and you have an interesting arrangement.

This is what I am talking about by going with the style of your home. This winter wonderland says it all. With silvery tones, lots of white and pops of blue, this space is classy, modern and gorgeous.

And keeping with the nature inspired decor, this space is earthy, warm and classic.

Show off your crafty style and mix it up with rainbow lights, vintage flair and unique elements.

Show off your holiday collections with style. Get those knick knacks out and feature the little items you love.

Use items you wouldn’t normally use for the holidays and create an interesting and unique feel in your home. Get artsy and think out of the box for this one.

For more inspiration visit Better Homes & Gardens

Holiday Party Tips

20 Tuesday Nov 2012

Posted by melissaoconnor in Events & Parties

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bouquets, centerpieces, christmas, Country Living, decor, decorating, favors, flowers, fun, garland, holiday, Holiday Party Tips, interior, nature, ornaments, party, thanksgiving

The holidays are here! With Thanksgiving in a few days and Christmas & New Years right around the corner, it’s time to start planning those holiday parties. There are so many fun things you can do to dress up your home and make it festive. Here are a few tips I scored from Country Living that should totally inspire the designer in all of you.

Using ornaments in different ways is always fun. You don’t have to just hang them from the tree. Gather some in a bowl or vase, hang from doorways and moldings or create garland out of them. Try to stick with a theme or color and go with it.

Let nature be your guide and feature lots of green. From small centerpieces to holly type garland, there are lots of ways to use flowers and plants. You can even create small bouquets for people to bring home as favors.

Create some laughs by dressing up photographs of family and friends with funny faces and holiday cheer. Just use a dry erase marker and you should be good to go.

Instead of adding lots of decorations, dress up your table with pretty bowls and plates. Whether they shine, shimmer or bring pops of color to the space, festive they will be.

DIY Creative Gift Wrapping Ideas

14 Wednesday Dec 2011

Posted by melissaoconnor in Crafty Ideas

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christmas, design, diy, ecofriendly, gift wrap, gifts, holiday, recycle, reuse

Giving gifts is a big part of the holiday season. Besides decorating and spending time with loved ones its my favorite thing to do. I absolutely love giving presents. But one thing I love even more is wrapping them. I suppose some people are not amused by gift wrapping, especially if they have stacks of them waiting to go under the tree. But stressing over the holidays shouldn’t be an option. It’s a time for cheer, happiness and lots of love.

Here are some easy and unique ideas that will make your gift wrapping experience quick and fun.

Eco – Friendly

For all those green people in your life, why not express their love for the Earth by presenting their gift in an Earth friendly package. I am sure they will appreciate the gift much more. Try using brown packing paper or simple white recycled printing paper to wrap it. Instead of using ribbon, hemp string or a natural fiber to tie around it will do the trick. You can leave it as is or design it yourself with stamps or drawings.

Consider it a blank canvas so get creative. You can even get the kids involved. Have them draw and color on the paper before you wrap it. Color Tip: robins egg blue or a shade like it is a great match for brown if you choose to use packing paper.

Reuse & Recycle

Considering people tear up the gift wrap anyway why not save some money and time and use magazine or newspaper pages. You can find some really cool imagery in magazines, especially the art and design ones. Real Simple, Oprah, Ready Made and Elle Decor are some great ones.

If you are wrapping small gifts than one page should do it. If not than just collect a few cool pages and connect them with some tape or staples. Depending on the pages you choose, either should look cool and different.

Know some vintage lovers? Look through old magazines for the perfect images that will set them back in time. For gift tags, you can use old holiday cards cut to size or cut cute shapes from the magazines’ covers. They are made a little thicker and should work just fine.

Classic Style + Modern Flair

If you are in love with the classic style of gift wrap but want to be a little different no worries. It’s always easy to add modern or eclectic touches to traditional design. You just have to be careful not to go overboard.

Try to experiment with color and aesthetic but trying new ways to wrap ribbons around the gift. Once you choose your paper, figure out where you want to take the story. What does the paper say through its color? For example; if it has holiday trees in blue and white then try using an unexpected color like orange or purple for the ribbon.

To get creative, wrap the gift numerous times instead of just once. I’m not saying put it in a straight jacket but two or three times will add a unique touch. Instead of using a bow, try another interesting and uncommon object like a small toy or flower. Pine needles from the tree would be work well too. It would be like two gifts in one!

Unwrapping a gift is a journey to an unexpected ending. It should be fun, exciting and in the end triumphant. Try to make it the best adventure possible from beginning to end and there will be tons of smiles everywhere. Plus, they will look fabulous under the tree.