Calenders For A Vintage-Inspired New Year

Shopping for calenders is a real treat for me this time of year. It helps to to look ahead with bright eyes and great anticipation of all the things to come. My 2009 calender featured nostalgic wine and fruit paintings to complement my french country kitchen. My 2010 calender, which will now be in the living room, has gorgeous vintage black & white photos of Paris (I have a thing for vintage french as you can see) .

Here are some fabulously nostalgic calenders that I found on calenders.com. What will your new year look like?

Make sure to check out my other blog for even more vintage calenders!

The Way They Were: Toy Stores

As a little girl, the only toy store I knew was the aisles of Fedco. And the rare times we did go to the toy store it was always Toys-r-Us...come to think of it, we probably did go that often to avoid the inevitable "Lydia whine and tantrum"...

Anyway, I always wanted to go to a toy store like the ones they show in the movies. Toys from floor to ceiling, in every nook and cranny: giant teddy bears, mysterious magic sets, wind-up robots, real tea sets, scratch-n-sniff sticker books, fairy dust, bucket-o-slime, disappearing ink,musical keepsake boxes and sparkly geodes. To my delight there are many of these mom n' pop toy shops around!

Noah-the-Pooh's 7th birthday is coming up on December 2nd, so we visited one such nostalgic toy store with a crisp, new $100 bill Grandpa Raffi gave him for his birthday. And I will never forgive myself for not taking my camera to take pictures of such a beautiful shop! Any who, Noah-the-Pooh, after much contemplation, chose a cash register, a dino egg and a wooden pistol that shoots giant rubber bands. Plus he still had plenty of money left over for a rainy day!

Yes the dino egg is missing from this photo. We think Jack-Jack kidnapped it...

If you live nearby, take a peak at The Enchanted Toy Store in Fullerton, or swing by our other favorite The Wishing Well in historical Uptown Whittier.

You can also checkout Forbes 10 Amazing Toy Stores in America for more treasured toy stores.

Know of a great mom n' pop toy shop? Please list it in the comments!

Retro Christmas Wish List: Baby Carlitos

Hooray, tt's Baby Carlitos first Christmas! It's kinda' tricky figuring out what this little guy likes, after all his personality is just starting to come out. But a seasoned vintage mama such as myself knows what little rascally boys like. So without further ado, here is Baby Carlitos wish list:

Cloud b Sleep Sheep ~ I just love to play music for my little guys. We already have this awesome Playskool Mp3 player that we use in the car (Jack-Jack would cry non-stop in the car with out it). But I think this precious little sheep is perfect for lulling my little lamb in his crib. Plus it also drowns out all the ruckus from the older boys!

Organic Fruit Tote ~ It's never too early to start with healthy eating habits! These cute plush toys are made with 100% organic Egyptian cotton so they're super soft and safe for my teething Carlitos to munch on. When he's older he can pretend to buy his fruits n' veggies at the farmers market just like mama!
Maple Fire Truck ~ I really love wooden toys for babies. You don't have to worry about pthalates like plastic or sharp edges like metal toys plus they look so cute and old fashion don't they. This cute fire truck will be his introduction to the wonderful world of car racing and crashing. I should probably get 2, one for Baby Carlitos and one for Jack-Jack.

Melissa & Doug Toys ~ Toys from Melissa and Doug are timeless. They have wooden puzzles, wooden play food (which I think I'm gonna add to Noah-the-Poohs wish list), puppet theaters, cute baby pianos and lovely wooden stacker's like the one above. Oh it's gonna be a Melissa and Doug bonanza this Christmas!

Vintage Theme Building Blocks ~ Ooooh, these handmade blocks are darling! A simple toy that will bring much joy!

Lavender Sock Baby Rattle ~ This snuggley little doll has a soft rattle and a pinch of lavender for extra sweet dreams. Isn't that baby precious?

It's almost Christmas! If you haven't made your list do it now. Your wallet will thank you later!

Retro Christmas Wish List: Noah-the-Pooh

On my last post I shared with you some of my Jack Jacks Christmas wish list. This wish list is for 7 year old Noah-the-Pooh. I'm only going to share a few items because Noah-the-Pooh's wish list is quite extensive, and of course not everything on his list is retro (he does watch cartoons after all!). So here we go:

Star Wars Pop-up Guide to the Galaxy- Perhaps it's not vintage, but it certainly is retro! Noah-the-Pooh just LOVES Star Wars and pop-up books. He's just starting to read on his own and I think this book will definitely motivate him to do it more often!

Fun Ride Deluxe Zip Line - What boy wouldn't love to fly through the air and howl like Tarzan? Noah-the-Pooh loves riding the zip line at the park and has been dreaming of having one his own. I wonder if he would be terribly embarrassed if I zipped through the air and howled like Tarzan as well?

Real Cowboy Gear- I am convinced that every boy needs to have a pair of real cowboy boots (I remember my little brother wore his with his Superman costume), and I am ashamed to say that I have yet to get Noah-the-Pooh his pair. So before he gets too big for his britches, Vintage Mama's gonna git her cowboy some proper boots, a cowboy hat and maybe even a trick rope!

Electric Railroad Train- I'm actually going to cheat a little on this one. Noah-the-Pooh has Thomas Train on his wish list, but when I saw this train I just knew he would rather have real train. It has a real working headlight, smoke, sounds and even a lighted interior! What a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon with dad!

Building Projects for Boys- Any vintage mama with boys knows that they really aren't the "crafty" type. Sure they'll paste and paint, but what they really want to do it build and create! This 3 book set by Popular Mechanics is filled with clever idea's for curious boys! Titles include The Boy Mechanic, The Boy Scientist, and The Boy Mechanic Makes Toys.

The Dangerous Book for Boys- I was quite taken back by the titles of these books when he showed them to me. Was he gonna blow up the t.v. or somethin'? Well not exactly. These books teach boys how to do all the essentials, like make slime, a smoke bomb, and yes...a stink bomb. Dangerous indeed!

Praying Mantis Kit- What is it with boys and bugs? Must they touch, poke, catch and shove them into their horrified mama's faces? Apparently they do. At least this kit will keep the critter safe so that my curious little guy can observe to his hearts content!

Have you started a wish list for your little guys and dolls?