Thompson Family-Life

vintage slides

I'm working on a project using vintage slides and I can't get enough of these charming little bits of memories. People I don't know and I wonder who they are, where they lived, what they're doing in the photos. There's something kind of magical about photo slides, even more so than their printed counterparts. I think it's because when you hold them up to the light, all of the colors just seem to glow. The people seem almost alive right before me. I love the typography on the chipboard frames and that lovable Kodak logo. And every time I see the word "Kodachrome" I can't help but think of that Paul Simon song.

Do you collect these? I just love them.

instagram it

So, yeh! I'm on IG, how about you? I'm "kitschydigitals" if you're interested. Let me know what your IG name is in the comments section, I'd love to follow! I know I've complained about my 'Droid here but once I heard that they had a new app for Droids for Instagram I was all "well, I guess I'll try it out" all non-chalant-like (you know, secretly thinking "YES! i've GOT to try this thing out that all those iphone-ers are always yapping about!"

I was hesitant to at first because I don't know about you, but who needs another time-sucker! Lord, I can't keep up with it all AND get work done! I honestly got hooked when I had access to Ethan's work iphone for a week or two. That kind of spoiled me. Then he went and changed jobs and now has a Blackberry (booooo). So, most of these pics are from my 'Droid, some from his iphone. My camera takes the worst pics and I can't tell if it's my phone/model/megapixels or what. I see other 'Droid user's pics and a lot of them look better. I'm thinking they have a better model. Mine is cheap and my bill is like $25 a month. Ha! Good on the pocketbook, not so good for photo quality. 

As a person that has spent the better part of the past 8 years or so perfecting my photography, it's hurts me a little inside having to upload my crap-tastic pictures. But hey, they are what they are, so go with it, baby. : )

As you can see, most of my photos are of things I left behind at thrift stores and antique malls... some things I brought home with me... random family stuff and other happenings going on around the Thompson household... me considering dying my hair pink (!!!)... molding eggs into rabbit faces... weekend trips to Birmingham, Alabama... margaritas... Ramona the Rat!... and exciting photos of me in my bathroom mirror.

I don't post photos a lot on IG and honestly, I prefer Twitter (i know they're different, but some people seem to hang out on one more than the other). I don't always have a pretty or interesting photo to upload with my thoughts, so that is why I love Twitter. I've seen a lot of IG accounts where the person always has a gorgeous photo to upload of their perfect home, with their perfect children, while they're homeschooling and making meals with ingredients from their homegrown garden... and I quickly start feeling like "wow. My life feels pretty dang boring. I'm sitting here getting an oil change and my kid is having a meltdown."

I moaned about this a bit on said Twitter this week, about the need to broadcast everything we do... that feeling that it's only validated if we take a pic and broadcast it across the internet. (and when you're in the Creative world that I'm in, everyone is trying to out-do each other with their perfectness.)

To think that there was a time that we didn't need to do that (broadcast everything). Even folks that aren't on Twitter, or IG, or that don't blog, most people are at a minimum on Facebook.

It's hard to remember a time when we didn't feel the need to tell everyone everything... instantly!

To think we just went about our lives, living it. Not worrying about who you could tell or show. The world really is a big Show-and-Tell game. But I get that it's just the way it is.

I seem to be a good 5-10 years older than most people I encounter in my little neck-of-the-internet-woods. We were just starting to use email when I was in college. So growing up, for me, was just normal, you know? I wasn't glued to my phone or e-mail. Or texting. I was just living my life.

It's all very perplexing if I think about it too much. Online social networking can be fun, but it's also just a bit MUCH. I can immediately feel myself getting in a bad mood if I get too immersed in it all and that says a lot to me. I'm most happy when I'm oblivious. When I'm working hard on building my business and making my time count. When I'm in the moment with my family. 

When I'm not broadcasting a damn thing about it. That is when I'm happiest.

It's a weird, sometimes fun, but always perplexing thing.

How do you feel about it all? Our constant need to have our face glued to the internet and our phones? The need to tell everyone about everything, every hour of the day. 

I have friends that aren't even part of this world. One of these friends and I were talking about it a few weekends ago. She doesn't even do Facebook.

Honestly? I envied her. A lot. We were saying that the difference between these two kinds of people, you see it immediately in their body language. For example, you're at a park. One person takes it all in. Breathes it in. People watches. The other person might do that for a little while, but swiftly becomes bored, yanks out his or her phone and starts tap, tap, tapping. It's like everyone has ADD. It's like you can't spend FIVE minutes just relaxing.

I see that in myself a lot. That restlessness. But I think it's just been conditioned in me, you know? If my business and other things didn't depend on the internet, and my connection to people around the world, the idea of totally unplugging from it would sound perty daggum awesome.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Please share!

Hit mini-spy camera find

So I went to an Estate Sale I found on Craigslist last Friday which was, for the most part, a big dissapointment. Mostly because a) I got there 30 minutes early thinking I was suuuuuper smart, but there was already a line formed out to the driveaway and b) I realized that I just don't have the stomach for hardcore Estate-Sale-ing, because...

Some people got there at 6am.

For a sale that opened at 9am.

Some traveled veeeery far. Like hours away.

This seems kind of irrational to me. Especially for a sale that is run by one of those Estate Sale companies that lists each and every thing they're selling. You know, they know exactly what they have and how old it is. So you know the prices are going to be sky-high.

I knew it, so I knew what I was getting myself into going into it. Note to self: avoid Estate Sales like this. Run by these companies. I get that, on one hand, it's a very good thing for the familes of the deceased. I see it as a good thing in that way. When you give it over to someone else to take care of, you aren't having to deal with something that could be potentially hard to do (watching people swarm over the house and snoop through your loved-one's possesions). These companies that you pay to do these sales can also make you more money. They are more confident to ask for the higher prices. So in that way, making more money for the family is a good thing.

But the prices, really are kind of ridiculous. Even scaling them back a little would still make the families more money than they'd make on their own. I was particularly interested in a doll that I saw in a photo in their Craigslist listing. Guess how much it was? $45. Same price it goes for on Ebay.

So I passed on the doll and everything else I saw. Except for this tiny little camera that I found out (after doing some Googling) is actually a vintage "Spy" camera! I owe my former boss and friend for encouraging me to buy this little guy. (The sale was on a street behind her house and I got to catch up with her!)

She was like "your dolls can use it!" Heehee! I love that she immediately thought of my crazy doll hobby. She was thinking of my Blythes and at first I was like "well, the scale might not be right... but. WAIT. They have GIANT heads. YES! this will work!"

Even though they're off scale-wise for my pose doll, I thought she looked pretty cute with it on her arm nonetheless.

She's a semi-new girl. I bought her a few months ago off Etsy. (I got very lucky finding her. Pose dolls like her go for a pretty penny and there are SO many collectors out there! I think I just had dumb luck finding her available at such a good price.) Her bow makes me think of bow-tie pasta! I can't get it out of my head. I've never seen a ginger-haired pose doll and I've had a life-long obsession with redheads, so I'm head-over-heals for her.

Ok, so back to my Estate Sale rant.

Do you want to know what really turned me off as well about that sale? The people that get there early. I saw them rummaging through things when I was let into the house (yes, they let people in in shifts). They have that crazy-eye.

You know that eye?

Like a crazy look in their eyes. Like, "if you get in my way, or pick up something I want, I'm going to clock you upside your head" kind of look. The look almost has a look of despiration. It kind of scared me.

Let me say that I realize I might sound like a hypocrite talking about these things, because I talk a lot about STUFF on my blog. STUFF is good blog fodder. I know I've talked about this before about the obsession with stuff. And I know that blogs kind of foster that focus on stuff.

I do love to collect things. But I've definitely been on the "oh-my-God-I'm-becoming-a-hoarder" side of things at times when I look around my house. But I do really love collecting. I really appreciate things that have nostalgic sentimental value or a pretty design. I just like looking at them! And I do try to not buy things just because they're old. Or cheap (thrift stores I'm talking to you). And when I do start seeing that imbalance, I'm fast to start listing things in my Online Yard Sale! (ha)

My point is: it really did freak me out how crazy these folks acted. Maybe they earn their living from going to Estate Sales, I don't know. And I get that. I just never want to be into stuff in that way.

Do you ever find it hard to keeping the balance with this? Not letting material things take over your life? How do you find that happy-medium?

Since I totally digressed with this post, I did want to end it with a little homage to this little spy camera. I seriously had no idea these even existed. When I saw the camera at first, I thought it was just a figurine or toy, but then I realized that it looked like an actual functioning camera! And sure enough it is! You can even buy *new* film for it.  

Here are a few photos I found. Look at the packaging!

And here are some photos taken with one of these little Secret Spy Cameras along with a cute little ad...

(images found here)

 Here's a site all about "subminiature" cameras.

I would LOVE to try out this camera. I miss experiementing with photography. I used to browse Flickr for hours looking at photos taken with various vintage cameras. I'll keep you posted if I try it out. Do you have one of these little Spy Cameras in your collection?

(All background patterned paper used in my camera photos from American Crafts.)

all about Sindy

A couple weekends ago we visited some of our college friends in Birmingham, Alabama, and I got to visit a super cool vintage shop there. It's called What's on 2nd and if you're ever in the area and are a vintage-lover, it's a must visit! It's like stepping into someone's attic - you know, that has really good taste. ; ) I posted several pictures on Instagram while browsing the shop (yes, I'm on there now, with my lowly droid that takes crappy pictures, but feel free to follow! I'm @kitschydigitals).

I found this Sindy doll in her box - never been opened. She was just so beautiful, I couldn't pass her up. She was $20 which I didn't think was bad since she was in mint condition and still wrapped in plastic inside the box. I did some research on Ebay last night and she's going for well over $100 still in her box.

Remember these paintings I posted about in December? Apparently Sindy is the UK (and European?) version of our Tammy. So I'm not sure how my little Sindy here made her way over the pond, but I'm so delighted to have found her! 

Here she was in her box... and yes, I deboxed her. Hard to believe she's been untouched since 1978 and here I go taking her out of her home, but I believe dolls should be admired and displayed... not stuck in a box. She will be well taken care of. What really drew me to this doll was how they had her posed in her box! How CUTE is that? She looks quite breezy in there doesn't she?

You can see the original price tag here...

Love the illustrations on the side... "See how Sindy can move just like you?"

That yellow kitchen above is pretty darn groovy.

And here she is "deboxed"...

And since I tend to overobsess over a new doll every month or two, I thought I'd share my Sindy research with you. Here are some adorable knitting patterns I found for Sindy. Apparently, Barbie clothes fit Sindy and Tammy which is an awesome thing! Vintage Barbie clothes are pretty fabulous (although they can get pricey) and there are tons of vintage sewing patterns for Barbie that are really cute. One day I will bite the bullet and start making clothes for my dolls.

Too bad I don't know how to knit! I mean seriously, that Wonder Woman get-up! Too.much.

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Here are some printed goodies all about Sindy... including a comic book!

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Some Sindy ads...

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The yellow jumper dress with navy/red floral blouse (above, last girl on the bottom right) is pretty amazing!

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And here are some lovely Sindys from Flickr owners (Flickr is still my favorite place to use as a Dolly source). This caravan is to die for.

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The redhead below kind of blows me away. I haven't seen many redheaded Tammys or Sindys. And those lashes! I'm thinking the owner added those? My gosh, she's perfect. The doll on the right is actually on Ebay right now.

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These two just kill me. With their silky blonde 70's hair and sun-kissed skin. They are perfect.

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So chic!

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These three! Oh my. Total dolly envy.

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And last, here's a group of images from the official Sindy doll collecting site. I love seeing the original outfits. The brunettes are seriously beautiful! They seem to be harder to find.

Do you have any Sindy dolls? Maybe Tammy? Do you collect them? I'm kind of jonesing to visit the UK just so I can hit up the thrifts in hopes of finding some Sindy stuff! I think she's quite lovely. She has one of the prettiest face molds I've seen in vintage dolls.

Wanna see more vintage doll themed posts? Click here.

For the love of puppets. And Muppets.

I found these plush Muppet dolls at a thrift a few weeks ago. I just couldn't pass them up. Rather, the Muppets-loving-70's-80's-child that I am couldn't pass them up. They were in perfectly faded colors. I of course immediately washed them once I got home. Plush anything from the thrift is always a bit scary. But they didn't smell to begin with so I think we're safe.

I wasn't sure if the boys would be into them and they were so cheap I could always re-donate them, but they got pretty excited when they saw them. They've never really been into Sesame Street (sadly) but did see the new Muppet Movie and loved it. I really want to watch some of the old Muppet Show episdodes with them. That has been on our to-do list for a while. (note to self: buy the DVD asap!)

Not long after I found the dolls, I thrifted this book. It doesn't get much better than Sesame Street Muppets, don't you think?

We also watched the amazing documentary Being Elmo last month on recommendation from one of Ethan's work friends. Admittedly, we've never been fans of Elmo, but I guarantee you, once you see this film you might change your mind. It's such an incredibly beautiful and inspiring story. A must see.

And speaking of puppets, did you know it's National Day of Puppetry this Saturday? Well it is! I have to brag because we have the amazing Center for Puppetry Arts here in Atlanta. We've been seeing puppet shows there even before we had kids (they have shows for adults as well!) We've actually been puppet fans ever since our first trip to Prague, Czech Republic many, many years ago. They have a rich puppet history there. We have a little marionette collection of our own that we've accumulated over the years and have seen some incredible puppet shows (more like grand performances!) around the world including places like Prague and Salzburg, Austria (at the Salzburg Marionette Theater).

Our Center for Puppetry Arts serves as the American headquarters for UNIMA-USA, the American branch of the international puppetry organization Union International de la Marionnette, the oldest theater organization in the world.

If you're ever in Atlanta, I highly recommend this center. Your kids will LOVE it (and so will you). They have an incredible museum that features long-term exhibitions centered around none other than puppet genius himself, Jim Henson. For me, it never gets old seeing actual puppets from some of my favs like Labyrinth and Fraggle Rock. Many puppets that Jim performed and created including Ernie, Rowlf the Dog, the La Choy Dragon, Dr. Teeth, The Swedish Chef are on display.

(puppet from Labyrinth, photo source)

Gotta love those Fraggles.

They have all kinds of performances you can see and classes you can take. Such an inspiring place.

Are your kids (or you) into puppets? Be sure to check around your city to see if anyone's having a special event for National Day of Puppetry this Saturday. You might be surprised what's happening in your own town!