So I don't know what it is, but in the last few weeks there have been several things that have been sparking memories of my youth - and I have to say it's been kind of fun riding down memory lane just a bit. I thought today for a Friday Five, I'd highlight a few of them.
Music - New Kids on the Block are coming here in concert again and one of our local channels is giving away concert tickets. So naturally, they decided to play "Hangin Tough" in it's entirety on the radio the other day. This gave me the brilliant idea of starting a New Kids on the Block Pandora channel. Best.Idea.Ever. I put it on in the afternoon at work and it totally makes the day go faster - I've heard great old songs by not just NKOTB but also Paula Abdul, Boys II Men, Mariah Carey. Oh it takes me back. My tween self is happy.
TV - I'm sure by now everyone has seen the Saved By The Bell reunion on Jimmy Fallon. If you haven't I'm going to leave it here for you. Best eight minutes I've watched this week. I have seen every episode of that show more times than I can count and this sketch was incredibly well done!
Cosmetics - I saw an article this week that Bonnie Bell Cosmetics is shutting down. While I can't tell you the last time I bought a Lipsmacker, I will say I was sad to hear this. I know most of my friends are bummed about never getting a Dr. Pepper flavored Lipsmacker again, but my favorite was always the Strawberry. It will be strange to not see that end cap at Target any longer!
Shopping - Speaking of things closing down, I also saw a couple of weeks ago that Deb stores are closing. I never bought any of my formal dresses at Deb, but I always at least looked at them every year when Prom season came round. I remember owning a few pairs of shoes from there and some other cheaply made clothing because where else do you shop when you're 16? I remember when I was a lot younger and thinking it was the coolest store ever because it had pink carpet. The mall will not be the same!
Games - Again, old news here by now, but I have been kind of addicted to the fact that you can now play classic Apple games like The Oregon Trail on the internet. I remember Computer Lab day was like the best day in school and it was because of games like this. So it's been fun reliving this as an adult, though I have to say, using your own family names as an adult is a little unnerving when you see something like "Oliver has typhoid" or "Pippin has died." I started making up fake names after that, ha!
So anyway, I have been kind of stuck in the late 80's/early 90's over the last couple of weeks here and it's been kind of fun remembering those carefree days! I love where I am now, but there's nothing wrong with going back in time just a little bit!
So I'm a 30 something right? This means I was born and went through childhood in the 80s - but I came of age in the 90s. And this week on Facebook my other 30 something friends have been sharing the latest BuzzFeed article - 55 Things Only 90s Teenage Girls Can Understand. Go take a quick read - I'll wait. Yes I'm making you work for this post!
Ok, are you back? Man - let me tell you - this list takes me back! And it's all SO true. I adore these BuzzFeed articles, so many of them are so well written and so very true. I am guessing it's someone around my age who writes them! My favorites from this list? They are as follows:
Lipsmackers and Wet and Wild Lipstick - These were THE gift to give your friends at Christmastime in middle school. Cheap and fun and so many flavors. I remember they used to make these huge fat Lipsmacker lip glosses and those were the ultimate. My favorite was always strawberry. And then the Wet and Wild - middle school dances and hot pink lipstick. Yep, that'll make the boys come a runnin'.
Romeo + Juliet - I had the soundtrack and I knew every song by heart. And I will admit to wanting to kind of be Clare Danes. Actually, I still kind of want to be Clare Danes. She's still gorgeous!
Teen Spirit - Do they even still make that? I remember having this in my gym locker until I realized I needed something a bit stronger. Eventually this stuff barely touched my BO. Yes that is gross. Yes I just said that in a blog post. You're re-thinking continuing to follow me as I make my blog changes this year aren't you?
Taping songs off the radio - Yep. Did it. That was the original "pirating" I guess! And the mad rush to your boom box when your favorite song was starting. I still have some of those mix tapes and even better - my car has a cassette player in it. For fun I pop one of those cassettes in every now and then. It's good for a laugh!
Caboodles - I had a knock off Caboodle - I loved it though, I filled it with makeup, I spilled nailpolish on it. The darn thing was so bulky to take with you to a friend's house though. Kind of silly when you think about it!
Baby tees and slip dresses - oh yes. I only wish I had the pictures to prove it.
Mall Madness and Girl Talk - Best games ever. I've actually been on the lookout for Mall Madness at the thrift stores - I am kind of kicking myself for getting rid of mine!
Away messages on AOL - I was still using these in college. Which doesn't seem that long ago until I realize this spring it'll be 10 years since my college graduation - so I guess it really was another time wasn't it??
So there's my trip down memory lane. Any other 90s gals out there want to chime in on any of these? It was such a different time!
What does one do on another gray, rainy day? Wear happy bright colors! This is a color inspiration I saw on Pinterest, but honestly, it's a color combination I've loved for years. I've always loved to color in coloring books, it's something my mom and I would do together on vacations (and I still do, it's sooo relaxing!). There was nothing better than a brand new box of Crayola 64 Crayons. And my favorite two colors I'd always pull out and put together were called "Melon" and "Sea Green" - not unlike my peach and mint here!
T-shirt - Mudd, Kohls
Jeans - JCPenney
Necklace - Charming Charlie
Sandals - Marshalls
I currently own a box of Crayola Crayons that has I believe 98 colors in it or something like that. It's awesome and yes I'm 31, I don't care, I love my crayons! And now they have weird color options like "Macaroni and Cheese".
And now because I'm being a nostalgic dork, I'll leave you with this old clip from Sesame Street about how crayons are made that I was fascinated with as a child. Apparently there was an episode of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood that showed how crayons were made too, but this is what I remember!
Nothing I'm wearing today is new, but it is another new combination I pulled together for this dress. I still think this dress is my favorite item of clothing that I own! And I love finding new ways to wear it. Someday I'll pull together all the ways I've remixed it so far, maybe after I've had it a full year - I still haven't even had it that long yet!
There was a live action children's show when I was young on the Disney Channel (now mind you this is when the Disney Channel was brand new and you had to pay extra for it - I had generous parents) called Welcome to Pooh Corner. In it, the characters were larger versions than in the cartoon - they were basically people inside a walk around costume. Anyway in the show there was a song that Rabbit sang about trying new things. "Try a little something new, try a little something different, try a little something no one else has done." So I'm thinking this morning about how I love trying new things with this dress and of all random things that song popped into my head. I haven't watched that show in close to 20 years at this point - how would I remember that? My brain is a fun place to be sometimes, let me tell you!
Anyway, besides nostalgia, I have nothing else terribly exciting to share today other than I was able to take some decent outdoor pictures again! This time of year is just tricky. And yes, I still have bare legs. It's going to be 80 degrees today, possibly for the last time, so I wasn't about to cover them up! The bottom falls out tomorrow though. I am ok with that though, I'm ready for tights!! Cover up these pale legs!
Jacket - unknown, purchased at Clothes Mentor
Dress - two birds vintage
Shoes - Rampage, DSW
Necklace - Butterfly Boutique
Bracelets - S&D, Charming Charlie
I'll leave you with the intro to the old Welcome to Pooh Corner so you can see more of what I was talking about. I tried to find the Try A Little Something New Song, but no luck. All I can say about this show was, it was 1983. And I'm sorry if it gives you nightmares, looking back it's a little frightening, but it was one of my favorites when I was 4 years old!
I am totally channeling the 90s in my outfit today. I am pretty sure I owned a very similar sundress to this one in 1995. I don't care though, when I saw this dress at the two birds garage sale I just had to have it. And I've been crushing on denim vests I've seen other bloggers wearing for awhile now too, so I found this one at Mighty Swell the same day I bought the dress and when I saw these next to each other, I knew I had an outfit to wear. Even if it makes me feel 13 again.
It's weird, summer often makes me nostalgic for my youth a little bit. I mentioned yesterday I've been watching old Blossom episodes on YouTube. While making dinner last night I seeded my iTunes Genius with a Cranberries song. At dinner the Pants Monkey and I were marveling at the fact that you can hear Smashing Pumpkins playing on the radio again. I also hear No Doubt is back together too. Yes, all these things do make me think fondly of the good old days.
I wouldn't actually go back to the 90s for anything though. I was a pretty awkward pre-teen, so really, we don't need to relive those days!
I laughed when I came back in the house after taking my pictures this morning and found Disapproving Taylor hiding under the chair here. It's like she's saying "Mom, you aren't a teenager anymore, it's not 1995!" Too bad Taylor, I like this outfit anyway.
Before I go, I will also share one of my favorite 90's music videos. Remember those? You know, singers and groups would make a little mini movie out of one of their songs and then these cool TV stations called MTV and VH1 would play them all day long. Oh you've heard of those channels? Yeah, I know, they just play reality shows and movies. No such thing as music videos. It's sad really. (For real, MTV should just drop the "M" from their name. Oh and do you know what VH1 originally stood for? Video Hits One. Hmm...) Anyway, thanks for indulging me on a trip down memory lane!
