Cool Shit Monday: Childhood Fantasies

image: thefrenchpear via all the pretty pretties

I saw this tree house the other day and had one of those Swiss Family Robinson flashbacks.  No, I don't mean a flashback to the time I was stranded on a desert island with my family (that's a whole other story...), I mean to watching that quaint 60s Disney movie of the book where they build that incredible home.  When I was a kid, that totally seemed like the sweetest place anyone could ever hope to live.  There's something about a system of levers and pulleys to help run a household in completely unnecessary yet totally cool way that just floats my boat.  I think it's the lingering impression left by those awesome sequences in Sesame St where they show you things like the processes at a peanut butter factory.  Anyway, a tree house (a fancy one) still seems like a pretty cool idea.  So here are some other cool things that I might either put in my tree house or appeal the child in me.

And all the animals were their friends.  Aww...

You've probably seen this staircase.  It's been doing the rounds on Pinterest and facey.  But it would be a treat in my tree house.  I once did a school project when I was 8 in which I had to come up with a creative way to get to and from school.  I had to walk up and down a couple of hills so I decided that I would like to take a gondola (the aerial kind, not the boating kind) to the top of the hills, and a hydro slide down.  I still like this idea (yes, yes, I know there are many logical reasons why it would actually be crap) and this staircase puts me in mind of it.

I think it was my 7th birthday party where I had the Sweet Shop cake.  If you grew up in New Zealand or Australia, you know THE BOOK of birthday cakes that every home seemed to have.  I'm pretty sure it was a Woman's Weekly number.  I spent hours poring over that book, planning which cake I would have for an upcoming imaginary party.  There is a classic photo of me leaning on the table in front of the sweet cake and I look so stoked (in the same photo, one of my party friends is throwing a wobbly - also quite funny).  As soon as I saw this site and their beautiful creations, I was put in mind of that cake.  I don't know which of all these beautiful set ups I want.  I may just spend hours poring over them creating imaginary parties...

Bunks: a dorky hassle when you have to live in the same room in your brother because your big sister brings home an exchange student who stays for the better part of the year (clearly one of my life experiences), or the perfect excuse to share the fun and avoid sleep (remember that as a kid you didn't want to sleep.  Oh how things change)?  With these kick-arse bunks, there is no doubt it's the latter.  There are so many amazing kids beds out there to choose from I had trouble picking ones to show you.

Wonderland beds

Source: d'Home interiors

I think it's a compulsory that my childhood fantasy tree house has a cool reading room.  And it's very handy that Kid's Republic Bookstore in Beijing has created something pretty darn close to perfection.  I want to go here.  Now.  I wish to curl up on/in one of these shelves and read Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton.

I miss the limitless, logic-defying ideas of childhood!  Who wouldn't prefer a Swiss Family Robinson-style stranding to the Tom Hanks grown-ups version?  The rope swings and friendly elephants beat a bloodied volleyball and rampant facial hair any day.

Cool Shit Monday: Oldies but Goodies

I've recently rediscovered a few things that I had forgotten existed.  Sometimes that's for the best, for example, any outfit I wore between the ages of 12 and 18, but in this cases I've unearthed some loved gems.

This camera.  I'm not a big photographer or photography aficionado (you're shocked, I know.  My photos are so amazing and all) but even this appeals to me.  So this camera was originally released back in the early 60s as a novelty item but quickly became the darling of the photography world for the cool imperfections it created in its photos.  This is a re-release of the original complete with handbook and accessories so even photo-failures like me have a shot at getting a good pic but the fact that it's all supposed to go a little bit wrong appeals to me.  And you get the added bonus of having a coral camera. If that ain't cool, I don't know what is.

From www.modcloth.com

Shit My Dad Says.  I'm sure most of you will have seen this website or the book or the facebook page or any other number of ways of viewing this wonderful thing, but I'm reminding you to look again.  The concept is a simple one: a guy in his adult years lives with his elderly father, father comes out with classic Dad phrases and advice, guy writes these down.  Whoop de doo.  But it is seriously some of the funniest stuff you will read.  You get some typical dad-isms mixed with brutal honesty, perceptive insight, and a little bit of old person racism/stereo-typing.  Nothing funnier.  Go read and give yourself a smile.  I dare you not to laugh out loud.

The Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra has been round for a number of years now (Bret Mackenzie was one of their founding members dontcha know), fighting the good fight for slightly dorky music.  I know, that doesn't make them sound all that cool but believe me, they are.  You have to be uber-cool to pull off a B-side Prince number, "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man", and not destroy it.  You have to be hyper-awesome to make me want to sing Kenny Rogers' 'Ruby' over and over.  And you need to be get-out-of-town amazing to take a song like 'Africa' by Toto and make me want to put it on repeat.  So much better than the original.  They manage to be both self-deprecating and actually good all at once.  It's a talent.  Check them out if you haven't already, and put them on your playlist again if you've been neglecting them.

Not my favourite song but the best video.

This website has provided me with hours of amusement and I had forgotten all about it until Frankie magazine reminded me of it's awesome existence.  I try to be positive on this blog (because my true inclination is to be scathingly sarcastic and that's just not very healthy to indulge on a daily basis) but I freely admit that Cake Wrecks is all about showing you the idiots of the world.  Through baking.  Could there be a better combo (jam and cream are up there of course)?

Some biscuits have a mystery about them - they are ridiculously simple and yet so good.  Chocolate Digestives are just such a biscuit.  I believe the UK equivalent are McVities and Chocolate Malted Milks in the US.  It's a wheaten (boring) with a thin layer of chocolate (thin?!  stink!) that must barely qualify as chocolate as the cocoa percentage is so low.  Am I selling it?  But somehow, somehow the combination of all these really average things makes a delicious biscuit that is one of the best dunking biccies I know (you just need to make sure it's a quick dunk, not a gingernut-length dunk).  Interestingly, their rival brand equivalent, the Chocolate Wheaten, is a bit shit.  I'm sure that there must be all sorts of disgusting additives to make the Chocolate Digestive as good as it is, but I'm going to stay blissful in my ignorance.  In fact I am going to have a cup of nice earl grey and a Chocolate Digestive or two right now.

Also, if you happen to have anyone who is an oldie but a goodie close at hand, I suggest you give them  cuddle (or a high-five if you're a bit anti PDA and physical contact).  That's some cool shit right there.