Cut out images of James Dean and Vampira set against a yellow and red background.

The Mysterious Horror Hostess that Reportedly Cursed James Dean

October 18, 2018, 5 Comments

The inside of a “dingy frame house” on Larrabee Street in West Hollywood looked more akin to a “witch-doctor’s shack in the wilds of Haiti.” Scattered were “objects of the kind associated with Black Magic” and stuck to the wall by a small golden dagger were cut-outs of James Dean’s eyes and ears. On the…

Safe Ways to Display Vintage Halloween Decorations

October 16, 2018, 6 Comments

If you frequent antique malls or flea markets this fall then you’ve probably noticed some vintage Halloween decorations for sale, most of which are made up of paper, or rather card stock or thin cardboard. This rather delicate and disposable nature of decorating for Halloween meant a lot of decorations were easily damaged and often tossed…

Below a painting of a desert scene hang two skeletons and a black cat above an orange and black couch. On the couch spirit board pillows sit.

Hooray for Halloween

October 12, 2018, 14 Comments

While this October makes the second Halloween we have celebrated in our first house, it is the first year I have been able to decorate! It’s hard to believe we have been in our home a year now, and due to the chaos of moving last year the Halloween decoration boxes remained in the garage. So…

Myself standing in front of the Palomino sign, wearing a blue jean jacket, white t-shirt reading "Gram Parsons and the Fallen Angels" and a dark brown cowboy hat.

The One Night Revival of Hollywood’s Favorite Honky Tonk, the Palomino Club

October 10, 2018, 5 Comments

When people think of Hollywood, they think of searchlights rocking back and forth, glittering movie stars, and flash bulbs popping on a red carpet. But just on the other side of the Hollywood sign is North Hollywood, and the further out you go, it turns heavily industrial, and you begin to feel a long way…

Entrance to Tomorrowland, flags from all over the world flank a pathway toward a clock with a moon and sun on top, and a tall rocket looms in the background.

Vintage Disneyland Postcards: Tomorrowland

October 8, 2018, 5 Comments

Today we jump into the future…well, what Disneyland Imagineers of the 1950s and 1960s thought the future would look like, more specifically, what the world of 1986 would look like. Out of all of the lands, Tomorrowland is the one that has seen the most change, with complete overhauls in 1967 and 1998. The first…

Text reads "Atomic Redhead Presents...Groovin' Ghosts Spooky Songs for Halloween" to the left illustrated skeletons, a woman with an updo, and a man with a beard, rock out to an old fashioned record player.

10 Offbeat Halloween Songs

October 5, 2018, 5 Comments

Last Christmas I shared a selection of songs from my massive Christmas music collection, but with a focus on warm weather songs, which I called my California Christmas Playlist. Sharing music from my collection is a tradition I plan on doing each Christmas, but this year I decided to add another holiday to the tradition;…

Myself, standing on a bridge, wearing a brown, orange, and white floral maxi dress, and a crown made of orange and yellow flowers and swizzle sticks from Trader Sam's, featuring tiny tikis.

Tiki Day at the Park

October 3, 2018, 7 Comments

Long time readers of the blog are familiar with the unofficial theme days at Disneyland, including Tiki Day, which was last weekend. This Tiki Day was especially fun because I spent the day with some of my favorite ladies and we had a blast taking photos together. So for once I’ll be sharing photos of…

Leaning against a post, with old west buildings in the background, some of which have been covered in faux spider webs, wearing an orange dress with a small yellow and green floral print, and yellow and green rick-rack along the neckline and skirt, also wearing black tooled leather shoes, and a plastic black cat necklace.

Jess-Belle Vibes for Spooky Farm

October 1, 2018, 2 Comments

So earlier I talked about Knott’s Scary Farm, both with my first day outfit, and a guide to help newbies with the event, but today I’m talking about Knott’s Spooky Farm, the family-friendly event that Knott’s Berry Farm offers on weekends. It’s a fun offering where kids can trick-or-treat, take part in fun crafts such…

Atomic Redhead’s Knott’s Scary Farm Survival Guide

September 28, 2018, 3 Comments

Every fall a heavy fog creeps into Knott’s Berry Farm, transforming it into Knott’s Scary Farm. In a way, Knott’s Scary Farm is an entirely different version of Knott’s Berry Farm, as it offers so much more, and therefore is worthy of its own guide. If you’re more interested in learning more about a regular visit…

Exterior of Pizza Show. Squares spell out "Pizza Show" with "Pizza" edged in red, and "Show" edged in green. A tall sign to the left also reads "Pizza Show" with a small sun image below. Below the sun it reads "Dining Room Food to Go"

A Slice of Beach Boys History at Pizza Show

September 26, 2018, 1 Comment

When you think about the Beach Boys, you likely think of surfing, hot rods, and perhaps plaid. What you probably don’t think about is pizza. But in the 1960s the original members surfing crooners could be found at Pizza Show, a local Italian restaurant in their hometown of Hawthorne. Pizza plus rock-n-roll history? I’m sold!…