Tag Archives: Anaheim

Dressing Downton

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Earlier in the week, myself, Patrick, and a friend went to Anaheim’s Muzeo as they were hosting the touring exhibit, Dressing Downton, which features the costumes of British show Downton Abbey. As a fan of the show and vintage fashion, I leaped at the opportunity to visit! If you’re unfamiliar with the show, it chronicles the life and times of the fictional Crowley family, and their estate, Downton Abbey in the Yorkshire countryside, along with those who they employ, from 1912 through I believe 1923, so a great deal changes both in lifestyle and fashion.

For the visit, I went with a simple adventurer chic look with Egyptian revival jewelry, as seriously I don’t do the Edwardian period or the 20s really. My 20s garments consist of more gowns, nothing for a casual afternoon at a museum. So, this is about as close as I get sometimes.

Continue reading for images from the exhibit.

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Goodbye to the Fantasyland Skyway Station

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Sorry for the dead air as of late. I caught what has been going around down here, a late spring cold that had me laid up for the last two weeks. I’m finally beginning to feel better and can finally begin to focus on blogging again.

Four years ago I wrote a post dedicated to one of Disneyland’s lost attractions, but one that still had a physical reminder at the park, the Skyway. Opening in 1954, the Skyway was a gondola lift type attraction that took Guests high above Disneyland, through the Matterhorn, and to either Fantasyland or Tomorrowland. While it closed in 1994, I still have vivid memories of riding it, and miss it greatly, as it was a great way to get from one side of the park to the other, especially during parades. Shortly after closing, the Tomorrowland station was dismantled quickly, however the Fantasyland station remained, tucked away behind trees.

Very soon the Fantasyland Skyway Station will meet the fate of the neighboring Frontierland areas of Big Thunder Ranch, as the Disneyland Resort makes way for their new Star Wars themed land. So, Patrick and I took a little visit the other day to snap some more pictures of it before it is lost forever.

This post, while about Disneyland, still hits home to the heart and soul of what I want to do more of; photographing something before it is lost entirely – contributing in some small way to the history of something. Focusing in on this approach to posts has made me less concerned about whittling down the number of photos I post too. So, gear up for a pretty picture heavy post.

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Anaheimland

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Over the weekend Patrick and I went to another one of Charles Phoenix‘s shows, and this one about our still-new-to-us home, Anaheim. Okay, well, we really live in Orange, but Anaheim is right next door, and I work in Anaheim! Phoenix’s presentation was at Anaheim High School, which is a beyond gorgeous 1930s school, built during that glorious and all too brief period where art deco and streamline architecture melded together.

The presentation benefited the Anaheim Halloween Parade, an event that has been going on for over 90 years! I am so sad we will be missing the event again. Last year we returned to Portland for a wedding, and this year I will be working. But at least I got to take a peek at their latest addition, a float inspired by a sucker box, and got to meet the Pumpkin Man!

As for other Halloween events, Patrick and I are attending one of Mickey’s Halloween Parties at Disneyland next week. Sadly, I haven’t had time to make myself a new costume, so I am repeating a costume from the past, though one that has not been to Disneyland yet. But I am working on a costume for Patrick. While most of his costume is found pieces, I do have to do some hand-painting on it, which I am able to squeeze in between work and other events.

Does your town have any Halloween traditions? Have you been or plan on attending them?

Outfit
Dress: Bombshell Vintage, Portland
Scarf: Thrifted, pretty sure…
Belt: Bohemian Vintage, Portland, Or.
Shoes: Buffalo Exchange
Disneyland Hankie: Gift from the wonderful Lyndsie of Retro Rejuvenation, Coburg, Or.
Bakelite Oranges Necklace: Birthday gift
Bangles: Here and there
Purse: Found by my dad

Citrus Fest

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Oranges are by far my favorite fruit ever. So one of the things I love most about living in California is not just the accessibility to fresh oranges, but also the celebration of the fruit itself. After all, we even live in a town and county named after it! So needless to say, I was excited when I heard about Citrus Fest, a festival celebrating not only oranges, but limes, lemons and grapefruits. The event was small, but fun, and took place just outside one of my favorite places in Orange County, The Packing House. The event gave me opportunity to wear one of my favorite jewelry sets, my matching brooch and earring set of lucite and rhinestone oranges from the Austrian “Forbidden Fruit” collection. I also paired it with a California themed charm bracelet I’ve been building, which includes a crate of oranges, and if you look really close you can see that it reads “California” on the side.

I picked up a lovely citrus sugar scrub from The Sunshine Grove that I absolutely can’t wait to use, as it smells just like an orange creamsicle, and tasted scrumptious citrus treats from Orange Clementine, who specializes in these delicious baked goods, and shipping them across the world as unique gift baskets.

I hope you are all having a lovely spring so far!

Outfit
Blouse: Jet Rag, Los Angeles, California
Skirt: I can’t remember! Buffalo Exchange, maybe?
Nude Fishnets: Oroblu, Nordstorm
Shoes: Eva by Re-Mix
Purse: La Poule Noire
Large Orange Brooch & Earring Set: Monticello Antique Marketplace, Portland, Oregon
Small Orange Brooch: Gift
California Themed Charm Bracelet: Made up of charms I have collected from various shops and shows
California Hankie: Thrifted
Orange Hair Clip: Made by me, with pieces that were a gift

Nothing But Blue Skies

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Well, I hope you liked Patrick’s first post in his new series! It will be a rather inconstant series (ie: not on a regular weekly or monthly schedule) but a series none the less! Additionally, with the move to southern California, I’m excited to share similar types of posts with you, ones of architecture and filming locations, unique landmarks and a slew of museums that the area has to offer. All fall into my passion for history and am eager to share with you all!

On Sunday, Patrick and I joined fellow vintage and Disney loving friends for a meet-up at Disneyland. You may recall the holiday themed meet-up we went to in November. The theme selected for this January meet-up was “Blue Skies” and those attending were encouraged to wear something blue. I was elated, as blue is my favorite color to wear for January! The initial outfit that I planned when the meet-up was announced consisted of a black wool dress with ice blue accents, including a blue wide brimmed wool felt fedora, but when the weather report announced the day was going to be an incredible 85, I had to rethink my ensemble, and ultimately went for a rather summery “State Fair” look…oh well! It still had blue in it!

To kick off the day we met up in California Adventure and I finally met Oswald the Lucky Rabbit! And look! He was even dressed in blue like us! How fitting!

For those who are not super familiar with Walt Disney and his history, Oswald was one of Walt’s earliest creations, but in 1928 economic hardship and bad relations between Walt and a producer meant that Walt had to let Oswald go. However, on his way home Walt came up with the idea of Mickey Mouse. Since then Oswald was held by NBC Universal, until Disney’s current CEO, Bob Iger, expressed a desire to bring Oswald home, and in 2006 Disney negotiated for Oswald to return to Disney, by trading ESPN (as Disney owns ESPN) sports anchor Al Michaels for Oswald. Yes, Disney traded a real live person for a cartoon, and Michaels now reports for NBC Sports. But Oswald has had quite the homecoming and is now the icon of Disney’s California Adventure and loved by many who visit the park.

As a group, we went on various attractions together, and of course got many questions, most asked “Is it Dapper Day?” Some with a hint of horror in their voice, fearing they had missed it. As the sun went down we boarded the Mark Twain for a leisurely cruise along the Rivers of America.

I didn’t snap too many group photos, as we used someone’s PhotoPass+, and I’m still waiting on those photos, but I couldn’t wait to share, as we had so much fun! Maybe I’ll share them on my Facebook page…So if you don’t already like Atomic Redhead on Facebook, go do it now!

Outfit
Boater: Garage Sale!
Suit: House of Vintage, Portland, Oregon
Nude Fishnets: Oroblu, Nordstorm
Shoes: Miss L Fire
Purse: Found by my dad!
Disneyland Brooch: TheEmaE74
Disneyland Charm Bracelet: Can’t remember!

Patrick’s Outfit
Short: Living Threads, Portland, Oregon
Jeans: Freddies of Pinewood
Shoes: Nordstorm

Christmas at Disneyland

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As mentioned in my previous post, Patrick and I spent Christmas Eve with my sister, her husband and my grandmother and her boyfriend (oh my, that does sound scandalous, doesn’t it? But it’s true. Her last husband died when I was in grade school, and prior to that her first husband, my dad’s dad, passed away in 1968). We had a nice dinner together, exchanged gifts and Patrick and I drove back home later in the evening. On our way home we decided since Christmas day was just going to be the two of us, and we were going to Disneyland, we also exchanged presents. And I was thrilled when I received a Disneyland purse I had been drooling over for sometime at the park, one of the retro print purses by Dooney and Bourke.

I had been wanting a strictly Disneyland purse for sometime. A purse that was cute, but practical (read as “large enough for blanket and bottle of water”), sturdy, and of course, obviously Disney, that would be used for visiting the park. There were a few selections that I liked, but many out of a price point I felt comfortable with, though I still lamented and gazed upon the Dooney and Bourke designs when we were at the park.

Originally I had a super adorable, very festive and somewhat sparkly Christmas outfit planned for our holiday visit, but as our intention was to spend most of the day there (we ended up being their 7:30 to 11:00), I opted for a more practical and comfortable look.

Despite capacity (yes, Disneyland does have a guest capacity limit) level crowds, Patrick and I had a fun and rather leisurely visit. We had brunch at Carnation Cafe on Main Street, enjoyed a handful of attractions, met characters, saw the current show at the Fantasyland Theatre, Mickey and the Magical Map, and while we didn’t get to dine at our first dinner choice, Big Thunder Ranch BBQ, we still had warming bread bowls filled with gumbo before viewing Fantasmic.

I hope all of you had a wonderful and magical Christmas!

Outfit
Fringe Leather Jacket: Red Light, Portland, Oregon
Western Shirt: Buffalo Exchange, Portland, Oregon
Vintage H bar C Pants & Boots: Antique Alley, Portland, Oregon
Scarf: The Portland Outdoor Store, Portland, Oregon
Belt: Found by my dad!
Purse: Christmas present from Patrick! Though of course from Disneyland

Once Upon a Wintertime

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Earlier this week Patrick and I went on the Holiday Time tour at Disneyland. Like the Happiest Haunts tour we took in the fall, the Holiday Time tour is also seasonal, limited to the time when the Disneyland Resort is celebrating the holidays.

For our tour I wore a pin from a trio I bought at the Walt Disney Family Museum, which featured the couple and sleigh from the 1954 Disney cartoon short “Once Upon a Wintertime”. I remember watching it, along with many other Christmasy Disney cartoons on several VHS tapes as a kid, now if only Disney would release all of those on DVD! Of the other two pins, which may make an appearance during the holiday season, one features the couple as they ice skate, the other features the bunny couple that tag along on the adventure.

Like the Happiest Haunts tour, which discussed the roots of Halloween traditions across the globe, the Holiday Time tour took us through the park as our guide discussed the various holidays celebrated throughout the winter months, and the origins of many of the season’s traditions, as well as drawing attention to the uniquely Disney decorations throughout Disneyland. Our guide offered insider details as to the history and process of decorating the giant Christmas tree found just as guests enter the park. As the tour was holiday themed, we made our way to the three attractions that have decked their halls, including The Jungle Cruise, which during the holiday season is transformed into The Jingle Cruise, as the skippers take passengers through the wilds of the jungle rivers, spotting the missing shipments of holiday decor the skippers were expecting, only to see them be scattered and used by the animals and local natives! We also visited the Haunted Mansion to see how Jack Skellington does Christmas, and then to “it’s a small world”, where decorations from around the world are seen, and carols are sung in a variety of languages. While “it’s a small world” has gotten a bad rap for being annoying with its repetitiveness, the holiday overlay is excellent (and a variety of songs are sung) and the attraction is worth a visit if you are at the resort during the holiday season.

Our tour came to a close with reserved seating for Disneyland’s holiday parade “A Christmas Fantasy” as well as cocoa in souvenir travel mugs, adorable Mickey ear wearing gingerbread men cookies, and of course a pin! While I’m not (yet, as Patrick likes to point out) a crazy pin-trader/collector, I do especially love the pins that the tours offer, as they are unique to the tour, and the seasonal tour pins change every year! I was delighted when I saw this year’s pin featured my favorite Disney pals, Chip and Dale!

If you are in the Anaheim area, or plan on visiting the Disneyland Resort during the holidays, you can learn more about the Holiday Time tour by visiting Disneyland Resort’s website.

Outfit
Sweater (part of a sweater set): Red Light, Portland, Ore.
Dress: Bombshell Vintage, Portland, Ore.
Belt: Nordstorm
Shoes: Miss L Fire
Purse: Belonged to my grandmother
Pin: Walt Disney Family Museum, San Francisco, Cali.