The Krofft Supershow on Saturday mornings–there’s a flashback into the late 70′s!   The show was only on for two seasons and I was really small, but my favorite segment on there was Electra Woman and Dyna Girl. Electra Woman was played by Deidra Hall, today most notably known for her career on Days of Our Lives.  I loved Electra Woman; I used to play her with my cousins all the time.  I was so thrilled when I found this doll at a Spencer’s gift store some years back.  She sits on my filing cabinet along with my other toys.  The boots are hot!

Of course they were an obvious female Batman & Robin-type duo and I’m sure that’s why I liked them so much; girl power!  That would explain my fascination despite the awfulness of the show.  I found this clip of an episode of Electra Woman and Dyna Girl and it is pretty bad and tripped out!

And let’s not forget Wonder Bug, also on The Krofft Supershow!  I loved the theme song and can still sing it by heart (there goes my “gift” again).  Check out that groovy yellow jumpsuit!

My doll of Electra Woman is on a stand that says “Krofft Superstars” but really this is inaccurate as she was part of the Supershow, not the Superstars.  It sounds like they are similar, but they are not!  Although both shows were produced by Sid and Marty Krofft, The Supershow was on Saturday mornings and The Superstars came on in the afternoon.  Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, H. R. Pufnstuf (with the evil Witchie-Poo), and The Land of the Lost (“lost, lost, lost”) were my favorite shows to watch on The Krofft Superstars.  

If you remember these shows, I bet there are some photos of you somewhere wearing bell-bottoms and a fringed vest.  Wait!–all those things came back in style!  ;)  Could The Krofft Supershow be revived too?

© 2008 – 2011, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.

I was sick last week and inside everyday except to pick my kids up from school.  By the end of the week I was feeling somewhat better and more than a little stir-crazy, so I decided to do some shopping to buy a much-needed fall coat.

My first stop was Loehmann’s, home of bargain designer clothes.  I actually used to work there in high school; the highlight of the the week was when the new clothes arrived.  We would scan the racks and save all the good stuff for ourselves to buy on payday.  It was a pretty awesome gig, even though my paycheck rarely left the store.  

I was looking for a casual, everyday coat for running errands or hanging with the kids.  Instead, I found this coat and got it anyway because I didn’t have a stylish fall/raincoat.  Designed by Soia & Kyo, I feel like a spy or Natasha in Rocky & Bullwinkle.  The collar, big buttons and belt makes this basic black coat very cool.

I left Loehmann’s and headed to one of my favorite local boutiques, Squash Blossom.  Full of fun and funky clothes, I don’t know why I even bothered parking at the 15 minute meter.  I found the casual coat that I was looking for right away.  I bought a spring coat by the same company, Tulle, back in May.  They have very cute and reasonably priced coats.  Here’s the coat along with a cute hat that I got at Anthropologie.

I bought a few more items at Squash Blossom and just when I was going to check out, the saleswoman brought me a pair of palazzo pants that she thought would look good on me.  I was not so certain, but after trying them on, I loved them.  Here I am in the pants with a “disco” top that I got from Loehmann’s, my favorite rosary necklace and a new pair of shoes from Sole, a local boutique shoe store.

I wore this outfit to church on Sunday and got many compliments on the pants.  I also wore the pants to a school function in a more casual way with a black Gap long-sleeved tee and be-jeweled flats.  Made of heavy cotton with a bit of spanx, they are so comfortable, yet stylish that I can see myself wearing these pants with everything and in all seasons.  Boots and a sweater in the winter, flip-flops and a tank in the summer, dressed up or down, these will be my go-to pants.

I am a hat person and Squash Blossom had too many cute hats to choose from.  I finally settled on this number from San Diego Hat Company.  With a scarf I found later that afternoon at Bill Hallman, my fall look is complete.  I don’t know if you can see it, but the scarf has gold thread–just the little bling I need.

Gloves.  I needed gloves.  Actually I have several pairs from my winters in New Jersey, but most of them were big snow-type gloves, not really suitable for Atlanta winters.  On a domestic trip to Target I came across these lovely leather gloves; the bow detailing adds some interest.

I’m including this last photo because I got this Free People sweater and top at Belk a few weeks ago and wore it for the first time yesterday, and well, I think it’s cute.  I’m still amazed that Belk carries Free People and other cool brands!  I am going to see if they have some kind of online sign-up for sale alerts because they have spectacular sales (see my previous posts about Free People merchandise bought for less than $20).

So, the next time that you are sick, try a little retail therapy; I promise that you’ll feel better.

© 2008 – 2009, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.

I am a creative person in many different areas; I was an art major in undergrad, I’m pretty good at interior decorating and I consider myself fashionable dresser.   I want to learn how to knit one day. However,  I do not know how to sew.  I wish that I did; it would be both a huge convenience and a creative outlet.  My grandmother was a great seamstress; she used to make beautiful quilts and clothes for my Barbie dolls.  She tried to teach me how to sew many times, but I could never get the hang of it; all I know how to do is thread a needle and sew on a button (and that takes me at least 1/2 hour).  The only C that I ever got was in my 7th grade Home Ec class.  I had to sew a patchwork pillow and let’s just say that it didn’t go very well.  The seams were ripped out again and again by my sadistic teacher.  Tears were shed.  I really think that she scarred me for life.

So imagine my fear when my daughter brings home a thick packet explaining in great detail a costume that I was supposed to make for a classroom Native American celebration.  Sheer panic gripped me: how could I possibly do this?  I heard through the schoolyard grapevine that buying a costume is frowned upon, so I cancelled my planned trip to the Disney Store for a Pocahontas costume.  No, this was supposed to be a fun activity for my child and I, a bonding experience.  

I put off the task longer than I should, but finally made a trek to Michael’s and Hancock Fabric.  I actually love going to Michael’s and dreaming about all the crafty things that I would do, if in fact I were a crafty person.  But at the fabric store I wonder around aimlessly lost, just lost.  The sales women are not amused that I do not know the proper name for “the stuff that you use with an iron so that you don’t have to sew” (I know now that it is properly called Stitch Witchery).

Back at home, armed with a glue gun, a roll of Stitch Witchery and an iron, I get to work with these materials: some beads, feathers, paint, fabric, fringe and trim.

I lay my daughter on the fabric and cut around her body and make a hole for her head.  Then I iron the sides with the Stitch Witchery, somehow making makeshift arm holes.  I add the fringe and trim with the glue gun.  I am impressed with what I have so far; it really looks like a dress!

So far my daughter hasn’t been involved in this process at all (unless you count being a human pattern), but now she paints Native American symbols on the dress all by herself while I put beads on the fringe.

We hot-glue the feathers on together and this is what the finished dress looks like:

And this is my daughter on the day of the Native American celebration.  She is wearing the breast plate and head dress that she made in class.

Pretty impressive huh?  I’m so proud of myself!  And not a stitch was sewn.  

© 2008, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.

I spent this past week on the sofa with a very bad cold.  It takes a lot to make me stay put, so you know that I was really sick.  I put my regular life on hold and instead from my perch on the sofa I twittered (which kept me from feeling isolated; Twitter is the bomb-diggy), wrote some blog posts and planned a family vacation.  With the fire going and a cup of tea by my side, I made the best of being inside all day.   The one thing that I did that I never, EVER do is watch daytime television.  I rarely watch any TV, but this in particular is a hard rule for me–I never turn on the TV during the day.  First of all I am too busy; my kids are away from 8:30 – 2:30 and that is not a whole lot of time to do all that I have to do, and most importantly, I refuse to be THAT stereotypical stay-at-home mom.  I don’t judge people who do it, but it is a slippery slope that I don’t want to even start.  But this week I broke my rule and watched Regis & Kelly every morning, The View and then All My Children. I haven’t watched All My Children or any soap in 20 years.  And this is why: in just a couple of days I am already back up to speed (Jesse is back! And has a daughter that Angie didn’t know about!) and curious to see what will happen next.  That’s how they hook you.  After today the television is off for good!  

But, back in the day I did watch soaps as did everyone I knew (even the guys; my husband remembers more than I do).   I know some people were fans of The Young & The Restless, but I never got into that show until our good friend Shemar Moore got that gig, and then I just watched to support him, I didn’t really know what was going on.  Nope, the ABC soaps–All My Children, One Live to Live, General Hospital–those were my shows.  When did I ever have so much time to watch TV?

So, in honor of my week on the sofa, here’s a backwards look into one of Port Charles’ most famous events:

Luke and Laura’s wedding on General Hospital was watched by 30 million viewers and still remains the highest rated hour in soap opera history.  If you have forgotten Luke and Laura’s exciting life and long history together, take a read here.  I swear that you will be dizzy by the end.  Whew!  You gotta hand it to the writers of these shows, they are some very creative people.

© 2008 – 2009, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.

*Funki and oh-so-helpful organizing & life-hacking tips by yours truly.

I’m not one to encourage people to be all domestic or anything, but I do like order in my home.  And in most of our homes, even when the rest of the house looks great, our closets are a mess….especially the clothes.  Not so at my house!  I hate clutter of any kind and the closets are no exception.  I have found two wonderful products that have helped me to keep our clothes in order.  Both of these products were invented by women; clearly without Mother Necessity, where would we be?

When my son first started doing his own laundry he had trouble folding his many t-shirts and his closet was becoming a point of contention for us.  Then I found FlipFOLD at The Container Store (I just LOVE that place!) and now he folds his shirts with ease.  His sister enjoys using it so much that she begs to fold her brothers’ shirts. I use it for my shirts and so does my husband.  Here’s a video of my son demonstrating what he does every week after doing his laundry:

And this is what his closet looks like:

Let me be clear, this is not an organized kid.  Last school year he lost a few jackets, several lunch boxes, his yearbook and ONE shoe (that he was wearing).  But his closet is organized!  If FlipFOLD can help him, it can help you too.

The other product, Huggable Hangers by Joy Mangano, is my latest find.  Previously I hung all of my clothes on plastic hangers and while they were fine, sometimes my clothes would slide off and my closet just didn’t look uniform.  I saw these hangers in Target, picked up a pack and now I buy some on each Target trip until my whole closet is converted (they are not inexpensive).  The hangers are so slim that now my clothes take up less space than before (more room for more clothes!) and hang securely without threat of sliding off.  I was excited to see the child-sized hangers and now my daughter’s closet looks so great:

Like McGyver, who could dismantle a bomb with a roll of duct tape, a toothpick and a nail file, I am Ma-Gyver, organizer of everything and life-hacker extraordinaire.  From time to time I will be bringing you my tips and tricks for keeping an orderly house and mind, but if you have something specific that you need help with, just ask and I will try to help.  

© 2008 – 2009, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.