Original factory brochures for American cars

My father was REALLY into cars. Every year he would gather up the new car brochures from the dealer. He would come home, spread them out on the kitchen table and pour over the pages dreaming of the new car he would get.

If this scenerio reminds you of yourself or someone you know, then you will be thrilled to know about Hans Tore Tangerud's love2xlr8 (love to accelerate) web car site. He has scanned and posted his extensive collection of American car brochures and fliers.

One of the great things about these brochures is that you can find the original specs on cars.

Of course, if you aren't looking for a hot classic car, you might have better luck with Edmunds new beta version of their website that lists many of the specs of used car models for the last 15 yeas or so. This is a very valuable tool when you are trying to figure out which exactly which trim model has a specific option (such as power seats).

If there is a car lover in your life, send them these links and they will think you are just awesome.

Flash Mobs - what are they and how to join

Flash Mobs are becoming the new rage. Just in case you haven't heard of or seen one, a flash mob is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and pointless act for a brief time, then quickly disperse.

Well known examples of flash mobs are:

• The T-Mobile Welcome Home Dance
• Frozen Grand Central
• Michael Jackson Dance Tribute

Recently, the one of the top rated TV shows, "Modern Family" featured a flash mob; and yes, yours truly was one of the dancers. Check out the video above and you can see me at 1:35.

Being part of a flash mob is tons of fun. Here's how it happens.

• Find a local group - search "flash mob"+"name of your city"
  
• Get on their contact list
  
• Find out about an upcoming flash mob
• Sign up to participate in that specific event
  
• Receive a link to practice videos
• Go to in-person rehearsals - this is the really fun social part
  
• Gather at the mob site - usually not revealed until the last minute
  
• The music or starting cue occurs begins
• The event itself happens, in well, a flash.
  

My daughter and I have done several flash mobs with Flash Mob America. This is a terrific frugal family adventure and has created lifetime memories.

If you know of flash mob groups in your area, please post them here so that others can join. The more the merrier.

Free Paper Dolls

When I was a little girl, I loved paper dolls. I had a small pair of sharp scissors so I could make the delicate cuts. I stored the completed outfits and dolls in a specially decorated cigar box. My doll had some sort of metal lining and small magnets that got attached to the clothes so that they would stick. Cool stuff!

I haven't seen paper dolls in a long time, and I felt sorry for the little girls of the world that they were missing the fun of such a simple pleasure.

Teri Pettit loves her paper doll collection so much that she wants to share it with the world. Available for free download are her personal collection of out of print paper dolls. My favorites are "Sixteen" (what the best dressed teenager was wearing in 1943) and "Marlo Thomas as That Girl." There are 26 different collections in this grouping.

If you want to know more about paper dolls, then check out the OPDAG (The Original Paper Doll Artist Guild) web site. Here you will find the history of the paper doll, paper doll drawing tips and excellent paper doll links.

Apparently, paper dolls are alive and well. Do you have memories of playing with paper dolls?

Frugal Holiday Ideas - entertainment, gifts and greeting

The bells are jingling, the candles are burning, and the budgets are straining.

You can have a great holiday without breaking the budget. Check out two recent articles I wrote for Bargain Babe.

• Gifts that keep giving - The best gifts are ones that last all year long. In this post, I give some ideas and links to gift ideas such as Theater Extra subscriptions for practically free theater tickets and Paperback Swap accounts.
  

• Entertaining out of town guests - Here are ideas to help you to entertain your out of town guests, especially if those guests include kids.

What are your gift ideas?