Guess What? I'm in Vintage Life Magazine!!!

I am VERY proud to announce that today I have been published in Vintage Life Magazine! It has been a life long dream of mine to become a published writer and now that I have been published I hope that this will be the beginning to many things to come!

I am still so in awe that it has happened and I cannot wait to get my hands on some printed copies to share with my close family and friends. Vintage Life was kind enough to allow me to share my article with you all but you can also purchase your own copy at Dragoon Publishing.

I hope you all like it!!! xox

Classic Film Actor Spotlight: January: Sidney Poitier

For my birthday month I just had to pick an actor that I totally adore and admire. That person is Sir Sidney Poitier. I cannot believe that he will turn 86 this February 20th! Most of my very favorite films of his are from the 1960's so I feel utterly transported to those times. I personally feel his best work was done in the 1960's. It was a time of racial and civil strife in our country and I feel as though his roles really made us look at things a little differently, especially in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967).

Although Poitier became a symbol of triumph and success for the African-American community especially in the 1960's, he is actually Caribbean. His parents were Bahamian and he grew up on Cat Island. I point this out because for those that are Caribbean there are differences in culture but it doesn't mean that Poitier wasn't happy to be seen in that light by the African-American community here in the United States or by any group. I personally view him as a national hero. He took on roles that really shook you up, he took them and he made them his own. And not only did he do that but he did so gracefully and with dignity. How many people can you say do accomplish all that in their line of work?

Poitier was born on February 20th, 1927 and immigrated to the United States at fifteen. After working as a dishwasher both in and out of the Army, he signed up to become a part of the American Negro Theater. Although he had a rough start, he rededicated himself to the craft of acting and worked on diminishing his Bahamian accent. He auditioned for a film called No Way Out (1950) as an acting exercise. He was shocked indeed when they gave him one of the leads of the film, Dr. Luther Brooks. His performance set him apart from other actors and he landed roles that many African-American actor couldn't not land. In setting himself apart and having his agent demand more pay for his role in "No Way Out" ($75 to $750 a week), he really put himself in a position of power in the Hollywood community. (can you hearing me cheer on as I write this? hehe)

He continued to land fantastic and though provoking roles in films such as; Blackboard Jungle (1955), The Defiant Ones (1958), A Raisin in the Sun (1961), Lilies of the Field (1963)-which he won a an Academy Award, A Patch of Blue (1965), To Sir, with Love (1967), and In the Heat of the Night (1967). He continued to work throughout the 1970's until 1999. His last three projects were documentaries.

On a personal note, Poitier was first married to Juanita Hardy from 1950 to1965. He has been married to Joanna Shimkus, since January 23, 1976. He has four daughters with his first wife and two with his second: Beverly, Pamela, Sherri, Gina, Anika, Sydney Tamiia. The photo above is with his second wife in their current home.

Poitier also wrote his own autobiography called The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography in which he speaks about spiritualism and the values that have guided him throughout his lifetime. Do you see why I love this man?? I mean I LOVE this man! If I could meet him and Nelson Mandela...oh boy...just thinking about it makes my brain all warm and fuzzy (showing my vintage nerdiness again! hehe)

In 2001, Poitier received an Honorary Academy Award for his contribution to the film industry. In 2009, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. That moment must have been so surreal for him. Ugh! I love that man hehe

Now you all know about the fabulous and amazing Sir Sidney Poitier-actor, writer, director, diplomat, husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. I mean if you are wondering if this man cannot be more amazing, he wrote this book in 2009 called, Life Beyond Measure: Letters to My Great-Granddaughter. Good grief-swoon! A man after my own heart! And no his looks do not hurt. Okay, enough gushing about Mr. Poitier but I hope you look into his work if you haven't already. You will be memorized and captivated-trust me!

PS-My BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY WINNER Is Emiliegh Mimi from Flashback Summer! Congrats hun! Email me your name and mailing address and I will fwd it to Denise! xox

MAC Archie Collection!

When I saw this collection, I knew I had to share it with you all! Many may not know but Archie Comics first began in 1942! It follows the life and times of teenager Archie Andrews and his best friend Jughead Jones. Archie is a typical teen involved with sports and other activities. He also gets caught up in a love triangle between Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge.

MAC cosmetics has come up with this super cute line called Archie's Girls Collection. The collection will be available online starting on January 30th, in NYC stores on January 31st, and nationwide from February 7th to April 4th.

I am really excited about this line because it just makes me feel like a girl preparing for springtime and right now with the snow and freezing weather that is just what this girl needs hehehe

Here are some images from the line:

I highly suggest to check out the links I added above, they will take you to a listing of the product prices and more photos. Are you looking forward to this line coming out? What pieces would you love to have?

I thinking I am loving the Ronnie Red lipstick from the Veronica line as well as Strawberry Malt lipglass. I haven't worn lipglass in ages. It was all the rage when I was a teen in the 90s. hehe

Let me know what you think about this-Yeah or Nay?

xox

Vintage Birthday Goodies!!

My birthday was a smashing success! Thank you for all the sweet wishes, I really appreciated them! I got a few vintage goodies that I would love to share with you all. Aside from going to the WWII & NYC Exhibit, I received a great stash of vintage goodies from family and friends. I totally didn't expect it of course and am so grateful.

My sister 'n law came over and gave me two bags full of vintage presents; dvds, yarn (to knit), jewelry, a nightgown, and lots of other things. The cherry on top was six issues of Life Magazine from 1955 and they are AMAZING!  I cannot wait to take photos of inside some of them for you! I think vintage magazines are a great tool to use to learn more about a decade, don't you think?

My sister n' law outdid herself! I just LOVE everything to bits!!

Then my good friend Beccie at Sew Retro Rose continued the vintage surprises of my day by gifting me this AMAZING 1940's Day Dress! It came in on my birthday too-how neat is that! It's my very first day dress too! I tried it on and it fits perfect and I cannot wait to wear it this spring. I LOVE the color teal and it is such a hard color to find in vintage dresses. Don't you love it?

I just adore Beccie's passion for life and ability to empathize with a little ole mama like me. She knew how much I would go nuts for something like this and the fact that she went out of her way to do so shows not only that there are incredible and beautiful people in this world but also reminds me to pay it forward when I can one day! Thank you Beccie!!!

Another amazing surprise was this awesome film called Swing Shift. My good friend Trina at Retro Fashion Is My Passion has been telling me about this film for a while. So, it was such a sweet gesture on her part to send me my very own copy! I cannot wait to watch it! She knows how much I love films and I truly appreciate this thoughtful gift!

Another friend sent me a goody package as well but I haven't received it yet. I will share what I got once I do hehee I love surprises, don't you!!

Thank you again for your sweet birthday wishes and hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

xox

It's the Age of Aquarius!

Today is my birthday! Good golly I am officially into my late 30's now! Heheh It's so funny even thinking about it. I remember every age I have been (okay minus 1-3) and I have no desire to be a teenager or to be 21 or even to be 30. Every age has been special, with its ups and downs and sideways moments. I am proud to be the age I am and look forward for many more to come.

I also love being an Aquarian. We are a special group of dreamers who have made marks with their lives and strive to make the world a better place. I always say that if Aquarians were made the leaders of the world we would have world peace-or at least we would attempt it. hehe Just kidding. But on a serious note, I have always dreamed of inspiring others, of changing the world I am in and making it better. I have been  journaling since I was nine years old and when I look back at what I have written and at the girl who wrote them, I see someone who always dreamed of making a difference. I hope someday I do.

Here are some amazing people who are my fellow water bearers:

Rosa Parks

Christian Dior

 Abraham Lincoln

Douglas Macarthur

Benny Hill

Donna Reed

Some other fellow Aquarians are Oprah Winfrey, Thomas Edison, Victor Mature, Thomas Merton,  Kim Novak, Tallulah Bankhead, John Barrymore, Molly Ringwald, Norman Rockwell, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Babe Ruth, Gertrude Stein, Lana Turner, Robert Wagner, Alice Walker, and Virginia Woolf...just to name a few hehe

There are a handful who share my birthday with me but two of my personal favorites are Ernest Borgnine (whom I adore) and Sharon Tate (whom I admire). Happy birthday to them!

Now off to clean up the fabulous mess my boys left for me on the living room floor hehe A mama's work is never done, not even on her birthday!

xox

Bunny's Birthday Giveaway!

I love buttons! There...I said it! I loved going through my grandma's button stash that she of course told me not to touch..hehe But they smelled so good (they were vintage) and I loved looking at all the colors and shapes. When I began scrapbooking, one of my favorite embellishments were buttons.

So, when I found a seller on Etsy that sold jewelry made from vintage buttons I just leaped for joy! In yesterday's post I mentioned I wore a pair of button earrings. The ones I wore are right above and the pair you can win is right below!

The Etsy seller who will be giving you these super pretty button earrings has a shop called Nana's Buttons. Here is a little bit more about why she loves making her button inspired jewelry:

What inspired you to begin making jewelry out of buttons?

My grandma inspired me. She sewed all of our clothes and had tons of buttons

How long does the process take you? Depending on what I am making it can be a few hours to a few days and I usually am or get inspired by a specific button

How big is your button collection?

I have about a dozen of those flat bead compartment containers ;)

Tell us more about your shop and why you love selling?

I love reusing and repurposing out of what I already have available and it's so nice to see people wearing what I've made 

I just adore what Denise does and I love support amazing small business such as hers. You can also follow her on Copious and Pinterest.

The winner will be announced on Monday, January 28th. Simply follow me on my blog and follow Denise on one of her social networks-let me know that you have!!

Good Luck!! xox

NY HIstorical Society: WWII & NYC Exhibit

To celebrate my birthday this year, my darling husband took me to an incredible event that I have been wanting to go to since it came out! At the New-York Historical Society we attended the WWII & NYC Exhibit. Boy, it was nice to learn more about WWII but in the perspective of a New Yorker. Honestly, it made me wish New York was like that now without the sexism and racism of course. I mean we have that today also but not as in your face as it was in the 40's.

The exhibit is on the first floor of the museum and and walk through section to section. I wish I could  have taken photos but alas they did not allow that. Goodness, it wasn't like things were out in the open-they were all in display cases-boo to that. Although I enjoyed the personal touches they included like a letter from Albert Einstein to the President explaining why they had to procede with creating the atom bomb because the Germans were already working on that technology. He believed it could end the war-he was right.

I also learned what a huge influence the African-American community had and how important they were to the war effort. I believe for the first time ever America and New York for that matter, opened their eyes and took notice that no matter a person's gender or race, they could indeed play a vital role in the war. 

Of course many did not believe that woman could do a man's job and boy did we show them that they were wrong. Many wives and mothers took charge of the Home Front by canning, growing food in their victory gardens, volunteering, etc while many single women worked in factories or joined military groups such as the W.A.V.E.S.

I guess it shouldn't surprise me but many people did not noticed that I was all dressed up for the event. That's New York for you. Such a shame too because I believe the city has really lost its grip on art and self-expression. I did speak to a wonderful older woman who was a child during WWII and also an older gentleman. They were both so lovely to speak to and complimented me on my look-yeah! I was so grateful that I got a chance to speak to someone about my passion in person.

Much of the exhibit showed us how New York responded to the war and how it worked to unite and gather people into basically getting rid of Hitler. What I was surprised to learn was of the rallies that were held in Madison Square Garden-it was just amazing to see photos of that! 

After the exhibit I hit the gift shop! I was VERY excited about that, mainly because I am what I call a vintage nerd so yeah I was in book and magnet heaven hehe

I scored some major goodies! I got a WWII Projects Book (will share more in another post), WWII  NYC book (all about the exhibit), a replica fan (I found an original on ebay!), a magnet and pin, and lastly a Rosie the Riveter tin box! Gahhhhh neat haul I made huh!!! My husband's gift to me was my day out/lunch and my dad's gift to me was my museum goodies. What a neat birthday! It really has been even though it's technically on the 24th hehe So many amazing things have happened to me this past month. One amazing thing in particular I long to share with you but I have to wait a wee bit more to do so, but truly I cannot wait!

I changed twice for the day because like I have said before, I do not like the cold. Actually I don't like extreme weather-not too hot and not too cold LOL I wore a 1970's ala 1940's "V is for Victory" styled patriotic dress gifted to me by my Swing Sister. With that I paired it up with some beaded red, white, and blue clip on earrings, a nautical themed brooch, and a beaded while necklace. I later changed into my vintage jeans and paired that up with one of my favorite brooches, an authentic "V is for Victory" silver brooch. I also wore these amazing navy button earrings which I will talk about a wee bit more in tomorrow's post.

I hope everyone's week has been lovely so far!! xox

Elegant Victory Roll Up-Do Hair Trail

I mentioned early in December after I got a new hair cut that I would be trying out a few hair tutorials that I found interested and really pretty. I decided to try out Va -Voom Vintage's Elegant Victory Roll Up-Do. Brittany has such a talent for doing these vintage hairstyles and I loved the way her's came out.

I followed the step by step instructions and set my hair in hot rollers going up,  not down. Then I worked on my Victory Rolls which was both fun and frustrating because I literally haven't practice in months! Shame on me!

I think my up-do came out okay. It is harder to see the rolls I think because my hair is so dark. I am sure you can see those sneaky little white hairs popping out everywhere. I haven't put semi-dye in months either. I only like to do it for a photo shoot and have yet to get into dying it permanently. I feel like its such a commitment, kwim?

Here are some photos of my up-do.....

Please forgive how tired I look in these photos. By the time they were taken it was like 11pm and I was soooo exhausted. It is best to do these hair trials when the babies are sleeping so hence the tiredness *wink*

I think it came out okay but I don't think I am an up-do kind of girl. I did like how the front came out and will be practicing that a little more.

I enjoy doing hair trials because it can help you figure out what styles work best with your hair types, looks, and face as well. I will have more to come in the future!

What are your favorite vintage hair tutorials?

xox