Foam Roller Set

Hello everyone! Not much to report here. I'm still sick and basically do nothing but school work. I did however finish editing another YouTube video. This is my first in a series of "basics" videos, which deal with the fundamental techniques needed for creating "vintage" hair (with an emphasis on long hair as always. Sorry to the short haired gals. I haven't had short hair since I was little so I don't have much experience styling it)

This video deals with setting hair in foam rollers. I do tend to put a bit more info in the descirption bar on the actual video, so check that out if you are interested!


Hope everyone is having a great week!

That's All.

New video (and MIA for a while...)

Just to let you know I might be MIA for a while. I just moved into a new place and started another term of school. So far it's not going as smoothly as hoped, and my profs have decided to give us extra work and extra lectures to start the term. Yay....

Anyways, I did manage to post another Youtube video last night. This one is for an Edwardian girls hairstyle. I always provide more details in the video description, so if you want more info check there. If anyone has any suggestions for more styles they would like to see let me know! I have plans to do a couple "basics" videos on things like rag-curling as soon as I get time.



(PS: so far I am not liking 2012... hopefully it gets better...)

Holiday Party Hairstyle

I've been busy getting ready for Christmas this week so I haven't had time to post anything or even do anything exciting enough to post about. Luckily I filmed a video last week with Britt! I finally finished editing today (after my computer decided to almost die on me. If I disappear for a while it's because my computer hates me...)



I'm getting a reprint of a 1920's hair-styling book for Christmas which means more videos coming soon! And if anyone has any requests I would love to hear them :)

That's All.

Two New Videos (better late than never!)

I am getting terribly forgetful. I've posted two youtube videos over the past few weeks and completely forgot to mention them here! The first one I filmed with my friend Britt. She was kind enough to let me give her a vintage style (which is definately NOT her normal look).


The second video I just posted a couple days ago. I got a request to do a Downton Abbey hairstyle so I filmed a simple hairstyle inspired by Lady Mary.


Subscribing to my youtube channel is the quickest way to stay updated with my videos but I will try in future to remember to post them here :)

That's All.

Hair Styling Cabinet

I cleaned out the mirrored medicine cabinet in my bathroom and turned it into a hair styling cabinet! It now holds my most frequently used foam rollers, pins, clips, rags (for rag curling), styling combs, a head scarf (for wearing over a set at night), and my spray bottle (which is filled with water+lemon juice, which helps hold styles a little better than just water). 

 I used canning jars to store my smaller rollers and rags, and candy tins for my clips and pins. The inspiration images are glued to magnets so they are easy to change and move around.  

That's All.

Ann Harding Inspired Hairstyle (and a very sore wrist)

I've hurt my wrist, which means no knitting and a lot less computer time for at least the next week :( I did however upload another hair tutorial before my wrist decided to hurt like hell. I have been working on so many knitting projects (and some new patterns!) which makes it very difficult not knit. Oh well... Hopefully a few days of rest and I will be back to knitting and typing. Until then enjoy the video! (I actually made a few other videos but my computer decided to delete them all because it hates me.)

Mary Pickford Inspired Hairstyle

My second youtube video is now up!

This time I did a slightly more difficult style based on Mary Pickford's beautiful curls. It was a little difficult to explain but hopefully it is clear enough.



If anyone has any requests or suggestions I would love to hear them :)

That's All.

The Long Haired Flapper

I did it! I made my first youtube video (although I'm still a little uneasy about it since there are so many mean commenters on youtube!)

There seemed to be a lack of 1920's styles for long hair, with the exception of faux-bobs on youtube. I have been doing a lot of research into 1920's styles for long hair so I thought I would make a couple videos and see how it goes. Let me know what you think!

PS: I know some spoken instructions might have helped but the "silent" format was chosen since I'm rather self-conscious of my voice. I had a speech impediment as a child and I still get nervous talking in front of people because of it  :(  

Buttons, Bows, and Earrings.

It has been a busy week! I am finally getting time to set up my room. Hopefully it should be done within the next week and ready for pictures, but as a sneak peak what do you ladies (and gentleman of course) think of my hair accessory 3-tiered tray? I have been making even more hair bows lately and needed something to fit all my flowers, bows and clips.

Despite not going outside due to an injured foot, I wore my new sweater today. I took several 1920's knitting patterns for inspiration and came up with this (sorry it's a bit of a dark photo, still experimenting with lighting!):

Before the foot injury, I did manage to get to my favourite antique store for the first time this term. I bought a big bag of buttons, some gloves that actually fit (!), and some clip-on earrings (which I will likely convert to something else).

Hope everyone is having a good weekend!

That's All.

Last Post of the Term!

Just a quick update:

Exams are nearly done! One more tomorrow, followed by moving out of the apartment. Going to be a very, very busy day tomorrow... I haven't been up to much other than studying. Which means I haven't been leaving my room so no pretty outfits. Pajamas have been basically all I have been wearing this last week.

I did get dressed for my exams though. I even bothered to do my hair one day. (No pictures of my face. I woke up that day and the circles under my eyes were so bad it looked like I got punched in the face!)
Starting on Christmas Day I am hoping to do a succession of outfit posts of my holiday party looks. At the moment I am thinking about one every other day for about a week. That seems a bit ambitious though, so it may be scaled down to one big post.

Well I should start packing.

That's All.

Meow

I hadn't really planned on doing a Friday post but I need a break from studying. Next week I have 3 midterms and several assignments. The week after that I have 1 midterms and quite a few projects and assignments. All and all I am a little stressed.

When I'm stressed I tend to craft. So far this week I have been working on my knitting (that skirt isn't getting done anytime soon...), finishing up my Halloween costume, and making plenty of hair flowers. Since the fall crafting season is over, all the fall floral items were on sale at Michaels. Instead of paying between $5 and $15 per flower, I paid $10 for 8 flowers plus the hair clips I glued them on! Yay for clearance sales!

Friday seems to be the only day I have time to take outfit pictures in the morning before class, so here is what I wore today:

Sweater: Winners

Skirt: Thrifted (its actually a floor length skirt but I am wearing it as a dress here)

Tights: Zellers (but darned by me!)

Belt: I think it came with a shirt I bought a long time ago...

Necklace: Either borrowed from my mother or my grandmother and never returned...

I noticed that I've never posted pictures of me in my glasses on this blog. So, um surprise? My long distance vision isn't very good so I have to wear glasses if I want to see things clearly. I tend not to wear them outside class because I find them annoying to wear. And besides, the world is prettier if it's a little blurry :D

And let me just state that new "cat-eye" glasses are extremely hard to find! It took me months to find this pair.

One last thing, I know I said I would be announcing the giveaway winner today but I have decided to extend the deadline until next Friday. I haven't gotten much of a response and I can't get to the post office this week anyways so I have pushed it back a bit. If you want to enter just go to the post with the word "Giveaway" in the title and leave me a comment. Good Luck!

That's All.

Work Wear and Old Cars

Wearing vintage to work is not always possible. I work in a museum so vintage clothing is much more accepted, but I don't always have time in the morning to go fully vintage.

Most days I opt for a semi-vintage style consisting of trousers and a top (normally a sweater since the air conditioning in the museum is a little on the frigid side). This is normally paired with a vintage brooch, a silk scarf, or a fancy little hat. I curled my hair in rollers, since pin-curls take forever to dry in my hair and wouldn't have been ready by morning.

And Voila! Here is the final result:


And while I was working, my parents were off having a lovely time looking at old cars at this years annual Concours d'Elegance in Port Hope. Here are some of the cars they got to see:

Oh, and I realized why my skin reacted so badly to the oil cleansing. I'm allergic to tea tree oil. Which might be the reason why my whole face broke out after slathering a mixture of it and Jojoba oil all over my face. I had completely forgotten that I am mildly allergic to the oil since I haven't used it for years. I may try the oil cleansing again (with Castor oil this time) but I am going to wait until my skin calms down a bit first.

I will leave you with the lovely Rita (and the song I can't seem to get out of my head...)

Birthday Aftermath

Well, my birthday was a lot of fun. I had to work on the actual day but it was an easy day at work so it didn't seem so bad. I ended up listening to old radio shows most of the day since not many people came into the museum. It was Fab 50's in downtown Bowmanville and although there were a lot of great old cars I was a little disappointed. I was the only one dressed in a 1950's style!

I then rushed back home to have dinner (takeout from the Jasmine Garden in Whitby. They had really great vegetarian food), open presents from le parents, and get everything ready for my party. Whew! It was a lot of work!





I didn't have time to take photos of the decor but here are a few snapshots of the evening. It was a 1920's themed party (since I just turned 20!). We got a little silly in the photos by the end....

And no, I did not cut my hair. I just pinned it under the hat so it looked shorter :)
It was a really great evening. Thank you so much to every one who came.





And now for the presents! Everything I got was so beautiful! Here is a picture of most of my gifts (well everything I could find when I was taking the photo). I was given some lovely cards and gift cards too.

This is the magazine I mentioned a while back that my Grandma gave me for my birthday. It is from 1921 and I absolutely love it!

And you may notice something new on my shelf. That's right, my friend Carly gave me an absolutely stunning vintage teacup for my collection. I was looking at it later and noticed that it looked very similar on the outside to one of the ones my Grandma gave me. Upon closer inspection, I discovered it was made by the same company! Carly, I don't know how you got me such a perfect gift but thank you so much!

And the last of the gifts actually arrived in the mail a couple days late. I finally have Vintage Hairstyling by Lauren Rennells! I am already trying out some of the hairstyles and I must say it is a fantastic book.

Patterns and Pincurls

So ready to see the final results of my pincurl efforts with my new haircut?

Yes, I know. I look a bit like a poodle. So it didn't turn out nearly as well as hoped. Actually I had worried it might not hold the curl well enough. Turns out it holds it quite well. Too well. I was actually forced to go out with my hair like this since I had an exam review period and no time to de-poof.

On the plus side, it did allow me to test the new recipe I found for hair setting lotion. Link here. It is made from flax seeds that are basically boiled in water. It was a lot thicker than I expected but it really works. My hair held most of that poof all day. Which may or may not be a good thing.... But it didn't make my hair greasy or crunchy like normal hair products.

In other news, I went to the antiques market after my exam. I know I was just there but I figured it was one of my last chances before I move. I ended up scoring some lovely patterns. They cost only about $3.50 each, which is amazing considering last time I was in Fabricland they had new patterns "on sale" for $15 each!!!

The first one I think is from the late 1950's. The other two I know are from the mid-1960's.

I am quite looking forward to being reunited with my sewing machine. When I get home I am going to hit the fabric store and get some nice new fabric to make something. I may start with the jacket since it looks quite easy and I haven't sewn with a pattern in a while. Normally I just wing it and hope for the best.

I also saw the cutest sewing box at the antique market. I didn't buy it since it was a little pricey and I couldn't figure out how to get it back on the bus with me. I am hoping it is still there when my parents pick me up in a week and a half. I will be heartbroken if it isn't. I couldn't find an exact picture but it looks like a slightly more 1950's version of this:

Results of the haircut

I took before pictures as proof that my hair actually is a lot shorter. It is still long but I cut at least 4 inches off the bottom and added some layering. I like it and am excited to see if it pin-curls any better. My hair actually has a lot more volume now without that excess weight. And it likes to fall slightly over one eye, so perfect for the Veronica Lake look I was trying to go for. Overall, not bad for 10 minutes in the bathroom with a pair of scissors.

It is a little hard to see the haircut in the pictures below due to the fact there isn't enough light in the apartment to use my web-cam for photos but I couldn't get all my hair in the picture with my SLR.

Before: Freakishly long, gross and only wearable if pinned up.

After: Still long but not freakishly so, with more layers.

My weekend craft project was this lovely ribbon holder. It was my BFF's idea (link to her blog --->) and is basically just a piece of ribbon strung though the middle of the ribbon spools and then tied to my desk shelf. It works quite well and is expandable as I get more ribbon.

That was basically all I did this weekend other than study for my Applied Math: Differential Equations course exam.

Anyone else listen to Max Raabe? I just discovered him a couple days ago but I love his rather tongue and cheek take on modern songs. His voice reminds me slightly of Rudy Vallee. Here are two of my favourite covers he's done: (first one because I like how it sounds, second one just because it makes me giggle)

Tea Time

So remember that teacup I posted about a couple days ago? Well guess what was 50% off at the Bay... Happy (very) early Birthday to me! I always buy myself one present and this is it for this year. Yeah, that was the only way I could justify buying it....


On the plus side I now have a teacup I can actually drink out of. I have two from my Grandma that she gave me for Christmas. They were wedding gifts she got in the 1940s when she was married. I love them but am way to terrified to even pick them up. They just sit on my shelf and look pretty. My mom says I can have all her teacups too since she never uses them but I am afraid that will have to wait until I move somewhere else, since I don't have the room for all of them at the moment.


Here are the ones my Grandma gave me. The Peacock one is my favourite but I love them both.




Tea according to Homemakers of Tomorrow (1958)




In other news, I am considering cutting my hair. The problem is I am terrified to go too short. I really love short hair but I would want it pin-curled all the time (and I just don't always have the time). I was thinking about going for a Veronica Lake style cut but I plan on trying to cut it myself. This may end badly.

Any suggestions?

You can never have too many postcards

I have so much studying to do for midterms (which is why I am blogging right now....), but I did take a break this afternoon to go to the Antiques Market again with Steve. They are having a huge sale that ends tomorrow so I had to go get a few more goodies. I bought 4 more vintage postcards to add to my collection as well as a pink depression glass candy dish. It was only $8.50 and I am completely in love with it. Now if only I could decide what to actually do with it... Anyways here are a few pictures of what I bought:

Three of the postcards. Two of them are from 1912 and the other is from 1917.

What I consider the post interesting part of the postcard: the back. I love reading the notes people have written and that's how I choose to buy which ones I do.

Ok, this one I bought for the front. It looks so romantic then you read the words. "I wonder who's kissing her now". It makes me giggle every time.

And this is my new candy dish. Isn't it pretty? Any suggestions on what to use it for?

Oh and while I think of it, what do you think of my new favourite hairstyle? (Photos taken before I was dumb enough to go out in the blizzard and completely ruin both my hair and makeup). It is so easy but I think it still has a vintagey feel. Good for those mornings when I don't have time for anything elaborate.

By the way, I am pointing to my new brooch, not my boob. I got two lovely new brooches at Michael's for only $3 each! The other one is more oval shaped and has faux pearls on it. I think they are just darling but I really need to come up with more outfits I can wear brooches with.

If you are interested in how I did my hair, I got the idea from this video from ThePinUpSweetShoppe on Youtube. She makes lovely hair tutorials and this one is my favourite at the moment.