Showing posts with label vintage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vintage. Show all posts

Monday, August 5, 2013

A Girl Can Dream Vol. 2

Hello my lovelies, 


This segment of my wish list is a bit different because its full of crafting want to's rather then products I wish for!!! I'm a huge fan of upcycling because when you are in love with vintage like I am well its apart of the deal, many things need a little love and care to make them great again. 

The first is a Jewelry box over haul. I have a box in my room
that needs some piazzas, I've had it a really long time and I've seem some pretty net thinks online on how to make it a peace that not only flatters my vanity but goes with the motif of my bedroom. There are a lot of ideas on how to achieve this look with vintage fabrics and paint colors its really only as limited as my imagination, so when I dream up something fabulous I will be sure to let you all in on the fun.

This Project I thought of and really want to try, its a picture frame jewelery display. I figured it had been done before so I looked it up the first is complements of Doodle Crafts! isn't it just adorable, I have more accessories then I have jewelery boxes to hold them all in. So this is an interesting way to display them and also really freakin cute! I have some lone frames with no backings that need a home, like I said once before I throw nothing away that couldn't have a use later on. Yes I horde crafting supplies and such, it comes in handy once and a while when you least expect it to!

The last is a night stand repaint, I really like the idea of reusing my old night stands perhaps in a different area of my house then my room. I love different patterns and colors though the color scheme in my house my Boyfriend unite and I could agree on was teal, royal blue, black and deep lush purple I think I can come up with something amazing to paint on it. something tough maybe skulls and blue fire....yes there is something you don't know about me kiddies I love Skull imagery!! it has to be the one image I always paint, draw and doodle. so painting it on my night stands seems to me a give in!   

Well that's all for now my lovelies catch you later! and as always keep it classy! 

Bad Luck Cherry  

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Where O where is my fabric of choice?


Hello My lovelies, 


I am in a snit....I have this lace and I want to make a beautiful dress from it for the Billetproof car show inspired by this dress I saw in an arbitrary web search. now the problem stands is what to use as an underlay for the dress. I'm thinking I want to go floral, with lots of color but the thing with shopping for vintage fabrics is that you have to go with what you find. being a picky nanny isn't going to get you anywhere. Its like painting in water colors, you have to guide yourself
This is my Lace!! 
with out being too controlling. I know....I can feel the deep eye roll after you read that but its true, I go in with an idea and sometime's that idea changes when I see that one lushous fabric that say's 'Cherry......Cherry..... Take me home with you and make me pretty!' I can never resist that call.  I'm hoping for something of the purple family but I wont turn down mint green or anything like that. I hope for floral but these things are up in the air it all depends on whats in the thrift store at the time. well I will be posting updates on my search and what I found! Catch you lovelies later. 

And as always keep it classy!
Bad Luck Cherry   

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Midnight Mass 2013




The Ladies where in full dress and the Gents where out in full force, Hello my lovelies yes I attended Midnight Mass this year and boy am I happy I did! There was so much fun to be had there, popin music, lots of very cool stuff to purchase, banging cars and new friends to be made. Our own Lolita was in the pinup pageant as well, and though she didn't place she still had an amazing time!  

Let me start with the begging of our day, and boy it was hot I thought I would melt. Thank god I had a fan or I parish to think what horrid state I would have been in, but that was a mute point when we first walked in and saw this beauty. yes it was so eye catching to be honest it was my favorite car there well besides the skull car but I suppose my love for skulls makes my attentions sway. But never the less
a pink paisley classic car was just awe striking and conjured love in both mine and Gerrett's heart. To tell the truth Lolita and her honey loved the car as well it was unanimous between us all the car was the Beez Kneez!

As I was snapping photos of the beautiful car, this random man expressed his want to be a "pinup girl" his proclamation made me giggle so I told him "Well get on that car and show me sexy!"  The out come was pure magic if you ask me! I was pleasantly happy at all the good spirited people so after my shyness went away I decided to take photos with some of the lovely dressed people this photo being my favorite because anyone who had the stones, fortitude and confadence to walk around in a bathing suit was admirable. She was actually surprised I wanted a photo with her, but for me it was a chance I just couldn't pass up she looked great! I made some  really nice new friends while walking
around, the ladies of the Atomic Angels admired my dress. I was pleasantly surprised they liked it so much we got to talking, needless to say these ladies where my kind of girls so I am seriously considering joining their group. Wouldn't that be just the hap's? I also meat Angela of Lady Birds Accessories, I bought a necklace from her and I have to say she was just a pleasure, and her stuff was amazing. Photo of it coming very soon I think I'll review what I got from her! People where like that and it made me smile at how warm people in the culture could be, I've never said how some times its really hard to be a vintage Betty in a modern world. where we are from its less common, some people can be not so understanding and the looks....Oooo the looks! But here it was all gravy baby!

While standing in the crowd of on lookers around the time of the pinup contest I was fortunate enough to have my picture take by none other then Denise Houk photographer, Artist, and all around sweetheart! I was honored she thought me well put together and dashing enough to photograph but she did and I was pleasantly happy with the out come!!! 
  

      I happened to run into a friend that I made a few months ago during the Winter Billy car show. that was the wonderful and amazingly talented VonSassy Tombe, I was hopping she would be there and sure enough she was there. She and I keep in touch and formed a friendship I have to say really means a lot to me, so it was so good to see her again. Lolita and I couldn't pass up the chance to snap some photos with our favorite pin stripper! She was just as sweet and talkative as I remembered and she was showing some of her amazing stuff, I really love the face she gives old luggage and other things new life with just a little love and paint. As a diy'er and vintage enthuses I love giving old things new life and allowing them to
live on, I suppose she and I share that love. I even picked something up from her as well I just couldn't resist! I got a little vintage hand bag and even caught Ms. VonSassy herself hard at work on it!! There is nothing like seeing a real artist at work
I was a proud mama of a lovely bag with my name sake on it. I was so gitty with excitement I nearly geek squealed about it but I controlled myself or cores! The bag is gorgeous and I love that it has my name on it, some how it made it all that much more special. that and the fact that My favorite pin stripper was nice enough to do it for me, needless to say I'm in love. There was a lot more swag to be had! Our own Lolita finally had her victory when she found
the Mexican bread to hang in her car. ever sense I have known her she has been going on, and on about that bread that she wanted to put in her car I was almost tempted to search the net to find them for her but here at the Midnight Mass she found her hearts desire. I never saw anyone so victorious in that moment but she was and I will forever remember that moment I saw her bounce with glee over it!   

Well needless to say we had a rockin time, it was a lot of fun and the people where amazing I plan to attend this even for as long as they have it! 
Well My lovelies I must be off there are things to review and vintage how to's to write so my little fingers will be busy! catch you later and as always keep it classy! 
Bad Luck Cherry   
 

Thursday, March 21, 2013

To Tiki or not to Tiki

Hello My Lovelies, 



Yes Spring is in the air and your friendly neighborhood Swag Queen is here with a large question!!! I have been itching to do another how to for clothing, and because its spring why not a lovely play suit to ring in the new weather!!! Here is the fabric in question, this used to be a sarong I've had for some time and instead of throwing away all this good fabric I thought why not turn it into something amazing! So what do you think? I think a really cute sweet heart neck line skirted top with some high wasted shorts? Are you in to it my lovelies tell me what you think! Yes its that age old question....'To Tiki or not to Tiki'.....O the uncertainty in my heart! 

Friday, March 8, 2013

March Madness

Hello my lovelies, 

Cherry here and Ooooo....my march has been very busy but new posts are coming so stay tuned!!! I'd love some suggestions as to what you would like to see here so leave me a comment!!! After this weekend I will have another dress rehab for you all and more thrifting swag to be had! Love you all!!!

and as always keep it classy!!!

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Friends


Hello My Lovelies,

Cherry here with just a little shabeal about some people I have meat over time here on the inter webs. While writing this little blog in the dark corner of the internet I meat some great ladies that I want to talk to you about. These people are the sweetest people I have ever meat, and that is saying a lot for having meat on the interwebs! but they are genuinely great people that I believe I need to give my thanks to... 

The first is Callie of "Sew Craftful" She is an amazingly wonderful seamstress that I really look up to! She was very kind in answering my questions and we became friends in the process. I even made a response video to one of her You Tube posts about vintage patterns, because of her I have found a new love for patterns of this kind and I keep an eye out when for them when thrifting. She is really amazing and knows her stuff, and is willing to answer your questions with this pleasant professional tone that really impressed me. I suppose its why I look up to her and aspire to be a better seamstress even though I know I lack some of the polish that she seems to embody. 

The second person I want to highlight is Jasmine from "The Makeup File", this girl is fabulous. we meat on a pen-pal website and we have been friends ever sense, she is so talented and really nice. I have to say she is a regular bowl of laughs and like us new to blogging, I foresee great things for this gal and she is more then happy to answer questions and keeps up with her comments. I have to say she and I have bonded over our respective blogs and have really banded together as friends and fellow bloggers, p.s. we plan to collaborate on a post at some time...more on that later. She loves makeup, nail polish the entire beauty industry like a bee loves honey so in knowing that who better to keep up with for all your beauty needs!

First I would just like to thank these lovely ladies for befriending this larger then life vintage gal, I value friendship and keep them really close to my heart. As I said before they are genuinely great people and their blogs are more then a must read they are a have to! I love you gals tuns and I just wanted to say thank you for being a friend!!! 

Well thats all for now catch you lovelies later, and as always keep it classy!  

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

DIY Fun!!

 
Hello Lovelies, 

Yes your DIY diva Cherry is here ready to over haul a dress that you previously saw on our post "A Thrift store Romp!" Often you will find few dresses with fabrics that are interesting but the dress may need few nips here and there. I know, I know its a lot of work and frankly for something you are spending your hard earned chips on you dont want to work that hard on it, well I say that its the nature of the beast when buying vintage and Trust me I am with you and most of the time but sometimes its little things such as sleeve extraction, hem, or taking in the waist. as stated before these things are part of shopping in thrift stores or buying vintage in general, it wouldn't be worth it if it where easy right? Now a little disclaimer, I am not a professional tailor, therefore, the major work or the things that are impossible for me to handle are done by a professional tailor with whom I enlist to help. But that does not mean that I can not do little rehabs on a dresses here and there that needs my attention, that is where my handed down sewing skills come into play.

 For instants, lets put our focus on this dress. This is not the style I would prefer for myself but I fell in love with the print. It must have been made in the late 80's early 90's no doubt someone's mother or grandmother loved this little number, that's the fun with buying any vintage there is alwaus a story to be uncovered these garments have history and I love that aspect of it. I saw some potential in this dress for example, the pleated skirt is just heavenly when it falls around a well positioned petty-coat. There wasn't a whole lot I had to do to make it suitable to my specific needs, I removed the shoulder pads to compliment the dress better. After making this change, I tried the dress on to focus better on what I liked and disliked about the dress.
 I figured if I remove the sleeves and maybe the dress would look better sometimes less is more and in this case, less fabric in the arm region balanced out the dress better.   

The picture on the right indicates how the dress looks like after the alteration.  After the alteration I tried the dress one more time and to my amusement it did the trick and the dress looked so much better that I decided nothing else had to be done. Sometimes, just a simple adjustment can do the magic and the dress may look like its new again. Since I do not like to waste any left over fabric I always try to find a way to recycles these materials that could mean making a hair accessories, perhaps a bow of some sort or maybe I'll send it to my friend at "Rambunctious Creations" to make me something special. I will keep you posted!!! I know! I know! It does not look like much on the hanger but check out the finished products here!  

Hu? Did I tell you or what, a  fabulous dress right? Even though the sleeve area was the only place that needed some major work, the dress holds up don't you think?  I personally feel like I need a bigger pettie coat to make it poof a little more but all and out I think it was a great find and it looks great. Then again I'm bias because I just love the darn thing, now I thought I would do a simple rehab before I do something more challenging with a more tricky problem dress with redeeming features. This is just to show you that not all the dresses are jem's but with a few redeeming features, a little elbow grease, creativity and know how these dresses can be something great again.  

Well that's all for now my Lovelies and as always keep it classy!! 

 
 

Monday, February 4, 2013

A Little Glassware Obsession!

Hello My Lovelies!!


Your friendly Caption Cherry here with a little confession....I Bad Luck Cherry have an obsession with glassware...yes its true every time I am in the thrift store I cant resist the call of home decor and especially the call of something shiny and gracefully shaped...I have amassed quite a collection that I absolutely love and my significant other wishes I would stop bringing home, but I say nay to him and if I have the wampum to do so then I shall cash in my chips and get that bowl or whatever I cant live with out. these are just a few of my favorite pieces and how I have incorporated them into my life.

Now just a brief history, glassware has been around since the 3500 B.C.E in Mesopotamia; the word "glass" was coined in the Roman Empire. In the 19th century many different styles of artistic glassware became extremely popular, especially with the Art Nouveau movements and the wonderful use of glass. There has been many different movements in the world of glass from the French to Louis Comfort Tiffany with his colored glass panels in the famous Tiffany's lamps. Different companies sprang up with industrial improvements and innovations offering their glassware to the masses. The different styles have gone and continue to go in and out of fashion but one thing remains the same their beauty.

Okay now with that said here are my top favorite glassware in my collection, this pieces that I scored at a rummage sale in my town that happens once every other year, this time my bestie Lolita went with me and I found this pretty crystal apple. its a container that I keep my cotton balls in on my vanity, I nearly leaped over someone to nab it so it's got a special place in my heart. 

The next one is actually a sugar dish with a matching lid, I don't know where its from only that I've had it a really long time. I think its from my grandmothers china cabinet and she let me play with it as a kid (Can't understand why) but I always loved it and kept it nice. Nowadays it's life is spent on my vanity holding cotton pads right next to my apple, They add something to the vanity that I really can't explain...a sort of elegance. This is a really pretty Fan dish that I use to keep my nail files on and the nail polish of the moment, I am forever loosing nail flies and the polish I'm using so I put it front and center. 

 
This is my ring holder, this is something else that I have had since I was a little girl. I can't remember if it was my grandmother's or my mother's, I do remember seeing it on my mother's dresser holding her beautiful rings it just enamored me as a young girl. When my mother put it in the cabinet I took my chance and have had it ever sense. The next is well its not something that's on my vanity but it was a gift, its a punch bowl with the matching cups. my friend Linda bought this for me for Christmas and I squealed with joy after getting it. 

The last few aren't something that I got in a thrift store, one was a gift the other few I bought at a really good price on amazon. These are my beloved Egyptian glass perfume bottles where I keep my perfume oils, this needs a little explaining. I do wear regular perfume but from day to day it can get very costly, we are all about being glamorous on a budget so why not economize with out compromising quality! Well that's why for everyday I use perfume oils, they stay on your skin longer and don't wear off till you shower. Still I find the scent lingers a bit but I find the scent of vanilla or jasmine is not so disagreeable to linger about (More on my perfume oils later). 

This one was the gift from my mama Mona, to me its the most special and I love it dearly so I put a sweet smelling oil in it and as you can see I use it the most. I have to say buying them was great but getting glasswere as a gift is even better,



Well that's it for this post my lovelies catch you on the flip side!    

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Painted Pin Ups!





Hello my little shipmates!!



Your Captain Cherry here with a lovely segment called ‘Painted Pin Ups', little monthly posts where Lolita and I gush about pinup art work and give a little information about the artists that created them. I would first like to introduce you to Hilda. She is the fun loving red headed full figured gal that I have come to love as of late. I remember a few months ago becoming aware of her through a mutual friends facebook page and found myself enamored with her image. She seemed like so much fun, a girl that I would love to hangout with, I never got that feeling from other Pinup artwork but this lovely lady seemed more like a friend. After learning about this ball of fun and beauty I was naturally interested in the artist that created her, that’s when I found the man behind the voluptuous beauty, Duane Bryers.



Bryers was born in upper Peninsula of Michigan in 1911 on a farm with three brothers and two sisters, he later moved to northern Minnesota and left in 1939. He started drawing cartoons like he saw in the funny pages when he was five and then by the time he was older was never with out a sketch pad and paper. Bryers big break of sorts happened  in 1936 where he painted a mural in a high school in Minnesota which is still considered a historical treasure. This big break paid Bryers way to New York where he studied Art, in 1943-1946 while in the air force Bryer’s realized a childhood dream and created a comic strip called “Corky” (this is where he earned his bread and butter as a commercial artist). Later he began painting the Hilda collection in the mid 1950’s, He got the idea of a plump pinup girl, but worried how to sell it. He then took the idea of the series to the top calendar sellers in the country of the time Brown & Bigelow (now this company worked with nearly eveyr pin up artist of the era!) where the series went on for 36 years. Later in 1959 Bryers moved to Tuscon Arizona and started painting scenes that he considered ‘America’, beautiful renditions of the landscapes he seemed to love.



Hilda to me embodied not only beauty but the corkyness of pinup art that we all love, she is fun loving and really a barrel of laughs. There are many favorite prints to choose from when it comes to her images, my personal favorite is the one of her walking into the water with an umbrella holding a rubber floating doughnut in the other arm with the word ‘flour’ on her derriere. Her images just make you smile and you can't help but think that she is just having a really good time, Lolita said “she looks like she laughs a lot” and I would have to agree with her. She seems like the kind of gal that people gravitate to because of her endless lust for life and fun, the kind of girl you would love to have a few drinks with. Never have I felt this kind of strong happiness or elation to a pinup image, she is not just an ornament to be ogled she is a girl that does things. Hilda is a mover and a shaker, she fishes, sails, reads, dose chores, paints and is just so active. She is a woman that gets things done and doesn’t just sit around looking pretty. If anything as a plump beauty myself she is someone I can look up to in pinup art, a full figured girl with class and just enough cheekiness that makes her memorable for the ages. Please enjoy some this loveable dame's images!





 





Thank you for reading my lovelies

please comment below on a different

 artist you would like us to talk about

and as always keep it classy!