Friday, December 10, 2010

If I had a million dollars...

...actually, more like 74 million dollars.

My best friend, Kressa and I were talking about some of the stuff we would buy if we had won the lottery. I have been thinking about that more and I've come up with an on-going list of things I would do and buy, in no real particular order.

Oh, and I'm a bit of a grump this morning so it's possible some of these items could get violent. But really, would you expect anything less?


1.)First, I would NOT go on the news. It will be hard enough to keep it from people once family and friends find out. I always found that to be a very unsafe and stupid decision. Let's tell the entire metro area that I know have a shitload of money and will be purchasing a shitload of things that you could possible steal.

2.) Give money to my mom and step-dad so they could quit their jobs and also give money to my brother and sister-in-law so they could buy a new house without having to worry about selling their loft and generally have fewer things to worry about. Also give money to David's family.

3.) Give money to Kressa and her family. Because I said I would. :)

4.) Have Danzig play my birthday party as well as other random shows and just generally attempt to become friends with him. Me + Danzig = BFF's (?)

5.) Have Rush killed...at aforementioned birthday party.

6.) Have the entire cast of Jersey Shore killed...and then be thanked by millions.

7.) Get tattooed....heavily.

8.) Tell my current employer to SUCK IT! Probably in a much more vulgar fashion and as loudly as possible.

9.) Donate to various charities such as local animal shelters, breast cancer funds, etc...

10.) Fly out for the Zeke, The Dwarves and Reverend Horton Heat show in Seattle on New Years Eve.

11.) I wouldn't buy a crazy big house because they're usually newer houses and I have a thing about new houses. I'd buy a really nice older home, have it all paid off and fix it up if necessary.

12.) Purchase: '55 Chevy Bel-Air, primer black; '05 Ford Thunderbird convertible, turquoise or red; probably some sort of 50's or 60's truck. I wouldn't really need a "winter" vehicle because I hate winter and cold weather so I would just fly David and I to some place warm for the season.

13.) Buy a house out in California (so Danzig and I can hang out)

14.)Obviously, pay off whatever bills/debt that might be floating around for me and my family.

15.)Travel...a lot. Germany, Scotland, Amsterdam, Australia, Ireland, Paris (just for the Louvre, then we're out!) Italy, Switzerland, New Zealand and of course in the States.

16.)SHOP.

17.) Open up franchises of White Castle, Jack in the Box, In and Out Burger and Sbarro's in Kansas City.


To be continued...

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

So I had this dream...

I, on a consistent basis, have fucked up dreams. I’m not just talking weird either- I mean even on the “fucking crazy scale for dreams”, mine are usually off the charts. Some are way more fucked than others. Some are just down-right creepy. It’s gotten to the point where I’m used to it now. Because they are so out there, I can usually remember even the smallest details about them, which I can’t decide if that is a good thing or a bad thing. I really want to invent some sort of machine where you can record your dreams and play them back for people because I’m convinced that I can sell them to people like Rob Zombie or Quentin Tarentino and make some money off of them. I figure I could at least peddle a few dreams for a couple grand…I could live with that.

Most of my dreams have multiple parts that have nothing to do with one another. It’s as if I have one dream, either wake up or just stop dreaming for whatever reason, and have another dream. It really makes telling someone else about it even more difficult. I don’t usually bother telling people about my dreams because there isn’t much of a point. Most other people don’t give a fuck about other people’s dreams (unless they themselves are involved somehow) because they make absolutely no sense and there is no way to make it sound sensible.

I felt the need to blog about this dream in particular mostly because it was just so goddamned retarded; even I had a hard time trying to comprehend it. I’ve only really told a few other people besides my poor husband about my dreams. I’m sure he’s convinced he’s married to a crazy lady and based off these, he might be right…


So this dream I had last night: Part one starts out in some sort of bog, possibly a bayou of some kind (?) and of course I was there with my cat, John Wayne (that I no longer have) and he was telling me how badly he wanted to go swimming. Apparently, he had seen other animals swimming in this swamp and decided that he too wanted to go for a dip. Naturally, I’m attempting to talk him out of it. I tell him that not only do most cats hate water but there are alligators and other such creatures that could eat him up and that this whole swimming notion was just a generally bad idea. Whilst my cat and I were having this conversation, an elderly couple in a beat-up RV almost runs us over. Attempting to apologize for this, they invite us to a shore-side beach party, of sorts, that the entire trailer park has been invited to. I’m talking Super White Trash, like whoa. There was a lot of flannel (at the beach, of course), a lot of bad, short haircuts and a lot more cussing…oh and a mass of cut-off jean shorts/swimming trunks.

So my cat and I are apparently having a grand ol’ time when my dog Roscoe shows up. Being that he is a basset hound and most of the guests at this party were sans teeth, he was a big hit! They just loved him to death. He jumped in the water with everyone and was swimming around, just generally loving life. Well, one of the more Rosie O’Donnell-esque ladies there tried to take his tennis ball away and of course, he snapped (who wouldn’t?) So that just threw everyone into a shit-fit with me defending his actions and then they unanimously decided that my menagerie and I were no longer welcome and we were banished back into the bog.

-Cut to Part Two-

Basically this dream section was the last ten to fifteen minutes of Jurassic Park, just more ridiculous.

Everyone (me, the main scientist guy who is now played by Guy, the long-haired fellow from Half Baked who rarely left the couch and two other random old folks) are in the main building trying to run from a few raptors. Well Guy decides that he needs to start conditioning himself to escape from these dinosaurs (a bit late, huh) so he starts doing sprints up and down the giant stairwell, as he is doing this, those random old people somehow get themselves in quite the pickle. How this happened, I have no idea but they went from being on the floor to hanging from the banner in the rafters (by their hands, not their necks if ya follow me). I start yelling at them for their carelessness and all of a sudden a few more raptors show up except one is in a neck brace of sorts and has a cane. He seems very downtrodden, like he’s just been in some sort of raptor throw down, was defeated and then laughed mercilessly at as he made his way through the raptor crowd. So this raptor sees Guy doing calisthenics on the stairwell and something comes over him apparently. He decides that he’s going to prove all those other mean ass raptors that he’s still got it and proceeds to chase down and devour Guy. Just as he finishes eating, a T-Rex crashes through the goddamn ceiling, eats aforementioned raptors and then lets out a terrible roar/growl/whatever loud noise dinosaurs made. And then…

I woke up.

That’s it.

Yeah...I know. Try and interpret that one.



I promise you, none of what I just typed is made-up. I’ve got quite the imagination but I don’t even think I could come up with that shit on my own.

I've had other dreams that are waaayyy creepier. Like my husband racing fat, Pugsly-like children up trees covered in ice and him crawling on the ceiling then turning his head aallll the way around ala that baby in Transpotting. I watch a lot of horror movies and have seen some pretty fucked up stuff yet I don't really have nightmares so I guess this is just my mind's way of getting back at me. I've done drawings/paintings based of some of my spookier dreams. I guess a T-Rex painting would be pretty cool...

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Thought of the Day

Russell Simmons caught some flack because he called Courtney Love a "crackhead" after she accidentally uploaded naked photos of herself to her Twitter.

Um, Courtney Love IS a crackhead. I thought this was common knowledge. It's like yelling at someone for calling an orange "an orange".

He had nothing to apologize for.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Wax Museum

So in my previous post, I talked about visiting a wax museum in St. Louis. Well, I really want to open a wax museum now and I was thinking about the people I would have in it. With out further adu-here's my list of people I think either deserve to be immortalized in wax or at the very least, they would be a lot of fun to make!

Musicians/Bands: (in no particular order)
Danzig as well as the Misfits
Ronnie James Dio
Metallica (long hair)
The Rolling Stones (in the 70's)
KISS
Jerry Lee Lewis (complete with flaming piano and 13 year old Myra)
Buddy Holly
Link Ray
Dick Dale
Billie Holiday
Michael Buble
The Rat Pack (as well as young Frank Sinatra)
Downtown Julie Brown
Bobby Darin
Dwight Yoakam





Movie Stars:
Joan Crawford (of course)
Judy Garland
Bette Davis
Betty Grable
Steve Buschemi
John Cusack
Rock Hudson
Kevin Spacey
Marilyn Monroe (Some Like It Hot)
Juliet Lewis and Woody Harrelson as Mickey and Mallory
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Meatloaf



Horror:
Leatherface (1974)
Pennywise (even though I'm deathly afraid of clowns, this would be a terrifying addition. Someone else would have to make it haha)
All the Universal Monsters of course
Hellraiser
Michael Myers
Ed Gein
John Wayne Gacy
Jeffrey Dahmer
Ted Bundy
Edmund Kemper
Charles Manson
Albert Fish
Eileen Wornose (even though I despise her and her fame, she would be a really gross wax figure)
Richard Kuklinski (if you don't know who he is, read "Iceman: Confessions of a mafia hit man" it's amazing!)
The "Shaving Scene" from Cabin Fever
The Devils Rejects
The Phantom of the Opera


Public Figures: (the "Other" Category really haha)
Dita Von Teese
Bettie Page
Tempest Storm
Lily St. Cyr
The guys from Ghost Adventures (hilarious)
Ren and Stimpy (along with Mr. Horse and Powdered Toast Man)

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

St. Louis

So the hubby and I took a little vacation last week to St. Louis for a few days. We haven't had the chance to take our honeymoon but weren't able to make it to Las Vegas just yet, so we decided to compromise and drive a few hours east to get out of town for a while. It was a really refreshing vacation. We both really needed it.

Here's the link to my facebook photo album with all the pictures in it as I didn't have time to post them on here!

I drive a lot. I have a nice, reliable, four-door vehicle and it seems that I'm always driving everyone around and it really is the best car for travel. Now I have heard from people out-of-state that the folks in nearby Johnson County (just over the state line in KS) are some the worst drivers they have ever experienced...and I whole-heartedly agreed; that was BEFORE this trip to St. Louis. I have never been SO frustrated while driving in my life. The speed limit in that general region (we actually stayed just outside of St. Louis in a city called Chesterfield) is apparently just a suggestion! You could go 60 or you could go 85! Turn signals are obsolete, don't even bother. Even if you did use your signal, people completely ignore them as if they have no idea what a turn signal is for! I saw people cut across four lane highways to get to the off-ramp, a gentleman in a giant white van decided that he was exiting prematurely and instead of continuing on the ramp to get back onto the highway at a later time, he jerked his van (at the very last possible moment and WITHOUT a turn signal, if you can believe that) directly in front me and i had to swerve/slam on my breaks to avoid from being hit. A friend of ours that we were visiting with while out there told us that the highway that runs through his city (High Ridge, MO) has about two to three deaths a month, if not more, because of the way people drive. It's like they think it's a god dammed race track!
Worst. Drivers. Ever.

Oh and if you're from St. Louis and you're offended by the above paragraph then I'm going to go ahead and assume that you are one of the horrible drivers I had to deal with and well...you fucking suck. Get a bike.

Anyway!!

We got into town Thursday afternoon and headed straight to the tattoo shop. Both David and I got tattooed while on vacation. Our amazing friend Aaron owns Diablo Ink Tattoo (High Ridge, MO) and we make it a point to attempt to get tattooed by him whenever we head to St. Louey. David started an awesome, giant madusa on his thigh. So far it's just some ghost lines and some black/grey shading. It will be in color and will take about thirty more hours of work.

After he got around three and half hours in, we called it quits and Aaron, along with his awesome girlfriend Cat, took us out to dinner at this great little restaurant in Festus, MO called Petit Paree. The decor was amazing, I really should have taken some pictures. French impressionist paintings all over, pin-ups galore also! It was dimmly lit, there weren't a whole lot of people on our side of the restaurant; nice and quiet.

We had smoked haddock and es gargo for appetizers. Well I had the smoked haddock-which was delicious but I could not bring myself to try the es cargo. I'm sure that it tasted yummy but I'm a texture person and I just couldn't do it. For the main course, Aaron had filet mingon, Cat had grilled tilapia, David had giant scallops and I had a great fried cod. All in all, it was a pretty tasty dinner and a nice way to start off our vacation. After dinner, David was pretty spent after the tattoo so we high-tailed it back to our hotel where we both proceeded to pass out.

Friday morning we got up early, had breakfast at The Original Pankcake House-DELICIOUS. I highly recommend you check this place out if you get the chance. We then headed to Riverfront to scope out the arch. We didn't really have time to wait in line for tickets to go up (we didn't really have an itinerary all weekend and we suffered a bit for it.) After the arch, we drove around trying to find a wax musuem that I had heard about but unable to find out-and getting frustrated-we went back to the hotel to relax for a short while before heading back to the tattoo shop so I could get tattooed (yay!)

My Frankenstein took about two and half hours and I just adore it! It's the perfect compliment to my Bride and I'm getting Lon Chaney as The Phantom of the Opera next (all paintings by Basil Gogo.) After the tattoo, we headed back to the hotel to recouperate and get some dinner. We greatly under-estimated the amount of people that dine at all the restaurants by our hotel and being that it was around 7 or 8, everything was PACKED to the gills. We drove back and forth down the "main drag" until we decided (and were able) to get a table at this great Mexican joint called El Matador. It was exactly the same restaurant as La Fuenta or El Maguey here in KC, so we were happy to know that our food was going to be good and it was! The rest of the evening was spent back at our hotel watching TV and just relaxing. Getting tattooed can take it out of ya!

Saturday we headed back down the riverfront, after visiting the nearby target so I could buy a new belt, jeans and tank top haha. We ate a place called Joey B's where I was disappointed at the fact that all their pizzas were made with provel cheese (apparently a big st. louis thing) so although I was dying for pizza, I got the roast beef and swiss which was pretty good. David got a bacon burger with about five whole onion rings thrown on top with bacon and BBQ sauce. He said it tasted good but it was so ridiculously sloppy, he had a hard time enjoying it. This restaurant had a giant shot list with all the fun and quirky names and what was in each shot. My favorite were the Nazi from Hell-Jaeger, Goldschalger and Rumpleminz. Disgusting. We finished off lunch with two shots of what they had named "Puerto Rican Prostitute" which were delicious. Midori, Bacardi 151 and Pineapple Juice. YUM!

After lunch we finally found the god dammed wax Museum. I loovvveed this place. I officially want to open my own here in KC. We don't have one, and I think I'm just the person to start one up! The first couple of floors were the typical stuff-movie starts, musicians, politicians, some super creepy dwarves, then there was the horror section (the most appropriate time for my camera to die causing me to switch to my phone...i was sad) then the very bottom was the "Not for the faint of heart" section I guess you could call it. It was awesome. I was really impressed with not only the figures themselves, but some of the environments they had created.

We went the casino next because it was down the street and we were actually pretty lucky. He hit about$75 on roullette and I won $60 of a penny slot. Then we went back to the hotel for a while until we decided on dinner. Since he wasn't hungry and I still hadn't gotten my pizza fix, I ate at this place called East Coast Pizza. Not bad, not bad at all.

We didn't want to drive all the way back into the city but didn't want to go back to hotel yet, so we ended up at the Chesterfield Mall. There was a store that we though was long gone called Slackers. They actually sold cd's, movies, posters, action figures and comics! We purchased the last awesome Slayer poster for $8 and I bought The Omen, American History X and a compilation of documentaries about serial killers-all for under $20. The rest of the night we relaxed at the hotel, then we were up bright and early to drive home! All in all it was a really nice vacation and we were not ready to come back, that's for sure.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Dior Spring Collection 2010

So I caught come pictures of the Christian Dior spring collection at Paris Fashion Week and I have to admit that I am torn. There were a few pieces that I really enjoyed, like the longer dresses, a few tops and a pair of fabulous high-waist pants; not to mention some amazing heels. Overall, I really enjoyed the designs themselves. Then there were issues, even with the pieces that I liked. Most of my issues are about the styling of the models and the pairing they did.







The two main things that bothered me were A-how horrible the clothes fit the models and B-the looks didn't actually create an entire "look" for me, personally. I saw them all as individual pieces.

Addressing issue number one...
I can't imagine trying to dress someone who weighs less than 46 lbs., but you would think designers, especially Dior whom I adore, would think maybe the clothes are a bit too loose? How do you put a high-waist pant on someone who doesn't have a waist?!
Look at the image above with the pant. Gorgeous color, the buttons are amazing but they look about two sizes too big! The blouse is the same story. If they would have used models that actually have a shape (besides straight up and down) then I think the clothes would have looked a million times better.

I admit I am bias when it comes to clothes with a "vintage feel." I think if you're going to do vintage, go all out. I understand though that they want to create new, modern pieces and not re-create something from the past.

Issue number two...
This isn't so much about the design of the clothes, it's more the styling. Again, I know they want a modern feel to the collection, but there is no way I would pair this GORGEOUS top with that skirt.



How perfect would that top be with those pants above? Especially on someone who actually eats! The same goes for the pink floral top above. I could never pull off those "not quite capris-not quite shorts" pant anyway, but that is the last top I would try to pair it with.

My last big bitch; this is the OCD talking even though I know I'm not the only one who picked up on it, was the fact the bangs whether they were clipped in or real were CUT CROOKED!. Seriously? You're sending models in Dior down the runway with crooked hair. I have a hard time leaving the house if my bangs are crooked. Someone get them some scissors asap.


You can check out the rest of the collection along with other designers from this years Paris Fashion Week and past shows here.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Save the boobies!

Saturday, Louise LeMans and I spent a few hours at this wonderful antique store called Liberty Belle helping to raise money for the Young Survival Coalition-a great organization that helps women under the age of 40 cope with having breast cancer and spreads the word to younger women about getting checked for breast cancer.

We were also fortunate enough to be able to celebrate the owner, Linda's, birthday. She got this amazing cake from Judi's Bakery. It not only looked incredible, but it was pretty darn tasty as well. I wish I was able to eat more than a few bites!




Our afternoon consisted of talking to the many patrons walking around about donating and eating cake!

Louise and I had our little podium fashioned with my hand-made "Save the Boobies" signs.


Yes, those are cake plates.

I don't know how much money we actually raised but I know we helped out at least a little bit and every bit counts!

Friday, September 10, 2010

Dear VH1...

First off, let me extend my congratulations for getting one out of your "100 Greatest Artist of All Time" countdown correct. Michael Jackson is not better than The Beatles and I'm tickled pink that you were finally able to realize this. Secondly, I do understand the fact that this isn't "VH1's" list per se, it was voted on by artists in the industry today but you take some responsibility for airing what has come to be known in my household as "The WORST Countdown List Ever."

You continually fail to recognize that there was, in fact, music created BEFORE 1962. Could it be because the "musicians" you pick to cast their vote weren't even alive to judge those artists? Being only 24 myself, that is a bold statement I know. I, unlike the people who voted, seem realize and respect a thing called history. I know that without certain artists of the past we wouldn't have artists of the future. Or is it possible that the people that did happen to live through those eras have horrible tastes in music? I really think you should take more consideration when it comes to the people you A-ask to vote and B-choose to interview. I have a really difficult time hearing Hanson tell me how great The Doors are or Sisco telling me how much he loves Guns 'n' Roses and to be brutally frank, I don't care what Mandy Moore's top 5 is. Also, I don't know who Chris Daughtry is but the fact that his number one artist OF ALL TIME is Live, beating Led Zepplin and Black Sabbath, honestly makes me want to vomit. Did you air that as a joke? Because it wasn't funny.

I have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of a definitive list of the greatest artists ever that doesn't include Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday (even though you included Aretha Franklin) or Jerry Lee Lewis (even though Little Richard and Chuck Berry made the list.) Frankly, I was really surprised but still overjoyed that you included Elvis on this list. I was also surprised (and disappointed) that he wasn't in the top five. It seems to me that you don't take into consideration that without Elvis, many of the bands on the list along with those you interviewed probably wouldn't even exist; including number one. There were a multitude of artists that could have been sacrificed in order to place these well-deserving artists. On the chopping block: Hall and Oats (seriously?) Biggie Smalls, The Police, ABBA (you're fucking kidding right?) and The Velvet Underground (They've got a few good songs but in no way are they better than Johnny Cash.)

Did you even bother to look over the list before you decided to air it? Maybe whip up a "final draft" if you will? I wonder that because I can't imagine what person in their right mind would honestly put Nirvana AFTER Pink Floyd. Do you really believe that Nirvana is better? Think about that statement...Nirvana is better than Pink Floyd. Pretty ridiculous, huh. Your countdown was chock-full of ridiculous statements it seems. Some of the gems were: The Clash is better than AC/DC, Aretha Franklin AND Johnny Cash. Sade is better than Whitney Houston. ABBA is better than Pearl Jam (and you can ask anyone, I Fucking HATE Pearl Jam but I can respect them.)

Of course, this is all just my opinion but I have a pretty good feeling that 85% of people will agree with me.

Oh and before I close, let the people you interview be honest, for once! I know not everyone likes Van Morrison or Beyonce. I'm sorry but I can't believe Michelle Williams when she says she's a massive Judas Priest fan. Here's a line you could toss to a few folks: "You know, I'm not a huge fan of (insert artist here) but I respect them." Easy. as. pie.

I have lost all faith in VH1...what little there was to begin with.

Yours in outrage,
Ruthie Holiday


Here is a link to the entire list. I suggest checking out the comments too. They're pretty interesting.

P.S. Here is my personal list of artists that were not on this countdown. In no particular order...
Dwight Yoakam
Frank Sinatra
Billie Holiday
Lena Horne
Jerry Lee Lewis
Garth Brooks
Sam Cooke
Robert Johnson
Hank Williams
Louis Armstrong
Muddy Waters
Howlin' Wolf
Etta James
The Everly Brothers
Buddy Holly
Diana Ross
And a few more I'm sure that haven't popped into my head.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Greaserama 2010

Sooo, Greaserama 2010 was a big success I do believe.


It was my first one and I was terribly impressed with just about everything-minus the few things I heard from others about the bathrooms or lack thereof and the drink prices (for those of us that weren't aware we could bring our own!) Oh, and this will be a photo-lacking post for the most part because alas, my camera is dead. :( It jumped from the overhead shelf in my work cubicle and busted the lens. Thankfully, it is still under warranty and was already sent off to be fixed!

Being that I'm the kind of person that rarely passes on an opportunity to get all gussied up, I donned my perfect black pencil skirt from Mode Merr, my black and white stripped top from the thrift store and my favorite pair of shoes, the black patent 4.5 inch heels by Miss Jessica Simpson. Despite the face that it's Jessica Simpson, you really should check out her shoes, she has some super cute items.


Here's a portion of the outfit while Miss Soraya is doing Louise LeMans hair!

I wore my favorite shoes, unaware that 85% of Greaserama would be loose gravel. Not only was it loose gravel but it wasn't the normal teeny tiny gravel, no...this was giant, boulder-style gravel that was almost impossible to walk in. Although I ALMOST fell a handful of times, I never actually made contact with the ground. All in all, a success.

My hubby and I were fortunate enough to be able to hang out at the Giangreco Photography/Pin-Up Stylings by Soraya tent most of the day which really cut down on aimlessly walking around and being in the sun (which we all know is a No-No for me.)


There were greeting cards for sale, along with Steve's hot rod prints aaannndddd...(drumroll please) The Gears and Gals 2011 Calendar! Featuring lovely local hot rods and equally stunning Kansas City ladies! Head on over and pick up your copy!



We wandered down to the Retro Vixen tent, which had some amazing new purses from Lux DeVille and I picked up a pretty pink fabric parasol! Next to her was the Monkey Wrench Clothing tent, which I intend to bug her about a custom made corset here before too long.
Most of the day was spent hanging around the tent, talking to random folk and taking pictures. Soraya did hair of a little girl for her 10th birthday, it was so amazingly cute. Then the girl asked to have her picture taken with both Louise and I. She was adorable.

There were a mass of gorgeous cars this year. I overheard someone say that there were over 900 cars this year, not too shabby I'd say. We will definitely go back next year, but we will have a cooler and our own grill this time! You can head over to Louise's blog to see more photos of those cars.


I've got a shoot this weekend with Giangreco. I'm working out the details of a shoot with Angela Bond Photography sometime this month and I have shoot in November with JBPhotography. Along with a few other events peppered in between, it's going to be a busy few months coming up!

Ciao!
Ruthie

Monday, August 23, 2010

Upcoming Events!

>
Goodness! I really need to get back on my posting!

I wanted to let you all know about a couple of amazing events that are coming up here in Kansas City that I will be attending and I would love for you guys to come out and say Hello!

(UN)Scene KC
It's a wonderful fashion show that showcases Kustom Kulture and Punk fashions from designers straight out of Kansas City! There will be amazing clothes of course, along with six bands, the runway show, an art show, raffle and drinks ALL for only $10!

The incredibly talented Soraya Hatfield will be hosting and Miss Louise LeMans will be walking for Retro Vixen! Take some time to check out Louise's amazing blog, say Hi to Soraya on Facebook and check some of the clothes over at Retro Vixen.


Next weekend is Greaserama! This will be my first year actually because I've always had prior plans the last couple of years and was never able to make it. There will be hot rods as far as the eye can see. Vendors galore and live music!
I will be at the Giangreco Photography/Pin Up Stylings by Soraya booth. You'll be able to see Steve's amazing hot rod prints, books and even a calendar with not only yours truly but as well as the 11 other lovely ladies!

Of course I will take massive amounts of photos. If you happen to follow me on Twitter, I will also be tweeting and posting TwitPics while I'm there. I'm sure the people-watching will be bar none!



Oh! and here are a few teaser photos from my most recent shoot with Giangreco Photography. I can't wait to show you guys the rest!


Friday, August 13, 2010

My apologies!

AH! I'm being a bad blogger. :( Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Things have been both boring and crazy at the same time.

Between my being sick and the hubbs getting a widsom tooth pulled this week, we haven't been doing too much. I do most, if not all of my posting at work, which has been a madhouse it seems. Today is nice and quiet so I wanted to do a quick post for you guys.

We did manage to make it out to my sister-in-law's parent's house for a Cajun Crawfish Boil. It was a nice time, despite the heat and I FINALLY got to wear my new pants out in public!



We were running a hair behind so I didn't have a chance to take a picture after I had finished getting ready. My ma has some that I'll post after I get them.
Those pants are sooo comfy! I just adore them.

Speaking of my awesome ma; she bought me this great at from Vintage Vogue that I had wanted and I was going to wear it the Cajun party but it felt like it was just a tad too much.


It's a good size hat and I really like it and I think it looks good on me, I just need to find the right event to wear it to.


Oh! I have a shoot tomorrow with Giangreco Photography. I get to shoot again with the always lovely Miss Louise LeMans with my dear Soraya Hatfield from Pin-Up Stylings by Soraya on hair and make-up duties. It feels like it's been ages since my last shoot and I'm terribly excited for this one. Of course, I'll post pictures as soon as I get them.


Ciao for now!
XOXO
Ruthie

Thursday, August 5, 2010

The Hair Hall of Fame

The Hair Hall of Fame

I stumbled upon this site today. UGH-Mazing. There are some, ahem, interesting hair photos. It's good for a laugh...possibly inspiration!


XOXO
Ruthie

The Jukebox

This is just a little post about some of the music that I’ve been listening to lately. Music is a huge part of mine and my husband’s life, it’s one of the things that brought us together and I really enjoy hearing new things and introducing people to new music. I’ll do my absolute best to find video and/or clips of the songs for you guys to check out.
Oh and just heads up – I have a pretty wide range of the type of music a listen too, so don’t be surprised if these lists aren’t the most cohesive.


Some of the songs that I’ve had on repeat recently are:
“All I Could Do Was Cry” – Beyonce (originally Etta James) from the Cadillac Records Soundtrack.
I really like Etta James, it’s hard to top or even match the power and emotion she put into her songs. I tell ya what though, Beyonce does an amazing job. I really enjoyed this whole movie and I remember the first time I watched the scene in the studio when she sings this song; it literally gave me goose bumps. This is definitely a song you turn way up in the car or in the shower and do your best to sing a long to!



“The Stripper” – David Rose from Music of The Stripper
This is a great instrumental song. It’s a pretty well known song used in early burlesque acts and I’m sure there are some more modern shows that have used it. It’s a great song to clean the house to, take a shower to and get dressed (or undress) to! If you can dance while you’re doing it, this is the song to listen to.
P.S. You'll need to turn the volume up a tick on this video.



“If There Was a Way” – Dwight Yoakam
I’m not a huge country fan. What little country I do listen to is usually the older stuff such as Johnny Case, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, Patsy Cline, etc…But, I can honestly say that I think Dwight Yoakam is easily the best country singer out there today. The “new country” that I have heard is not country…it’s pop music with a cowboy hat. That’s just my personal opinion though. ANYTOOT…This is another of those songs that gives me goose bumps, especially the acoustic version which is the version we have on the iPod. The video I found is also acoustic, just a longer version of ours.(You'll have to use the link, because they disabled embedding. :( If you get a chance, definitely check out dwightyoakamacoustic.net. It’s an acoustic CD that he did and it’s just him and a guitar. It’s amazing. Not to mention, the man is one hell of a dresser.


“Nice Girls Don’t Stay for Breakfast” – Julie London
This woman’s voice is incredible and although this song is a bit short, it’s one of my favorites from her. I tried to think back of when I first heard it but it just didn’t come to me, I’m glad it happened though. She is the one I listen to when the bath is full of bubbles and my glass is full of champagne.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Evidence...

As promised, here are a few new photos of my new pantaloons, the teal dress and my new tattoo!

Now I've tried over and over to get good shots of myself actually wearing these pieces but they just didn't turn out. Between the lighting, which I'm fixing and my camera being just a basic point/shoot, it's a hair difficult to get something decent. BUT, never fear! I'm going to try again this evening and try to develop some sort of formula so I can get better pictures to you guys.

Here's a close up the pants:(excuse the dog hair!)















The teal dress...it has loops as if a belt used to be with it, but considering I'm not a huge fan of the thin belts anyway, I've got a couple of nice black ones that look great with it.














The new tattoo! This is from two Sunday's ago and it's in the peeling/itching stage. It's based off this image from a Bettie Page comic book a friend gave to me as a wedding present. There is also a picture of about half-way through the outline.

























I'll go back in a few weeks and get it filled in which is going to hurt haha, that's a lot of black ink but I'm terribly excited to finish it!

Monday, August 2, 2010

Update: Round 2!

Just wanted to pop in whippity quick and fill everyone in on what's going on...

After a few different doctors appointments, they finally determined that I have a bit of a kidney infection, although mild, they still put me on an antibiotic but after receiving two pages (front and back) of side effects and warnings, I'm too terrified to take it! Some include: tendon and muscle rupture (no thank you!) heart problems, seeing and hearing things that aren't really there (seriously?! With my imagination, I'll go crazy!) along with possible eye problems like GOING BLIND! So I called the doc this morning to have them switch me to something else. Lord knows I don't want whatever infection I've got to get any worse but I also don't want things rupturing or going crazy (crazier).

Despite all that fun, I got to go shopping with my ma Saturday and made the score of my life! Now, I was awesome and forgot my camera at home today so I'll go ahead and post the pics that I have on my phone. I tried to lighten them and mess with the contrast so you can hopefully get an idea. I promise I'll have better pictures tomorrow!

This AMAZING store is called Vintage Vogue. If you live in, around Kansas City or intend on visiting, please check this place out. The lady who owns it, Kathy, is an absolute doll! It's all separated by era, then clothing type (i.e..1940's, dresses, skirts, etc...) So it's very organized and easy to find a particular item. I gave the link to the website but you really need to go in and actually see everything she has; shoes, lingerie, hats, pajamas, suits, jewelry, scarfs, formal dresses all from the 1900's to the 1980's.

One thing I noticed is that I never saw any pants out in the 40's section. After finding a great new dress, I asked Kathy if she had any 1940's high waist slacks. Lo and behold! She comes out from behind her curtain with a pair of 1940's WWII (possible Navy Issue) dark navy (almost black, it's hard to tell really) high waist wool pants.
I RAN to the dressing room and nearly peed myself when I finally got them on (I've never had to unbutton so many buttons in my life!) They fit like a dream!! I was so excited and they even matched with the wedge sandals I was wearing! I about died when I saw the price...$38! Can you believe that?!

Obviously I didn't button all the buttons for this picture haha.

The back of the pants actually tie at the top which I found interesting. The front panel has somewhere between 20 and a thousand buttons haha, all of them adorned with little anchors. There is also a tag on the inside that reads: Navy Manufacturing.

The one and only downside to them is that they are wool and will have to be dry-cleaned but other than that they are in tip-top shape!

Because the lighting in our house is appalling when it comes to photos, I'm going to change some light bulbs and do my best to get some good pictures for you. Oh! and I got a new tattoo so I'll have pictures of the outline as well as my new dress.

I'm going back to Vintage Vogue this weekend to buy a black hat that has a white bow around the top that I just can't NOT Have!

This week I'll have some posts about skin care, an eyebrow tutorial, my music playlist for the week along with a musician I think you should check out as well as various other ramblings!

As always, if you have any questions or specific things you'd like to see a post on please email me!! ruthie.holidayvintage@gmail.com


XOXO
Ruthie

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Update

Just a quick update folks...

I probably won't be posting a lot (if at all this week.) I've been feeling a bit under the weather the lately. I had a doctors appointment this morning and have another tomorrow, so depending on how that goes I may or may not be up to posting this week.

But I will be back in full force next week!

XOXO
Ruthie

Friday, July 23, 2010

I’m constantly getting inspiration for either clothes or hair from movies. I wanted to list a few of my favorite flicks that offer amazing clothes, or even more amazing hair-do’s or both! Not all of these are necessarily from the 40’s or 50’s, but they still did a dammed good job and they make me wish I could do hair on set of era-specific movies. : )

One of the first that comes to mind is A League of Their Own. This is a great movie in general. I’m a huge Tom Hanks fan and I just adore is character in this film. I follow him on Twitter and he just seems like the nicest guy! (P.S.-The part where Bettie Spaghetti receives the letter about her husband dying in war makes me bawl every time.)
Anyway, there are some fabulous looks in this movie. My favorite happens to be later in the film where the gals are all staying in one house and the two main characters (Geena Davis and Lori Petty) get into a tiff because Petty’s character Kip has just been traded. Geena Davis’ whole outfit is wonderful.

Her hair wrapped up in a scarf with just a few curly tendrils peeking out in the front, with a great silk blouse tucked into a high-waist pant. In this scene, her scarf is placed pretty well at the hairline. Now, I’ve seen this look and attempted more than once and I’ve come to the conclusion that either my head is too big, or my scarf is too small…I’m going with the latter.


Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a picture of this outfit, so I had to go with a screenshot and of course I couldn’t get a decent one of the entire ensemble. So here is a close up where you can see the pockets and buttons on the pants. It was hard to tell, but her shoes almost looked like they were possibly a Ked-style shoe, a simple white tennis shoe perhaps. Here’s the link to the scene, maybe you guys can figure it out.
Another scene that has an outfit I love (albeit a bit cleaner) is where Geena Davis and Lori Petty are walking home from the baseball game in the beginning of the film.

Again, Davis has a great high-waist sailor style pant, with a simple plaid blouse tucked in. Her hair looks to be parted down the middle and pulled back by either bobby pins or a barrette, still curly even after a game of ball. : )
Replicating either of these looks would be pretty simple, if you’ve got the pants. There a few different places online you can get them, I have yet to find a thrift store that has them, although the next time I got to Boomerang I’m going to ask about them.
Etsy- These are only $75 which really is pretty average I’m finding and the fact that you only pay $5.00 shipping is pretty nice also.
Heyday Vintage
Viven of Holloway
Freddies of Pinewood
Violetville Vintage-These are more expensive because (according to the site) they are actual vintage pants from the 1940’s; hence the limited size. The great thing about this site (if you can get past the prices, ouch!) is not only the selection but you can search by era which is very convenient.
Avenue.com- I found this great pair for the more voluptuous ladies, and they’re on sale too! They are a more modern cut but they would still look great with a baby-doll style t
reVamp Vintage- Also some really great pieces, but also very expensive.
Make Me Chic-Obviously not pants but these shorts are ADORABLE and they’re only $12.00! Sold.


Another more adventurous option is going to the thrift stores of course. As I mentioned earlier, I’ve never found an actual pair of high waist “sailor style” pants but that’s not to say you can’t improvise. I plan on doing this myself this weekend and I will definitely post pictures on how it goes.
Let’s say you find a pair of nice pants that you think could work for a high waist look; there are a few things you should do before you buy and some things you can do after you buy to change them up a bit.
Before you buy::

1-Try them on!!!
The golden rule of thrifting, from my point of view. Whether they’re from the 1980’s or the 1920’s, clothes fit differently throughout the years. Sizes change, cuts change, fabrics change so be sure to make sure they fit before you spend the dough! Especially when it comes to finding a pant or skirt that you want to replicate a specific look, on the hanger it may look to fall at just the right place on your body but once you try it on it could sit too low (which is usually what happens) or they could be too short in the leg. So just double check before trucking on.
2-Wear the right undergarments:
I, in no way at the moment, have a flat tummy. I also have huge hips and along with that comes a huge toosh. I’ve come to terms with these facts and now embrace them. Taking those things into consideration, I must prepare what I wear underneath so the clothes on the outside will look their best. Your two new best friends are waist cinchers and high waist, tummy flattening undies. The cincher you can either get online or at a thrift store. I even saw more modern styles at Macy’s recently.
The undies, I own two different kinds both purchased from Target. One in white and one in black of course, but the white pair has more stretch and they are not as restricting. These are perfect for pants, pencil skirts or form-fitting dresses. They offer enough stability in front to smooth you out without the possibility of bulging. The black pair, I use mostly for dresses usually with an a-line or flowy skirt. This pair is much stiffer, the fabric is thicker (it almost reminds me of a swimsuit type of fabric) and there is no question that you’ll have that flat tummy appearance. The one draw back, at least for me because of my shape is the sizing. If I go a size up, they tend to be too big in the stomach, if I go my normal size or smaller, they fit perfectly up top but are a bit constricting in the thigh which is why I limit their use to flowy skirts or loser fitting clothing. Since I have lost weight, both of my waist cinchers are too big and really no longer server their purpose. Essentially, they are shorter, less complicated, less clenching than a lace-up corset but offer roughly the same results. I also recommend, depending on your body type, wearing a pair of the aforementioned undies with the cincher to keep the silhouette consistent. If I am out and about, I’m usually dressed to the nines either way, but if that isn’t your style, at least try and take a pair of unmentionables with you while you’re trying on clothes, in most cases with this type of lingerie, you’ll be able to don a smaller size too!
3-Try to buy an “outfit” not just “a pair of pants”:
This can give you two options. When I shop, I try and visualize what I could wear with a particular garment and I try to start with the things I already own. (I’ve been told I do a lot of squinting when I shop!) I have more tops than bottoms for some reason so when I’m picking out a top; I try to think whether or not it will go with my capris, denim and/or skirts. When you’ve picked out a great pair of pants, think of how many outfits you can create with them paired with the clothes you already own (that includes shoes!). If nothing really comes to mind or you’re just not sure then go for the gold and buy a blouse as well. This way you can still test them out with your old clothes without being stuck with a pair of pants that you can’t wear.
4- Changing them up:
So you’ve got the pants and you’ve got a blouse to wear with it but you still want to fix them up a bit or they don’t have the EXACT look you want. The easiest way to remedy this is buy six to eight large size buttons (color is up to you, depending on the pants) and just sew three or four on each side either in a straight vertical fashion on the front like so..
Or you can sew them closer to the pockets either in front or behind…
This will definitely give you the more recognizable “sailor style” pant.

As always, if you have discovered or spruced up a great pair of pants to make an even more amazing ensemble, please email me pictures with a description so we can show it off!!

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Retro Lovely Magazine

Just some shameless promotion...



Head over to Retro Lovely Magazine and order a copy of the second issue which has a picture of yours truly!

There are also some amazing photos by such photographers as Roy Varga, Celeste Giuliano, Atomic Cheesecake Studios, Viva Van Story and tons more!

They're only $10.00! You can't beat that with a stick!

Vintage Shoes

I had someone ask me recently about where she could find some vintage shoes...

There are a couple different sites you could go to depending on what type of shoe you are looking for.

If you want a more authentic vintage style shoe, I highly recommend Rocket Originals They've got some great clothes as well. I plan on ordering these in the not-so-distant future
There is also Remix Vintage Shoes but they are much more expensive than I would ever really want to pay for pair of shoes.

If you're looking for a more modern shoe that could work with a vintage style outfit then you have a few more options.
Pinup Girl Clothing has some cute selections and they're pretty reasonably priced. (Don't forget to check the sale section too.)
My Baby Jo has a smaller selection but still the prices won't give you a heart attack.
ModCloth has a few random gems that I really like but they also have a large amount of horrible, horrible shoes.

Exhibit A: Adorable


Exhibit B: Revolting.



The same goes for Lulu's. They advertise their "vintage" section as well that has two, possibly three reasonably cute dresses but the rest is all 1980's-1990's what I refer to as "hipster vintage"...it's bad.

What I try to do and I suggest everyone try, is research the era, in my case the 1940's, by looking at pictures and watching movies to find out what the shoes looked like back then head to the thrift store and pick shoes out there! As I have said in an earlier post, the shoes alone may not scream vintage but if you pair it with the right dress or skirt or pants, they'll suddenly start to look a little different. It's about the entire ensemble, not just one piece. Sometimes, if I'm not sure about a top or a dress, I make sure to try it on at home with full hair and makeup (if, for some reason I'm not already dolled up whilst shopping) and it really changes the way the clothes can look.

If you've found a pair of fabulous shoes, online or otherwise, please send me some pictures, let me know where you got them and I'll post them up for everyone else to oogle!


Happy Hunting!!
Ruthie

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

What's in my make-up bag?!

I’ve had a few people ask me about the kind of make-up I use. Well, I use a few different kinds for different occasions.

Every Day:
Face- I just wear a light base from CoverGirl. It’s the Ultimate Finish liquid powder make-up in ivory.

I actually wear this whenever I’m going out as well because I don’t wear a lot of foundation or concealer; this is enough coverage for me. Before I got my skin in check, I used a liquid, Mat Velvet foundation from Make-Up Forever. (I'm going to a post about skin care in a few weeks also.)

It is a heavier liquid foundation, but I like the matte finish (I’m not much on the “natural look” if you hadn’t noticed) because a little went a long way and it worked really well in covering up any blemishes.

DISCLAIMER:: I PROMISE I’m not working for M.A.C. secretly haha, they just have amazing products with amazing quality. If you’ve found products that work equally well or even better, then please let me know!

Eyes- The only eyeliner that I’ve found that will work for me is the gel fluidline eyeliner from M.A.C. in Blacktrack ($15.00)


I have oily skin and that doesn’t stop at my eyelids; this is the only eyeliner that will not smudge two hours after I put it on. Pair it with a light brushing of a white eye shadow or even just a basic face powder will help the liner stay intact even longer. I employ the “cat-eye” style line everyday. Because I’ve been doing it for so long and it’s become so easy, that even on days I’m not quite feeling it, I’ll still at least do my cat-eye, it helps perk me up. I use the #208 Angled Brow Brush.

It’s easier for me to use this brush because there is a little more stiffness behind it, but you can also use #209 Eyeliner Brush.

I also use Revlon DoubleTwist waterproof mascara in Blackest Black. This is one of my favorite new mascaras recently. I used to wear the Maybeline in the green and pink tubes (that I think everyone and their mum has worn at least once). I’ve found that this doesn’t flake as much as the Maybeline and my lashes look a lot longer.

Brows- I draw my brows on every day, well most of my brows. The first quarter, closest to the center of my face is still all real eyebrow, the rest I shave off then draw on with a simple pencil from CoverGirl. I’ve tried plucking my brows but one: it hurts and two: I can never get the shape exactly how I want it. With drawing them on, I get the exact shape that I like and if I mess up, I can just wipe it off and do it over again. I was always under the impression that people could tell that they were fake but they didn’t look ridiculous enough to point it out. Well I came to find out that people think they’re real, so I’m doing something right! I wouldn’t suggest this course of action for everyone; it’s a shock to shave off part of your eyebrow for the first time haha. I don’t want to make any suggestions and have someone do it, then come back and yell at me! I’m considering doing a video on my brows. If you want to get a vintage style brow, I suggest starting with pictures. Research on how they were worn back in whichever era you identify most with and then go from there. I’ve learned that the brow can make and break your face, so please be mindful of any changes you want to make. And always have a good pencil on stand-by just in case!!

Lips- Nine times out of ten, I never leave without lipstick on. I use a matte finish lipstick called Russian Red by M.A.C. ($14.00).

As you can see, I'm running dangerously low!

It’s the perfect red for my skin tone. I tried so many shades before and they were all too orange and bright. Once I tried this shade on, I was sold for life. Not to mention that I never have to reapply more than once a day, even after eating. I did recently purchase another M.A.C. lipstick, a cream stick in M.A.C. Red. It’s a bit on the bright side (depending on the lighting of course) and it’s a tad more glossy than the Russian but I’ve found that I can dab a little of my Russian on at the same time and it darkens it just enough to my liking, but still works as a nice day-time shade. I don’t wear gloss really, although M.A.C. has Russian Red in a lip gloss that I’m dying to try. This would also be good for those days where you’re not quite feeling the matte finish but still want to look and feel glamorous.

Not much changes from my actual every day make-up to my evening/going out make-up. The few things that do change are the steps I take to “prime” my face and lips. I’ll apply a thin layer of Sephora Collection Smoothing Primer ($15.00).


It makes your skin nice and smooth and creates a base for your concealer and foundation. I will also do a “primer” of sorts for my lips. You can buy actual lip primer, but what I do is, first: smooth them out (take an old CLEAN toothbrush, run it under hot water and brush your lips until they are smooth/any excess or dead skin is removed), apply a thin layer of the chapstick of your choice, then lightly dab some powder from a compact until there is an even, light layer. Then apply your lipstick. I’ve found out that this process helps the lipstick last longer and you don’t have to worry about your lips drying out or feathering. Obviously, this stage is not necessary but I enjoy the process of getting all dolled up and this step makes it last just a little bit longer. : )

Here's an example of both my eyeliner and my brows. This isn't the traditional way to do a cat eye, but it's the way that looks best with my eyes. You have find a happy compromise. You'll have to excuse my headset, I'm at work. ; )

Evidence

Picture Post!

Here are my treasures from the garage sale on Saturday as well as a quick thrift store trip last week.
My earrings:



(TIP: I always try to wipe down any jewelry I buy at thrift stores or especially garage sales and especially earrings with a little bit of bleach because you never know!)

The new bracelets:

$5.00 Shoes!


Scarfs:

My Two Dollar purse


Today, I'm going to try and run to the thrift store on my lunch to find a slip. I recently bought this great purple dress, but didn't realize how sheer it was until I got it home! This is another dress that would look amazing with a petticoat, once I finally get one!

TaTa!
 

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