Wow, I can't believe I already have 100 followers! You all make me feel so loved! (*mmmm, warm fuzzies!!*)
I've been wanting to host a giveaway for a while but now that I have 100 followers, I think it's time!
The lucky winner of my first giveaway will receive this purse which contains:
-a vintage lipstick container, refilled with brand new lipstick in "retro red"
- two red vintage cosmetics containers, refilled with loose eyeshadow in dusty pink and cream
-New L'Oreal Paris Lineur Intense felt tip liquid eyeliner in "carbon black" (see close-up photo of my liner for felt tip detail)
-A lovely Vintage Avon powder compact with rhinestone closure with instructions for refilling the compact with your shade of pressed powder.

How do you enter?
1.) be a follower of my blog if you aren't already
2.) Leave a comment below telling me who is your favorite vintage beauty (actress, model, singer, etc.) and leave your email address so that I can contact the winner

For an extra 2 entries, leave a link to my giveaway on your blog!

This giveaway is open world wide and will end on Tuesday, April 6th. The winner will be announced on Wednesday, April 7th. I will not make any posts until the contest ends.

Good luck to everyone and thank you for reading my blog!! Be sure to keep your eyes peeled on Va-Voom Vintage for other fabulous giveaways!

The quaint German town of Hermann sits in the picturesque wine country, right off the banks of the Missouri river. It was founded in 1837 by the German settlers because the sparkling river and rolling, dark-soiled hills reminded them of their homeland. To this day, the town is bustling with business from specialty shops, the railroad which runs just along the riverbanks and of course, the famous wineries. Today, Pj, my mother in law, Tracey and I met a fellow stay at home mommy and her husband for the annual Hermann Wurstfest (sausage festival) at the Stone Hill Winery, one of Missouri's best wineries. Pj grew up in Germany while his father was in the army, stationed in Butzbach, which is just 45 minutes outside of Frankfurt. Pj, his mom and sister always have wonderful stories to tell about life in Germany.




The weather was supposed to be in the 60's but on the highest point of the town, we were caught in a chilly wind. It turned out to be more of a sausage "tasting" than a festival. We spent the majority of the day standing in a line, waiting to taste some tiny niblets of "just okay" sausage. The only musical entertainment was a very talented little lady playing the accordion. Fortunately, our friends brought some wine and cheese curds so we ditched standing in line and found a spot to sit, chat and be merry. Sad as dead animal heads on a wall can be, this kind of made me laugh. When I was a kid, my grandma had a wildebeest head on her mantle. They told us that his name was Willy the Wildebeest and he ran through the wall of the house and that his back end was hanging out the other side. The inside of the winery was loaded with taxidermy heads of various beasties and it made me wonder if the other side of the wall was covered in furry beastie butts....


We made a pit stop to the town sweet shop on the way out....what delicious truffles they had. On a warmer day, I will be exploring this little town in more depth. There -has- to be a great shop with vintage treasures in this place!!
On the way to the winery, we saw a sign for a church rummage sale. We were unable to find the church at first, but my mother in law wouldn't give up the hunt for a rummage sale, so we made many turns and climbed a few steep hills till we finally found a tiny church nestled in with some houses with a sign "rummage sale today". It wasn't much of a rummage sale....more of a "rummaged sale". They only had a few tables with miscellaneous garage-sale items..no vintage, no fun! :( Luckily we spotted a garage sale on the way to the winery and I picked up a cardigan and vintage blender for a few bucks! *yay*


My outfit today was a dress that I just finished sewing. I used a modern Butterick pattern B5417. I love the detail on the sleeve and overall 40's vintage style. My shoes are my favorite part of this outfit, though. Pj bought them for my birthday while we were on our honeymoon in St. Augustine, Florida (just 4 days after my 23rd birthday). While antiquing in uptown, St. Augustine, we found a really chic little shop carrying lots of colorful scarves, silky skirts these shoes and a bunch of boho/hippie type clothes. I fell madly in love with these wooden carved fish shoes so my sweet new husband let me bring them home with us.

Dress-handmade by me- modern Butterick pattern B5417
shoes- St. Augustine, FL boutique
Earrings-Creve Coeur Antique mall
Snood-Chad Theatrical

This is such a cute movie and a must-see for great vintage fashion. Starring Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor, Down with Love is set in 1962 New York. Feminist author, Barbara Novak's  best selling book, "Down with Love" has changed the playing field for playboy, Catcher Block. The book instructs women to replace feelings of love with chocolate and to have sex whenever (and with whoever) they please just like men do! When Catcher's many mistresses ditch him after reading this new manual for love, he goes undercover as an astronaut to try to charm his way into Barbara's heart and prove to the world of women that the author of Down With Love isn't all she's cracked up to be.

The gorgeous mod costumes of this flick were designed by Daniel Orlandi designer for movies Marilyn and Me, Rocketman, Cinderella Man, and next year's Your Cheating Heart. Down With Love is a perfect film to study for late 50's/early 60's hair and make-up as well. And what incredible sets!

For next week's Fashion and Film Friday: Pleasantville

Last Thursday, for our weekly date night, Pj took me to play mini golf for the second time in my entire life. The sun was shining, the day was gorgeous and the company was very entertaining, as always. We had so much fun, even though I'm a pretty lousy player! This past summer, we visited my Aunt and Uncle in Denver, Colorado where my Uncle Jeremy's golf obsession rubbed off on Pj who hated golf until we got to Denver! I've never seen a beginner drive a ball like my husband! He's like Happy Gilmore, minus the temper!
So, Pj has learned quite a bit about golf since last summer and was able to give me a few lessons. It didn't keep me from having to hit the ball at least 6 times to get it in the hole, though!

The night before I slept in pin curls, which turned out to be the best pin curls I've done so far! They were more like soft curls and waves than my usual frizzy clown hair. This is my new skirt, just picked up on Tuesday from my local Salvation Army thrift store. I really do think that the messier and grungy thrift stores tend to have the best stuff! I also found a cute white cropped sweater and 2 vintage dresses for just a few bucks! A word about vintage shopping- make sure that all zippers are in good working order! Not only should they zip up all the way, but they should also stay zipped up! I needed a brown pencil skirt and when I found this one with such a perfect length and fit, I couldn't say no. It wasn't until Pj got home from work that I noticed that the back zipper doesn't like to stay zipped! Luckily, I can replace the zipper with no problem but do check for things like that to avoid any "wardrobe malfunctions"!
Chocolate Pencil Skirt- S.A. thrift store
Atomic print top- thrifted
Cropped blue cardigan- goodwill
Brown sculpted leather flats-Target

I'm pretty down to Earth when it comes to the facts about my body. Like most of us curvy gals, I'd love to lose some inches. I've done tons of diets and have failed, I always promise to exercise and I don't. I lose 5 pounds and celebrate with chocolate and wine. I'll be honest, as of the moment, my measurements are 44, 40, 43....not so good! Realistically, I can't make my hip size any smaller no matter how much lettuce I eat! Hips are bones...your hip measurement is pretty much dictated by your pelvis and there is no shrinking your pelvis. My hip area is already bony so those 43 inch hips are here to stay. That's cool with me, though. Big hips aren't a bad thing! I've never met a man who doesn't like a gal with big hips. Big hips means you get a more hourglass silhouette when you have a smaller waist. Big hips means a big butt and any Queen fan knows that "fat bottom girls make the rockin' world go round." Pj likes big butts and he cannot lie, so yay for big butts and big hips!

The bust thing isn't anything I can deal with at the moment since I'm still nursing my little one. I must admit, the big boobs are pretty annoying when it comes to shopping vintage. I constantly battle with non-stretchy fabrics and the dreaded button-up gap! -Not- a pretty sight! Hopefully, when I lose a few pounds and as the peanut keeps eating more solids, I'll be able to report a slightly smaller bust but I don't hold my breath on that one! They've been obnoxiously big since middle school. In 7th grade, I flashed a locker room full of girls who spread rumors that I stuffed my bra! The next day, the whole school was whispering "Brittany definitely does NOT stuff her bra!" *hehe* So, I learn to live with it, but supportive bras and try to not knock anything over with them.

This morning, I was pouring over some vintage patterns thinking how life would be so much better with a great girdle. I've been drooling over a few of them for weeks now, thinking that a girdle is curvy gal must-have, especially if I'm going to start making my own seamed stockings! I found this one at What Katie Did and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!! It even would fit those 43 inch hips...problem is, the waist size is 33 inches...and mine is NOT! So, that's my motivation! I started weight watchers today and began my day with a lovely breakfast of low fat vanilla yogurt (my favorite food ever) a breakfast burrito that I made with a whole wheat tortilla and some fruit. By the end, I was stuffed! So, here I go on my journey of yet another diet but this time, I have vintage fashion as a my motivation for success. No more *yay, I lost 5 pounds, I should go eat some cake!* I've printed a picture of my prize at the end of the race (pictured above) and stuck it on the fridge. Pin up girls don't eat pizza and neither do I! Wish me luck!!
Glamor Girdle above at What Katie Did

For this tutorial, you will need:
bobby pins that match your hair color
hairspray- the cheapest, offbrand hair spray that you can find tends to be best because cheap spray often has a higher laquer content
a comb with a tail
a brush
a rat (if you don't have a rat, see my tutorial for how to make your own!)


I started with unwashed hair with second day pin-curls. It seems to make rolling a bit easier.
1.)Using the tail of the comb, section off the front section of your hair into a triangle, with the top point being directly on top of your head and the other points ending at your brow line as shown:



2.) Pull the rest of your hair back and secure it with a clip so it stays out of the way.
3.) brush the front section out and roll it up in the rat as shown. Make sure to roll the hair up very tightly so the ends don't puff out. This part takes some practice! I roll it up to the middle of my forehead but that's a matter or personal preference.



4.) Pin the rat to your head so the rat forms a "U" shape. Make an "X" with the pins to secure it in place.

5.) Grip the rat in the center and very lightly pull the hair towards the sides of your face so that it spreads evenly across the rat. Be very gentle and make sure to fill in any gaps so that the rat is no longer visible. I use a comb to very lightly brush over the top to smooth it all out (you can see the smoothness in the finished product photos). Finish with a TON of hairspray. Ta-da! You look gorgeous!






Victory Rolls
If you have problems covering the rat with your hair, you can use a bit of hair from your hair brush to wrap around the ends of the rat or if you're freaked out by hair like me, you can buy synthetic hair from any beauty supply store to wrap around the end of the rat.

If you'll notice in the nest photo, my rat is visible on the side. If you place the rolls right over the ends of the rats, the rat won't be visible.


1.)Using the tail end of the comb, section the hair just behind the ears and forward as shown. Pull the rest of your hair back so its out of the way.


2.) brush out the side section of hair so that its smooth and apply a bit of hairspray.

3.) Hold the section of hair up and backcomb/tease it, applying more hairspray as needed. backcombing will make rolling easier, will help the hair to stand up longer and will also aid in the shape and volume of the roll. By the time you're done backcombing, your hair will look a mess, just like this.....yuck!

4.)Hold the teased section straight up in the hair and using two fingers (or just one if you want a smaller roll) wrap the ends of the hair around the fingers. Roll the hair downward and position the roll right where the ends of the rat are. Pin the roll in place. You can also position the roll on the sides of your head.

5.) Use a ton of hairspray and cup your hand around the roll while smoothing the hair out while it dries. repeat on the other side

6.) Finish off with a snood, a flower or just let it be!


If you tease your hair a lot for added volume, and pin the rolls very high, you can spritz on some shine spray and achieve this gorgeous Dita stye:


For more help with victory rolls, see my tutorial for basic victory rolls or leave a question in the comments box. Have fun!

                   

The traditional method of making a hair rat involved saving hair from your hair brush and rolling it up into a sausage shape. Yes, it's free, it's easy, it's historically accurate and it won't show if your hair slips.

I'm freaked out by hair that collects in the drain of the shower so I personally don't think I could make my rat using my own hair...so for this method of making your own hair rat, you will need


a pair of scissors
fiberfill (used for pillow stuffing)
a fishnet stocking (I use one that is close to my hair color)The fishnet allows for easy and secure pinning

1.) Cut the stocking so it is about 6 or 7 inches long


2.)Roll a hand full of fiberfill into a long sausage shape.

3.)Insert fiberfill into stocking

4.) Stretch the stocking out, rolling it between your hands so that it forms to the desired shape. Spreading the fiberfill throughout the stocking

5.)Add a bit more fiberfill if needed

6.)tie off or sew end of stocking closed. Looks like a strange potato!

I feel so warm and fuzzy all over! On Saturday, I received another blog award from Tea With The Vintage Baroness. So, here are 5 things about myself:

1.)In my former life before being a mommy, I worked as a cook for a home for developmentally disabled seniors. Aside from my current occupation, it was the best job I've ever had! It taught me a lot about how kind and innocent people really are. I've always been a care-taker, so that's why I really enjoy being a momma...but I do miss my little old ladies that I used to work with!

2.)I'm a language enthusiast. In high school, I took 4 years of French and 2 years of Spanish. If I could, I would constantly study foreign languages.

3.)I love to drink blackberry wine and read a book while soaking in a bubble bath

4.)I can never get enough chocolate!

5.)My favorite flowers are snapdragons because I love to make them "talk" by pinching them at the base of the flower so they open their mouths!

I extend this award to these 5 lovely ladies, who are some of my favorite reads... Please go check them out!...
Golden Girl of the West
Dizzy Dame
The Mysterious Life of the Metropolitan Housewife
welcome to DeluxeVille
They'd Have Called Me "The Bar Nothing"

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is one of my favorite movies...well, as you'll find out, I have a lot of favorites, but it's in the top 25 for sure.

 It's the whimsical life story of a man who was born as an old man and grows young. Even though he was born under "unusual circumstances", Benjamin Button leads a life of adventure and excitement and finds love in a world where most wouldn't understand him. Co-Starring the exquisite and amazing Cate Blanchett (I just adore her, if you can't tell) who really does steal the show.

 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is sad and beautiful and mysterious and best of all, will probably make you cry tears of happiness in the end! I saw this in theaters and when Pj and I left, we had a moment of being speechless and then agreed that it has been so long since we've seen a movie that wonderful. The costumes were designed by Jaqueline West who designed for The League of Extraordinary Gentleman, Quills and this year's Tree Of Life, also starring Brad Pitt.

For Next Week's Fashion and Film Friday: Down With Love. Do you have a movie that should be featured on Va-Voom Vintage Fashion and Film Friday? Leave a comment with the title below

Good morning, chickadees. Last week or so, I had the good fortune of stumbling upon Miss Vivian Von Dimples blog. She posted the most brilliant tutorial for making your own seamed stockings. We're not all positive about what kind of fabric she used but I'm in agreement with some other ladies that it was probably the sheer nude stretchy stuff (lycra) that they use for modesty panels in swimwear. Lucky us, all of the local fabric stores have it in stock.

 The gorgeous Miss V. Dimples is a costume student from Australia. How neat is that? Go check out all of the fabulous things she's made and get inspired. Have fun, kittens!


I recently received my first pair of vintage seamed stockings from Miss Tuppence Ha'Penny's giveaway, thank you, my darlin'! For those of you who don't yet own a pair of vintage nylons, I highly suggest picking up at least one pair for special occasions. They are -so- luxe.

Have a lovely day bombshells! xoxo

Yay, I just received my very first blog award from the very sweet n' sassy Bellisimama of Bonfire of My Vanity. Thank you, sweetie, you made my day! When I started this blog in December, I really didn't think anyone would read it and here we are, 3 months later with so many fabulous readers and fellow bloggers! This blog has turned into such an important part of my life. Being a stay at home mom, I don't get out much and don't have a lot of time or energy to do so many of the messy hobbies that I love, so Va-Voom Vintage has really helped to be both a social and creative outlet for me. I get on every morning, squealing with delight when I get a sweet comment or another follower and as I clean the house or change diapers, I'm always brain storming about my next post idea.
I love so many blogs and read them every day but I'm extending this award to 3 very glamorous and talented ladies, Charlotte of Tuppence Ha'Penny, Vivian of Vivian Von Dimples and my new vintage bestie and fellow Missouri gal, the pin up momma at Journey of a New Pin-up. Please go check out their blogs!!
Here are the award rules, gals:
Award Rules:
1. Thank and link the person who gave you the award
2. Pass this award onto bloggers you recently discovered and think deserve this award
3. Contact said blogs and let them know they've won
4. State seven facts about yourself.

So, here are my 7 facts about myself
1.)I'm addicted to America's Next Top Model- cause I'm FIERCE!
2.)I like to eat cookie dough straight out of the package (hence the non-24 inch waistline) *lol*
3.)I have seasonal depression and it's really rough in the wintertime so on sunny days, I lay on the floor of my livingroom in front of the sliding glass door and bask in the sun with my 3 cats, rolling around on the carpet like a lunatic...but hey, it makes me feel better! :)
4.)I hate to drive. Pj pretty much drives everywhere we go. I only drive if I have to and when I do, my blood pressure is through the roof!
5.)I have no idea what my natural hair color is. I'm serious! When I was a little girl, it was white blonde, as I got older it darkened a bit and them I started dyeing it. It's been black, blonde, red, orange, blue, brown, had rainbow streaks, etc.
6.)I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. For now, I'm a stay at home mommy and I LOVE it but one day, all of my kids are gonna grow up and I don't know what I'll be doing then. I'm a certified wedding planner but I don't know if I'll want to be doing that when the time comes.
7.)If I could pack up and move today, I'd move to St. Augustine, FL. I honeymooned there and fell in love with the city's history, people, climate and of course, the ocean. I loved it so much, I named My daughter Olivia Augustine Elise. Hopefully, we'll move there someday...or at least buy a vacation house there!

I really want to show you some more complex hair styles but I thought we should cover the basics first. I originally posted this tutorial over a year ago but at the time, I was still pretty new to vintage. After many months of practice, my method has changed and my rolls are much more substantial than they used to be. I wanted to share this new, updated tutorial with you. I hope that everyone has better results with this.



Victory rolls can be done on long or shorter hair, curly or straight, washed or unwashed. If your hair is very fine and slippery, try curling your hair before attempting a roll. Pin curls work very well but you can also use hot rollers, rag curls, foam rollers, etc. With all methods of curling, make sure that the curls are rolled towards the back of your head so that the hair rolls easily for you.

Section off front of hair starting just in front of the ears on both sides. Tie the rest of the hair back so its out of your way. On each side, do two rows with 4 pin curls each (a few more if you hair is very thick), rolling the curls towards the back of your hair. When curls are completely dry, remove the pins, brush out and begin this tutorial on step 2




Step 1.)Using the tail end of the comb, section your hair from in front of your ears. You can clip the rest out of the way

Step 2.) using your teasing comb (or regular comb/brush) backcomb the back of the hair to give it lots of volume. This step makes rolling easier, gives volume and stability to your rolls and helps it hold all day, even in rain or high humidity.  
TIP: I only back comb the back of the hair so the front of the roll that shows stays nice and smooth.


Step 3.) Wrap the ends of your hair around two fingers (or one for a smaller roll) and  roll the hair to the scalp, keeping fingers inside of the roll.
TIP: The position and location of the roll will vary, depending on how you roll the hair.


If your hair is longer than shoulder length, start with the center of the hair and roll it like this:
Continue rolling it until your reach your scalp. 

 


Step 4.) Roll the hair up like a pin curl. Continue to roll until you reach your scalp. At this point, adjust the roll and place it in the desired direction and pin in place by inserting the pin into the opening of the roll. I usually only use 2 pins, one in the front of the roll and one in back. DO not remove your fingers from the inside of the roll until it is completely secure. Note in the image below, my fingers are still inside of the roll as I pin.



Step 5.) Spray the heck out of it with hairspray, smoothing any frizzies and use your hand to cup the roll until it is dry. Repeat on the other side.


What to do with the rest of my hair?
Victory rolls look great with pin curls, waves or a snood. For more relaxed days, I even leave mine straight sometimes. Dress it up with a flower, a bow or pretty hair comb.

Trouble-shooting
If you can't get the rolls to sit as high on your head as you'd like, try holding the hair up in the air and roll it downward.
If you have thinner hair or want the rolls to have more volume, hold the hair out to the side (or up) and do a bit of back-combing/teasing before rolling it up.

Victory rolls require practice and patience to get it right so if your rolls don't turn out the first time, just take the pins out and give it another go. Practice makes perfect!

As always, leave your questions in a comment below and I will do my best to find an answer! Have fun, kittens.