Quick & Easy Hair: The Rosie Bandana

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Deborah

One of the staples of a Rockabilly girl’s look is undoubtedly the hair bandana. There are a lot of variations of the bandana hairstyle, but I have had a request for a tutorial on how to do this look. (If anyone else has a request, you can send me a message via Facebook or send me an email.)

This style is commonly known as the Rosie the Riveter look, because of it’s similarity to the iconic Rosie from the WWII US propaganda posters. There are many different techniques to use to achieve a Rosie look, but I am going to share with you the technique I use most often.

Step 1: Pull your bangs (or the front part of your hair, if you don’t have bangs) up and spray. Next, pull your bangs back, twist, and push forward. Pin with bobby pins.

Step 2: Curl your hair. I tend to curl toward the back (roll the curling iron away from your face), but the direction is not prudent to the look, so do what you want.

Step 3: Once your hair is curled, pull it into a high pony tail.

If, like me, you have short bangs, you may need to pin back the shorter pieces of bang that were not long enough to fit into the pomp or the curl. Do this after pulling your hair into a pony tail, so that you can pin it in the right direction. Because I am pinning just a small bit of hair, I use mini bobby pins.

Step 4: Fold your bandana. Start by folding it in half diagonally. Fold the pointed side inward, and continue to fold to desired width.

Step 5: Tie the bandana just behind your pomp. You can tie it at the center, or I prefer to tie it slightly off-centered. Pin it just above your ear in a criss-cross pattern.

That’s it, you’re done! Now go out and rock that Rockabilly look!

Cry Baby is Cheesetastic!

Posted on May 11, 2013 by Deborah

I have been itching to write about one of my all-time favorite cult movies; Cry Baby! This movie has everything that I find absolutely entertaining and wonderful. It’s purposefully cheesy and so funny. Plus there’s Johnny Depp goodness in pretty much every scene.

Cry Baby is a Rockabilly version of Romeo & Juliet…without all the death. Allison is a “square” who is raised by her very proper grandmother. But when she falls for the king of the “drapes” Cry Baby Walker, the whole town seems to have something to say about the teenager’s love.

In true teen-movie fashion, Allison gets a drape makeover and learns that a drape girl’s “bazooms are our weapons!”

The fashion is so fantastic in this movie. I dig the drape and square styles…I’m a scrape! I love pretty much everyone’s look, but I think Wanda’s style is the best.

The musical numbers are uber cheesy, with a nod to Rockabilly’s roots. There’s also some nice Doo Wop numbers, which I dig. I love musicals, so it just adds an little something special, but even if you don’t enjoy musicals I can almost ensure you will fall for Cry Baby.

{Images Source: Tumblr}

If you haven’t seen this movie yet, you must check it out!

If you have seen it, what do you think about Cry Baby?

Rockamommy Style: Rockabilly Brides Have All the Fun

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Deborah

It’s Friday, and on the web that apparently means it’s Flashback Friday. So in honor of the weekly event, and since there’s only about a month until my 1 year anniversary, I’ve decided to dedicate this Rockamommy Style post to my wedding attire. I love the fashion that comes with being a Rockabilly bride!

As you can see, my wedding dress was not your average white ball gown. When I saw this red tattoo printed dress by Hell Bunny I just had to have it. In addition to the wild print, my dress has black bows on the shoulder straps and a large, black ribbon bow at the waist. I bought a black crinoline slip to give my dress a little extra volume (you can’t see it in all of the pictures, but it’s there!).

Of course gorgeous shoes are a must for any bride, and these guys really floored me when I saw them. They are black pumps with a red heel and a red bow at the toe (to match the bows on my dress!) from PinUp Couture. The shoes also have a tattoo print, to tie the theme together. These bad boys were really the show stopper. Everyone I talked to just gushed about them, and how could you not? I mean, I don’t want to be arrogant, but have you ever seen cooler bridal shoes than these?!

I kept the jewelry simple with faux diamond stud earrings and a tattoo print pendant necklace, with matching ring. But I went all out for my bag and got this awesome red and white clutch.

I had my make up and hair professionally done – there’s no way I could have done that good of a job on my own. I wanted a classic look for my hair, but something still very fun so I decided on asymmetrical victory rolls with long curls down my back. (At the time I was having serious hair troubles and had to cut my hair short, so I wore extensions. My goal is to get my real hair that long…we’ll see.) I topped my rockin’ retro ‘do with a black birdcage veil and a funky flower and bow fascinator.

Outfit Breakdown:

Tattoo Print Dress – Hell Bunny
Tattoo Print Shoes – Rebel Girlz
Birdcage Veil – Glam It Up
Flower/Bow Fascinator – Punk Up Bettie
Tattoo Necklace & Ring – Pink N Pop
Red Clutch – Holdfast Handbags

Reading in May

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Deborah

Those you who follow me on Facebook may have seen my little blurp about receiving a great little guide book on creating vintage hairstyles. This was actually my second book on vintage living that I received this month; I also received a vintage book on etiquette. I have so much reading to do now!!

I wanted to take some time to thank May, of Walking In May, for hosting her Giveaway that I was lucky enough to win. I was actually new to May’s blog when the Giveaway was posted so I didn’t really think much about my entering…surely I wouldn’t win. But I was wrong! Hooray! I am now the owner of the fabulous book Style Me Vintage Hair by Belinda Hay. The book was even signed by the author! This was my first book on vintage styling, and oddly enough I was looking into purchasing this exact book before I found Walking In May.

I snagged this picture from May’s blog

Ever since I first stumbled upon May’s blog I’ve continued to pop over there to see what new and marvelous topics she has been discussing. On her blog she discusses a myriad of topics including travel, music, and all things vintage. She’s got some great tutorials and style posts that you should all check out. Plus, she always posts lots of pictures. That is one thing I demand in a blog; pictures, pictures, and more pictures!

Thank you so much, May, for the opportunity to enter your fantastic giveaway. I recommend you all head over to Walking In May, you will not be disappointed!

As I said earlier, I was lucky enough to receive two books last month. As grown up life often requires, I have moved away from many of my closest friends and we all have busy lives, which means I am not able to see everyone as often as I would like. Thankfully I did get to hang out with my dearest friend Jill this past weekend, where she gave me my belated birthday gift; a nautical style purse, a makeup bag made out of multicolored measuring tape, and a copy of Emily Post’s Etiquette from 1959. I am so excited to add some new bags to my ever growing collection, even though my hubby says I have too many already too many.

But I’m most excited about this etiquette book. It’s not a reprint of an old book, it’s authentic vintage! The original owner was a woman named Janet and the book was a gift. How do I know this? Her mother wrote a note on the inside cover, and as a bookmark Janet used the gift tag that the book had been wrapped with. It was so fun to flip through the pages and have little treasures fall out, even Jill didn’t know those little secrets were in there. That is one thing you cannot get with reproduction items! Thank you Jill for the wonderful gifts!

I have so much reading to do, my only problem now is deciding between reading for school or for pleasure. I’ll probably go with pleasure…shh, don’t tell my teacher.

May the Fourth Be With You!

Posted on May 4, 2013 by Deborah

Today is May 4th. That might not seem like much to some of you, but to those of you in the know, you understand that today is May the Fourth; the day we honor the Jedi! That’s right, it’s a Star Wars holiday! So grab your lightsaber, sit back, and let the nerdy goodness of Star Wars-meets-vintage images from across the web entertain and inspire you.

My hubby just loves art deco, so when we found these images we actually framed some of them and hung them up in our bedroom.

{Images Source: Tech Blog}

{Image Source: M Kungl}

I love wartime propaganda posters, and these are no exception. Whether you side with the Sith and the Empire, or the Jedi and the Rebel Alliance, I think we can all agree these are awesome.

{Images Source: PBH2}

To me, there’s nothing that says “mid-century” more than a classy pin up girl. And Princess Leia makes a great pin up.

{Images Source: Ant Lucia}

I could post about a hundred more Star Wars wartime posters (and I’ll probably do so later….) but I also want to share some of the awesome old school style tattoos that I came across. For many Rockabilly cats, old school tattoos are a staple. But what happens when Rockabilly and nerd mix? Let’s find out!