Brooch Bouquets...

I am always drawn to vintage brooches...I even have a lucky brooch that I will wear when going to an important audition, either in my hair if an up-do or just somewhere on my outfit.

that is the brooch, a bow with a pearl drop,
and yes, I am wearing it in a wig.

Being newly engaged my eye is definitely out for inspiration for my future wedding and while researching I have come across a lot of vintage brooch bouquets! There are some truly amazing ones out there...and what a special and everlasting idea for the bride's bouquet.

I love this beautiful brooch bouquet...the color combination is amazing! 

This beauty is featured on Intimate Weddings (fyi: a great site for wedding planning and inspiration)

The previous and the following bouquets were all made by Fantasy Floral Design 

("home of the brooch bouquets")

There is the pure rhinestone bling bouquet of brooches...

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and there is the colorful bouquet...

photography by: Alice Hu

there were so many on Fantasy Floral Designs that I had to post this one as well.  

These brooch bouquets are also available on Etsy.com HERE

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The following three lovely bouquets are courtesy of Lionsgate Designs...found HERE on Etsy...

And last but not least....TopThisWedding,  found HERE on Etsy.com

♡  DIY.DIY.DIY ♡ 

There is a great brooch bouquet DIY found at Fancy Pants Weddings site...find it here!

I hope that you have enjoyed this beautiful collection of vintage brooch bouquets...I just think they are so pretty.

Grunge comeback...

I will never forget when Vogue magazine published the 'grunge' collection in the 90s...I was obsessed with the style.  I wish I still had the pages I cut out and saved...I remember going to school in longjohns aka long underwear, long flowing skirts, layers and layers, with long sweaters and tall army boots! I was so into the grunge look...I love this photoshoot for Metal Magazine...

Photoshoot for Metal Magazine by photographer Emma Tempest...featuring cover model Ilse de Boer

source:FGR

Happy Birthday Kate Moss...

When I was in high school my walls were pasted with all the covers of Vogue Magazine that I had collected every month AND Kate Moss...

Kate Moss' first VOGUE cover, March 1993

photo credit: Alasdair McLellan/VOGUE Paris

Born in Britain Kate Moss was discovered at the age 14 at the JFK Airport in NYC.  In 1993, a Calvin Klein campaign became her big break into the public eye.  She and her waif-like thin figure quickly changed the fashion industry forever and became famous for coining the "heroin-chic" craze.
Today marks Kate's 38th Birthday...and the girl loves to party!!!

This was my fave in the 90s, Calvin Klein ad

Kate and her daughter, Lila Grace
photo credit: Mario Testino/VOGUE

Calvin Klein ad from the 90s 

Kate's wedding
photo credit: Mario Testino/VOGUE

Photographer Steven Klein's iconic shot
 of Kate in Jean Paul Gautier fur hat

Kate Moss in a great hat and fur...
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The "Charming Lolita" fashion spread
Vogue Italia, 1992
photo credit: Ellen von Unwerth

Vogue UK cover shoot
Kate Moss wearing a beautiful vintage looking Miu Miu Dress! 

Happy Birthday Kate Moss!!

(January, 16th 1974)

I (heart) Credenzas....

So back in March 2011 my fiancé and I moved from a bachelor apartment (YES, a bachelor) into a 1 bedroom apartment!! We were so excited to actually have a living space separate from our bedroom and even more excited to start from scratch with our interior design!!
We began with kitchen... a makeover post that I will post at a later as we just purchased the finishing touch at a thrift shop ;)
Then we moved on to the living room.
I have so much love for beautiful credenzas so we began shopping around...we went to so  many antique stores and vintage furniture shops and then one day at Value Village I found something I thought would work...it needed a lot of work, and it wasn't EXACTLY what we were looking for BUT it was $4.99!!! How could I just leave it there?? So here is what it looked like....MINUS those fabulous doors...

We bought it without the doors and I figured we could just custom cut something to make doors or leave it open....BUT THEN we ventured into a funky vintage shop nearby and didn't we find the EXACT same unit...but 40$ more in price and WITH the doors...we did some wheelin' and dealin' and bargained with the shop to give us just the doors!! It was then we knew that it was total fate for us to own this unit!!

We took it home and started doing research on how to refinish this fake laminate wood...we thought about keeping it as is but it didn't really go with the rest of our room so we figured out what we needed to do and voila...this is the finished product...

A deep deep dark eggplant color...and all the original hardware! We love love love it!!  All it took is two layers of a special primer and then two good layers of this super awesome color! (It looks a little more purple in this pic than it actually seems in real life!)

So that is my credenza story... before our purchase of the $4.99 unit I was doing a lot of research on the different styles... I fell in love with so many...I'll share just a few...

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An amazing transformation found here

KatchStudios on Etsy 

artandgoods on Etsy

So many wonderful pieces...I (heart) Credenzas!

Happy Birthday Gwen Verdon...

Who is Gwen Verdon you ask??

Gwen Verdon (Jan.13, 1925-Oct.18, 2000)

Gwen Verdon was a famous actress and dancer who received 4 Tony Awards during her career on Broadway in the 1950s and 1960s.  She was born January 13th, 1925 and died October 18, 2000.  She was also well known for her relationship with director/choreographer Bob Fosse.  Bob Fosse's style of dance is still very much well known to this day...He choreographed such musicals as: Pal Joey, The Pajama Game, Sweet Charity, Cabaret and Chicago (just to name a few)!!  He had a very unique style which was often recognized by turned in knees, sideways shuffling, rolled shoulders, and always exuded stylized sexuality.

Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon together on screen in Damn Yankees

When Fosse and Verdon met she became his muse for choreographing...setting many pieces of his work on her.  The style of Bob Fosse's work in theatre is so memorable and artistic I thought, as a tribute to Gwen Verdon, on her Birthday, I would put together some of their work and share it with my charming visitors.

Enjoy!

Gwen Verdon

Gwen Verdon in Damn Yankees 1955

Gwen Verdon in Damn Yankees 1955

Bob Fosse in rehearsal

Gwen Verdon and Bob Fosse in Damn Yankees 1955
Photo: Peter Stackpole, LIFE

Bob Fosse choreography, CHICAGO

Fosse dancers in the film Sweet Charity, 1969

Photo of Fosse, a revue of Bob Fosse's work 

Chicago, Bob Fosse 

Cabaret, Bob Fosse 1972

Hope you have enjoyed this montage of Fosse/Verdon style...scenes of vintage burlesque put to dance!