Hello there - it's been way too long!

So after nearly 3 months of blog-abandonment, I'm back! Blogging is hard when you are so busy with work, crafts, life, etc. Reading the blogs I love, I have to wonder what it is that they do to make it work? Maybe that's it... work! I've decided to set aside time each day for Maxine's blog, so I'll be back tomorrow with a new blog topic and a renewed sense of purpose. Right after I get my birthday root canal...

See you then,

alana

fashion to get mad about

Ok, so everyone's jumping on the MadMen bandwagon... that's fine by me, because it means more vintage inspired looks are popping up all over. While I appreciate the style of all of the characters, both male and female, Joan Holloway (Christina Hendricks), sports my favorite style - sexy, bombshell, but not tarty. Her look is office appropriate, but not dowdy. She turns heads but leaves enough to the imagination - by today's standards at least.
I'm keeping an eye out for new and vintage pieces to compliment my wardrobe. Hopefully I can conjure up a little Joan Holloway style of my own! Follow up posts on my finds to come.

Beautiful Bride

Check out the lovely photos sent to me by Yami in Florida - a happy customer and beautiful bride. She's wearing a Maxine in Trousers one of a kind Deco Bridal Fascinator.

Sporting feathers to both her wedding and her honeymoon, Yami gets the most for her money! Way to budget and look adorable in this economy.

Disappointment

It wasn't as if I had high hopes for Public Enemies - I should say that I'm not a fan of Michael Mann (both director and writer of this movie). However, I thought I'd be entertained for 2+ hours. I found myself laughing at inappropriate moments, mostly because the dialogue was so unbelievable and stilted.

Not even Johnny Depp (LOVE HIM!!!) could save this movie. He was awesome as usual and his co-stars gave good performances too. I enjoyed watching doe eyed beauty, Marion Cotillard, my runner up girl crush after Zooey Deschanel. Christian Bale was tense and focused as the G-Man in charge of getting Dillinger. Numerous favorites had cameos too - Giovanni Ribisi, Lili Taylor, Billy Crudup (creepy as Hoover), Stephen Lang (of Crime Story - one of the only Mann projects I liked), even Diana Krall as a nightclub singer.

The stars, costumes, props, locations - all fantastic and still this movie was a flop. Michael Mann just regurgitates his cliche-ridden, formulaic nonsense - good guy, bad guy, shoot up, love story, bloodshed, the end. This might have worked in the 1930's when movies were young and gangster films were at their bloom but it left me feeling like there was so much potential and no delivery.

Happy Independence Day!!!

Summer is finally here even if you couldn't tell by the weather in Boston! Bar-b-que's, fireworks, picnics, maybe some swimming and hopefully some sun. That's what most people want on the 4th of July.

I'd like to take some time to remember our soldiers who can't celebrate with us at home. While female pin-ups aren't for everyone (sorry straight gals!), I think they're amazing! Check out Gina Elise's Pin Ups for Vets Her site struck me as that wonderful combination of retro, fun, and patriotic. It may be considered risque, but while she's boosting morale of soldiers serving overseas, she's supporting health care for vets - something all Americans should want to do. Cheers to Gina Elise!

In the same vein, there's Pinups for Troops - a modern take on morale boosting pinups of the 1940's. Not to be confused with The Pin-Ups for the Troops project - also a morale booster, this one recreates Gil Elvgren paintings and includes a section of male pinups! Proceeds from sales of the books are donated to Fisher House.

So, if you want to support our service men and women or show your patriotism, why not get a beautiful pinup calendar you can ogle year round? In the spirit of the holiday, and good old retro fun, here are some patriotic pinups:

Happy 4th!

No frizz? Really...?

Spring and Summer in the Northeast mean massive amounts of rain and humidity. For my curly hair, that means lots of creative updos (and not so creative ponytails). While I like to change my style when I can, I am generally low-maintenance and I like to wear my long hair down and curly. However, on days like today, it poofs up like a poodles coat and I am pulling it back less than ½ way through the day.

That’s why I was so excited to see a new product for curly hair with so much buzz on the market. I should have been wary of the buzz. My friend ordered 2 bottles from QVC and offered me one of the bottles to try it myself. Admittedly, I only used it once, but there are no miracles in a bottle here. I styled my hair according to the directions using an ample amount cream. While I was impressed by the light fragrance and the texture (not too sticky), I was unimpressed with the results. The weight of the product made my hair fall flat and while that solves the poof-factor, it does nothing for my style.

I’ve read a good deal of positive reviews online, so it must be working for someone, just not me (or my friend – who is returning her No Frizz today).

Overall: overpriced, nothing special

more red...

Continuing along the color theme, I thought I'd post a picture of my new bathing suit. Of course, this is the model, not me! I wouldn't dare photograph myself in a bathing suit (especially not at the end of April) without some serious photoshop help.


Isn't it amazining?! Check out My Baby Jo for more retro suits. It comes in the mail today, so I'll let you know how it fits - fingers crossed! Maybe I should do another yoga session instead of stopping at the liquor store tonight...