Monday Maidens (of Instagram)

I feel awful about missing last week, but I'm back with this week's Monday Maidens!

+  rsalci2 

Instagram.com/rsalci2

 Rayna is a beautiful part time model (just look at these pictures!). Sexy curves and a great sense of fashion are front and center on her Instagram page. She has a great vibe and her style inspires me to try things outside of my comfort zone.(4,910 followers)

+  everydaynickirey

instagram.com/everydaynickirey

 Oh, her hair, HER HAIR! This California modern day pin up is a bombshell! She's a published model AND a bartender (oh how I'd love to go to bartending school!) Her beautiful looks and adorable pup are all over her Instagram page, and I just can't get enough!(1,094 followers)

+  honeyandthehive

instagram.com/honeyandthehive

She paints! She paints AMAZING things and she's ridiculously adorable! Just look at her! I could eat her up. She has an Etsy page where she sells her work, you should check that out too! I've been eyeballing some coffee mugs....or possibly I'll see if she could do something semi custom for me? "Home is where your moosen are" with little watercolor versions of my kitties? (they stomp around like they are moose, hence, moosen) (9,614 followers)

+  cabarbieprincess

instagram.com/cabarbieprincess

How charming is she?! With and Instagram full of fashion and a blog to back it up, I don't think I'll ever run out of fun outfits to look at! She truly is a barbie princess, and clearly a Disney lover too! (OH how I love to feature fellow Disney addicts!!!) (5,561 Followers)

+  laurenloveserik

instagram.com/laurnloveserik

This lovely lady makes me miss my orange hair so much! Lauren is a hairdress AND she owns her own salon! So if you live near Scottsdale, AZ you should definately check out her website! I love that it's such a personal looking atmoshphere! Her Instagram is full of hair, clothes, her amazing tattoos and her awesomeness! (10,962 Followers)

Well, guys, I hope I helped you find some new beauties to follow and draw inspiration from!

Until next time, thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!

August Goals!

I'm a couple days late on this list, but I will start with today's date and move forward!

I found out today that I am 203 lbs. This is the largest I've ever let myself get. In 2012 I had drawn then line at 198 and decided to try and do something about my weight. I was eating healthier, I worked at a gym, so I had a free membership, and I was holding myself accountable for everything I put in my body. I was so proud when after only 3 and a half months I was down to 165! When Mr. Vintage and I got together, I started slipping a little. I was still working out, but now with him, so my routine changed. I was eating out more for date nights. I started drinking Coke again, and in excess. It was a mess. I stopped caring, because he kept telling me I was beautiful. (I'm not blaming him for this, I'm blaming myself for getting complacent)

Now I'm unhealthy. I get winded walking up hills, my face turns red, I see nothing but a row of chins and rolls in the mirror, and none of my clothes fit anymore. So I'm doing something about it (and everything else in my life.) It will be a hard path, weening myself off Coke again (I get bad caffeine headaches) and working out more (I also get headaches when I do cardio, thanks to high blood pressure).

So here it is, my list of August Goals!

I'm going to try and keep a weekly update on these goals (maybe more, but I'm at least pushing myself for weekly) to let you guys know how I'm doing! Do you have any goals this month? Share them with me! I'd love to see them! 

Until next time, thank you for reading and have a wonderful day!

My Intentions

Sorry for the lack of Monday Maidens post this past Monday, I've been slacking badly.

I've dreamed of blogging for years now, I tried, and failed, once before to start a blog. At the time, I had high hopes of having a crafting blog, as I have always loved crafts of all sorts. I had just gotten a Pinterest account and was so excited to try all the new things I had found there, I was determined to try everything at least once, so I named the blog "My Only Try" and that's pretty much where the dream fizzled. I made 3 posts. None were anything worth reading. I was so embarrassed that I didn't even tell my friends about it. Even I didn't want to read it. I kept wondering how all my planning and good intentions turned to nothing.

The dream never left. I still wanted to blog about my adventures and my life.

 Upon finding the love who I will soon call my husband, I also found my love of vintage, although it was there lingering in the shadows all along. As a kid I wanted to cross stitch with my mom rather than play video games with other kids my age (trust me, I still adore video games, and grew up on all the classics) I learned to crochet as a teen and I am still in the process of teaching myself to knit. I grew up on paint by numbers and hand made beaded Christmas ornaments. I listened to music from the 40s, 50s, and 60s, thinking that Elvis was still young and Marilyn was still alive. I watched original Twilight Zone episodes, I Love Lucy, old Loony Tunes and Yogi Bear cartoons that my parents taped off the TV for me to watch later.

 Me(in the middle) at Universal Studios Orlando in my Orchard Corset CS-411

 Around 2010 I found my love of corsets, but was extremely uneducated when it came to finding "real" corsets. I think I bought 4 plastic boned fashion corsets expecting them to work like steel boned, but at the time not knowing there was a difference. I couldn't understand why I was getting poked and pinched and why I couldn't achieve a figure like the ones I admired. Mr. Vintage helped me find more information on corsets, which led me to Lucy's Corsetry, and then to her amazing databases. My first steel boned corsets were ordered too large, because even with all the directions Lucy gave me (and the rest of the world) via her YouTube channel, I still managed to find a way to mess up the measurements. Eventually I figured it all out (wasn't THAT hard) and got myself a pinstripe Orchard Corset CS-411 that I love wearing.

My love of corsets eventually led me to a few problems, like improper fitting blue jeans, searching for the perfect bra to wear with a corset, undershirts to wear under the corset, and the fact that my wardrobe consisted of mostly men's t-shirts, women's workout pants and jeans. I started buying a lot of leggings and shirts from thrift stores that were flattering to my corseted waist. I found many vintage style dresses that I loved the style of, but weren't quite my size. The search for more dresses like these led me to websites like PUG.

When I started this blog I wanted to connect with the vintage loving community- reviewing vintage style clothes in the style that Lucy reviews corsets. I wanted to do an OOTD post as often as I could, talking about tips and tricks (vintage and not so much) that have helped me in my journey in corseting and being a housewife in a hotel suite (not an easy task!) I wanted to explore crafts and ways of getting back to simple living and spending quality time with people. I spent days trying to come up with the perfect name, I scheduled what days I would do what kinds of posts, but then when it came time to post a picture of myself, I skipped that day, because I felt self conscious. When I was supposed to post a picture of our suite room, I skipped it because it wasn't "clean enough" to post online. I have recently moved from Florida to Texas, and we are trying to replenish our savings account, so I can't go buy new outfits to review. I have one craft project, a knitted blanket, that I brought to work on during the move, and all of my other yarn, knitting needles, crochet needles, and everything else is in storage. And to top it all of, a spring steel bone poked through the bottom binding of my corset and my sewing kit is in the storage unit as well, so I can't even show you guys the (very few) outfits I have here at the hotel.

I need direction, I need things to write about, but most of all, I need to stop being so hard on myself and put a little personality into this blog. So this is my promise to you: I promise to stop letting this blog fizzle, to post the personal, even if it's dirty, and to not give up. Now you just need to promise to read it. :) Pretty please?

Monday Maidens (of Instagram)

I've rounded up five lovely ladies of Instagram for you this beautiful Texas Monday! These ladies have been my muses for the past week and inspired me daily with their posts. Here they are in no particular order:

+ Dictiocanary

I admire this adorable lady! Her self proclaimed "50s-60s art teacher" style is delightfully fun and colorful. From her cute hair to her photo bombing kitty, this doll fills my Instagram feed with joy. UPDATE: She has a brand new blog now! 

+ BristolElisabeth

This Jersey Girl's intricately put-together outfits are darling. The picture I've featured above even includes a dress made for her by her mom! She has a wonderful blog filled with beautiful photos and stories of her daily life. Her Instagram feed is all about clothes, shoes, and vintage flare. You can Color Me Bristol anytime! (I'm cheesy, I know!) 

+ Miss_Amy_May

Oh, Miss Amy May! If you haven't already heard of her, you should have! Her Instagram is packed with beautiful OOTD and if that wasn't enough, she's just started a blog too! She recently wrote a post all about Retro Clothing Brands that is a must read for any vintage beginner! This foxy girl is rocking the retro world, and I'm loving it!

+ ArielleAce

How graceful does she look!? Stunningly bright hair and on point eyebrows, this leading lady makes me swoon. An aspiring egyptologist, and a photographer! Crafty, brains, beauty, and now a new blog- this girl has it all, and she TRAVELS! Look out world!

+ MissVictoryViolet

I can't believe that Miss Pinup New Zealand 2014 is a fellow Disney geek! She already has over 10,000 Instagram followers, but I'm sure she'd love to see you added to that growing list! Her feed has tons of inspiring photos and her blog is just as good! There, she talks about everything from recipes to body confidence and reviews all kinds of great stuff. 

Well, I hope that you enjoy these charming gals as much as I do! Leave a comment to nominate someone you know to be a Monday Maiden! Until next time, have a wonderful day!

Icon: Walt Disney

Walt Disney. This name is synonymous with childrens' television, family friendly movies and theme parks around the globe, but once upon a time, it was just a man's name. There is much lore surrounding the cartoon icon- cryogenicly frozen? an anti-Semite? racist? sexist? FBI informant? Many of the rumors have been put to rest, but the whispers still linger in the interwebs of troll fanpages. This article is not a biography on his life, there are plenty of those available, but rather, my view of him as a person.

To me, Walt is a legend, stemming from a time when men set out to make a name for themselves in the world. He didn't have his success handed to him, and he definitely didn't gain it overnight. Through failed ventures and long hours, he worked hard for everything he gained, eventually partnering with his brother to make one of the most widely recognized brands in the world. He was raised in a time much different than our own, where he stood by many of the popular beliefs, including some that have caused much scandal in later years. You can look back at his cartoons and really feel the age in which they were created, no mater what year they were set. Disney's cartoons carry a timeless quality that viewers from many different generations can all relate to and enjoy.

                        

As a little girl watching Dumbo, I didn't pick up on "racist" crows that many people talk about now. I saw a story of a poor little elephant who's ears were too big and a poor mother who's friends made fun of her and her baby, to the point that she got angry enough that she acted out in order to get them to stop. I saw the little boy who's mother got taken, who was scared and alone until he found an unlikely friend that helped him find his way. I look back and remember the music, the vibrant visuals, and the overall feel of the movie made in 1941, but that was brand new to me in 1991. This, to me, sums up Disney, the filling of a 50 year gap with no seams. I watched this movie when I was only 4 years old, and my little brain could not believe that when my mom was only 4 years old, she had watched it too. 

Me and my dad at Epcot

I grew up as a Disney kid. I saw Bambi in theaters when I was only months old. My mom bought every possible Disney VHS she could get her hands on. In 1993, my parents took me to Walt Disney World in Florida, making me the happiest 5 (and a half!) year old in the world, at least in my eyes. Even at a young age, I had a thirst for random knowledge, and lucky for me, my mom was a wonderful source for me to release all my questions on and learn every random fact I could wrap my head around. It was there in the park, waiting in line to see Ariel (my favorite princess at the time), that my mom gave me the one random piece of knowledge that made me love Walt Disney, as a man, and not as a maker of all the things I love. Here is that conversation, in as much detail as I remember. 

Mom- "Hey Brandy, you know how you're adopted and me and your daddy got to pick you out all special"

Me- "Yeah" 

Mom- "Mr. Disney picked out one of his little girls too"

Me- "REALLY?!"

Mom- "Uh-huh. He and Mrs. Disney had a little girl themselves, and then they adopted another little girl"

Me- "Is she here?! Can she come play with me"

Mom- "No, she's all grown up now"

Me- "Oh, well that's okay then. Are Mr. and Mrs. Disney nice to her? Does she like her sister?

Mom- "They were very nice to her and her sister, that's why Mr. Disney made Disneyland, for them to play"

Me- "Can Daddy make me a Disneyland?"

My mom laughed and that was pretty much the end of that conversation. I never got my own Disneyland, but the idea that one of the Disney girls was adopted never left my mind. I was adopted at birth, and growing up, I always wanted to adopt a little girl of my own. Half of that stemmed from being absolutely terrified by the thought of giving birth, but half of it was because I grew up in such a great way. I know how amazing my life was thanks to me being adopted by the family that raised me, and I can only imagine the opportunities that Sharon Disney had thanks to being adopted. It's always made me respect Walt and Lillian a little more. 

Sharon and Walt Disney

Me and my Dad (Cecil) at Walt Disney World

Walt is an icon, and will be for many years to come. I just wanted to pay my respects to this honorable man.

Thanks for reading, and until next time, have a wonderful day.

Monday Maidens (of Instagram)

First ever Monday Maidens post! Get excited, because I have gathered 5 beautiful ladies with vintage flair who you should be following on Instagram. Do it. You know you want to! Here they are, in no particular order-

+ The Strawberry Bombshell

This beauty has an instagram feed full of fashion where vintage style shines through in every post. She also has a wonderfully new blog about being a "Practical Pinup" that has great fashion info from a fun and unique perspective! She's a delight to read and so easy to relate to, plus she's adorable!

+ Caroline809

This lovely lady is a fellow Disneyphile and Whovian who hails from Texas (have to show love for that, being that it's my current home!) With so much in common, I don't know how I didn't run across her sooner! She even has a blog which is full of vintage clothes, vintage movies, Disney, Doctor Who, and other random goodies that you should check out! 

+ Jennii_doll

A beautiful retro mom/wife in Arizona with an Instagram full of amazing pin-up style fashion. She even has a YouTube channel with vintage fashion, makeup, and hair tips. She's delectable and so much fun to watch! Go check out her channel and follow her!

+ Magentafan18

Sometimes you just find a beautiful diamond in the rough, and I feel like that's exactly what we've found with Magenta! This beauty only has 49 posts, but her vintage-goth style is to die for! This gorgeous gal is definitely worth following.

+ Gypsy_Firecracker 

You can't say no to a vintage gypsy! This corseted beauty is an artist with her own Etsy shop with some awesome pin-up art and much much more. She is also a Florida tattoo artist. Her instagram is speckled with vintage photos, movie screen shots, artwork and tattoos. She is a must follow!

I hope you love all of these beautiful lassies as much as I do! Until next time, have a wonderful day!

My "Suite" Life (finding a hotel)

When Mr. Vintage and I found out that we would be moving from our rented condo in Florida, to the wild unknown of Texas, we were completely lost at where to begin looking for a new home. Neither of us had even been to Texas, so we didn't know anything about the area where we were moving, and we relied heavily on my days of internet searching to try and bring together a list of places that might be somewhat suitable and in a nice part of town that would be willing to accommodate our two purr-babies, and would be in our budget. I spent a hearty amount of time on Google Maps, trying to get my senses in a city I had never been to, calculating drive times to and from Mr. Vintage's new job from each potential apartment, looking for fun things to do to keep myself busy, and trying to stay equally distanced from those as well. By the time moving day rolled around, I really felt like I had a good understanding of the area we were trekking out to.

Boy was I wrong!

Texas apartment hunting is nothing like Florida apartment hunting. Half of the places I had on my list refused to return my calls, or were already booked by the time we got out here. I saw apartments being rented the day they came on the market. Many people even suggested that if I knew I wanted a certain building, I should go ahead and put down my security deposit (non refundable, btw) in the HOPE that something comes available and that I would be on the list for it, but chances are, I would be just one person on a long list, so there was no telling how long it would take for my name to come up for an apartment. My hopes and dreams of finding our new place crumbled before we had even been here a week. During that time, we were staying at Crossland Studios. It had a small kitchen, with a full size fridge, a stove top with two burners, and a microwave, but it was costing us half of a months rent to stay there for just a week.

With Mr. Vintage working 6-7 days a week, and us sharing only one vehicle, apartment hunting became a very difficult chore. Then, Mr. and a I had a stroke of generous. All of our belongings were already in a storage unit, except for a few vintage Trojan suitcases full of clothes, and we didn't need a big place, we had already lived out of one room for almost a year before, why not just live in a hotel? Once we had this idea, we started looking at what things we didn't mind cutting out, and all of the benefits of having almost all of our bills consolidated into one payment monthly. My job was simple after that, find a hotel that met our minor demands and was in our budget, that had a monthly rate. I turned to Hotels.com, and using a coupon code, found a hotel that accepted pets ($25 pet fee per stay), had a microwave and mini-fridge, free breakfast, a gym, pool, social hour nightly (with 2 free drinks), and even a free shuttle bus to downtown, all for half of what we were paying at Crossland! We decided that although Crossland was very nice for the money, and had kitchen, that was something we didn't necessarily need right now, and the benefits of the new hotel sounded too good to pass up, plus it was closer to Mr.'s new job. InnSuites, here we come!

We have been at InnSuites for one week now, and we love it. The location is close to downtown, with all it's mom and pop stores and restaurants, as well being close to fast food, Walmart, and gas stations. We also like that we are not far from Mr.'s work (he has about a 15 minute drive). We only booked 8 days through Hotels.com, but we have found out that the price of a month long stay is highly discounted and not advertised online (and varies depending on seasonal specials) but averages around the same price as a month in a studio apartment. That rate includes electric, water, cable, and wi-fi, as well as use of the pool, spa, gym, breakfast, coffee, toiletries, weekly housekeeping, and the two drinks nightly at their social hour in PJ's Bar (their on-site bar). The lobby is open 24 hours with vending machines and extra items for sale (sun spray, popcorn, lip balm, laundry detergent, etc.). It's nice knowing there is always someone there to help you if you need it.

I will be doing another post soon with pictures and a description of my room. Until next time- Thank you for reading and have a wonderful day!

(All thoughts and reviews in this post are 100% my own. I was not paid or compensated in any way, and if I every am, I will always be upfront and honest with my readers. I am not a representative or employee of any brand listed in this post.)