Retro Play of the Week: "Timber" by Ke$ha, covered by Postmodern Jukebox

Mixing it up this week! This song is not actually from back in the day, but it sure sounds like it with this cover by Postmodern Jukebox! I positively adore this singing group. They do vintage covers of today's most popular hits, like "We Can't Stop", "Talk Dirty to Me", "Wake Me Up", and "Call Me Maybe".

However, their version of "Timber" is hands down my favorite song they cover. I could literally listen to this song all day! Enjoy!!!

Check out their YouTube channel HERE!

Want the style? Here are some similar ModCloth dresses featuring my favorite fruit, cherries!

• You Are Cherry Welcome Dress
• Pull Up a Cherry Dress in White
• Drupe Dynamics Dress

And some on Amazon!

• Dress #1
• Dress #2 (might be the actual one the singer is wearing...)
• Dress #3
• Dress #4
• Dress #5
• Dress #6
• Dress #7

Another Vintage Find!!!!

I recently went antique shopping and I found this little beauty of a necklace for just $1!!! The piece features a 1/2 inch long pale pink daisy pendant on a 16 inch gold chain. Sadly, this is the only vintage item I bought for a whole day's worth of shopping, but my new way of thinking is that I rather buy a few things I love than many things that are just average. :)

Retro Play of the Week: "You Belong to Me" by The Duprees

Getting sappy this week with the retro play... What can I say? I'm a romantic!

Now, this song was not actually written by The Duprees... They're just one of many musical artists who covered the song. According to Wikipedia, the song has been credited to three writers: Pee Wee King, Chilton Price, and Redd Stewart.

"Price, a songwriting librarian at WAVE Radio Louisville, had written the song in its virtual entirety as "Hurry Home to Me" envisioning the song as an American woman's plea to a sweetheart serving overseas in World War II."
                                                                                      -- From Wikipedia

Awwww, how precious! 


Here is a list of the most famous covers of "You Belong to Me":

• Sue Thompson (1952)
• Patti Page (1952) - Peaked at No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard charts
• Jo Stafford (1952) - According to Wikipedia, this is the most popular version of the song, reaching No. 1 on the UK charts. Not really my cup of tea though...
• Dean Martin (1952) - Peaked at No. 12 on the U.S. Billboard charts
• Patsy Cline
• Bing Crosby - This one puts me to sleep...
• Bob Dylan (1992) - Umm... NO.
• Jason Wade (2001) - I LOVE JASON WADE. His voice sounds like brown sugar and honey. For those of you who don't know, he's the lead singer, main songwriter, and guitarist of the American alternative rock band Lifehouse, which I also love!
• Tori Amos (2003) - Not my most favorite version, but I had to put it on here because it's part of the soundtrack for one of my favorite movies of all time, Mona Lisa Smile, a film about questioning traditional social roles featuring the ever so lovely Julia Roberts .

Less famous versions:

• Paul Anka
• Bruno Mars - I don't really like Bruno Mars...
• Michael Bublé - Haters gonna hate, but I really really don't like Michael Bublé...
• Rick Astley - I'm not even sure how to comprehend this... I can't believe this is a thing.
• Petula Clark
• Judy Garland
• Jerry Lee Lewis
• Johnny Mathis
• The Misfits - This version will make you weep for humanity.
• Ringo Starr
• Rod Stewart
• Gene Vincent

Which version is your favorite? Let me know!

Recent Vintage Finds!!!!

So I went vintage clothes shopping a few days ago and here's what I found...

Fab Find #1: Loose mid-thigh length blue and white pinstripe shorts. Cute, right?!

Here's a good example of how shorts like this should be styled to capture that retro look.

Taken from www.chictopia.com

Taken from www.etsy.com

And just to show you that I'm not making this stuff up, here's a pattern from the 80s featuring shorts like the ones I found. Similar, no?










Fab Find #2: Navy blue/red/white patterned scarf

Personally, I love to wear scarves as headbands, but a thin, brightly colored one like this would also look great with a blouse or if the scarf in long enough, you can even use it as a sash around your waist. 

Here's the first look that came to mind when I saw this scarf while shopping. For this vintage hairstyle and more, check out this web page! 












For other ways of how to use scarves in your hair, check out these two videos!

Taken from www.alittledashofdarling.com

This is probably my favorite way of wearing a scarf with a blouse.










Wanna learn how to tie the perfect bow? Watch this video!

Fab Find #3: Blue scarf with daisies. Because what's more vintage than daisies?

Please let me know if you have any questions or need styling advice!
I'm here for you!! ;)

Always,
Beth

Retro Play of the Week: Everybody Lay Down by Pat Benatar

So I've been super busy lately and haven't had much time to post... But I can still give you guys my Retro Play of the Week!

I recently made a Pat Benatar/Blondie driving mix and it was one of the best decisions of my life. Driving in the summer cannot get much better while listening to these songs! This particular song has a nice beat and sounds wonderful blasting from my car's speakers! Now if only I had a convertible... ;)

Here's the full tracklist for my Pat Benatar/Blondie driving mix:

1. Heartbreaker - Pat Benatar
2. Le Bel Age - Pat Benatar
3. One Way or Another - Blondie
4. Fire and Ice - Pat Benatar
5. Maria - Blondie
6. Hit Me with Your Best Shot - Pat Benatar
7. Call Me - Blondie
8. We Belong - Pat Benatar
9. Heart of Glass - Blondie
10. All Fired Up - Pat Benatar
11. Dreaming - Blondie
12. Invincible - Pat Benatar
13. Union City Blue - Blondie
14. Ooh Ooh Song - Pat Benatar
15. Sunday Girl - Blondie
16. Treat Me Right - Pat Benatar
17. Shadows of the Night - Pat Benatar
18. Hanging on the Telephone - Blondie
19. We Live for Love - Pat Benatar
20. Love Is a Battlefield - Pat Benatar
21. Everybody Lay Down - Pat Benatar

Retro Play of the Week: Sugar Town by Nancy Sinatra

So in honor of "Throwback Thursday" and because I used to have an oldies radio show on Thursdays, I thought I'd post one of my favorite retro songs every week!

This song seems to always be stuck in my head, especially when the weather is nice. I think it's just perfect for summer driving!

AND... There's a fabulous cover by Zooey Deschanel!!!

Vintage Sneakers

For those who know me, you know I'm a Keds girl all the way. No Converse. No Vans. Just Keds. They're super comfortable and of course, adorable! Keds has been around since 1916 and with such a classic look, they've never gone out of style!

Here's a pair of beautiful teal Keds from the 1960s being sold on Etsy for $48.

My grandma actually had sneakers quite similar to these that she handed-down to me, but alas, my feet are too big. Knowing this, I've been looking for something similar for quite some time now. 


However, Keds today can be rather expensive... Just your basic Keds (Champion Originals) will cost you $45 I'm afraid.

Example of the modern-day classic Ked.
Taken from www.keds.com.

But... there's good news! I just got this pair of adorable retro-style white sneakers at Walmart for $5.97. That's right! Just $5.97!!! Can you believe it?! Compared with the similar sneakers shown above, I think I got a pretty good bargain.

Just to compare the two brands...

• Both don't have arch support so if you have high arches like myself, either way, you're going to need an insert if you plan on wearing the shoes for an extended period of time.

• The basic Keds come in five colors (Red, Navy, Stone, Black and White); the Walmart brand comes in three colors, at least that's what was available in the store where I bought them (Pink, Denim, and White). At Walmart.com, however, it seems you can only get pink.

• The Keds come in half sizes, with sizes ranging from 4 to 13. The Walmart brand only comes in whole sizes, ranging from size 6 through 11. Both are available in wide width.

• I can't speak much on quality because I just got the shoes so I don't know how durable they are. I can tell you that with regular wear, the pair of Keds I do own lasts about a year (I have bought roughly the same design of Keds every year and they each prove to last about a year).

My advice??? If you're looking for a quality shoe in a specific size and have expendable income, go with the Keds. If you're just looking for some cheap retro-style sneakers to capture the vintage look, go with the ones from Walmart. 

The Great & Powerful Flexi Hair Clip

So I went to a craft show two days ago where I signed up to become a Lilla Rose consultant! Lilla Rose specializes in hair accessories, in particular an item called a Flexi Hair Clip. It's basically a hair clip that comes in different sizes and is flexible enough to accommodate any length and type of hair.

This is the one that I got...

As you can see, it certainly has a vintage look to it AND can be used in vintage hair-styling. For example, I did this hairstyle not too long ago and a Flexi Hair Clip would have been perfect to use in place of the bows! I didn't quite have anything that would hold so I ended up using a gazillion bobby pins which wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world...

There are dozens of hair styles that can be accomplished using Flexi Hair Clips, everything from the very simple to slightly more intricate.

Here's an example of how to secure a french twist in a matter of seconds! And let me tell you, I attempted to do a french twist for my Audrey Hepburn Halloween costume you'll see on my "About Me" page, and using a Flexi Hair Clip would have been much easier than once again, using an absurd amount of bobby pins.

Watch the video HERE!

Taken from www.sarahsheartshome.com

And for the 11 percent of the population that is left-handed like myself, you can even have the Flexi Hair Clips that dangle and have to go a certain way made for left-handed use!

And if you order online and then need a different size or maybe the item just isn't for you, then you can return the item within 30 days from the date of purchase for a full refund. You can also exchange an item within 90 days from the date of purchase and it's one year for defective items.

Just check out my store at www.lillarose.biz/bethk and happy shopping! Also, let me know if you have any interest in becoming a Lilla Rose consultant as well!

I'll be sure to keep you guys updated on all the different styles I try using my Flexi Hair Clip!

Happy Birthday, Miss Audrey!

Today would have been Audrey Hepburn's 85th birthday!

Taken from www.google.com

New Tires!!!!

I picked up my beautiful vintage bicycle from the local bike shop today after dropping her off yesterday to have new tires put on! Doesn't she look snazzy?

Zooey (I named my bike after Zooey Deschanel ;p) is a gorgeous Columbia Sterling that I got at a thrift store near Malvern, Ohio. The owner of the thrift store told me that this bike used to be his, even though it is a "girls" bicycle, at least according to the fact that it has a step-through frame which in the olden days would accommodate skirts and dresses.

The bike shop owner informed me that Zooey is from either the '60s or '70s and that depending on condition, can be worth anywhere from $700-$1,400. Apparently, I struck gold because I only paid 20 bucks for this beauty! And to think that the thrift store owner's mother was just going to throw her away...

Overall, I invested less than $100 into this bike.
Here's the breakdown:

Bicycle & basket: $20
Seat: $20
New tires & labor: $36
Bell: $3
Light: $2
Zip ties (for the basket): $2

TOTAL = $83.00
(Not too bad for a genuine vintage bicycle!)


Looking to get a vintage bike???

Here are some tips:

• Check out local thrift stores, especially ones that are small and don't have a lot of room for large items. Stores like this want to keep floor room available for highly desirable items that can bring in quite the profit, like furniture and large electronics.

• Don't forget about garage/yard/moving sales. These people are usually pretty desperate to get rid of their unwanted items. Be sure to go in the last hour of the last day of the sale. Sure, you risk losing your potential purchase to another buyer, but if the coveted item is still there, the seller will be extremely desperate to get rid of unsold items.

• Customize, customize, customize! When I bought my bike, the thrift store owner had put on a $20 modern-looking seat to try to make a quick sale. The seat didn't really match the style of the bike so I asked the store owner if I could get the bike without the seat. Not only was $20 for the bike (as opposed to $40 with the new seat) more affordable for me, but I was then able to find a seat that more closely matched the bike. When customizing your bike with accessories, go to local bike shops first before checking out the chain retailers. These specialty stores often offer a much greater selection than chain stores and the prices are usually pretty competitive.

• To get the bike home in one piece, if you purchase the bike out of town somewhere or if it is not in the condition to ride home, be sure you have a reliable method of transporting the bike BEFORE you buy it. I almost made this mistake as I eventually shoved my bike into my boyfriend's car, after of course severely scratching the inside of his new car as well as breaking one of the reflectors off of my bike...

• If buying the bike online, don't be afraid to ask the seller questions or ask to see additional photos of the bicycle. Also, take into account any shipping costs and policies. Sometimes the seller requires that you pick up the bike in person so make sure it's a doable drive. NEVER buy from a seller with a bad reputation or someone who isn't willing to help you.

• And of course, never be afraid to negotiate!

Cleaning Your Vintage Bike

Now, Zooey wasn't that shiny when I first got her. It took a lot of work from my wonderful boyfriend to remove all the rust to get my bicycle to look almost new. 

Tools Used:

• Wire Wheel Brush - The handlebars were covered in extremely deep-set rust and required the use of a wire wheel brush on a drill to remove the rust.
• Get a 6 piece set for $3.99 HERE!

• Aluminum Foil - Believe it or not, aluminum foil works great in gently removing rust from objects. We used this method on the foot pedals and the wheel rims. Simply form a piece of it into a ball and scrub away!

Rosie the Riveter

Taken from www.npr.org/blogs

Ever since her debut during World War II, "Rosie the Riveter" is now a cultural icon of the United States and is often used to represent feminism. As the passionate feminist I am, naturally, I adore the "Rosie the Riveter" concept, and I refer to it as a concept because there wasn't actually a single "Rosie" that became the famous icon. What we know today as "Rosie the Riveter" is actually a mix of a few different Rosies and that famous poster (that's right! this one...) that together formed the concept of an empowered female factory worker.


News:

• Rosie The Riveter's World War II-Era Plant Saved (May 1, 2014)
• Michigan Woman Who Inspired WWII 'Rosie' Poster Has Died (December 30, 2010)
• Listen to the story here

Capture the iconic look with these tutorials!

• Hair (I really like this woman's tutorials! This is more of a play on the classic look.)
• Makeup