Old Fashioned Beauty Treatments:

Beauty is as much about indulging ourselves, relaxing and being in the moment as it is about products and expense. True beauty is brought out by the inner peace we discover when we take a moment out of the everyday to restore our bodies as well as our souls. Below are some lovely little natural indulgences to bring out the beauty in you - body and soul. They use nothing but natural ingredients, are cheap, effective and have been used by generations of beautiful women. Ahhhhh....perfect for body and soul rejouvination on these chilly winter evenings....

Tip one:  A cup full of powdered milk in your warm winter bath will give you all the benifits of lactic acid in milk - remember cleopatra !! Dont forget to add candles, essential oil and a good book for the appropriate amount of relaxation !!

Tip Two: Use 1/2 cup of olive oil with two tablespoons of honey to create a luxurious hair mask. Heat the ingredients on low (dont let it get toooooo hot), add a drop of essential oil for fragrence and apply to your hair. Cover with foil or plastic wrap and relax with a great vintage magazine and a cup of your favourite hot tipple for 20 minutes. Wash your hair with your usual products afterwoods.

Tip Three: Combine two tablespoons of olive oil, honey and one egg yolk and pat liberally all over your face for a super moisturising face mask. Relax for 20 minutes listening to your favourite peacful music (I can reccomend Barbara Lynn, Norah Jones or Alison Krause) then rinse with warm water.

Tip Four: "Some say that a face pack acts on the complexion like a glass of champagne on the spirits!" Mash a quantity of strawberrys then liberally apply to your face and neck, cover your eyes with circles of cucumber, and relax to romantic music (I reccomend the 'Amelie' soundtrack, or one of ABC classical FM's 'Swoon' CD's) for a good 15 minutes. Rinse your face with luke warm water and dry.

Tip Five: Facial Steaming for clear luminous skin. Use this remedy to moisturise your skin if it has become chapped and wind bitten by our cold winter days. Use chopped orange blossom, marigold or crushed fennel in 5 cups of boiling water. Cover your head with a towl, close your eyes and place your face over the mixture, let the steam circulate for 5 minutes while you take the oportunity to meditate on the beautiful things in your life, the amazing qualities you posess and the wonderful feeling of moist air against your skin. Rinse your face with warm water, dry and use your favourite mositurising cream to finish.

So ladies (and men who are so inclined !!) you now have my permission to indulge yourself whenever possible - not that you need my permission to do so of course !! Just make sure you take time out to relax and de-stress from the pressures of life - a little beauty indulgence once a week is not a luxury, but a nesessity for every hard working modern woman with old fashioned glamour in her heart !

 

Get thyself to Greazefest !

You honestly dont want to miss this event if possible - the bands, the fashion, the cars, the art, the stalls....its getting bigger every year and its just plain fun fun fun !! Do all that you can to get there !!

Quote of the month - July 2010

Zsa Zsa Gabor was famously married 9 times, so I will leave it up to you to decide upon her authority to make the following quote.... it is a quote I totally love.....something I feel is very insightful, and very true !

"Men fall in love with their eyes, women fall in love with their ears"

Zsa Zsa Gabor was an actress with an amazing body of work in both film, television and the theater, possessive of the wonderful ability to have a laugh at herself - shown when she cameoed in the Naked Gun comedy's, 'taking the mickey' out of herself over an incident where she slapped a police officer.

Unfortunatly she is recognised as much for her marriages as she is for her acting, the details of which appear below (from Wikipedia)

Gabor has been married nine times. She was divorced seven times, and one marriage was annulled. Her husbands, in chronological order, are:

Burhan Asaf Belge (1937–1941) (divorced)

Conrad Hilton (April 10, 1942–1947) (divorced)

George Sanders (April 2, 1949 – April 2, 1954) (divorced)

Herbert Hutner (November 5, 1962 – March 3, 1966) (divorced)

Joshua S. Cosden, Jr. (March 9, 1966 – October 18, 1967) (divorced)

Jack Ryan (January 21, 1975 – August 24, 1976) (divorced)

Michael O'Hara (August 27, 1976–1983) (divorced)

Felipe de Alba (April 13, 1983 – April 14, 1983) (annulled)

Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt (August 14, 1986 to present)

Due to her high number of divorces, she once claimed that she was a good housekeeper because every time she divorced, she kept the house.

In 1974, she purchased a two-story Bel Air home from Elvis Presley. It was built by Howard Hughes and featured an eccentric-looking French roof.

Zsa Zsa was the only Gabor sister to bear a child, Francesca Hilton, (born March 10, 1947). According to Gabor's 1991 autobiography One Lifetime Is Not Enough, her pregnancy resulted from rape by then-husband Conrad Hilton.

In 2005, Gabor accused her daughter Francesca of larceny and fraud, alleging that she had forged her signature to get a $2 million loan on her mother's Bel Air house, and filed a lawsuit against Francesca in a California court. However the Santa Monica Superior Court threw out the case due to Zsa Zsa Gabor's refusal to appear in court or to sign an affidavit that she indeed was a co-plaintiff on the original law suit filed by Fredrick von Anhalt.

Filmography

Lovely to Look At (LeRoy, 1952)

We're Not Married (Goulding, 1952)

Moulin Rouge (Huston, 1952)

The Million Dollar Nickel (1952) (short subject)

The Story of Three Loves (Minnelli, 1953)

Lili (Walters, 1953)

L'ennemi public no.1 ("The Most Wanted Man") (Verneuil, 1953)

Sangre y luces ("Love in a Hot Climate") (Rouquier/Suey, 1954)

Ball der Nationen ("Ball of the Nations") (Ritter, 1954)

3 Ring Circus (Pevney, 1954)

Death of a Scoundrel (Martin, 1956)

The Girl in the Kremlin (Birdwell, 1957)

The Man Who Wouldn't Talk (Wilcox, 1958)

Country Music Holiday (Ganzer, 1958)

Touch of Evil (Welles, 1958) (as a "guest star")

Queen of Outer Space (Bernds, 1958)

For the First Time (Maté, 1959)

La contessa azzurra ("The Blue Countess") (Gora, 1960)

Pepe (Sidney, 1960) (Cameo)

Lykke og krone (Helander/Sælen, 1962) (documentary)

The Road to Hong Kong (Panama, 1962) (unbilled cameo)

Boys' Night Out (Gordon, 1962)

Picture Mommy Dead (Gordon, 1966)

Drop Dead Darling (1966)

Arrivederci, Baby! (Hughes, 1966)

Jack of Diamonds (Taylor, 1967) (cameo)

Up the Front (Kellett, 1972)

Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (Winner, 1976)

Every Girl Should Have One (Hyatt, 1978)

Frankenstein's Great Aunt Tillie (Gold, 1984)

Charlie Barnett's Terms of Enrollment (1986)

Smart Alec (Wilson, 1986)

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (Russell, 1987) (cameo)

Johann Strauß: Der König ohne Krone ("Johann Strauss: The King Without a Crown") (Antel, 1987)

"The People vs. Zsa Zsa Gabor" (1991) (documentary)

The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (Zucker, 1991) (cameo)

The Naked Truth (Mastorakis, 1992)

Est & Ouest: Les paradis perdus ("East & West: Paradises Lost") (Rival, 1993)

Happily Ever After (Blossom, 1993) (voice only)

The Beverly Hillbillies (Spheeris, 1993) (cameo)

A Very Brady Sequel (Sanford, 1996) (cameo)

"The Gabors: Fame, Fortune and Romance" (2000) (documentary)

 

Television

The Red Skelton Show (1955), as Movie Star

Climax! (1955), as Mme. Florizel, Princess Stephanie

The Milton Berle Show (1956)

Sneak Preview (1956)

The Ford Television Theatre (1956), as Dara Szabo

General Electric Theater (1956–1961), as Gloria

Matinee Theatre (1956–1958), as Eugenia

The Life of Riley (1957), as Gigi

Playhouse 90 (1957), as Erika Segnitz, Marta Lorenz

Shower of Stars (1958)

Lux Playhouse (1959), as Helen

Ninotchka (1960)

Make Room for Daddy (1960), as Lisa Laslow

Mr. Ed (1962), as herself

The Dick Powell Show (1963), Girl

Burke's Law (1963–1964), as Anna, the Maid

Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (1965), Pilot

Gilligan's Island (1965), as Erika Tiffany Smith

Alice in Wonderland or What's a Nice Kid Like You Doing in a Place Like This? (1966), as The Queen of Hearts (voice)

The Rounders (1966), as Ilona Hobson in "The Scavenger Hunt"

F Troop (1966), as Marika

Bonanza (1967), as Madame Marova

My Three Sons (1968), as herself

Rowan and Martin's Laugh In (1968), as herself

The Name of the Game (1968), as Mira Retzyk

Batman (1968), as Minerva

Bracken's World (1969), Cameo

Mooch Goes to Hollywood (1971), as Narrator

Night Gallery (1971), as Mrs. Moore

Let's Make a Deal (1976) (playing for a home viewer)

3 Girls 3 (1977)

Supertrain (1979), as Audrey

The Love Boat (1980), as Annette

Hollywood, ich komme (1980), as Stargast

The Facts of Life (1981), as world-renowned beautician Countess Calvet

As the World Turns (cast member in 1981), as Lydia Marlowe

Matt Houston (1983)

California Girls (1985)

Charlie Barnett's Terms of Enrollment (1986)

Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special (1988)

It's Garry Shandling's Show as goddess of comittment (1989)

City (1990), as Babette Croquette

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1991), as Sonya Lamor

The Late Show with David Letterman (1994), as herself in a sketch

 

Vintage Movie Club - July 2010

Our movie for the month of July is set in England during World War II. Memphis Belle was filmed in 1990 and stars Mathew Modine, Eric Stoltz, Billy Zane, Harry Connick Jnr, Sean Astin, DB Sweeny, Tate Donovan, Reed Diamond and Courtney Gains - as you can see there is barely a woman in this film ! None the less I have always found this film extremely romantic, in a strangely quintoxic, heroic sense of the word. There is great poetry in the film ( both literally - WB Yates - and figuratively) with many little story lines running through the bigger epic of a B17 Bombing Crew setting out upon their final mission. The charactors are quite compelling and the companionship element of the film is also quite endearing. The outstanding feature of the film that I particularly enjoy is the music - when the entire crew sings "Amazing Grace" in harmony it is soooo uplifting. We also enjoy Harry Connick Jnr singing a hot version of Danny Boy, and the orchestral music throughout the film is nothing short of emotionally inspiring..... so much so that I chose to walk down the isle to the dramatic soundtrack theme song "Danny Boy" (also a classic hymn called 'I cannot tell').

So please join us on the 15 July for a great flick  - and dont forget to leave your thoughts and 'movie reviews' afterwoods !!

Quote of the month - June 2010

I adore Bop Hope - always have. Those "Road" films used to irritate me immensely....I mean, they were great films and all, but I totally hated how Bob never got the girl in the end. I would have gone off with you Bob, and left Bing standing there instead ! (I always preferred the  'class clown' to any 'stud muffin' - gosh, that term is showing my age !!!)

In tribute to one of the funniest of funny men, here are some of Bob Hopes clever one liners - I hope they leave a smile on your face today !!

"I've got to watch myself these days. It's too exciting watching anyone else." - At the age of 91.

"People who throw kisses are hopelessly lazy."

"Lots of travel, away from home." - Explaining his long and happy marriage.

"Middle age is when your age starts to show around your middle."

"A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don't need it."

"A James Cagney love scene is one where he lets the other guy live."

"I see the Beatles have arrived from England. They were 40 pounds overweight - and that was just their hair." - in 1964.

"I grew up with six brothers. That's how I learned to dance: waiting for the bathroom."

"She said she was approaching 40 and I couldn't help wondering from what direction."

"If you haven't any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble."

"You know you are getting old when the candles cost more than the cake."

( Bob with Jane Russell )

Living Dolls - Miss July 2010

Well, it is my birthday this month, so I thought it was a good oportunity to nab the Miss July title for myself !! Dont think me conceited or anything, as I mingle in various vintage circles people are always surprised to find out that I am 'Alice Jean's', so I thought it might be somewhat helpful to share a little about myself here, so that people know me and can say 'hi' when they meet me ( I am also partial to hugs and kisses !!!)........ (my apologies to those who read part of this interview on Queens of Vintage not long ago.....)

What does 'vintage' mean to you?

Anything pre 1965

What was it that first prompted your interest in vintage culture?

As far as the 1950's goes, I have always loved the joyfulness and sentimentality of the music (brings back memories of growing up listening to my Nanna and Dad's records) but the clincher was undoubtedly at a girlfriends sleepover in grade 5 when we watched 'Back to The Future'....all I wanted to do was go back in time. One of the best movies ever, fanciful though it may be. I also grew up on vintage movie matinees and fell in love with all the sophistication, beauty and glamour there.....I guess my 1950's influences are many and varied, but they were all something I could identify with !

I also became OBSESSED with Anne of Green Gables (different era I know, but still vintage!!!) throughout my teenage years and completely felt like I had been born in the wrong decade. I yearned for the romance and culture of community that is so vividly depicted in the books. I guess those books had a big impact upon my love of history and historic culture too.

What is your favourite era, and do you 'live it' every day? In what ways?

I live the 1950's every day as much as I am able. I dress and do my hair up in an attempt at the glamorous 'Betty Draper' housewife look....I do have some concessions to modernity – my dishwasher and clothes washer, good heating and air-conditioning, computer and a comfortable 'everyday' car. But pretty much all the visual aesthetics are 1950's. Also aesthetically speaking, the 1950's would have to be my favourite era (although I love history in any form) – 50's clothing was so feminine and pretty, men were suave, cars were the last word in glamour and style, furniture was becoming streamlined and practical yet there was still room for rose strewn carpet ! Having said all that, I am so thankful I live today when not only can I dress and be anything from any era I want, but I also have modern freedoms, equality, choices and advantages.

Tell us about your favourite item of vintage clothing, kitchenalia, music, furniture or whatever !

Being an utterly sentimental girl, my favourite vintage items usually have some story to tell – my 1960's Beatles apron almost identical to the one worn by my Nanna, a roses print that belonged to my Nanna, two authentic vintage dresses given to my husband (but for me!!) by one of his many fans. A cute black velvet hat that belonged to my Grandma, and my collection of vintage magazines and dress patterns for oodles of inspiration ! Oooh yeah – and my 1951 Pontiac Cheifton convertible – my dream car !

Can you share with us why vintage culture continues to hold such appeal for you?

I love the whole culture – the feeling of belonging I get amongst like minded people who value history, creativity, artistry and beautiful aesthetics in life. It really is a wonderful community to be a part of – and the people I have met (and continue to meet) are all so warm and are being genuinely true to themselves, something I find completely inspiring ! After all, culture is nothing without kindred spirits to share it with.

Do you have any tips for anyone starting out in the vintage scene?

Be brave ! Dont be sacred to walk down the street dressed to the nines every day – people are more likely to compliment you than otherwise. Put simply, be true to yourself and what you love....it really is so much more fulfilling to know what you like and stick to it than to be a slave to ever changing, fickle fashion ! 

Make sure you get out there and meet other vintage loving people however you can – at dances, gigs, markets, seminars etc. (I highly recommend one of the Lindy Charm School For Girls sessions as a great and fun way to meet others.)

Dont neglect hair and make up - a vintage look is as much, if not mostly, about your hair and make up really....it's no good wearing a classic dress with Jennifer Anniston hair...I'm afriad it just doesnt work if you are aiming for that complete vintage look. If your aim is to look vintage with a modern twist, then that's ok ! Search out womens hairstyles and make up you admire and learn to emulate their 'do'. Once again, the Lindy Charm Girls can be a wonderful help.

 Lastly, if I ever hear a woman tell me again that she would love to dress like me but doesn't have the figure for it, I will scream ! 50's fashion is soooo flattering to all figure types, big curvy girls look totally awesome in rockabilly/vintage frocks – ever so much more so than tracky dacks and hoodies ! (Just keep away from gathered waists and circle skirts with boofy blouses !!)

Now is your chance to provide us with an overview of who you are and what you do. Tell my readers as much or as little as you like !!!!

I am a stay at home Mum to three extremely busy little people, and wife to a very talented performer and all round great guy! I run this wonderful blogsite (named for my grandmothers) which I am totally addicted to doing, am studying my Masters degree in Community Planning and Development, and do the occasional garden design for my little hobby business, Eden Design. I also love to sing and perform, discover 'new' old music, garden, sew, laugh, dream and see my dreams fulfilled !

Finally, what or who inspires you and why?

I have already mentioned it, but people who are true to themselves, regardless of what others may think.

People who are creative, people who help others achieve their dreams, people with sensitive, caring, generous souls.

For her beauty, Grace Kelly

 for her gorgeous heart, Audrey Hepburn

for her vivacity and spirit, Katherine Hepburn

for his integrity Jimmy Stewart

for his class Gregory Peck

for his talent and achievement, Buddy Holly

Vintage Swimsuit Parade

I simply couldnt resist but post a couple of links to the wonderful Vintage Swimsuit parade at Wintersun 2010 - for those who follow my blog but are not on facebook.......

Please enjoy all my adorable fellow swimsuit models and I demonstrating how divine a vintage swimsuit can be !

My Stunning Blue Swimsuit ( my favourite !)

Cute 'Ray of Sunshine' swimsuit

The 'Lucky Duck' Bikini

The Official Wintersun 2010 Vintage Swimsuit Parade

Vintage Art - Shag

Dont you just love creativity? I love it when people take something and put a new spin on it, or do something with new flare, new life.......

"Originality is not doing something no one else has ever done,

But doing what has been done countless times with new life, new breath"

 

And this pretty much sums up the art of Josh Agle aka Shag. To me there is something indefinably familiar about his works, yet they are fresh and captivating every time I see them.

 

Full of colour, mood, depth and frequently with a sense of humour or statement to make. They take my breath away. Women are sophisticated, men are suave, surroundings are usually lavish and sumptuous....it is all like some early James Bond film.

 

I have my dear friends Travis and Belinda to thank for introducing me to his very 1960's 'lounge culture'  and Tiki style work. As Josh says....

 

 

"Most of my paintings are set in the middle of a story or situation - charactors are interacting and reacting to each other and to outside events"

 

 

This makes his works full of life and activity. If these works captivate you as they do me, they can be purchased online at numerous galleries, but the best online site to go is Shag's own home page.

 

Scotty Baker - Wintersun Performances

Our wonderful friends Paul and Marilyn have very kindly posted Scottys wintersun performances on Youtube, and I would like to share them with you all here - being the proud wife that I am...........

The Day the Martians Came to Town


Doin time on the Passanger Side


Jackie and Dave

Gonna Move to The City

Autumn Dresses........

I know we are in winter in the Southern Hemisphere, but I wanted to share with you my dress creations of the Autumn just gone (and a couple of my 'masterpeices' out of my wardrobe that I havent presented here before too !!!)......

My Jackie Kennedy inspired winter suit - I even have a pillbox hat to go with it !! :o) (Should have ironed that crease out before I photographed it !!!)

I adore this fabric - my favorite shade of green !! I also like the almost oriental touch to the print too, instead of my usual english roses tendancy !

I was blessed to be given this fabric by a girlfriend who was cleaning out her mothers cupboards - itsnt it pretty !!

All made from vintage patterns.....I am starting to get a little more adventurous with my sewing attempts, particularly as I attempt winter clothing instead of pretty cotton summer dresses.....

Aunty Rhonda's 'Birchip' Sponge

When I was a little girl in the early 80's, my Aunty Rhonda lived in the little township of Birchip in Victoria's Western District. While there, Aunty Rhonda happened across an amazing 'no fail' sponge recipe, which I have called "The Birchip Sponge".......

I have never attempted a sponge before, feeling that it may have been somewhat out of my league, however, after getting this recipe off Aunty Rhonda, I decided to just jump in the deep end and give it a go - after all, you cant be a 50's housewife without being able to make a sponge cake !!! And the results were quite surprisingly good.......

I ended up making four sponges for a community event I catered for - and to my surprise, there wasn't a single piece left over !! I guess they must have tasted quite alright !!

Birchip Sponge

4 eggs - seperated

3/4 cup cornflour

1 teaspoon cream of tarta

3/4 cup castor sugar

1 tablespoon custard powder

1/2 teaspoon bi-carb soda

Beat egg whites with a dash of salt.

Add sugar slowly as you go.

Add egg yolks one at a time.

Sift dry ingredients, then fold in with a wooden spoon.

Bake in a moderate oven (180 degrees) for 20-25 minutes.

Too easy !!!

I made two sponges and sandwhiched them together with jam and whipped chantilly cream (cream beaten with icing sugar and vanilla), and iced the cake with my favourite passionfruit icing (icing sugar mixed with the pulp of two passionfruit). Delicious !

Wintersun Review

Oh boo hoo !!! It's over again for another year !! 360 sleeps till the next Wintersun !! But what a wonderful time it was in 2010!! Here is my 'review' for this year - but remember, this is just my opinion....would love to hear what you thought too !!

Best Band

This was a toughie ! There were three bands that I simply couldnt decide between for second place, so I have given them all second place billing !!

Equal Second Place Favorite - the much adored Rechords from Melbourne !! Hubba Hubba guys !! Keep those terrific original tunes, fabulous harmonies and Leo's great yodelling coming !

Equal Second Place Favorite - The wonderful Bellfuries from Texas...oh Joey, your voice is amazing especially when you sing Sam Cooke !

Equal Second Place Favorite - Hank and the Cosmonauts who kept us dancing on the final night of wintersun...... such great stage presence and songs....my kiddies sing "King Kong" all the time - we love you Hank !

Best Band at Wintersun 2010 - Men Into Space. Oh you guys are not only hilarious, quirky and talented, but you look hot in your space suits !! Love your music, love the quirky 50's space spin on what you do, and love your special guest alien !! I will be shakin my ass-teriod to all your tunes as soon as you get a CD out !!!

Best Solo Performer

Ok, so I am biased in my choice of favorite solo performers, but I am also honest, which is why....

Best Solo Performer Equal Second Place - is my hubby, Scotty Baker!! I was as proud as punch of Scottys performances at the Rockabilly Headquarters and on Sunday morning on the Press-tone Stage in the street - I think he melted a few ladies hearts, including my own !!!

Best Solo Performer Equal Second Place - Danny and the Cosmic Tremors were simply fantastic on Saturday night. I was particularly moved by Danny giving the background to a couple of his songs - it made them so meaningful and utterly beautiful - Danny, not only are you a wonderful performer, but a great songwriting poet too !

Best Solo Performer - I dont think there are any ladies out there who would argue with me putting Nick Willet in this spot !! We were all eating out of his hand - what a talent, what a voice, what a honey ! The fact that Scotty agrees with me on this also puts my mind at ease !!!! (Pictured above with the adorable Carly and enchanting Candice)

Best Event

Best Event Second Place - Was undoubtedly the fantastic cake bake off !! What a sensational idea this was - to bake a cake and present it in best 50's flair !! Here are a couple of photographs from the delightful event, and I am looking forward to seeing this again at Wintersun 2011 !! Yum !!

Third place getter Vicki Martin with her lime green marshmellow cake !

Best Event - The fantastic Circa Vintage swimsuit parade ! Held on both Saturday and Sunday afternoons, this event drew huge crowds and was informative and entertaining - for both participants and viewers alike ! Gorgeous costumes, stunning models, a wonderful compare, beautiful dressing assistants backstage and co-ordinated by the ever stylish and lovely Nicole Jenkins of Circa Vintage. What an amazing job Nicole did of orchastrating this event, providing the swimwear and props, fitting the models, detailing the informative narration, and ensuring everything ran smoothly on the day! Bravo to you Nicole - this event was a HUGE (and extreemly fun!) sucess !!

         

Best Dressed Gals

So sorry people - this catagory is totally impossible to give a winner or place getters to - the calibre was so very outstanding !! I am just going to post photographs of how totally stunning the girls looked all wintersun long...........

  

Best Dressed Guys

And ditto for these most handsome, suave and sophisticated of men.....

So as you can see, Wintersun 2010 was totally fantastic in every aspect ! A big thankyou to those who have allowed me the use of their photos here - Vicki, Danny and Clare, Jodie, Candice, Robyn and Nicole. We are looking forward to next year and counting the sleeps already !!! Till then, hope to see you all at Greazefest in August !