Wishful Wednesday!

Good day dolls!  I apologize for the lack of blogging, summer has me hopping.  Coming soon I have tons more product reviews, new collaborations and my very first giveaway so big things are coming!!  Don't miss out!

This week's Wishful Wednesday is celebrating the release of the new Curvy Kitten line of plus pinup style fashion from SWAK designs.  I have been a huge fan of SWAK for several years and own two of their dresses, I find their clothing to be high quality with great fit and styling!  The Peggy Sweetheart Dress in Blue Astro is my personal favorite!  I love the fun print, winged bust and retro style of this dress.  I would wear this Banned petticoat in red underneath, although it is a great style with or without the extra fluff of a petti.

Lola Ramona shoes are designed to be a small piece of art you can carry on your feet.  Each of their designs are thoroughly analysed and developed ideas, guaranteeing your feet good support.  They are on a mission to find the inner shoe diva in each of us.  I would love to pair the Angie Heels with this dress, Angie is a sailor style platform heel with a Red bow accents.  A perfect match and super adorable styling, the Angie is a great shoe to add to a variety of outfits as a statement piece. 

I believe that hair accessories should be fun and unique that's why I fell in love with Crown and Glory.  They offer a beautiful selection of interesting hair accessories to top off every style in a whimsical way.  I would wear the Whole Lotta Rosie headband in my hair.  The 8 realistic, foam roses in Ocean hues sit on a silvertone base, ready for easy everyday wear.

To top off this ensemble I chose the uber girly Doily Necklace from Sugar & Vice.  Sugar & Vice offers jewellery made from plastic and metal charms and reclaimed, upcycled items; affordable pieces for a fun-loving crowd.  This Doily Necklace is a huge 5 inch statement piece made from laser cut opal acrylic and hangs from a chunky plated chain. Doilies are a pretty vintage touch that remind me of my Grandmother.  It is a great finishing touch for any outfit!

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Vivien of Holloway Grace review and photoshoot fun with Put A Smile In It Photography!!

Blogging has been such an amazing journey.  I've been so blessed to meet amazing people from all over the world and have discovered so many beautiful vintage style brands that cater to all sizes, the retro loving community is at the forefront of the body positivity movement, embracing that people of all sizes should be able to wear fashionable clothing.  Style has no size!   I feel humbled and extremely flattered to be able to share this journey with you, to get to know new people, each new friend opens up a new universe of personality and possibility in your life.  I've struggled my entire life with self worth, believing for so long the lie that attaining a certain size instantly equaled beauty and peace.  Your worth is defined by so much more than your size, age, race, sexual preference, gender identity, personality or anything else that we are told we should change to make us suddenly desirable or accepted.  I've found peace after years of pain not through weight loss, diets, self help books or self critical words but through each and every person I've been blessed to meet.  By building one another up we not only bless others but we also heal ourselves, so I want to thank each and everyone of you for your kind words and all of your support!

  I'm so thrilled to have my first blog collaboration with the incomparable Vivien of Holloway.

  Vivien of Holloway has an amazing selection of vintage style clothing from high fashion dresses to trousers and crop tops, everything to outfit the fashionable vintage girl.  I'm smitten!!

I was sent the Grace dress with Silver lace bust to wear and review.  What a classy, sophisticated design!  Timeless styling and curve hugging lines.  I am wearing a UK size 22 and I found the measurements to be just as stated, it fits beautifully.  The wrap top flatters my bust without being too revealing, the dress nips in to accentuate at the waist and flares out into an enormous circle skirt but does not overwhelm my frame, some dresses can as a petite women.  I wore a 120 yard petticoat underneath for volume but the skirt drapes in lovely fashion even without a petticoat.  I would love to wear two petticoats under this dress to emphasize the gorgeous circle skirt plus it would be fun to play with bright colors under the monochromatic dress.  The cotton sateen material is heavy with just enough stretch to make the garment fit beautifully but comfortably.  The silver lace bodice is a lovely floral pattern that sets off the deep black perfectly.  I felt like a princess in this dress.  I cannot wait to wear it to my first Michigan Pinups for Patriots veterans gala event.  Grace is perfect for events where you need to look glamorous but also need to be comfortable and functional.  Perfect for the hostess of a black tie gala or a casual garden party, Grace comes in a large variety of colors and patterns making it the perfect dress, I want to own it in multiple colorways. 

 I had so much fun shooting with Put A Smile In It Photography in their fabulous vintage living room set. Dress: Grace in silver lace bust courtesy of Vivien of Holloway, Makeup and hair by Kara Summers.

I apologize for the lack of Wishful Wednesday blog yesterday and rest assured it will be back next week!  I was busy traveling and enjoying a fun retro styled shoot with Brandy at Put A Smile In It Photography, it was a phenomenal day!!  Located in Jackson, Michigan, Put A Smile In It is a labor of pinup love.  Owner Brandy Chase has a passion for vintage style, she has done pinup modeling in front of the camera as well, so she has a model's experience to go with her incredible photographic eye this makes for a perfect combo!  The studio includes vintage living room set, boudoir dressing room and paper background sets for a variety of fun images.  The sets are fantastic!  Period furniture, lamps and electronics compliment the lovely green walls, details such as curtains made from vintage material, kitschy knick knacks all arranged to showcase the beauty of the surroundings, flatter the model and virtually tranport you back in time.   The possibilities are endless with a wide selection of props, choosing your favorite swingin' 50s album, gossiping on the telephone, daydreaming while an episode of I Love Lucy plays on television or vacuuming with the cutest working 1953 Kirby vacuum cleaner.  I had fun playing with everything including a giant tiki head and hanging some laundry out to dry on the super adorable clothesline set.  A perfect escape for a work at home mom, I enjoyed a getaway day for my birthday shooting and laughing with Brandy, who is one of the sweetest people I've met.  Put A Smile In It Photography is extremely professional and affordable, I cannot recommend them highly enough.  I look forward to shooting with Brandy again in the near future at the Pinup Picnic shoot on May 3!! Put A Smile In It Photography is also on Facebook, like her page and follow to see their latest shoots and upcoming events!! 

Wishful Wednesday!

It's Wednesday again!!  I apologize for my lack of blogs in the last week.  Our family has really been struggling to stay well and unfortunately were hit with another bug.  The weather had been fluctuating rather wildly and this does not help our immunity.  It seems as if our weather has finally made a decision, it is finally warm and sunny and there are flowers coming up all around our yard.  I've been thinking a lot about casual wear outfits for spring and summer daily wear.  While I'm generally a dress girl, I've had my eye out for seperates that will add some mix and match variety to my wardrobe.  This week's look is an easy breezy casual sunny day look.  Great for everyday wear at home, running errands around town and picnicking or a fun afternoon outing with the family.

The Oblong Box Shop has just released their Palm Springs Swing skirt line inspired by the architecture of Palm Sprins and the Tiki life.  Available in a variety of unique novelty print patterns custom designed by Denialle Von Fitch, these skirts are medium weight polyester full circle skirts that use over 2 yards of material for the classic 1950s silhouette.  I chose the Mid Century House print with its kitschy atomic house print, boomerang pools, bright astro turf green background and salmon accents it is eye catching and a lot of fun.   The skirt is large enough to be full on its own or you can add a petticoat for extra flair.  I would pair this skirt with a simple black top to make the skirt the central statement piece of this outfit.  Their criss cross sweetheart pin-up top is the perfect compliment to this skirt.  The sweetheart neckline with twist accent, gathered material and criss cross straps make this a great retro styled wardrobe staple that can be worn with a printed skirt or a cute pair of bright capri pants.  I've been trying to add wardrobe staples like these to my closet and plan to add a a criss cross top and Palm Springs Swing skirt (or several!!) to my closet as soon as possible!!

Match Accessories is a fabulous handmade line of accessories inspired by a love of 40s, 50s and 60s fashion.  They offer a variety of unique and beautiful vintage inspired pieces including their gorgeous Sparklite.  I would wear their Hand Carved Teardrop Sparklite brooch in white with this.  The star motif matches atomic accents on the skirt and the white sparklite will stand out of the black criss cross top.  I would also wear their Hand Carved Teardrop Sparklite earrings in white to match, I love to match my accessories but I also often use them to draw attention to accent colors in whimsical prints such as this skirt.

I love Bearpaw!!  I've been a Bearpaw brand ambassador since February.  Every pair I have recieved is perfectly stylish, comfortable for walking and fit great.  Since I began working with them in einter I have only reviewed boots thus far so I have been dying to get my hands on their new spring line of colorful sandals, cute moccasins and adorable wedges.  I would wear my personal favorite from the spring line, the Flora wedge in white to finish this look.  I have a tendancy towards clumsiness so I prefer wedges for every day ease, they give me the boost in height I want without worry of falling over or tripping on things.  These wedges with their soft faux leather straps and jute wedge will keep you looking stylish but give the comfort of wearing flats.  I have yet to find a pair of paws that I do not absolutely love wearing!!  Thank you Bearpaw!

I love writing these blogs and sharing my thoughts.  I have been enjoying the planning and window shopping that I do in the days leading up to my posts.  This spring and summer I have so much planned.  It seems it's all just a waiting game at the moment but my dresses are chosen and I'm planning a pinup shoot next week.  It's been a very long time since my last shoot in December and so much has happened, it seems like years, not months, have gone by.  I am excited to get out there in front of the camera again, I will enjoy another fun summer season of photo shoots in many exciting locations and skipping around looking lovely in beautiful dresses.  I'm very much looking forward to our Michigan Pinups for Patriots events and will be writing my impressions and posting many photos from those as well.  Follow me on Facebook or Instagram for more fun!