Saturday, December 31, 2011

Bomb girls

I just caught my one on this new mini series about World War II women at work in a munitions factory.
"Set in the 1940s, Bomb Girls tells the remarkable stories of the women who risked their lives in a munitions factory building bombs for the Allied forces fighting on the European front. The series delves into the lives of these exceptional women from all walks of life - peers, friends and rivals - who find themselves thrust into new worlds and changed profoundly as they are liberated from their home and social restrictions. "(Imdb)
Bomb Girls premieres on Global Television in Canada January 4th.

Something to look forward  to the new year !
 






Sincerely,
Swell Dame


Fashionable Forties 200th follower giveaway !

Last call to enter to this wonderful giveaway and win this gorgeous prizes:

1st prize: Choose three samples from the following perfumes: My Sin, Shalimar, Joy, Scandal, Blue Carnation and Fracas. A sample of Shocking will also be included.

2nd prize: The three samples remaining plus a sample of Shocking.

3rd prize: A copy of The Little Book of Perfumes: The 100 classics by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez.

Link: http://fortieswardrobe.blogspot.com/2011/12/200th-follower-giveaway.html

Monday, December 26, 2011

It's A Colourful Life!!!



When it comes to Christmas memories of me as a child, my strongest one is when during the schooll break i was staying up late to watch all this wonderful old films on tv.
I watched all the classics from a very young age but "It's a wonderful life" was and always will be my favourite.
I had it on dvd and it's my personal tradition to watch it every year.But this year i lost the dvd and to my big surpise i accidentaly (without knowing that there is one) i  downloaded the colourized version which made it a whole new experience for me!

Dont get me wrong i adore b/w moovies and I'm aware that a few people dislike the colourisation of classic b/w movies, certain films should never be colourised as they work better in b/w (e.g. psycho). However I've always felt that this particular one, being a festive film and all,would benefit from a colour print as long as it was done properly and not have people with yellow skin, etc. 

This is by far the best example of colourisation I have ever seen!!!


Sincerely,
Swell Dame

Monday, December 12, 2011

Frank is comin' to town!

You can have Christmas without snow...
....and you can have Christmas without turkey...
...but you certainly can't have Christmas without some of Mr. Ol' "Blue Eyes" swinging melodies!!!
Today is his birthday,so i'm posting some songs i like to hear during holidays just to get me in the mood!
Here's to you Frannkie!

Monday, December 5, 2011

Ann Miller ,The Amazing Taping Gal!

I was introduced to Ann Miller when i saw "Kiss me Kate" some years ago.I was mesmerized by her exotic and unsuall beauty and her taping skills!She was very different than the typical Hollywood actresses of her time and that made me notice her.She was not the typical skinny blonde dancer like Ginger Rodgers,neither she was the the cute perky girl like Debbie Reynolds.She had that something ...she was "Too Darn Hot " if you ask me!!!!

Miller was born in Chireno, Texas and her real name was Johnnie Lucille Collier.Her maternal grandmother was Cherokee.
She began taking tap lessons to strengthen her legs after suffering from rickets. One of the side effects of rickets is bow legs.
 At the age of 13 Miller had been hired as a dancer in the "Black Cat Club" in San Francisco (she reportedly told them she was 18). It was there she was discovered by Lucille Ball and talent scout/comic Benny Rubin.

She was so remarkable that by age fourteen, she played Ginger Roger's dancing partner in "Stage Door", which started a Motion Picture Career that spanned 20 years.
She was known, especially later in her career, for her distinctive appearance, which reflected a studio-era ideal of glamor: massive black bouffant hair, heavy makeup with a slash of crimson lipstick, and fashions that emphasized her lithe figure and long dancer's legs.




She appeared in several films between 1934 and 1956,some of my favourite are "Kiss me Kate",""On the town","Easter Parade",Stage Door" & Jam Session" along famous band leaders as Glen Gray,Louis Armstrong,Alvino Ray and many more!

                                     
She's literally too darn hot in this scene from "Kiss Me Kate" & her costume is spectucular!!!I read somewhere that Bianca was her favorite role !

                                 
Miller was famed for her speed in tap dancing. Studio publicists concocted press releases claiming she could tap 500 times per minute, but in truth, the sound of ultra-fast "500" taps was looped in later. Because the stage floors were slick and slippery, she actually danced in shoes with rubber soles. Later she would loop the sound of the taps while watching the film and actually dancing on a "tap board" to match her steps in the film!!!Woooowww...

“At MGM, I always played the second feminine lead; I was never the star in films, I was the brassy, good-hearted showgirl. I never really had my big moment on the screen.Broadway gave me the stardom that my soul kind of yearned for.

Another interesting thing about Ann Miller is the fact that she is credited for... you won't believe this... the invention of pantyhose. This came about in a very practical manner. For her routines her stocking would have to be sewn to her costume. This could be troublesome because the process would need to be repeated whenever there was a run or a hole. So she approached the man who supplied the stockings and suggested that a top be added. And so... pantyhose. 
She donated this pair of gold colored tap shoes to the National Museum of American History in the Smithsonian Institute.
 Refusing to do movies for years because disliked nudity and sex, she finally relented and returned to films after nearly four decades playing Coco at  David Lynch's Mulholland Dr. (2001), which contained nudity and explicit sex.This was her last role!

Saturday, November 26, 2011

How to make festive "Cheesecake" ornaments?


It's a fun way to add something special to your Christmas decoration & trust me when i say it's the easiest thing!

Ok, first you need a beautiful vintage style Christmas ball.Mine came in set of 4 and they are in a lovely pearly creme color.
The second thing you'll need is some Decals with pin up gals.
I happened to have some vintage ones,labeled Plasticdecal but if you google "decal" you can find them all over the internet!You can puchase very similar ,if not the same like mine at Ebay!

Then you follow instructions:
1.Wash mounting surface.
2.Dip decal in warm water for 15'.
3.Slide decal from backing paper onto surface.
4.Smooth out edge of cardboard or squeegee to remove excess water and air.

Finally you choose a thin  fancy ribbon and create a hanger.I made it simple but you can "play with bows, fearthers,sequins etc and create works of art!!!




...and here you go...a piece of cake...or maybe a "cheesecake"? lol

Sincerely,
Swell Dame

Friday, November 25, 2011

Luxury in box-Dita #2

After the last year's spectacular "Cointreau Coffret" that was designed by Dita's own hands...



...this year Cointreau comes  back with "My Cointreau Travel Essentials Coffret", a luxury travel cocktail bar for people on the move!!!


All the accessories you need to make great classic cocktails fit neatly into the chic and elegant hatbox that you can use as a jewlery case after the alcohol is finished!


See the "making of" video  

The My Cointreau Travel Essentials Coffret is available online at Jades24. So far, this German stockist is the only one from the original list making the Coffret available online.

Price: €539,00 + shipping. Jades24 ship within Europe only.
http://www.jades24.com/de/produkt/women/Accessories_woman/lifestyle_woman/cointreau-koffer_dita/index.html


Well even if Santa can affort to make gifts like that, i don't know if he will bring it to me or keep it for himself and misses Claus!!!!

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Femme Totale-Dita #1

A few weeks ago Dita von Teese released her own perfume,Femme Totale!

                              
                                                          I just love this seemed gloves!
“I wanted it to be a perfume that smelled exactly how I imagined it. I doubt the perfumers in Paris imagined that I would be in their shop almost every day for an entire year,”
                                      ...and the pom pon veil is gorgeous as well!
                                          Here it is again from better angle...

“A scent needs to reflect all the different facets of my personality. It had to be elegant, glamorous, sophisticated, sexy, dark, and mysterious,” 
             The black grecian dress is the perfect choise for this campaign!

“Dita Von Teese”
Eau de Parfum, 20 ml, MSRP: € 16.50
Eau de Parfum, 40 ml, MSRP: € 28.00
Deodorant Spray, 150 ml, MSRP: € 11.50
Shower Gel, 200 ml, MSRP: € 11.50
Body Lotion, 200 ml, MSRP: € 11.50
Gift Set incl. Eau de Parfum, 20 ml, and Shower Gel, 75 ml, MSRP: € 16.50

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Interview with Tatiana from "La Boom".


I 've met Tatiana through myspace.She was one of my first costumers and i had the pleasure to make her a custom made headpiece for her wedding!
She is not only a very sweet person but she is also one of most talented gals i have met in Athens,with extremely good taste and great consistency in her work.I looooove the stuff she makes and i collect them myself .
So today that i'm having the pleasure to post her interview in my blog, im twice happy cause i just saw at fb that it is her birthday!It's a chance to wish her Happy Birthday,with a life full of happines,love and sprinkles of inspiration!!! 
The Girl With The Ribbon

Wonderland Deer

 
1.How did La Boom start and what are your plans for the future?
When I decided to quit my day job, leave the big city and move to Antiparos, a small cycladic island, I felt it was time to do something on my own apart from being a freelance designer. I was crafting since I remember myself, and had already gained some experience by crafting my own wedding invitations, favors and decoration. After that I was spending the afternoons at my home creating a lot, but not focusing on something specific. I always loved the idea of the 3D display and shadow boxes, so last year I started to transform a few ideas into reality. At the same time, I started reading about creating my small business, a lot. Tips, hints about entering the online handmade world and so on. So when I felt ready, I started "La Boom" etsy shop, Facebook page and my blogs. My dream is to open my own mortar and brick store here in Antiparos in combination with graphic design and events planning. But as long as the economics here in Greece remain awful, I will continue focus on developing my online shop, co-operate with galleries (something I already did this past summer and went well) and continue to participate in craft fairs.  
La Boom at Past Tense Bazaar
2.Tell us a little about your blog" Crafting The Day".
On January 2011, I was reading an article at etsy storque of Noah Scalin and his 365 project (http://makesomething365.blogspot.com/). I found it a challenge for me, to create something everyday and blog about it. It was also an opportunity of filling my etsy shop and offer new stuff to my readers and potential customers everyday. Now, after several months, even though I didn't blog everyday, I keep on adding things on it! You see, summer here in Cyclades is really really busy, especially for me, where I had a pretty good month on etsy considering sales, an exhibition here in the island plus a part time job at my friend's ice cream shop. I was making a lot of stuff, custom orders etc. but unfortunately no time for taking pictures, editing and uploading. But I still believe this has gone well and will keep going until January 2012 :) 


3.Name a blog you're most fond of.
I follow a lot of blogs but there are a few that I daily read and enjoy all their posts. Design Sponge (http://www.designsponge.com/) is one of them along with Decor8 (http://decor8blog.com/). Also Creature Comforts (http://www.creaturecomfortsblog.com/), Bloesem (http://bloesem.blogs.com/) and Poppytalk (http://poppytalk.blogspot.com/).


4.From were do you get your inspirations?
Mostly nature. Especially here, nature is all around, the sea, fields, mountains, farm animals, wild plants and flowers. I take a small walk and keep my mind full of beautiful images. I also love victorian era a lot, especially the oddities part, circus freaks, naive vintage childhood and forest creatures. I love it when I mix different eras, decades and styles. The result is truly unique and puts a smile on my face.  

5.What is currently your favorite item in your collection?
This large shadow box I first made this summer. I have a thing with deers :) 
6.Why do you believe that supporting handmade is important?
There are several reasons. You buy something you don't have the skill to make it and it carries a lot of love with it and the artist care for the creation. It is unique and you will find it nowhere else, plus you support the artist directly. A lot of people have the most awesome talents and in this way you help them create their small business. In that way a lot of artists are discovered. Plus, most of handmade items are environment friendly than larger store ones. Just to name a few. 

7.What is your favourite material & why?
I love paper. The way it smells, its texture and the way it feels on my fingertips. I began to love it since I was studying graphic design. After that it became a part of my life, as I was running through the samplers to choose one for a project, really often. I love the idea that along with a pencil you can create so much on a piece of paper. An important contribution to communication as well. I am so sad that it is slowly replaced by digital world.


8.If you could have lived in another era what era would it be??
I love the 20s for their atmosphere, magicians, odd circuses and carnivals. The 40s for their fashion and female idols. The 60s mostly for toys, games and kids stuff. All the above inspire me everyday :) 



9.Name 3 things that are essential to your work?
Music. It is really important to my work. It helps me focus and creates an atmosphere that often inspires me a lot. My tools. I could do nothing without them (including my iMac and all those wonderful images I discover on the net that inspire me). Paper, especially vintage one. For obvious reasons :) 

At the craftroom!
10.As we are coming to the end of 2011,if you had one wish for the new year what it would be?
Health. I believe it is the most important thing nowadays as without it you can do nothing.
 

In person!
Thank you Irene! You are the best hostess :)
I love your blog and your aesthetics and I wish you the best!



Contact