So Fierce!

Sophia Loren is out of this world beautiful!

A Shot of Glamour ♥

You must check this out !!! I need to get one of my own ♥

Tiki Room

I am a huge fan of Tiki-themed art & decor. One day I hope to have a home decorated entirely in that vein.
I came across this website of artwork by Mark Swanson - wow, these are stunning! I want 'em all!

~ Dose of MM ~

Photo by: Milton Greene

What a beauty!

AVA GARDNER

I (No Longer) Hate Mondays

I've been in the "working world" for about 13 years. I finished school early and went right into working FULL-TIME, at age 16. For the last 10, I've worked in the corporate world.
But, now all of that has changed. Thanks to my recent lay-off (yes, I said "thanks" because they really did do me a favor); I can now stay home with my daughter, use my time to explore other options and also, relax. A lot. I am very, very grateful.

Today has been a great Monday. Waking up on your own, and not to a blaring alarm, is priceless. Getting to spend an hour or two in your cozy jammies and drink coffee while watching cartoons while everyone else is at their desk? Even better. All whilst hugging my little 2 year old munchkin over and over and knowing, I don't have to leave her for 9 hours a day.

This afternoon, I enjoyed a delicious chicken panini and watched a Rita Hayworth flick on Turner Classic Movies I'd never seen before, "Miss Sadie Thompson (1953)." What a heavenly way to spend a crisp, fall day inside!

I am definitely planning on using this time (however long it lasts) to my best and full advantage. I have so many ideas & plans....so, stay tuned :) I hope everyone is having a nice day - less than one week til Halloween! I'll be sure to post some pics of Berlyn in her costume!

A Pretty New Edition to my Closet...

I used some of my "blow money" (this is a Dave Ramsey reference, not a drug one!) - and found this darling little dress by Express. I think it's so very vintage and sweet. I can't wait to wear it! ♥

Sadly, I have no dates lined up as of yet.....but, a girl can hope!

~Dorothy~

My Grandmother is a person I think of often.
I miss her a lot. I lost her when I was only 6 years old. But, luckily I have happy, vivid memories of her to this day.

Her name was Dorothy but she sometimes went by "Dottie."

my grandparents, 1950

She was born in 1932 in Culver City, California. 

(this is the lot that MGM was built on)

Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California and is known as "The Heart of Screenland" because it was the heart of motion picture production some years before Hollywood claimed the distinction of being it's center.

She danced.

(Dottie, on the far right)

She wrote poetry. She loved film, music and literature.

She adored traveling the World. And, loved Siamese cats. Judy Garland was one of her favorite entertainers.

One of the most memorable tales I have of her is how she saw part of the filming of "Gone With The Wind" when she was a girl, in her hometown of Culver City, CA. How jealous I was! It became one of my favorite films when I was around 9 years old; I was riveted.

(National Talents Quest - Dottie Evans)

I love that she used to take me to the ballet. Her home always smelled of coffee and there were jazz or classical records playing in the background. She exposed me to so much culture and art at a young age, I can't help but be so very grateful for the time I had her. I miss her most when I think of all the things I am interested in now. The vintage clothing, the big band music, the days of a bygone era when things just seemed "simplier" and happy. I wish she were here so I could talk to her and get to know who she really was.

In her later years, she raised a family. My mom, my uncle and my aunt. She was a homemaker and a devoted wife and mother. She later went back to school to become an RN. Then, travel. Lots and lots of travel! My grandparents went everywhere. Japan, Germany, Holland, England, Switzerland. Because of this, they opened up their home to foreign exchange students to stay with them. Some of my best memories of childhood are of the wonderful people I met.

***I found many great photos of her, thanks to my Mom, who has such a love and respect for history & memories.  I thought I'd share a few with you!

These make me so happy - especially because I remember how much I loved my grandparents and how happy they made everyone, and me.

Enjoy the pics! ♥

(that darling little girl in white gloves? That's my Mom.)

Happy Weekend dolls!

Practice Makes Perfect...

I don't know about you, but I plan on trying this out! Good Luck ♥

Gosh, what a great photograph. I just love it! ♥

~Dose of MM~

One of the best scenes in Cinema! I always get butterflies when I watch it. ♥

The Sun is Shining!

I'm enjoying the beautiful day; listening to some tunes and playing with my little girl...

Life is peachy! ♥

Radical Retro!

The coolest site I've come across in a long time:
www.Modcloth.com

Wow, such fun stuff. Love the vintage clothing, the kitschy little trinkets for the home. And, they are very affordable!

Soda fountain dress:

I love starburst clocks!

Some Like it Hot swimsuit:

Minty & fresh:

One Line a Day Journal:

Frying Pan-da:

So sophisticated!

A Perfect Pink Monroe-esque dress!

Girly Gloves:

Party Favor Necklace:

Feel Good Friday...and Familiar Quotations

I bought this book many years ago, at a thrift shop. I am reading it, finally. And finding some great little quips I wanted to share:

"Have you come to the Red Sea place in your life,

Where, in spite of all you can do,

There is no way out, there is no way back,

There is no other way but through?"

-Annie Johnson Flint "At the Place of the Sea"

"Now-a-days we are all of us so hard up, that the only pleasant things to pay are compliments. They're the only things we can pay."

-Oscar Wilde, "Lady Windermere's Fan"

"The Promised Land always lies on the other side of a wilderness."

-Havelock Ellis, "The Dance of Life"

"I am bigger than anything that can happen to me. All these things, sorrow, misfortune and suffering;

are outside my door. I am in the house and I have the key."

- Charles Fletcher Lummis, "Epigram"

"Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves."

-James Matthew Barrie, "A Window in Thrums"

"Our minds are finite, and yet, even in these circumstances of finitude we are surrounded by possibilities that are infinite. And the purpose of human life is to grasp as much as we can out of that infinitude."

-Alfred North Whitehead, "Adventures of Ideas"

"To have - to hold...and in time, let go!"

-Laurence Hope, "The Teak Forest"

Glamazon of the Moment: Christina Hendricks

I've only seen "Mad Men", the tv show, a few times. But I always love what the ladies on the show are wearing. Especially Christina Hendricks character. She's not a waif and she's not under 30 - in other words, a great female role model for many women.

Boo!

Some fun, cute, sexy & scary Halloween pin-ups... enjoy!

Betty Grable

                                                                

Veronica Lake

Judy Garland

Yvonne De Carlo (Lily Munster)

Dita Von Teese