It's Raining Ladies!

I'm adding new designs and products at TheBeautySaloon just about every day, and you can now like The Beauty Saloon on Facebook for more updates and conversations about hairstyling and vintage beauty. It's fun! I promise!

And speaking of the shop, it's raining retro lady heads over there! I've been experimenting with turning one of my designs into a pattern, and I'm really happy with the results. I'm offering it on both white and black backgrounds. I think these messenger bags and folios would make excellent beauty school graduation gifts, but this particular design will appeal to just about anyone, I do believe.

Retro Mod Lady Head Raindrops Black Bag by TheBeautySaloon
Browse other Retro Messenger Bags

Retro Mod Lady Head Color Drop Folio Black Planners by TheBeautySaloon
Browse other planner designs on Zazzle.

Retro Mod Lady Head Raindrops Peacock Bag Commuter Bag by TheBeautySaloon
Browse Zazzle for more courier bags.

Retro Mod Lady Head Color Drop Folio Planner by TheBeautySaloon
More Retro Planners

I hope you're having a wonderful weekend in your neck of the woods. We have had some very much needed rain here this morning, thankfully, and the coolness is more than welcome. Later, my sweets!

Feminist Friday: Just Because I'm a Woman

You know what they say. "The higher the hair, the closer to God." Preach on, Sister Dolly, preach on.

Beauty is Art

Hello, chickadees! Here is my latest creation for The Beauty Saloon, a print featuring a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson. I'm not sure ol' Ralph was necessarily thinking of beauty operators when he said it, but he should have been!

Beauty is Art Retro Quote Stylist Salon Print by TheBeautySaloon
See more Hair stylist Posters

And here is a print that has proven to be quite popular, both as a print/canvas, and on mugs and T-shirts, too. Curl up and dye, y'all.

Curl Up and Dye Vintage Graphic Print by TheBeautySaloon
Browse other Hair Posters

Hair stylist art! Yee haw!

Retro Esthetician Business Cards

Hello, Dumplings! I've been working at designing some business cards templates for The Beauty Saloon, and I thought I'd share a few of them here. It seems my esthetician friends are always looking for cool designs related to their particular specialty, so I came up with a few templates for you facialists, waxers, and make up arteests, in addition to this all purpose retro beauty business card:

Retro Vintage Sunburst Hair Stylist Business Card by TheBeautySaloon
See another business card from zazzle.com.

Vintage Lipstick Retro Makeup Artist Business Card by TheBeautySaloon
Start designing a professional business card at zazzle

Retro Aqua Houndstooth Esthetician Business Card by TheBeautySaloon
View more free business cards templates.

Retro Coral Houndstooth Esthetician Business Card by TheBeautySaloon
Browse more Esthetician Business Cards

I've been a busy little design bee, so I'll have much more to share with you soon, and I have something fun to share tomorrow, so I'll see you back here then!

Feminist Friday: One's On The Way

Oh, Loretta, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. You wrote songs that tackled women's issues and faced some ugly truths, head on, before that was a thing. You made people uncomfortable, and you didn't apologize. You brought feminist concerns into the living rooms of the Grand Ole Opry set. You were and are incredibly brave for that. Also, the hair.

The Beauty Saloon

Here's something I got up to while I was away. I set up a new little shop over at Zazzle. The Beauty Saloon is where you'll now find my popular Beauty Buttons, and by making the move to a print on demand service, I can now offer super sweet vintage beauty designs on T shirts, tote bags, coffee mugs, and more. So, y'all come down and belly up to the bar for a swig of vintage kitschy beauty party likker! ::Fires cap gun in air::

Happy Halloween!

We Have a Winner!

According to random.org, Steph from the oh-so-glamorous Tart Deco is the vintage beauty giveaway winner! Congratulations Steph!


Thank you to all who entered, and stay tuned because I think we'll do this again soon!

Vintage Beauty 4th Blogiversary Giveaway Deluxe Gold Turbo!!

Hard to believe I've been randomly posting on and repeatedly neglecting this here weblog for four years today. We've laughed, we've cried, we've given embarrassing glimpses into the state of our mental health. Yes, it's been a mildly amusing ride, and I've met some really fabulous people because of this thing, some of whom will be lifelong friends. So to say thank you to you, dear readers, I'm giving away a whole mess of vintage beauty goodies. First up we have a Betty Dain Chiffon Personality Hood, and seriously, who doesn't need one of these? When you're out and about and those Spring winds commence to blowin', sure, onlookers might catch a glimpse of your Judy, but your hairdo isn't going anywhere. Plus, this thing actually adds glamour to expensive hairstyling, if you can believe it.



Here we've got a couple of 60's era hair nets...



And two others featuring the Doublenet Twins...



And my personal favorites, the Kurl-Katcher and a Jac-o-net envelope featuring a silver-haired beauty that sort of reminds me of something you'd see on one of these.



As if all of that weren't enough, I'm going to throw in a Beauty Button and a vintage dryer hood votive.



All you have to do to enter to win this worthless crap fabulous prize is to take a quick gander at my shop and tell me which Beauty Button you'd most like to own and then leave me a comment here before midnight Central time on Friday, March 11th. I will choose a random winner on Saturday, March 12th. Please make sure I can contact you if you win. I will happily open this to any international readers, but if you are a winner who lives outside the U.S., I will replace the votive with an alternate (lighter to ship) goody. Good luck!

Where The Magic Happens

Get your dirty minds out of the gutter! This post is about mine and The Mister's shared office/studio/crap containment area. Adding a new member of the family means that some room swapping is in order, so I've pared down my vintage lovelies and craft supplies and somehow managed to squeeze what's left into a rather tiny bedroom.


This is where the designing, creating, and packing + shipping required by Sweetheartville takes place, along with Welcome Little Stranger songwriting and recording sessions. It's also where a whole lot of interneting happens.
On the top of this old medical cabinet which holds crafty odds and ends and enough vintage rick rack to choke a magnetic donkey, I've displayed some artwork by my talented friends Heather, Sam, and Sara, and some inspiring photos and bits of paper that I change out from time to time. The vintage beauty products are just a few sent to me by my incredibly, amazingly generous friend Bob. Thank you Bob!


Wanda just returned after her whirlwind tour of OKC, and now resides in a place of honor overlooking one of my most favorite possessions, a tintype of my mom and dad made on a trip to Silver Dollar City a few years before I was born.
Just a little peek inside Sweetheartville!

Saint Ginger, Patron Saint of Manicurists

There's a new saint in Sweetheartville, and she's here to wrangle ragged cuticles, sculpt acrylics and gels, and wield a polish brush with precision. She's Saint Ginger, Patron Saint of Manicurists, and she joins Saint Tammy in the Sweetheartville Beauty Operator Prayer Candle lineup.





Speaking of the nail techs, I've designed a new Beauty Button just for the nail-doin' ladies and gents:



Also newly added to the Beauty Button line is this cheeky design:



And for something a bit different, these two birdie buttons are little pieces o' art which can be pinned just about anywhere you need some colorful quirkiness.





Of course, all of these and several other new designs are available in ye olde shoppe.

Miss Amy's Stitch and Kitsch

Me: Sigh. What's this world coming to? Everyone is hateful and nasty and my Facebook feed is full of people who I have nothing in common with but friended because they asked me to and we were in the same English class in 9th grade. I work all the time, yet my house and yard still look like the scene where an Amnesia-riddled Goldie Hawn sees Kurt Russell's place for the first time in the 1987 hit movie Overboard. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will never end. People are so judgmental. My new job is stressful and I need to lose 40 pounds. The Gulf of Mexico is ruined forever and Nashville is devastated and tornadoes are killing other Okies, and no one "gets" me. Boo hoo hoo. I'm going to go eat worms.....Oh, whatever can this box on my front porch contain?....*SQUEAL*



Will you look at this doll?! Seriously. Could Miss Amy be any more amazing? Look at her hair and her little red high heels, and her dress! My Sweet Lord, do you see the mothereffin' vintage hankie dress?!!



Get over to Miss Amy's Stitch and Kitsch right now and get yourself one, or commission one that looks just like you. Better yet, commission one that looks just like Miss Amy because she is the most gorgeous pretty red-haired beauty lady that ever lived!



Thank you, Amy.

*Beautiful photo of Miss Amy by Dynamite Dames Photography.

Featured!

A very eventful week in Sweetheartville was capped yesterday morning by the most exciting news: my St. Tammy Prayer Candle was featured in the Etsy Storque's Get The Look: Decor as part of a lovely collection inspired by Sandra's beautiful home. I see a lot of my own style in Sandra's decorating, and I am absolutely honored to have had a bit of my art included in the feature.

If you'd like to be the first to know what's going on in Sweetheartville, don't forget that you can find me on Facebook as well!

A Musical Make Up Kit

While perusing the delightful Male Pattern Boldness this morning, I was lucky enough to discover this clip from 1945's "The Dolly Sisters" starring Betty Grable. Vintage beauty lovers, you are in for a real treat--lipstick, powder, rouge, and mascara brought to singing, dancing life. I nearly needed smelling salts!

Young and Firm Wave

Who knew an ad for a permanent wave could be so creepy, yet so fabulous?

St. Tammy, Patron Saint of Hair Stylists

I gave you a brief glimpse of St. Tammy when I returned from Deluxe. Now here she is in all her bouffanty glory:



"Saint Tammy, full of style, blessed are thou among beauty operators. Holy Tammy, Backcomber of Bouffants, pray for us now and at the hour of our chemical processes. Amen."



As I ever so slowly hone my amateur Photoshop skills, digital collage is becoming just about my favorite artistic medium. Working in a digital format has really opened up a whole new world for me. I want to create more, more, more!



Speaking of more, ye olde shoppe is fully stocked with Beauty Buttons, including "Chemically Dependent" and "Curl Up and Dye".




Stay classy, Dollfaces.

A Glamorous New Me

Besides a new year and a new decade, the first week of January brings a milestone birthday for me. Tomorrow I leave my twenties behind. I've come a long way, Dollfaces. As I bid adieu to the Aughts, I'm looking forward to what's to come with excitement. I've grown and changed so much over the last ten years, I finally feel like I know who I am and what I want from this life. Like most, I've made a list of resolutions and changes I'd like to work towards, not just in 2010 or "The Twenty Teens", but in this new chapter of my life. First and foremost on the list is to focus more on my home and making it a place of peace and order for myself and my family. Secondly, I plan to take more time for creativity and all that that encompasses for me--art, craft, music, blogging and photography. And last, after falling victim to the trap that snares so many of us mamas, the one where we're so busy and exhausted taking care of everyone else that we don't take time to care for ourselves, I'm going to strive to regain a bit of the old me. The me who got overly dolled up for nights out, and primped, curled, powdered and polished every week. The me who wore vintage seamed stockings and changed her hairstyle with the seasons. The confident Vintage Bombshell me.


I don't know who the glamorous creature in this estate sale photo is, or what the occasion was, but I love the way she simply oozes grace and confidence. And that's something we can all aspire to, whatever our chosen style.

Deluxe Numero Tres

Another excellent Deluxe Indie Craft Bazaar is over. Despite getting only four hours sleep the night before and managing to forget several pieces of my display, the show was a success. I met lots of new folks, received many, many overly flattering compliments on my work, and generally reveled in the company of hundreds of art-loving, handmade-supporting, like-minded people.


My Beauty Buttons were, once again, a hit.


The dryer chair, of course, made another appearance, this time to hold throw pillows made from vintage textiles.


I was so excited to debut two brand new products, both near and dear to my heart. It's a big step for me, putting my artwork and photography out there for public scrutiny, but I received so many lovely compliments on my new postcards featuring six of my photographs of vintage signs.


Another brand new offering were these prayer candles featuring my digital collage of Saint Tammy, Patron Saint of Hairstylists. My very dear friend Christie suggested the idea, and after a lot of hard work and experimentation with different papers and methods of applying my artwork to the glass, I couldn't be more pleased with the final product. The Beauty Operators loved them!


I hope to have these and some other new items listed in my Etsy shop very soon!

Beauty Collage Drop Out

The last minute scramble that always precedes a show is on. Some brand new, top secret Sweetheartville products will be making their debut at Deluxe and I couldn't be more excited about them. Here are a few of the little collages I'll be offering on Saturday. I'm selling this trio as a set, complete with matching vintage metal picture frames.




Stop by and visit Sweetheartville if you're in the Oklahoma City area Saturday!

South Tulsa Music Festival

This Saturday, September 5th I will be at the South Tulsa Music Festival with the lovely Heather of Audrey Eclectic. The free festival features six local bands, as well as a market place of talented local artists and crafters, all coordinated by my dear friend Marissa.


In addition to Heather's beautiful paintings, prints, postcards and fabulous new lapel lockets, we will have my Beauty Buttons, tote bags, hair ornaments, and these limited edition kitschy Bouffant Beauties for your purchasing pleasure.


What could be better on a Saturday evening that good local music and handmade art? Oh, and I'm fairly certain that there will be beer.