my day as a pin-up girl. photography

Sometimes I feel as if I was born in the wrong era. I absolutely love the style from back in the 1940's. From the hair to the makeup to the clothes. That's why I decided to make my boudoir photo shoot a pin-up girl theme instead.

I picked up a cute little 1940's "army" uniform that was just revealing enough. On a trip to Vegas earlier that year I'd stopped at the Bettie Page store and picked up an amazing pair of vintage looking TUK shoes. To top it all off I purchased a pair of thigh high stockings with a single black line up the back similar to the stockings from that era.

After getting my lashes, makeup and hair done I was ready for my closeup. Melissa Raimondi of Candy and Cream Boudoir was the lovely lady who took my pictures. I was nervous that I wouldn't know what to do or how to pose but she made me feel completely comfortable and relaxed. She gave really good direction of how to sit or stand that would look best for the camera.

This was her one of her first times doing a pin-up style photo shoot so we both enjoyed thinking up new poses and props that could make this shoot really unique. She told me that since these photos were done there's been a boom of people wanting pin-up themed shoots too. After seeing her work there's no question to why!

We also took a couple pictures in a different outfit. I had on a pair of bright red shoes with black thigh high fishnet stockings. I was wearing black underwear with a cute little black and red shrug.

I've been thinking about getting this kind of shoot done again. It was one of the best experiences I've ever had and I would highly recommend it for anyone. Melissa has so many different options for the type of shoot you can do. You can check out her Facebook page for some more amazing pictures that she's done.

I ended up buying three of these pictures on a wood backing and I hung them on the wall in the living room so I could remember every day how amazing I felt that day.

my day as a pin-up girl. makeup

The next step in my pin-up girl transformation was to have my hair and makeup done.

I had the lovely Heather Thieson of Smudge Makeup do both my hair and makeup. She had such a bubbly and fun personality. Though the whole process took a while to do, she made time fly by with her stories and cheerful attitude. She did a spectacular job on both and knew exactly how to get the look I was describing.

I looked all over the internet for the hairstyle that I felt suited me best. I decided on victory rolls. I've always loved the look but I would have no idea how to do them on myself. I admire the ladies of that era for putting in so much effort into hair and makeup.

Next was the makeup. Heather knew the look I was going for so I just let her do whatever she felt would look right for the shoot. Once again I loved the final product. She bought a new red lipstick specifically for the shoot too. She used a shade called Ruby Woo by MAC Cosmetics. Afterwards I went out and bought the same one because it was such a gorgeous color.

I've had many friends get married over the years and I've given Heather's name to each and every one of them. I recently found out that she even does individual makeup lessons. I've always wanted to know how she did my makeup for this shoot so that would be the perfect way to have it broken down for me.

my day as a pin-up girl. lashes

A couple years ago I decided to have a photo shoot done of me as a pin-up girl. This day was absolutely one of the best ones I've ever experienced. It was a long and exhausting day after the lashes, hair, makeup, and photo shoot but I felt like a princess the whole time.

Before I had my photo shoot I got lash extensions put on. I've only ever worn fake lashes once or twice in my life so I wasn't really sure what to expect. Lash extensions are completely different than fake lash strips and definitely worth the money. They feel like they're part of your eyelashes and take only minutes to get used to.

I got mine done at Lash Affair by the fabulous owner herself, Courtney. They turned out absolutely amazing and my reaction to seeing them for the first time was priceless.

She put on a full set of lashes that were longer than my real lashes to help better add to that pinup look.

I've recommended Lash Affair to many of my friends and that's the only place they'll get theirs done now too.

my half eaten plant. bad coconut

Well I got home from work today only to find leaves ALL over the place. There were leaves on the couch, on the floor, in the kitchen. Everywhere. I knew immediately who the culprit was. Coconut. He's the only one obsessed enough with greens that he'd jump up and mangle my poor plant. It's been there for years and no one pays any attention to it at all. Now it looks worse than when it's half dead.

Look into his eyes and tell me he wasn't responsible!

first tuesday of the month. grocery day

Every month I look forward to the first Tuesday of the month. Why you may ask? Grocery day! Sounds silly to be excited about something as simple as getting groceries but Jade and I make an event out of it. Since we try to only go once a month, we start off by listing out what we'll need over the month. I found this awesome list online that you can modify and check off the items you're wanting to get. I print mine off and then highlight the items I'm wanting to get.

We go grocery shopping only once a month because it'll save money in the end. Save On Foods has a promotion that on the first Tuesday of the month you'll get 15% off. When you're buying in mass quantities it makes a difference.

Last month I wanted to walk up and down each isle and I read through every label while Jade waited about patiently for me to be done. We were there for over two hours! This month to cut back on our shopping time I promised to do the following things:

• No walking up and down each isle.
• No impulse buying! Unless it's something I meant to add to the list and forgot.
• No reading the labels for five minutes each time while trying to decide between to products.
• Go to produce first because they're the items that sell out the fastest.
• Eat before we go to avoid wanting to buy everything.

I ended up being successful at everything on that list except eating before we went. BIG mistake. It wasn't that I bought too much but being around all the food that I couldn't eat was making me grumpy. Luckily because of how effective we've gotten over the last couple of months we were out of there in an hour! 50% time decrease!

This time Jade and I went our separate ways to try to save some time. Another big mistake. It was definitely not as fun as it usually is. Next month I'm making sure we stick together so that we can joke around and talk while we're there. Plus I love seeing what she ends up getting because it gives me ideas for what I may want to buy. Now I get to enjoy looking at full fridge with so many eating choices!

those early fall days. wearing white dresses

I was looking through my old pictures and I came across these. I felt like I needed to share them cause they're some of my favorite pictures of me. I just loved my hair and makeup that day. And it was absolutely beautiful outside.

One of my friends is an amateur photographer and is looking at getting more practice so he can possibly do it professionally. He messaged me one day to ask if I'd like to help out with getting more pictures for his portfolio.

If you want to see more of his work check out Graham Roth Photography:

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I've worked with him before. He took pictures of me and my bike in the parkade. I was excited for the opportunity to get some nice pictures outside. I decided instead of my usual biker getup, I'd dress up all pretty and feminine.

I took a few selfies. One of my simple makeup, a neutral brown eyeshadow with black liquid liner.

And one of my hair curled with a curling iron and glistening in the sun.

We went to the St Albert Botanic Park to see if we could get some nice shots near the flowers.

They have a really nice gazebo there which was perfect as a prop. A few of my favorite shots were taken there.

We also went to a lake near my house. It was getting darker by then so it was harder to come up with those perfect shots but here's one I really liked with the water in the background and wind blowing through my hair.

new coffee machine. new cat toy

I've never really been much into drinking coffee though I do like the taste. It's more how time consuming it can be that turns me off the most. I can't be bothered with grinding the beans, preparing it, and then waiting for it to brew. Plus with a regular coffee machine it's hard to only brew one cup. I have always been jealous of my sister's single-cup coffee machine. When my coworker found this amazing bundle I couldn't resist! He found a machine, the Verismo system by Starbucks, that makes single cups instantly.

AND comes with enough pods to make 70 beverages!

As I was trying to take everything out of the box, of course, the kitties needed to be little 'helpers'.

There were several layers of things to come out and every time I'd turn around Cleo had already found her way back into the box. Even when Waldo wanted a turn she stayed put.

After everything was out I couldn't believe all the pieces that it came with. There is a container that holds the water, and (this part I find extremely handy) a container that holds up to twelve empty pods. The pods automatically fall into this container after use! I was slightly worried about where I was going to find a place for it because my kitchen counters are already so full.

But it was really simple to put together and, with it's slim physique, I was easily able to find a place for it.

And then it was time to test it out! I slipped the pod into the slot and closed the handle.

I pushed the button and my espresso was ready in an instant!

It actually took longer for the soy milk to froth (which only takes 70 seconds). Once it was done I added it to my espresso so I could enjoy it as a latte.

It smelt delicious and was better than most coffees that I've had before. I think that it was definitely worth the buy as those 70 pods will last be a long while. Since Jade has now started working on the weekends, I got up and made her a coffee before work so she could enjoy the experience as well. Then it was time to enjoy my delicious latte.

And it was time for the cats to play around with their new toys. A box.

And some Styrofoam.