Since opening my store, I’ve come across so many amazing vintage finds that I couldn’t have dreamt of before! I picked up a stellar beach umbrella from the 60s at an estate sale last year (I was way too jealous when I saw a super stylish vintage maven on the beach in Ocean Grove, NJ with one the summer before). Today, I picked up a super cute black parasol at a sale. It is super ornate, with a gold design on the handle. So chic!

What I love about vintage parasols and umbrellas is that since they weren’t used as much as other items (as opposed to items that were used every day which are harder to find in mint condition, ex. lingerie, briefcases), they are usually in great shape. The price tag can sometimes reflect the amazing condition, but if you do some digging you can find some amazing pieces! Estate sales and flea markets are the best to find killer deals on these beauties, but if you are looking for quality without the hassle, definitely try a vintage store or Etsy. If you go the store route, you can always call ahead to make sure that they have some in stock before you head out the door.

So stand out on the beach or have the best umbrella in the office umbrella stash by scoring a vintage umbrella of your own!

Here are a few of my current favorites from Etsy:

Fabulous 60's Beach Umbrella from InWithTheOld on Etsy

Beautiful Black Parasol from CoyoteMarmalade on Etsy

I love holidays! Valentine’s Day is one of my faves because of the abundance of yummy conversation hearts and chocolate. Ok, maybe I just like candy, either way, you can’t go wrong.

I wanted to update the store window with some festive color and this is what I came up with. Let me know what you think!

Vintage 60's Saks Fifth Avenue Leather Poncho

Vintage 50s Mexican 3-piece dancing outfit along with a vintage men's windbreaker

Vintage 70s poly day dress in crimson with a repurposed vintage necklace in red and white beads

I was disappointed that my favorite team the New York Jets were not in the Superbowl this year, but Madonna’s throwback nod to Liz Taylor’s Cleopatra character from the 1963 Academy Award winning film of the same name got me up off my seat and pumped for the second half of the game.

Liz Taylor in the 1963 film Cleopatra

Madonna channeling Liz Taylor in Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy

All of Madonna’s halftime attire was Givenchy Haute Couture by Riccardo Tisci and absolutely stunning!

Thanks to Madonna for an amazing performance of her great retro classics “Vogue” and “Like a Prayer” and for giving all of us vintage lovers something to get excited about!

DIY Beehive Front View

I added a little glam to my look by adding a silver headband I picked up at Harmon’s for $2 (Side-note – you can use your Bed Bath and Beyond coupons at Harmon’s Face Values and you can use one coupon for each item you purchase. Saved me a bundle!). They had tons to choose from. Another option would be to make a DIY headband from sparkly trim as seen in this TheBeautyDepartment.com post.

Vintage heels (40s from Etsy), earrings (60s from Nana) and necklace (20s from my great-Nana). Dress is Anthropologie circa 2008 and tights are DKNY.

To get the look, I blow dried my hair until it was completely dry. Then I sectioned my hair like the tutorial. I made a high pony out of the back half of my hair, and made that into the base of the hairstyle by teasing it with a boar bristle brush and pinning it into place. Lastly I went crazy teasing with the boar bristle brush (from Harmon’s) on the front half of my hair and pinned it back against the base to create height and shape it the way I wanted.  I left it a little messy, but did brush the front slightly smooth so there weren’t any fly aways.

Side profile showing height and shape of DIY Beehive...buzzz.....

I would definitely recommend the video tutorial to anyone looking for a quick and easy way to get glam for the night.  I’ve been getting so many compliments in the store today, so I think my first DIY try was a success!  If you do try the beehive yourself, definitely share your pics on our facebook page here. We’d love to see how it worked for you! Sorry my pics are fuzzy, I think the 7am photoshoot was a little to early for my hubby this morning

View from the back. Messy but polished.

XOXO

Meghan before with sad flat hair

My friend Maria and I were lucky enough to go to A Little Wicked‘s blogger event where the darling Siobhan from Wonderland Beauty Parlor was dolling out fab retro ‘dos to the ladies and gents in attendance.  I told her to do whatever she wanted and I cam out with this ultra mod 60′s beehive / bouffant!  After a few seconds of shock after seeing my hair actually have volume, I fell in love with the look and am going to try and replicate it for a wedding I have this weekend (pics to follow on Monday).

Who knew getting teased could be so fun!

Siobhan used a brush like this to backcomb my locks and give them super volume.  When I’ve tried using a rat tail comb, it always took forever, so I was delighted to find out that it takes no time to tease your hair with the brush.

Perfecting the bun

She put the bulk of my hair in a bun and styled the top half (from my ears forward) really high and pinned the pieces around the bun.  She did the whole look in minutes which was so impressive and really inspired me to start creating looks like this on myself. See you later limp locks!

To get this look be sure to have the following:

Ponytail Holder – to create the bun which serves as the base of the style

Aerosol Hair Spray – spray each section after teasing as well as the final look to keep it secure all night long

Bobby Pins - you’ll need pins to hold the style itself and pins to put the stray pieces in place

Eat your heart out Don Draper!

Enjoy!