Rethink Black Friday

Black Friday has always bothered me. When I was younger I could never figure out why people would want to wake up at 3 am to camp out in front of a store, two things I hate combined camping and lack of sleep. As I got older I noticed a huge shift, stores opening earlier and earlier. It's become almost this "Apocalypse Now" style mission to go out and buy a television.

Why not do something different this year? Support a local business, more specifically support your local record shop. The 28th will be Record Store Day throughout the United States. It's a day to celebrate the magical places known as record stores, the places where you can bond with someone over music. There will be exclusive releases that you can only buy that day and of course you can spend the day browsing through the crates.

I am extremely excited about some of the exclusives and I am counting down the days until Friday. I am the most excited for "From Genesis to Revelation" by Genesis

"From Genesis to Revelation" was released in 1969 and when it was first released it didn't sell well and was usually placed in the religious section of the record shop, I'm sure there were some surprised listeners. 

The Beatles, The Kinks, Joey Ramone, and David Bowie are also some of the artists that will have albums for sale you can see the complete list here http://www.recordstoreday.com/SpecialReleases

You can find out which stores in your area are participating here http://www.recordstoreday.com/Venues

You Always Remember Your First

Do you remember the first album you purchased, the first physical album? The album you saved up for, the one you couldn't wait to listen to all the time.

I was seven years old when I bought my first album, "Middle of Nowhere" by Hanson and I'm surprised it didn't wear out. It was my very first and for about a year my only album. I listened to it constantly and now my family makes fun of me for it.

Anyway, I remember saving up to buy it and when I finally bought it I couldn't wait to drop it in the tray of my little boombox and press play, it was magical.

I can also remember my first record, I found it in my parent's record collection "Whipped Cream and Other Delights" by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass. Subconsciously, I think it's one of the reasons why I love modeling, the album cover is so striking and I wanted to be the whipped cream lady. The music is good too.

So, do you remember your first? What was it?

Last Taste of Summer

I love the transition from summer to fall, the sunsets become more magical and the air becomes crisp. I got to work with Camerin photography last Sunday and she captured the changing of the seasons in the photos. She was a pleasure to work with .

These remind me of fall, the photos evoke feelings of crisp fall air

The clouds reflected in the water are gorgeous. Veronica, the photographer, did a great job editing. It makes me think of how summer seems so infinite

The lighting in this of golden end of summer sunsets, the lighting was beautiful that evening 

You can find the full set of photos on Camerin Photography's photobucket page here and my facebook page as I add them www.facebook.com/obf0908

A Romp in the Sheets

Two weeks ago I had a photo shoot with Curtis Scott Dunn Creative Projects (https://www.facebook.com/CurtisScottDunnCreativeProjects), please give his page a like.

We were inspired by Douglas Kirkland's photos of Marilyn Monroe. I've always loved his photos of her, She was wrapped in white sheets, the photos were softly focused and she looked as if she was laying on clouds.

Douglas Kirkland has written about his shoot with Marilyn, he wrote about how nervous he was. Could you imagine getting the chance to work with Marilyn Monroe?

I have been modeling for four years now and it's taken me those four years to gain the confidence to finally get some implied nudes in my portfolio, I had so much fun I am wondering why it took me so long. 

I was a little nervous when I got there. To me, a good photographer not only takes good photos but he will put the model at ease, thankfully I've had the opportunity to work with a lot of photographers that one can't help but to feel comfortable with. Curtis Dunn is one of them, by the end I was completely at ease and having a lot of fun. 

There are more photos from this shoot on my Facebook page (http://facebook.com/obf0908). Enjoy!

Burger Time with Chris Crois Photography

Sunday night I met Chris at a 50s style McDonalds for our third shoot together. I believe that this was one of the most entertaining shoots I've done, there are some interesting people out at 10pm.  Since we were close to the street and next to a stop sign there were people hanging out of their cars taking photos of up with their phones. We have fans!

Half way through the shoot two couples got out of their car and walked in the McDonalds and a couple of minutes later one of the men walked out and asked for a photo with me. The rest of his group came out and started narrating my every move, It was really hard for me not to crack up.

The workers at McDonalds were extremely nice and allowed us to take photos inside, the inside is like stepping back into the 1950s. 

It was a fun night for sure! There are more photos from this shoot, to see the rest of them visit my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/obf0908 and make sure to "like" Chris Crois Photography's page https://www.facebook.com/crois6

My Turn as a Blonde

I have been busy, I love my blog, but I've had so many things to do this summer and it's been difficult to do everything I want to do. I always have so many things I want to accomplish in the day but my mind is making plans for 10 people, I over plan myself every day.

I had the pleasure of working with Thomas P. Woodward (http://tpwstudios.co/) again at the beginning of the month. I had my first shoot with him in April of this year and posted about it in my post "A Day in the Life"

I love modeling and acting since it gives me the privilege to step outside of myself. In my latest shoot with Thomas P. Woodward we decided to go with a Marilyn Monroe, blonde bombshell theme.

My Mommom's gold dress got a chance to be showcased at this photoshoot. It's one of my favorite 50s dresses

I am looking forward to the photo shoot we have planned for this week. To see more photos from this photo shoot visit my facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/obf0908

Movie Spotlight: Pleasantville

Have you ever wished you could beam yourself into a T.V. family? I did this a lot when I was little, I watched a lot of T.V. especially classic shows. My all time favorites were The Munsters and The Golden Girls, I always wanted to live with The Munsters since they were such an awesome family, everyone thought they were so weird but they were so loving.

Part of the reason I love the movie "Pleasantville" so much is the main characters actually get beamed into a T.V. family.

"Pleasantville" came out in 1998, my parents got it when it came out on VHS. I watched it and instantly fell in love with it, I notice new things every time I watch it and I understand it a lot more now than I did when I was eight years old. 

I'm sure that "Pleasantville" helped to spark my love for vintage, I really wanted a lot of the clothes in the movie. 

 Reese Witherspoon's character complains about wearing her 1950s bra, she said "I could, like, kill a guy with these things." Personally, I love the "bullet" bra look. 

 The mother, Betty, wears a lot of smart suits in the movie. I would love to raid her closet.

Look at those fantastic glasses

I could watch Pleasantville over and over again and not get tired of it. The movie is visually stunning and the plot is very thought provoking. People often think of the 50s as a perfect decade but it wasn't the paradise people make it out to be when they get an attack of nostalgia. 

So, what are your thoughts on Pleasantville?

In Memory of Peter Sellers

Peter Sellers died 34 years ago today. Actors and musicians make up my role models but I have never empathized with any of those people more than I have with Peter Sellers.

People are too quick to speak badly about Peter Sellers but forget that he was a very hurt man. While he reportedly did not like the documentary "Will the Real Mr. Sellers Pease Stand Up" I think it's very revealing. Although I can see why he didn't want anyone to see it since he was a very private person and the documentary is so raw.

One of my favorite parts is when he showcases his drumming skills. 

I am astounded by the amount of talent the man had. He was a drummer that was known as "Britain's answer to Gene Krupa", he was extremely interested in photography and was of course one of the greatest actors of all time. 

I wanted to have a little movie marathon to remember Peter Sellers and since it's hard for me to pick just one favorite here is what I have planned in no particular order. 

1) The Party

My absolute favorite scenes are the birdie num num scene and the scene where Hrundi V. Bakshi takes his first drink and proceeds to hop up and down on a bed. 

2) The Magic Christian

This is a wonderful movie to watch on father's day.

3)Being There

I wrote a post a couple of months ago about Being There (http://obf0908.blogspot.com/2014/05/movie-spotlight-being-there.html)

4) His episode of The Muppets

I know this isn't a movie but he was wonderful on The Muppet Show

5)Dr. Strangelove

I did not make this .gif file and take no credit for it.

Now, I'm off to watch and remember the great Peter Sellers. 

Night Time Glamour

Lisa Douglas from "Green Acres" is mostly to blame for my love of glamorous sleep wear. I first saw the show when I was little and I fell in love with Eva Gabor's wardrobe. Those of you that have been reading this blog or awhile know that I love to get dressed up. You should never forget the power your outfit can have on your attitude.

Having fun with your outfits doesn't have to end at night. I have a small collection of vintage nightgowns, not nearly as lovely as Mrs. Douglas but I have some 60s baby doll nighties and peignoirs.

 Isn't this a fun print? The fabric looks so floaty and comfortable. One of my dreams is to have a night gown/pajama collection to rival Lisa Douglas.

This robe exudes glamour. 

This photo came from a 70s issue of Life magazine and the pajamas remind me of something a genie would wear. These would be lovely for the summertime.  

The feathers at the bottom make the night gown. Wouldn't it be lovely to lounge in this in the evening? It exudes the glamour of old Hollywood. 

Photo by JLS Photography

This is one of my favorite nightgowns and peignoirs. It always makes me feel so glamorous, I just wish I had a pair of marabou slippers to match. 

So, how many of you enjoy slipping in to something glamourous in the evening?

The Hunt for Vinyl

This week the music post isn't about a certain band or artist but it's still music related. Lately almost every conversation I have has turned to a discussion about vinyl. Most of the time it's just me complaining that I can't find Bobby Darin records in the record shops or thrift stores and every time I am asked why I don't order them online. The main reason is I'm impatient when it comes to waiting but I really enjoy going to the record shop.

I didn't grow up with records. I grew up looking through my parent's record collection and listening to their curated music collection. I thought the records were neat, the large artful covers, the heft of the record and the ritual of putting it on the turntable and dropping the needle. I grew up with CDs and cassettes. I knew how much fun going to a music store to buy an album was and it's something I miss. It's always interesting to talk to other people about music, I've had a lot of interesting conversations in record stores.

Part of me loves digital media, I love my iPod like it was my child, but I miss that shopping experience of digging through the albums to find what you were looking for and chatting about music with the other customers and clerks. What I don't miss is carrying loads of CDs to play on my walkman whenever I wanted to go somewhere.

Record shops are a rarity now. When I was a child and in my early teenage years there were lots of places to by CDs and slowly they began disappearing. Most of the time new business don't move in and the building is abandoned.

                                                                          Some of my records.

Thankfully it's still possible to have a great record shopping experience. In New Jersey (where I'm from) there are two great places that spring to mind, the Princeton Record Exchange in Princeton, NJ (surprise) and the chain of Tunes stores.

The Princeton Record Exchange (http://www.prex.com/) has a huge selection of top quality records and I owe most of my collection to them. They have the biggest vinyl selection, to my knowledge, in the state of New Jersey. There is a huge dollar section with quality records (not junk) and harder to find albums at reasonable prices.

Tunes ( http://www.tunesonline.net/) is a chain that has 6 locations, including 1 in Maryland. Like the Princeton Record Exchange they have a dollar section and reasonably priced harder to find titles

Of course there are always thrift shops, my local Goodwill is always packed with records, but I find that some thrift shops store records in a way that makes it difficult to look through them.

A small collection of my collection. Some of them have the Princeton Record Exchange sticker on them.

So, how many of you prefer purchasing your records from a record shop instead of ordering online?

The Comedy of Rik Mayall

Today I learned of the death of Rik Mayall, a genius of comedy. One of my friends is mourning one of her heroes and I empathize with her, comedy actors have gotten me through a lot of things in my life especially dark things and I will always consider them heroes.

I started watching "The Young Ones" way after it was aired and my absolute favorite scene of the entire show was from the episode "Interesting" when Rick thought a tampon was a telescope with a mouse inside of it.

Here's the clip

I treasure comedians, they have helped me through some dark spots in my life, they've helped me even though I didn't know them. Laughter is important to make it through the day and it takes a truly talented person to make one laugh, I'm fortunate to have many heroes like that even though not all of them are still living. Fortunately, Rik Mayall left a huge body of work to be enjoined even though, sadly, he is no longer with us. I hope all of his fans pop in their favorite show or movie of his and enjoy his talent on this sad day. What is your favorite moment of Rik Mayall's career?

The Turtles: Tuesday Music Post

Everyone knows at least one song by the Turtles, if you don't at least know "Happy Together" than you probably live under a rock

The best part of this video is Mark Volman dancing with his french horn. 

The Turtles formed in 1965 and disbanded in 1970 although they still tour from time to time. They had a monster hit in 1967 with "Happy Together" and did not want to be tied to the bubblegum image so they released "Elenore" in 1968 to parody the song but it didn't really work. People loved the song and, for the most part, didn't get the joke. 

It may have been a joke, but it's a catchy joke. 

"Elenore" came from the album "The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands" where the band pretended to be 11 different groups with different musical styles.

The Turtles produced a lot of great tunes but one of my favorite things about them is they injected their humor into their work. One of the songs on "The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands" is titled "Food" and the lyrics are list of different foods and a recipe for pot brownies, so not only do you get a record with great tunes you get a recipe, what a value. When you watch videos of them performing you can obviously tell they're having a good time. 

"She'd Rather Be With Me"

Their last big hit was "You Showed Me", it's hauntingly beautiful. 

So, do you have a favorite Turtles tune or any Turtles trivia to share?

Bunny Yeager

Years ago I dreamed of being a pin-up girl. I saw photos of Bettie Page, specifically those taken by Bunny Yeager, and was hooked.

These gorgeous photos of Bettie were taken by Bunny Yeager. Bettie is an inspiration to me, she was such a beautiful and fearless model. 

The wonderful photographer and pin-up model died Sunday at 85 years old. She had a knack for modeling as well. 

She made this daisy bikini. 

Bunny and Bettie

It's sad to see someone with so much talent, on both sides of the camera, go. The photos she took were beautiful, classy and sensuous. She was stunning as a model and was a classic beauty. I imagine being a female photographer in the 50s and 60s was a bit hard especially when sexuality was so repressed but thankfully she created lasting art so everyone, even people that weren't around in those decades, can enjoy it.

Are you a Bunny Yeager fan? Do you prefer her modeling work or her photography? 

Mullica Hill, New Jersey: An Antique Paradise

Yesterday I took a little day trip to Mullica Hill, New Jersey. For those of you that live in New Jersey or close to it you should take a day trip to Mullica Hill (just not on a Monday or Tuesday since most places are closed).

Jeremy and our friend Diane started off the day with lunch at the Blue Plate (http://www.blueplatenj.com/)

I was really happy we chose the Blue Plate to eat since there were lots of vegetarian options which is unfortunately rare for restaurants in southern New Jersey. I had the portobello ruben sandwich which was a nice treat since my mother is a ruben fiend and I was never able to have one but thanks to the Blue Plate I was finally able to taste a delectable ruben sandwich, which features coleslaw, russian dressing and pumpernickel bread, not the healthiest of choices but it was so good!

After lunch we went to the Old Mill Antique Mall(www.old-mill-antique-mall.com). As soon as I walked in I was overwhelmed with the hugeness of the shop, they have three floors of everything you could possibly imagine. I made a loud gasp out of excitement when I entered that amused Jeremy and Diane. If you are a depression glass collector than the Old Mill Antique Mall is the place for you, I've never seen so much depression glass in one place, especially the green glass which is my favorite.

There were also a lot of records to look through and there were so many good ones but I only bought this gem. 

Sorry about the awful backwards photobooth photo but I was in a hurry to listen to the album.

Mullica Hill, NJ is a lovely little town with a great main street full of antique shops so if you are an antique lover you must visit. Here are some more antique shops in the town. 

1)Kings Row Antiques Campus (https://www.facebook.com/KingsCourtAntiques/)  Only one of the shops was open yesterday but there was a lot of beautiful furniture and depression glass for sale. 

2)Retro Station (retrostationnj.com/) Tons of records, mid-century items and pop culture collectibles abound. 

3) Turners Treasures at the Warehouse (turnerstreasuresofmullicahill.com/) This shop is connected to a pizza place and it has two lovely floors filled with antiques and collectables including a huge selection of glassware. A worker on the ground floor and I had a lovely discussion about Bobby Darin for a good half hour. She saw him in concert and I'm very jealous. It's nice to meet people that share Bobby Darin love. 

It was warm yesterday and I was so excited to finally wear my late 60s romper that I bought from Glassboro Thrift Village (glassborothriftvillage.com) 

I purchased the white vinyl handbag from Twice Loved Treasures in Vineland, NJ (www.sjworks.org/view/group/1091)

I thought it was adorable and unfortunately it fits very little but I love how it looks. 

The owl necklace was passed down to me by my mother-in-law. It was Jeremy's grandmother's necklace.  I'm sad that I never got to meet his grandmother, he's told me that she was a fun and loving lady. The necklace is very special to me, I am honored to wear it. 

I love to wear my Dr. Scholls wooden exercise sandals in the summer. My Mom used to have a pair every summer when she was growing up and they are very sturdy shoes. My pair have lasted me for 10 years. 

Make sure you plan a visit to Mullica Hill, New Jersey if you are in the area. For those of you that don't live in the area, what are your favorite towns to shop for antiques?