Jenny January - Day 7 (last day): Ice Blue Harlequin Print Dress

For the last day of Miss Amy May's Jenny January, I chose to wear the last Jenny dress I bought from Pinup Girl Clothing: the ice blue harlequin print! I am a harlequin diamond nut. I love this motif, so much, and so, outside of the Halloween harlequin (which I wasn't fond of the orange in it) and the purple harlequin print (which I didn't like the green and purple combo that doesn't look good on my skin tone), I have at last one item in every colorway. This dress... I didn't think I was going to be able to afford it, but my Tommy Lee surprised me with it as a Christmas present, and I am so glad that he did because it is really versatile, and the fit is amazing, in my opinion.

And that does it for another year of Jenny January posts. I am ready for a wiggle skirt tomorrow, though, and I'll be filming another episode of the Mid-Century Kitchen with Molly Starlite. What should I cook? I'm thinking potato salad.

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Jenny January - Day Five: Black/Teal Harlequin Jenny Dress!

This is, bar none, my favorite Jenny dress, mostly because of the print and color scheme. I wore this dress for Day Five of Miss Amy May's Jenny January, where you wear a different Jenny dress or skirt every day for seven days. This was the first Jenny dress I bought from Pinup Girl Clothing and the start of a bit of an obsession: I love the cut and style of this dress as well as the whole midcentury harlequin motif. So much heart-eyes.







Like what you see here? Want to help me make more awesome stuff? Support me on Patreon.com and get instant rewards! You could get a custom song, free copies of my books, free jewelry, a say in my projects, and so much more! Thank you for your patronage!

Jenny January - Day 3: White Harlequin Jenny!

Day three of Miss Amy May's Jenny January, and I chose to wear the Jenny dress in white harlequin. I love the harlequin diamond motif; it's so retro and 1950s kitsch... it instantly calls to mind that time period, and this print adds to that with its color scheme on a white background. The moment I saw it, I thought of this Sears ad:

And it doesn't get any more retro, 1950s than that!

Jenny January - Day One: Red Harlequin

Jenny January is an event started by Miss Amy May in which pinup ladies dress in a different Pinup Girl Clothing Jenny dress or skirt every day for a week. It's a lot of fun, and you sometimes get to match outfits with other pinup ladies. It's a huge event on Instagram, and last year, I collaborated with over a dozen pinup ladies to match outfits for all seven days.

This year, I have been too busy to schedule any collaborations on purpose, but I am still participating. For Day One of Jenny January, I am wearing one of my favorite Jenny dresses: the chocolate harlequin Jenny dress! I love this dress because the color scheme looks great with my coloring, and it's a bigger size that I tailored to fit me, so the bodice fits all the way to my bellybutton on my freakishly long waist. It's eye-catching and a perfect precursor to Valentine's Day next month.

Round-Up Post of Sewing Projects!

Thought that I would make a post detailing all the sewing projects I have done this summer...

This pink swing dress you know, if you've read my blog:

Here is a green atomic starburst/argyle swing dress I made with cream trim. This one turned out really well, especially for not having a pattern...

This skirt is a box pleat underskirt in cream and blue cotton with a sheer overskirt made of vintage organza. Love the tropical print!

Someone told me that harlequin print wouldn't work in a wiggle dress. I think she might have been mistaken.

Here is another swing dress I made without a pattern. This is made from some kind of cotton blend vintage fabric in a tiki island print. The bodice, lapels, and cuffs are aqua cotton.

Here is a peasant-style top I made from pink striped cotton. I don't like how this turned out so I plan to remake it soon.

Another skirt made from vintage fabric. I think this might be upholstery fabric, but I don't care. It's shot through with silver metallic threads that match perfectly with the mustard yellow and navy.

A yellow swing dress I made from vintage rayon, I think. I don't know. It's kind of stretchy and a little rubbery feeling. But it sure is pretty and drapes beautifully.

The first skirt I made: a striped swing skirt!

Aqua blue swing dress!

My latest sewing output: a swing skirt made of this cute and fun polka dot charmeuse satin.

Looking Forward...

February. Always a stressful month. Winter's winding down, but the days are still short and the snow is murky and dingy and there's virtually nothing to look forward to. It's easy to get down in the dumps, and I have been lately, but a bright spot that just appeared, for me, anyway, is that Pinup Girl Clothing is coming out with some awesome new stuff and re-issuing some discontinued items that I am really looking forward to!

Coming back (that they've announced so far that I am REALLY looking forward to) is the Sky Blue Jenny dress, the baby blue Vamp top, the Havana Nights dress in red, the solid color Harley dresses (yellow, olive, and blue), and, one of my unicorns, the Jenny skirt in black harlequin print.

Among the new stuff coming soon that I really, really, really am looking forward to is the new peasant tops in bright blue, mint, dark green, and olive, and...

A photo posted by Pinup Girl Clothing (@pinupgirlclothing) on Feb 12, 2016 at 9:11am PST

Jenny dresses in pale pink and, hopefully, pale yellow (they've not announced yellow, though... green would be cool, too...)!

I am also glad that they're restocking the peasant top in pale pink, and I hope that they get more of the peasant top in pale yellow, too... I have this dream outfit of the Little Jun jacket and skirt set in turquoise layered over a peasant top in yellow...

They're also going to have new Mary Blair prints in scarves, skirts, and dresses, as well as new prints for the Harley dresses and solid color Jenny skirts... I'm going to have to get a second job... LOL!

A photo posted by Pinup Girl Clothing (@pinupgirlclothing) on Feb 11, 2016 at 11:50am PST

Jenny January Round Up

Many of those who enjoy pinup life have heard of Jenny January, started by Miss Amy May, wherein those who own Pinup Girl Clothing's Jenny skirts and dresses wear exclusively that style of skirts and dresses for their OOTD (outfit of the day) posts on Instagram (and sometimes, they're posted elsewhere). This year, I finally had enough Jenny skirts/dresses to participate, and, not only that, I got a bunch of gals from the #ImAPUGDuh crew to join in, twinning, tripletting, quadrupletting (and more)... basically, setting up days where we all agreed to photograph ourselves wearing the same Jenny skirt or dress on the same day.

Monday was the Mary Blair Commuters print Jenny:

A photo posted by ✨Molly Starlite✨ (@sixstringlass) on Jan 18, 2016 at 2:58pm PST

A photo posted by ✨Molly Starlite✨ (@sixstringlass) on Jan 19, 2016 at 12:25am PST

Tuesday was the black and teal harlequin Jenny:

A photo posted by ✨Molly Starlite✨ (@sixstringlass) on Jan 19, 2016 at 1:25pm PST

A photo posted by ✨Molly Starlite✨ (@sixstringlass) on Jan 19, 2016 at 7:23pm PST

Wednesday was the cherry border print Jenny:

A photo posted by ✨Molly Starlite✨ (@sixstringlass) on Jan 20, 2016 at 6:11pm PST

A photo posted by ✨Molly Starlite✨ (@sixstringlass) on Jan 20, 2016 at 8:28pm PST

Thursday was the Mary Blair Parasols print Jenny:

A photo posted by ✨Molly Starlite✨ (@sixstringlass) on Jan 21, 2016 at 5:55pm PST

Friday was the orange border print Jenny:

A photo posted by ✨Molly Starlite✨ (@sixstringlass) on Jan 22, 2016 at 2:09pm PST

A photo posted by ✨Molly Starlite✨ (@sixstringlass) on Jan 22, 2016 at 5:25pm PST

Saturday was the red and chocolate harlequin Jenny:

A photo posted by ✨Molly Starlite✨ (@sixstringlass) on Jan 23, 2016 at 4:44pm PST

And, finally, Sunday was the castles print Jenny:

A photo posted by ✨Molly Starlite✨ (@sixstringlass) on Jan 24, 2016 at 4:06pm PST

A photo posted by ✨Molly Starlite✨ (@sixstringlass) on Jan 24, 2016 at 4:22pm PST

I had a blast! It was the first time I had gotten to participate in an event like this with some like-minded women, and I am so glad that I got to! It's quite a community that Pinup Girl Clothing has fostered with their clothing!

But, honestly: after a week of nothing but swing dresses, I am ready for wiggle:

A photo posted by ✨Molly Starlite✨ (@sixstringlass) on Jan 25, 2016 at 5:37pm PST

Making It MCM: Atomic Bedroom Project

When we bought this house, I knew that it would a long time and a lot of work to get it to where I wanted it: a Mid-Century Modern Oasis. So far, we've removed all the carpeting and replaced it with wood floors, painted over all the paneling (which I hate... that fake wood pattern paneling... yuck), re-did the kitchen, and, finally, the bedroom. We still have projects to complete: I want to re-do the bathroom and laundry room, and eventually make an entertaining room with room for my band to practice, a pool table, and a TV viewing area... but all that's in the future.

My latest house project was a complete sprucing-up of the bedroom. It was functional (could use a bigger closet, but that's what every girl says), but UGLY. Like I said, the wall finishes were fake wood paneling, and it desperately needed another window. After my Tommy Lee installed a new window, I gutted everything out of the space and started in to bring the room to what I saw in my head. Here's a "before" video:

I had several designs, but, in the end, I decided I just wanted something clean, bright, and undeniably mid-century atomic. So I bought a gallon of Behr paint in Pearl White semi-gloss and a quart of Glidden semi-gloss in a shade called Island Shores:

A photo posted by Molly Starlite (@sixstringlass) on Sep 24, 2015 at 10:16am PDT

After moving everything out, I started with the closet. Before shot:

A photo posted by Molly Starlite (@sixstringlass) on Oct 9, 2015 at 9:24pm PDT

And After I painted the closet area:

A photo posted by Molly Starlite (@sixstringlass) on Oct 11, 2015 at 1:34am PDT

And then one wall... Before:

A photo posted by Molly Starlite (@sixstringlass) on Oct 11, 2015 at 3:42pm PDT

Here's my Ugly Paneling Seam Painting Technique:

And After:

A photo posted by Molly Starlite (@sixstringlass) on Oct 11, 2015 at 8:23pm PDT

And then the opposing wall, the feature wall, and the doors. The final look? MCM HEAVEN! Behold:

Here's some still shots of the room:

A photo posted by Molly Starlite (@sixstringlass) on Oct 14, 2015 at 12:24am PDT

A photo posted by Molly Starlite (@sixstringlass) on Oct 14, 2015 at 12:28am PDT

A photo posted by Molly Starlite (@sixstringlass) on Oct 14, 2015 at 12:30am PDT

A photo posted by Molly Starlite (@sixstringlass) on Oct 14, 2015 at 12:33am PDT

A photo posted by Molly Starlite (@sixstringlass) on Oct 14, 2015 at 12:36am PDT

A photo posted by Molly Starlite (@sixstringlass) on Oct 14, 2015 at 11:42am PDT

The final piece of my makeover was the antique brass desk that I inherited from my Grandma. She bought it intending to refinish it, but never got around to it before she passed. My Tommy Lee sanded and repainted the desk and its bench, and then we re-upholstered the seat. After hanging a mirror on the wall, I painted the frame, hung some globe lights around it, and, voila! Makeup table!!!

A photo posted by Molly Starlite (@sixstringlass) on Oct 23, 2015 at 11:02pm PDT

A photo posted by Molly Starlite (@sixstringlass) on Oct 23, 2015 at 11:11pm PDT

We All Have Our Favorites...

As much as I have grown - fashion-wise - since embracing the pinup lifestyle, I am still drawn - as I think we all are, at times - to little black dresses. My 15-year-old self would be shocked - nay, stunned - to look into the closet of her future self and see pinks, yellows, greens, and blues; I wasn't goth, but my wardrobe as a teenager consisted primarily of black and, occasionally, red. Today, I am wearing one of my favorite dresses: the Pinup Girl Clothing Jenny dress in cherry border print. I really love this dress. The cut and color are so flattering; I feel like a princess every time I wear it.

I have a stupid-long torso. The waistline on most dresses hits me at least 4 to 5 inches above my bellybutton and my natural waist, so I have started buying clothes that are too big for me and then taking them in to fit my waist and rib cage circumference... and then they have the length in the waistband to hit me at my natural waist.

Such is the case with my cherries Jenny. I bought it as a 4X and then took it in 4.5 inches on each side and removed the boning so that it would lay flat under my bust, define my bustline, and have the extra three inches of length in the waist to reach my natural waistline. I have four other Jenny dresses - the orange border, and three of the four harlequin prints - and this cherry border fits the best of all of them. The red harlequin fits second best, mostly because it is a 3X I took in and de-boned it, as well. The others are all 2X, and are still a little big in the waist and sit a little too high.

Now, you might be asking how I can edit and modify dresses that cost what these do, and the answer is that I buy them used, or on clearance... at least the ones I have altered, anyway. The ones that I have paid full price for, new, from the pinupgirlclothing.com web site... I haven't altered those because the miser in me won't let me; guess I don't really trust my own sewing skills enough yet.

Taking these dresses in is actually fairly simple, even for the novice seamstress, like me. I think I may have used my sewing machine fewer than 25 times the whole time I've had it - six years or so. So, yeah, I don't sew much, but I still felt confident enough to tackle this project. All I did was put the dress on inside out and then put a pin at the point that would be narrowest and another pin at the top of the bust under the armpit where it would need to be to be fitted. Then, I took the dress off, and, still inside out, sewed a half moon shaped stitch from the waistline, in to the narrowest point, and then back out to the second pin in the underarm. Repeat for the other side, and you're done. Yes, there is a more complicated way of doing it that involves taking the lining apart and doing it the "right way," the way that a pro would do it. I am not a professional. I just left the extra fabric and ironed in flat toward the back of dress. I don't even notice it when it's on and nobody can see it.

The only issue that I have noticed with this method is that there ends up being a small "bunch" of fabric in the skirt area right below the stitch. No one has ever pointed it out to me, so I guess it's not noticeable except to me.

If you're even the slightest bit scared of doing this, I wouldn't recommend doing it. The thing I kept reminding myself was that I could undo it and get a pro to do it for me if it got too complicated or I got too frustrated. In the end, it was just a 15-minute procedure and I am thrilled with the results.

OTHER NEWS: I signed up for ispy. I have never been too big into makeup and will just use whatever I come across that I like... the only exception to this being in the case of foundation because my skin is pretty sensitive and will break out if I don't use Cover Girl foundation and powders. But beyond that, I am not too picky and I even like a lot of the Dollar Store brands like Jordana and Wet'n'Wild and e.l.f as well - if not better than - more expensive brands and products. (The main example of this is Wet'n'Wild's glitter lip gloss which is the bomb. Serious sparkle, not heavy, blendable to lipsticks... it's perfect and freaking hard to find.) But those are posts for another day.

What Is "Pinup Everyday?"

Ever since I started following the pinup culture about 18 months ago, I've been incorporating it into my life. Of course, I've always been interested in all things retro: cars, decorating, fashion, makeup... but it took me a while to start really living that lifestyle. I think being a pinup is about more than just looking like a pinup; it really is a lifestyle, an attitude. It's being you, your way. It's the personification of class, style, and dedication to things you love. You can be a pinup in your jeans or yoga pants with your hair just brushed. It's an attitude.

For me, it's a measure of control over my life. My world was very messy for a very long time, and the world of retro living brought a structure to my life that not only helped me control myself and my emotions, but literally makes me happy.

For instance, my house. About the same time that I became interested in pinup culture, my new husband and I bought a house. Nothing fancy: just a 800-ish-or-so square-foot house in the boonies of north Idaho. Owning something like this meant I could decorate it however I wanted. And we went retro! Here's a few photos of different areas of the house; I'll post in more detail about each in posts later:

 The living room had hideous paneling, old carpet, and dusty vertical blinds... so I changed everything. Laminate flooring, pinstriped the walls, added colorful curtains, glittery shades, and bright orange and lush silver furniture. Voila! An MCM living area!

 The kitchen was typical 1970s decor, with flower-patterned, orange-and-yellow-and-avacado color scheme; paneling everywhere, and more vertical blinds. So, we installed counter-to-ceiling glass tile in white and silver, painted the paneling white and accented with chili pepper red, installed stainless appliances (which I got for a steal from a friend of mine who was moving), and added chrome Sputnik stars to the cabinetry.  We've since changed the light fixtures and carried the Spunik star theme down the hallway toward the bedroom. I'll post those photos later. :)

I have a "before" shot somewhere, but this is an "after" shot of the bedroom, my most recent project. This was mostly just painting paneling. (I hate paneling.) I also added colorful harlequin diamonds, bright curtains and sheers, and decorated with the mid-century lamps I collect.




So, as you can see, I have full embraced the retro life. I don't think you have to go as a far as I have to be a pinup or part of the retro lifestyle, but it sure has made me happy. Getting out of the dark place I was in and physically brightening my surroundings made a huge difference to my healing process. Plus, it looks awesome, right?