One Lovely Blog

Nicole tagged me in the "One Lovely Blog" Award. I'm flattered!

I admit, I've been so slack with blogging, I mostly use my Tumblr and Twitter for quick updates. So, if any of you are interested in ready my day to day exploits, my twitter is here : www.twitter.com/lenoralenoire and my Tumbrl, where I post photos of my outfits, thrifting/ antique hunting finds is here http://lenoralenoire.tumblr.com/


Here are the award guidelines:
1. Post linking back to the person that gave you the award
2. Share 7 random things about yourself
3. Award 15 recently discovered blogs.
4. Drop them a note and tell them about it.

***

1- The beautiful Nicole over at Highway 101 tagged me in this little award. Go check her out- she is a fellow retro-loving chick that I met last year at Viva, at the Neon Boneyard. Her and her hubby are about to embark into the wonderful world of parenting and I wish them all the luck in the world. The photo she posted of her little baby bump is too cute- she looks radiant!

2- 7 Random things about me:

-I am a certified lifeguard and swam competitively for years, yet I am terrified of falling out of a boat. It takes me a few minutes to psych myself up to get in and out of a canoe/rowboat, etc. Irrational fear!!!

-Despite looking like a prissy lady- I LOVE the outdoors. I love to camp, hike, fish, explore... and yes, I do it all in a dress. I *never* wear pants. I build one HELL of a fire, and cook one hell of a campire meal. I can pitch a tent in minutes, and am the most prepared camper you'll ever meet. I have been nicknamed the "Martha Stewart of Camping" by many friends.

-I love interior design. My home is decorated to the nines, and I have had several invites to post photos to various design websites. I am have been slacking big time, but plan to do a virtual tour of our flat soon. I am highly influenced by Mid Century Modern , but my style is all over the place- some victorian, some Art Deco, kitchy 50s... you name it!

-When I really need to relax- I get a tattoo. I have close to 25 hours of tattoo work done on me so far, with a half-sleeve in the works, which I will be getting this coming Saturday at the Maritime Tattoo Festival . The buzz and burn of a tattoo is very relaxing and healing for me , it helps me focus and ground myself. Does that make me a weirdo? Most of my tattoos are from times in my life where I've needed a little help to heal after stress, a loss of someone, a breakup, a mental breakdown, etc. All my tattoos are war medals that I've fought for and earned, and I wear them with pride. I also find it empowering to do things with my body and skin that society tells me I can't - "Ladies don't get tattoos" they say. pppft. My boss once asked me " Well...what are you going to do when you're 60??"..... " Get More!" I replied.

-I love to create. Be it jewelry, clothing, home decor... I love to take an idea ,the peices involved and work it all together to create something beautiful. I usually rework/ upcycle bits of broken antique jewelry into wearable art, we well as refinish antique home decor bits into new peices of different function- example, I refinished an old 1940s dartboard cabinet into a hanging jewelry box for my vintage pearls. It is one of my proudest DYIs, I added hooks, antique brass handles, etc. Functional and pretty!

-I'd like to buy an old house out in the country someday.... out in the middle of nowhere, with lots of trees. Maybe an old refinished Victorian, with a garden and a workshop. I'd like to grown my own food in the summers, and maybe have a Bed and Breakfast someday. Having a B&B makes sense, as I LOVE to cook and bake, decorate, and host!

-I am a crazy bird lady. When I used to work downtown, I was constantly late as I would always stop to feed the birds. Any bird.... wild, domestic... I just think they are so magical, quirky and fantastic. We have 3 parakeets at the moment and they are like my children. Nick and I are not the breeding type, but do plan to expand our little family with a sun conure sometime in the near future.


3- Award newly found blogs ( 15 is a little high, I'll stick with 5!)

-I think Tasha over at By Gum, By Golly already has been tagged in this, but I adore her blog, so I'm tagging her again! Another fellow vintage-lover, crafter and part of one of the most adorable couples I've ever seen. Go check her out!

- Tempermental Broad - Found her post on bakelite through a friend, and have since looked through some more of her posts. Adore her style!

Advanced Style - By far my favorite blog around. Showcasing the beauty of women, particularly aged ladies with mad style! This blog gives me hope and has taken away my fear of growing old.

The always perfectly polished Lolita Haze of Vintage Starlet - I love seeing her outfit and hair tutorial posts.

Another gal with great style, another vintage-lover Yesterday Girl


XOXOX
Lenora

Please vote for Ellen!

PLEASE go vote for my beautiful friend Ellen- http://www.inkinginthevalley.com/ to be their 2012 covergirl, and win $1000 for her and her family of three beautiful kids and hubby.

Ellen is one of the most kind and generous people I’ve had the pleasure to meet, and she definitly deserves your vote. Please take the time to click over and vote.

Please repost if you'd like, I know quite a few of you VLV gals are also friends with this lovely lady, so lets help her out!!

Vegas Day 3- Thursday Recap - Dreams of driving an antique car still unfullfilled

Hello again my darling little bunnies!

Are we all enjoying my Vegas recap? I am…its like reliving it in a small way….oh how I wish I could teleport back right this second…

On to day three! This was the day I was SO excited for. Why? We had rented a 1959 red Cadillac convertible, to finally fulfill my life-long dream of cruising the desert in an old convertible….scarf in the wind….*sigh*

However, the universe decided it was not time for me to fulfill that dream just yet.

Late the night before, I received a call from the rental company. The 59’ Caddy was in a wreck. Totalled.

Not to worry they said- we have a ’64 you can have! She’s a little beat up, but she’ll do!

She did not do.

More on this, after we talk about BREAKFAST!

We decided to brave the high-priced room service menu and splurge. $60 for two omlettes with hash browns and sausage, but hey…maybe they’d surprise us with something really wonderful? Let me tell you, they did! When I mentioned my gluten allergy, they we’re so kind and accommodating, something I really appreciate! When room service arrived, the table was unfolded to reveal all sorts of little toys, a Rubix cube, Easter eggs, etc. The food? Amazing. Worth the money and more. Since I couldn’t eat bread, they sent up extra hashbrowns- the best hashbrowns I’ve ever had in my sweet little life. I could go on and on about the amazing service and food…but I wont. I’ll save that for a Vegas Food entry over at the Eat-a Von Teese blog. I’ll leave you with a photo.




After we ate and got dress….it was time to tackle the impending nightmare that was the car rental.
So off to pick up the car we went. I was overjoyed! Look at her! How beautiful!




I was so excited, I even had a matching hair-scarf to protect my curls. ( That matched my beautiful 1950s deadstock daydress to boot, my favorite dress I wore all week)



Looks can be deceiving...She was falling apart.
Simply sitting in her made the suspension rattle, everything inside was broken, she hardly started… My red flags went off. I did not feel safe driving this car. I went back in, explained the car was just not up to par, and they gave me a different one instead.


Not a classic, but still a convertible! She’d do! And off we went!


Driving in Vegas was TERRIFYING!!!!!! I’m from a small town. We have two lanes. Trying to maneuver 8 lanes, with people honking and yelling? Ah! I however did well, and stayed calm!

We took a drive to the Vegas sign and took some photos.

Miss Eddie Vee and I



Nick and I


It was beautiful and sunny, but SO windy! I was very happy I wore a headscarf!

Then we took a short drive out in the desert.


I was happy.

Even happier once we found a DISCOUNT LIQUOR OUTLET!!

Now, we are Canadians. We know booze. However, our booze is really expensive. We couldn’t believe the prices at this little store. We loaded up on our favorite tipple- Mr Jack Daniels. That giant bottle would have cost us about $200 in Canada…We picked it up for $60. Amazing. Also, we don’t have Tennessee Honey nor Cherry Vodka in Canada yet, so we picked some up for our bar.



Then, it was off to pick up our VLV wrist bands!




YAY! ROCKABILLY FESTIVAL YAY!!!!..... My excitement would soon be squished. Too many people. WAY too many people.

Where was the boot? What the hell were these plastic tiki mugs? Scratchy ribbon wrist bands? Well I was willing to accept the change, and we went upstairs to check out our very first band…. And the only band we really saw all weekend.


The crowds were just too much for us. We decided to head downstairs, and in true Canadian tradition, DRINK UNTIL ITS FUN!








We were drunk and tired. We tried a few more times to brave the crowds, but damnit, I’m just too much of a small-town girl to enjoy being knocked around shoulder to shoulder. We checked out the vendors, Nick bought some more pomade and a hat. People took pictures of his mustache. I craved our big bathtub and comfy bed. We hailed a cab, and defeated….went back to our hotel.

Maybe I’m getting old, maybe I’m just not “hip” enough…but the festival isn’t really for me anymore. Last year, I was excited to be there and didn’t notice the politics as much… but truth to be told I don’t like the drama, I don’t like the attitude and judging of everyone’s outfits, being “’billier than thou” . Yes, you can ignore it, but even just a little bit sneaking in is enough to make you a little cranky. I’m on vacation- one I worked DAMN hard to get, and I want to enjoy it. I don't care about being cool or popular or a "socialite" and schmoozing with all the "who's who". Sure, I enjoy finally being able to be around other people who share my interests ( since where I’m from, there are VERY VERY few rockabilly lovers)…but all the headaches and crowds just weren’t worth it to me. I’m happy with getting to talk to you all online, and maybe see a few of you out to our Canadian Rockabilly festivals, The Hotrod Hootenanny in Niagra Falls Ontario, and the Red Hot and Blue in Montreal.

Sorry Viva…I know some of you had good intentions, and I wish I’d been able to see more of the acts that I’d paid for…but alas. Maybe I’ll give you another try next year , since a bunch more New Brunswickers want to attend. We shall see…

Day 4 recap coming soon!
xox

Vegas Recap- Day 2 (Wednesday!)

Hello again, bunnies!

Time for more Vegas-Trip-2001 Recap action!

You already saw a few pictures from early-morning on Wednesday, day 2. The rest of the day was dedicated to the finer things in life- gorging and sunbathing, shopping, chocolate and boobs!

We’d heard our hotel had recently received the wonderful accolade of having the very best buffet on the strip. Nick and Eddie wanted to try it out… I should mention, I am not a big fan of buffets. I know, I’m a terrible fat girl. Going to a buffet is one of the very few fat-girl-insecurities I still maintain. Also, having a gluten allergy, most of the food I can’t eat, so it’s a huge let down.

However….the Wicked Spoon? Delicious. Unbelievable. The largest spread of food I’ve ever seen, with individual dishes. I could go on and on. Even having to eat gluten-free, I was still satisfied, but very very frustrated I couldn’t eat the mountains of delicious food I WANTED to.


my predominately veggie plate


and Nick and his plate of meat



After stuffing our bellies, we decided it was high time we explored one of the pools.
Our first pool experience was the Boulevard Pool, which overlooks the strip. A beautiful set up, with lounge chairs, palm trees and a game section. Bikini- clad waitresses wandering about bringing you over priced beverages. Heaven.





We digested and sun bathed, then swam about and it was just marvelous!

On our way back to our room, we took in some of the art that is around The Cosmo. Everywhere you look, there is interactive art. My favorite? GIANT SHOES! Don’t mind my messy look, we just came back from a swim, remember!




Some more quick photos from around the hotel, mostly of part of the GIANT chandelier, with a 3 floor bar inside of it











The hotel had these SUPER NEAT vending machines all over the place. They are old cigrarette vendine machines, turned into art vending machines! They spit out little mini canvases for $5.



After a quick change , we decided to hit the pavement and do some sight seeing and shopping!

First we went to Paris! I really wanted to go last year, but didn’t have time. To be honest, we weren’t all that impressed. The ride up to the top cost us $20, and we had a better view from our hotel. Meh. Here is a view of our hotel, anyway.




Then..it was time to SHOP! But first?

YARD LONG MARGARITAS AT NOON! We were wandering around Ceasar’s Palace Forum Shops, and decided to get gigantic beverages. Vegas isn’t Vegas without drinking a giant beverage mid-day. We took a short breather to watch the fishies.



One of the things I looked forward to the most about returning to Vegas was the shopping and the chocolate. We hit up Vosges, an Haute-Coutoure Chocolate Shop… Let me just say….the prices ARE WORTH IT!!!! We spent $100 on chocolate, some to bring home, some to enjoy in our room. We also hit up the Bettie Page store, where I spent WAY too much money. We don’t have anything like that back home! Sure, everyone at the festival would be wearing those dresses- but no one back home will be!
Our gigantic margaritas were finished, and we were tipsy. I decided we should stop shopping or I’d max my credit card. Nick was drunk, and photo bombing EVERYONE he possibly could. Including me.



Back to our room, with the spoils of Drunken Shopping



A quick bath with more yummy Lush products, and it was time to get dolled up for a show.

We had tickets to see The Crazy Horse Paris show at the MGM. I’d seen the show last year, with Dita Von Teese, and was BLOWN away. We had front row vip seating, I could smell her…it was sublime. This year, Claire SinClaire was guest staring…. I wont lie , she was pretty lack-luster, but the regular Crazy girls were fantastic. Nick really enjoyed the show.

I wore one of my new Bettie Page dresses, that I fell in love with, and shhh wore again on Friday ;)
Infront of the Chandelier at the Cosmo.



At the Crazy Horse theatre. Waitin’ for boobies.



Good Night Vegas!



Thursday entry coming soon!
XO

Vegas Recap- Tuesday, Day 1! (And the morning of Day 2)

Well bunnies, I’m finally getting around to writing a Vegas recap!

All in all our vacation was exactly what a great vacation should be- exciting, invigorating, extravagant and exactly what we needed. Every fiber of my big beautiful being wishes it could still be in bright sunny Las Vegas.

Nick and I ended up doing very little Viva-related. I was very turned off by the huge crowds….but hey, I’m small-town Canadian. 10 people is a crowd to me , so gimme a break! To be honest, I was very disappointed in how packed the festival was. I think it is time for it to move to a bigger venue, or stop selling so many tickets. We didn’t get to see any of the shows we wanted to, nor any burlesque. Viva this year put a sour taste in my mouth, and I’m on the fence about returning next year. We shall see! I may go just so I can finally meet up with the lovely ladies I missed this year, such as Tasha of By Gum, By Golly!

Our trip from Moncton to Vegas was painless, with only one stop in Montreal. Once we arrived, we decided to do things right, and hailed a limo to take us to our swanky hotel, the Cosmopolitan.

Here’s Nick looking devilish infront of our ride.

Our hotel was UNBELIEVABLE. We didn’t want to stay at the Orleans, I wanted to be able to get away and relax, and since we saved up a handsome chunk of money for this year’s trip, we decided to really spoil ourselves and stay at the place that is currently being hailed the best on in Vegas. It is owned by a German bank, and cost over 4 billion to make…and when you’re inside, you can see why. 3 pool areas, endless bars, one of which is a giant chandelier…yeah. More photos of our hotel in later posts.

Our room had the most amazing view of the strip. We were on the 63rd floor, overlooking Planet Hollywood and Paris. You could see the mountains, and basically the entire damn strip.

Here is a photo of me with the daytime view , pretending the hold the mountains. I’m so captivated by the scenery, it is so entirely different then what we have back home.



This however is nothing.
Just look at the night view.






We didn’t do much during our first day ,besides a bit of sightseeing. We went to Mandalay Bay, to see the Shark Reef, and eat at the Burger Bar- something Amina Munster recommended to me. She was spot-on! Nick had a Kobe Beef burger, and was in heaven… I had to have a burger without the bun, because of my gluten allergy…but it was still pretty damn delicious.




We were pretty tired from being up over 24 hours, and decided to pop a squat at our first VLT machine of the trip. The Munsters are a favorite of mine, so it was the natural choice.



We aren’t big gamblers. Couldn’t care less, really. I think we gambled a whole $30 the whole trip. We popped in a dollar into the Munsters machine, and won $30, so we were happy. We cashed out and headed to the bar.



We bought a couple of fancy overpriced drinks, then headed back to our hotel.

We ordered some champagne from room service, and relaxed in our huge Jacuzzi tub.

Full of LUSH products, might I add!! Over whelming bubbles! I was in heaven!

We passed out by 10pm Vegas time, but give us a break! We were on a 4 hour time difference, and are usually in bed by 10pm OUR time! Which is 6pm Vegas time ;)

The bed was gigantic and the most comfortable I’ve ever slept in.

We woke up early on Wednesday, and I enjoyed a champagne breakfast on the balcony in my bikini ( yep. Fatkini! Rockin’ what momma gave me!) Good morning Las Vegas! People were still stumbling home drunk, it was about 6:30am.



Nick soaked up some early morning rays as well ;)



..before enjoying his champagne breakfast in our over the top gigantic shower


We are classy , classy folk!

To see all the photos from day one, click on over to my Flickr page http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenoralenoire/sets/72157626593235794/

That’s all for now. I’ll post Day 2 shortly!
XOX
Lenora