Wednesday, December 29, 2010

DIY Wonderland Decorations



Hi, ladies! Did you notice the backgrounds in our winter lookbook? Here's how we created our wonderland atmosphere, with the collaboration of Summer from Grey Likes Weddings and art direction/photography by Stephanie Williams. We hope you can use these ideas or find inspiration for your wedding or birthday photo booths, engagement photo shoots, holiday cards, party decor, or whatever else your creative heart desires.

Yarn Balls




1. Blow up balloons to different sizes, and try to mold them into spheres as you blow them up. We used regular party balloons that you can find at the store, but you can search online for larger balloons as well. Tie the balloons instead of knotting them.

2. Mix Elmers Glue (the basic white glue) with water in a bowl. We recommend adding a little bit of water at a time so prevent the mixture from becoming too thin. The end result should be similar to the consistency of paint.

3. This next step is just like paper mache. Pick out any yarn of your choice and dip the yarn into the glue mixture. Wrap the yarn around the balloons until you've reached your desired look.

4. Hang the wrapped balloons from the knot to dry. It may take a day or two for them to dry completely. Once dry, the balloons will fill stiff.

5. Try to separate the balloon from the yarn by pushing the balloon. Slowly let the air out of the balloons by untying the tie (rather than popping them) and continue to gently separate the yarn from the balloon's surface.

Tah-dah! You now have amazing and unique decorations.

Mixed Media Streamers





For this background we hung parchment paper and rolled it down to the floor. In front of it, we hung tulle, cotton fabric, coffee filters, and confetti streamers.

1. Cut the tulle into strips varying thickness. Hang the strips as they are or tie random knots to add interest. To add volume, string fishing line through the tulle, tie a knot, scrunch up the fabric, and tie another knot to keep the tulle puffy and in place.

2. Here's the easiest step! Cut any cotton fabric of your choice into strips. Mix it up with patterns and textured fabric.

3. String fishing line through the coffee filters and tie a knot in the line wherever you want filters to stop. Play around with the spacing for interest.

4. The confetti streamers can be found in any party supply section. You can twist, scrunch, or leave the streamers as they are. Let your creativity soar with this step.




And that's it! You've created your own wonderland atmosphere. We'd love to see photos if you end up trying out any of these tips!

Love,
Ruche

Friday, December 24, 2010

Christmas Comes Each Time This Year


From our warm, glowing house, we at Alameda Vintage wish you a very special Christmas. Thanks to everyone who bought something from us this season. I hope your vintage gifts leave a wonderful, lasting impression on the ones you love.

As promised, I listed the vintage '50s Persian lamb/chinchilla fur coat I found last summer, in all its Old Hollywood glamour. No sooner had I clicked "Submit" that I already missed it. Whoever wins it will be one luckysonvabitch.

Have a great holiday, everybody!

xo,
Sabrina London

Sunday, December 19, 2010

3 causes of hair loss you need to know before you seek for Oregon Hair Restoration

Hair loss can be a serious concern for some men and women during adulthood. It is detrimental to self-confidence. It poses concerns for grooming. Why not? Isn’t hair one’s crowning glory? Isn’t hair the first thing you’d notice in a person whether he/she is fully groomed or not? Hair is too important that those who are stricken by this plight even turn to surgeries for hair restoration as their last resort.

hair restoration
    Photo credit: weheartit

A thin volume of hair was never my problem. I always had more than enough hair to fix. I remembered a gay hair dresser commented about my hair before saying that my hair has good volume, perfect for rebonding. But when I landed a very tedious job, stopped doing regular exercise and started relying on hair rebonding for a long shiny hair, things changed dramatically.

To restore the thickness of my hair is my number one goal right now. It urged me to observe the behavior of my hair and what causes rapid hair loss.

Here are the top 3 reasons of my hair loss:

1. Genes – the thinness of hair can be genetics. If you are having problem with baldness, see if your maternal ancestors are bald, if they are, then you are very likely to lose your hair. However, in some instances, you can also directly inherit the baldness of your dad. In my case, my dad is bald and my mom is getting thin hair while growing old. I’m afraid it’s very unlikely for me to escape.

2. Medical and/or Beauty Treatment- certain medications such as drugs used for depression, arthritis and heart problems, or treatments like chemotherapy, may cause hair loss. However, successive beauty treatment for hair such as rebonding and straightening can also damage your hair.

3. Damaged hair follicle – inflaming and scarring of hair follicle cause by Lupus erythematosus or lichen planus, both skin conditions, can cause permanent hair loss.

If any of these causes your hair loss, you can seek for natural remedy to avoid further hair loss. Medical or Beauty Treatment or Damaged hair follicle can be avoided and fixed easily. There are plenty of suggested ways to help you regain good volume that are available online. However, if the reason is genetics, there is little you can do to prevent it. If none of the recommended preventions saves you from losing hair, then you might want to consider hair restoration through surgery. Oregon Hair Restoration performs effectively in restoring your hair with the highest level of personalized service and care.

Remember, a healthy and sufficient volume of hair is a factor for a more confident individual.

Fabulously yours,

Friday, December 17, 2010

For All You Late Birds...

Mistletoe Vintage


It's a week before Christmas and we saved some of our favorite pieces for you last-minute Molly's. Here's a look at our holiday faves - from '60s minis to Pendleton cardis. Everything starts at $20 so don't miss out. Shop here.
















Again, get your tookus to Alameda Vintage NOW! These won't last for long.

All Dressed Up & No Where To Go,
Sabrina London

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

plus size maxi dress

plus size maxi dress
plus size maxi dress
plus size maxi dress

A double Bridal Shower Party!

A double wedding in a month among best friends rarely happens. But it is happening for me and friend Daisy. A few days after I got engaged in December 2009, I told my very few close friends about it. It turned out, that Diasy and her man have planned their wedding on the same month that I and my beau had in mind - December 2010.

brides
I and Daisy

Thus, last week, before I flew back to my home country where we'll have my wedding, I and and my friend decided to have a double shower party. But things were so hectic at work as well as with each of our personal iteneraries that we barely had time to plan for the shower party thouroghly. Daisy was busy prepping for her wedding which was on Saturday, Dec. 11, while I was busy securing all the stuff I'd need for my flight and my own wedding.

party-out
Everyone's in black!

girls night out
Before I went to the party venue, we grabbed some burgers at KFC. Another reason to call it an offbeat bridal shower!

bridal-shower
I and Joy!

As it turned out, the shower party was very offbeat. We were glad that a co-teacher, Miss Ewadi, took charged for the planning of the brides' night. Another thing that made our bridal shower offbeat was that we weren't all girls. ;)

P.S.
I'm not able to visit everyone's blog right now. I'm very busy. I'll make up when my wedding is done. Have a wonderful week everyone :)

Fabulously yours,

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Holiday Vintage

What a week.

I managed to model and list 30+ auctions, which will be ending on Wednesday. There is too much bomb-diggity stuff, so go forth and prosper, my space kittens.

The Myspace Holiday marketplace was kind of a wash. I brought the puppy and a rack full of vintage garb, but the majority of shoppers didn't seem like my usual clientele. I sold one dress; a really cute nautical '60s mini, which I hadn't listed yet. After I packed up my stuff to leave though, I found myself perusing a fellow booth babe's handmade jewelry stand.

Did I spend my one dress sale profit on a one-of-a-kind sailboat necklace? Maybe.

Oops.

Thankfully, my husbee's Christmas list is mostly Blu-Rays this year so I guess I can still afford to splurge once in a while. A girl can't help it.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

The Search for the Perfect Dress


We all have holiday parties and events to go to this season and know what it's like to search for the perfect dress. Problem is, we don't all have the same body shape! Lucky for you, Ruche understands the importance of flattering your specific figure. That's why we've created a holiday shape guide for finding the right dress! First find your closest body type, and then browse our best fits for you!



Petite- Short and small all over.

Boyish- Tall and thin. Bust, waist, and hips are all about the same size.

Pear- Small on top, smaller waist and larger hips.

Curvy- Larger through the bust and hips, smaller in the waist.


Here are your results!

Petite
Flatter your cute figure rather than overwhelm it! Clothes can often overwhelm your figure, which makes you look shorter or like you're playing dress-up your big sister's hand-me-downs. The best dresses for you are those that have detailing to add the appearance of curves. It is important, however, to make sure your hemline is not too long and that the details aren't bigger than you are! Solid colors ensure that the clothes won't overpower your small frame.

Your Dresses:



Boyish
You can dress this body shape with almost anything! Both short, shapeless swing dresses and longer streamline dresses with detailing at the hip and bust to add curves look great on you! You can also play with the silhouette by adding volume in top.

Your Dresses:


Pear
Highlight your figure's fabulous attributes! As a pear shape, show off your smaller top half and waist by having a well-fitted waist line and a flowy bottom half to accentuate (but not emphasize) your hips.

Your Dresses:



Curvy
Fun holiday dresses can be frustrating to find when you have a sexy curvaceous body shape. Highlight your favorite attribute by showing off your arms, legs, chest, or back, but avoid revealing everything together. Also, accentuate your smallest point (often your true waistline or just under the bust). Shapeless dresses can make you look big all over instead of giving you the hourglass shape everybody envies.

Your Dresses:


While you search for your perfect dress, we hope this guide helps! Finding the right look for your body shape will simply enhance your beauty. We already know you're beautiful.

xo,
Ruche