It's Giveaway TIme!!!

Thank you all for helping us gain 1700 likes on our Facebook page!!! Yay!!!

You can win either a surprise Pin-up pack from Belle Blossoms valued at $75 or a 3 month subscription to The Blossom of the Month Club! It's your choice! 

Your Pin-up prize pack will contain beautiful Belle Blossom hair flowers

Grip-Tuth Side Combs

and a Snood

Contest is open to everyone. However the Blossom of the Month option is only open to the USA. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fashion Friday in Cape GIrardeau, MO

Fashion Friday was a fantastic and very exciting event in our smallish college town. An event created by the talented and I'm sure soon to be famous, Jory Rapps. It was to support local business and there were really cool things happening! You could walk the red carpet, get sketched by local artist Kelly Hughes, and get some great deals. The event was inspired by Vogue's Fashion Night Out. Jory interned for Donna Karan...how cool is that? And what a dear he was to work with! He went to great lengths to get Belle Blossoms there and for us to be comfortable. When we woke up to pouring rain, he got us a spot inside which happened to be in my favorite antique and vintage clothing store Pastimes Antiques. Thankfully! Since we ladies just can't get our hair wet.  

Here are a few photos from our day at the Belle Blossoms booth. 

This is me. Heather. I'm the owner and designer of Belle Blossoms.  

Here is my sketch by Kelly Hughes

This is the photo that the local newspaper took of us. We have our Pin-up girls, Tameeka (in the black and red), Samantha (in the black and yellow), and Raelen (in the purple). 

Our lovely Pin-Up Raelen works with us packaging and wrapping the Blossom of the Month and also has her own photography business called Photography by Raelen. 

Our Pin-Ups Tameeka and Samantha have a really cute company called Oh Sweet Baby Cakes where they do baby shower planning and make super cute and original diaper cakes. 

The lovely Kyleigh modeled one of our veiled fascinator hats. 

Even though the weather was terrible we had such a fun time. My girls enjoyed being pin-ups for a day. I dress like this all of the time but it was sure fun to have people to do it with :) Hopefully Fashion Friday will be an annual event. 

How About a Contest?

The contest is called "Fan Favorite". To enter submit a photo of yourself or someone else wearing a Belle Blossom onto our Belle Blossoms Facebook page.
http://www.facebook.com/#/pages/Belle-Blossoms/344966785351?ref=ts

We will be taking photo submissions from March 5- March 9, 2012. After we have collected the photos, they will be placed into a Facebook album and voting will be open. The photo with the most votes at the end of the contest will win a fabulous Belle Blossoms prize package that will include some of our fantastic new items from the spring line as well as other things on the site. The winning photo will be featured on the site page of the flower they are wearing. The more people that enter the more will be added into the prize package. So spread the word and get those photos in! Other photos submitted may be used on the Belle Blossoms website as well.

Antique Store Finds

I found some great things while antiquing last week. I normally have a very difficult time finding vintage clothing. It is always too small. Just when I was becoming convinced that everyone that lived during the mid 20th century was a size 4, I found a great vintage dress and a couple of other even more exciting things.

The dress is black and has small ruffles along the hemline, sleeves, and high collar.

It looks great with a wide red belt and this crinoline slip that I found at the same store

It's bright red. It looks very faded in the picture. It isn't. I've been wanting a crinoline slip for a long time and finally found this one.

And I think possibly my favorite find of the day...

Since I'm slightly obsessed with hair accessories, I was very happy to find this 1920's fascinator.

I love antiquing!

Win Some Belle Blossoms Goodies

Belle Blossoms has teamed up with Priester Photography to bring you this special giveaway.

http://priesterphotography.blogspot.com/2011/03/belle-blossoms-giveaway-snoods.html

There will be two winners.

(1) Belle Blossom of choice

and

(1) Snood in your choice of color and a $10 gift card

How do you enter?

Three steps:

(1) Become a follower of this blog.

(Just click the "Follow" button located in the sidebar on the right. You can sign in using a Google account, a Twitter account or a Yahoo account.)

(2) Become a follower of the Priester Photography Blog.

http://www.priesterphotography.blogspot.com/

(She also has a "Follow" button in her right sidebar.)

and last, but not least,

(3) Enter your name and email address on the Priester Photography Blog.

So she will know how to contact you if you are the winner.

The giveaway entry period will end on Wednesday, March the 16th at midnight at which point Brandi of Priester Photpgraphy will use a random selector to randomly select two winners who she will notify by email.

February Blossom of the Month Reveal

The blossom of the month comes in three sizes.

The small club got to preview our new Ruffle Roses.

                                Everyone in the Medium Club received one of our Leopard Roses

Those in the large club received a brown leopard rose

And this is the Feather of the Month...with a vintage earring for the center, some had vintage buttons as the center since I didn't have enough earrings for them all.



The clue for the March Blossom is....

One of the first flowers of spring. Coming your way the first week of March.

January Blossom of the Month

The BOM for January was the White Carnation. I chose the white carnation to be the January BOM because it's the birth month flower for the month and because it reminds me of a snowball. I thought it was the perfect flower for such a cold and dreary month.


                                                                        Small

Medium

Large





Feathers of the Month

I hope everyone is enjoying their January blossom! The clue for February is...Eleanor Roosevelt has one named after her. It's not "her" flower that you will be getting, but the type of flower. The February Blossom is a very fun flower that I really think you all will love!

So, Anyone Sew?

I sew some. I can find my way around a machine if I really put my mind to it. I've sewn a few things for my kids. I even cut a vintage style dress out for myself but never sewed the pieces together, it's still waiting to be made into a dress.

A friend of mine posted a link to a wonderful tutorial for a faux fur vintage style collar. This is gorgeous and looks like a great and fairly easy tutorial.

http://blog.caseybrowndesigns.com/2010/11/vintage-flair-make-a-faux-fur-collar/

See how beautiful this is...it looks pretty easy to make as well.

If you don't want to make one, she is having a giveaway for one.

And The Winner Is....

Drum roll please!

Miss Lindy Lee

Congratulations! Please email me the address where you want your goodies sent.

Thanks to everyone who participated!

Let's Have a Giveaway!!!

In honor of our 1 year anniversary let's have a giveaway!

You will receive this....Our 'Fall Foliage Fascinator'

And this...a set of "Bow Bobbies" (color may be different)

Some Cherries (may be red or black cherries, one or two leaves)

And one of these, an "Esther" Feather Clip

And how about to top it off, a 'Real Rose' the one you will get will be ivory with pink tips

To enter post a comment here under comments. To get another entry repost this on your own blog. And for a third entry repost this on your Facebook page. Only three entries per person. Giveaway will close on October 31. And winner will be announced on November 1. Winner will be chosen by a random number generator.

We have tons of other great stuff as well as everything listed in the giveaway on the site. Check it out at www.belleblossoms.com.

Matching Flowers to Outfits

I think that most people when they pick a flower to wear with an outfit, pick a flower that matches the outfit. This is what I have always done. If I am wearing a floral print, I try to wear a flower in my hair that is the same color and variety as the one in the print. I think that this is what most people do.

When I went to Tennessee for the Redneck Rumble, Ashley (Lisa Freemont) and I were getting ready for the event. I put on my dress which is white with black and yellow roses. When I've worn it before, I have worn a black rose...since it matched. I asked Ashley's opinion on the flower to wear with my outfit. She looked through all of my flowers and picked out the double pink Rock-a-Hula Baby hibiscus. I was very shocked with the selection. Since I had nothing else pink on and it really did not match at all. She told me, "It looks like you just plucked some flowers and put them in your hair". So I went with it, and it worked. It looked exactly like she said it would, not like I was trying to match...which I like.

When our models got there, it was the same with them. Brooke wore leopard with purple shoes and purple orchids. It was gorgeous!

Tina wore a red dress with a big orange mum. I would have never put these together, but it was just beautiful! I would have gone with the obvious...a leopard rose for Brooke, a red rose for Tina. How boring would that have been?

Elizabeth was wearing a black dress with very pale pink details. She came wearing a blue lily and behind it a blue dahlia. It was a stunning combination. She had nothing else on that was blue just a green necklace.

Ashley wore a black and white polka dot dress. She was just gorgeous wearing a red real rose with a white Gerbra daisy. I would have never put the two flowers together but it was so pretty.










So, if you have flowers that you think don't match anything...colors you may have nothing to wear with, mix them up. Wear them with other colors. The whole idea of wearing flowers is to look like you just picked them and put them in your hair. Try it...you'll be beautiful! I promise.

The Horror of Swimsuit Season

I hate swimsuits. I hate trying them on. I hate wearing them. I've never found the perfect suit. A long pant, long sleeve, tight corset, with a built in push up bra swimsuit. If I could find 'that' suit maybe I'd be a little less self conscious and enjoy swimming in public. But alas, they don't make one like that and if they did I'm sure I would attract a lot of attention if I waltzed into the pool area wearing one.

My beach vacation sounded great but it would involve swimsuits and me being in one...a lot. Yikes! I was in desperate need to retire my 5 year old Esther Williams that I got on eBay. I just didn't have it in me to go to a store and try on dozens of suits and see myself in a 3-way mirror. I did know that I wanted a vintage style suit. For something like this that I'm going keep and wear for years, I'll pay a little more than normal. After searching and searching I finally broke down and bought the Marilyn suit in pink from PUG. This is the most I've ever spent on a swimsuit. I was very apprehensive about buying a suit online. Like I mentioned, I have lots of areas that I would love to hide. But it was so beautiful on the model, that I had to give it a chance. I was under no illusion that I would look like the model (I wish I had her perfect hourglass figure!).

I got my new suit in the mail and was so excited to finally see it in person. I pulled it out of the package and put it on. I was instantly in love. I have never been happy in a swimsuit, I have never loved a swimsuit and looked forward to wearing it. The first thing I thought was that I wish I had ordered it a size smaller. PUG runs really small. I wear a Medium misses size 8-10 everywhere but here. At PUG, I'm an XL Plus Size...YIKES! I about died when I measured myself and found this out. But good thing I measured, a medium in the regular clothes I've ordered from them definitely would not have gone on half of me. But this suit is very stretchy and a large or maybe even a medium would have been great. But I didn't have time for an exchange. Plus, this thing is so gorgeous, I'll make it work.

I couldn't wait to wear it to the beach. I actually looked forward to wearing a swimsuit (this is very out of character for my very self conscious and shy self). I put it on and headed to the beach. I did not plan on being afraid to go into the water or sit in the sand though. It's just too pretty for that. I sat on a beach towel and walked in the surf. No sandcastles or getting buried in the sand by the kids. The rest of the beach vacation I wore my old ratty Esther Williams, so I could enjoy the beach. This is definitely a pool kind of suit or a laying around the deck kind of suit. I was so worried to mess it up, sand probably would have been fine, but I didn't want to take the chance.

I am home now and the suit is not stuffed in a drawer like every other suit in the past. It is hanging up in my closet. I have never hung up a swimsuit and I think that hanging a swimsuit up in a closet among pretty dresses sounds funny, but this really is the most beautiful piece of clothing that I own. I hate I didn't buy it sooner, at the beginning of summer instead of the end of it. But while the weather is still hot, bring on the water parks and public pools...I have found the perfect suit!

My New Favorite Hair Product

I ordered Hawleywood's Layrite Deluxe Pomade from Lisa Freemont Street, since she frequently uses it in her tutorials. I was a little skeptical since I've tried pomades in the past and they have weighed my hair down and were so thick and greasy. But, I'll try about anything that makes vintage hairstyling easier. Plus, if Lisa Freemont Street says it's good, it has to be!

I was very eager to receive my new product. I couldn't wait to try it out for myself. It was shipped very quickly and it was free shipping! I got it Tuesday. Yay! First, the jar is adorable. There is a pin-up girl on the side that you can't see in the picture. I was also immediately impressed by the size of the jar. You get a lot of product. Next, let me tell you that this stuff smells great! Time to test it out. I smoothed it over my victory rolls and it made the little fly-away hairs lay down and stay in a way that hairspray just can't accomplish. Next, I used it to smooth my large pin curled bangs. They turned out perfect.

Next day, time to test it out on a new style. I think I'll go with a Marilyn style (my favorite). I used hot rollers, lots of them and rolled my hair in small sections. I already had a little pomade in my hair from yesterday's style. I took out the curlers when they were cool and brushed it out. Put a little more pomade through it and I really don't think it's ever looked as much like a Marilyn style. This pomade really helps not only smooth out but also helps form your style and hold it in place.

I am hooked. This product is really wonderful for anyone who loves vintage style. It was only $14.99 with free shipping. It's a huge jar and I know it will last a long time.

July Blossom of the Month Club

The response to the Blossom of the Month Club has been great! It amazes me how many people have joined and are loving the club. I love seeing all of the pictures and hearing all of your comments.

This month's blossom was the orchid. Since there are so many people in the club and also so many lovely varieties of the orchid, I sent out several different colors and styles. The clue for the August Blossom is this,
"This 1946 movie starring the lovely Veronica Lake is named after this beautiful blossom." I will once again be sending out lots of different colors of this blossom, but they will all be the same blossom this time. The August Blossom will be sent out the second week of August instead of the first week because we will be closed for vacation the first week. This blossom is one of the best sellers and I know you will all love it!

Avoiding Bad Hair...Learn From My Mistake

Tuesday night I decided to try out my new pink sponge rollers. I curled up my very wet locks into the curlers and pin curled the bangs. I woke up Wednesday morning and my hair just went into a perfect Marilyn style almost effortlessly! Needless to say, I was in love with my new found beauty secret!

I left Thursday to go out of town for a long weekend and to go to a 3 day convention with over 6,000 people. I decided to take along my glorious pink curlers and to leave behind the much inferior hot rollers and curling iron. With hair this good using pink curlers, who needs anything else!

The first day of the convention I did victory rolls with my left over curls. As soon as I walked into the building, I was stopped by countless people telling me they love my hair. Once again thanks to LisaFreemontStreet!

That night, I decided to use my wonderful curlers. This time I did it on damp hair using setting lotion in a spray bottle to dampen each section to curl. I curled it up the same way as before and slept on them knowing my hair would be great in the morning. Little did I know, I was in for a big surprise. When I took them out, I immediately knew it was not good! I guess I slept too long on one side of my head and the curlers went "flat", leaving my hair looking more like a very frizzy 80's crimp, instead of a lovely Marilyn curl. Oh dear! I have a convention to go to! I have no curling iron to fix it! Oh well, I guess it's more victory rolls today. Even those weren't very good because I could not get the frizz to go away. It didn't matter how much I brushed against my hand. That crazy crimp on one side of my head just wouldn't leave!

I had no choice that night but to try the pink curlers again. I put them in wet hair again, thinking this was maybe the secret of why it went so well the first time. I did not sleep well that night. I kept waking up checking my curlers. Turning my head, making sure I didn't sleep too long on one side. I really wanted to wear my hair down and wavy.

Morning, it's time to take it down. A few of them felt a tad damp. I thought maybe they were just cold. Oh my, they were not cold. The back top curlers were still damp therefore straight. The sides were once again flattened into lovely frizzy crimps! Both sides today! Good thing I kept turning my head last night so the crimps would be on both sides today!

What I learned from this experience...Always take along another way to curl your hair in case 'Plan A' doesn't work. I don't know what went wrong with the curlers this time but I hope I can figure it out.

A Little Tour of Belle Blossoms

Hi Dolls! Welcome to Belle Blossoms! This is where it happens. My little studio. My favorite space, it reflects who I am and the things that I love and what I love doing.

I usually stand at this little black cabinet to make Belle Blossoms.



My desk that I never use except to sit things on.

Just in case I have any company so they have somewhere to sit or sleep (it's a futon)

Some of the vintage hats that I bought to restore and sell but I love them all so much I can't part with any of them. One day I know that I will work up the courage to wear them somewhere besides around the studio. That little number on the black candlestand by the way is to die for! So Marilyn! I am in love.

My $10 garage sale find. I love this piece. This is where your blossoms get wrapped up and packaged.
I love this chandelier which I got a steal on at overstock.com

a couple of fascinators that were on my desk that I've been working on.

a little bowl of feather butterflies ready to go on clips or headbands


The top of a bookcase with my old suitcases and cameras

the top of the other bookcase.

I hope you enjoyed your tour of Belle Blossoms as much as I enjoy working here.