A Tea for Mother's Day

Hello Everyone!

I know that Mother's Day was a couple of weeks ago but I wanted to share my special Mother's Day Tea and Luncheon menu with you. I love hosting tea parties because it's a chance to get together with my female friends and family members, dress fancy, and have some really juicy girl talk. I especially love when I can do themed tea parties, but more on those later.

I have the most beautiful tea set and it was purchased by my grandfather for my grandmother while he was a sailor stationed in Europe in the 1960s. The tea set stayed with my grandfather when my grandparents were divorced and when he passed away a few years ago, it was given to me. I had always admired this beautiful set with it's gold trim and floral pattern and it's one of my favorite possessions. It's simply gorgeous.

My guest list included my stepmother Marlene, mother-in-law Peg, and my Aunt Theresa. The only person missing was my mother, who lives in Maryland. My aunt enjoyed using the antique tea set and eating on the family china, which my grandfather (her father) also purchased for my grandmother (her mother) overseas (but my grandmother did keep that in the divorce). This was also given to me in the last few years.

For this Mother's Day tea, I chose a menu that is featured in my vintage Betty Crocker cookbook (which I LOVE and was also passed down to me by my step-grandmother). The book was published in 1961 and is seriously old-school. I cannot tell you how much I've learned from cooking out of this book. I've even thought of doing my own "Julie & Julia" project!. The book gives wonderful little tidbits for meal prep and other chores, which I will make an entire blog post about. And most of the photos are hand drawn! It's seriously so cute. But on to the menu!

There is a section of the book entitled: Meal Planning/Table Service. There are menu suggestions for several occasions such as holidays and even Election Night. Here is the suggested menu and the one that I laid out for my guests:

Chicken Salad in Miniature Cream Puffs

Sweetheart Cake

Red and White Mint Wafers

Salted Nuts

Coffee

Tea

(The book also suggests a corsage bouquet for each mother.)

The Chicken Salad, Miniature Cream Puffs, and Sweetheart Cake were recipes in the book, which required me to BAKE from scratch both the puffs and cake. I love baking though so this was a fun menu for me to prepare. I did not serve coffee though, because I figured that tea was enough. I set the table with three potted flowers, which I then gave to each of the mothers as a gift instead of the corsage bouquets. And here is the finished product:

As a bonus I've included the super easy recipe for Chicken Salad from my vintage Betty Crocker cookbook. Enjoy!

Chicken Salad

2 cups cubed cold cooked chicken (large chunks)                     

1 cup diced celery (1/4" pieces)                                               

1 tbsp. lemon juice      

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 or 3 hard-cooked eggs, cut up

Toss together chicken, celery, lemon juice and seasonings. Mix in mayonnaise. Carefully fold in eggs. Chill thoroughly. Arrange a mound of each in lettuce cups* and garnish with olives or little sweet pickles and parsley. 6 servings. 

*I served my chicken salad in cream puffs (without the cream filling of course!).                 

The Pinup Life: Competing in Pageants

Miss Piston Powered- Cleveland Autorama 2013

After taking a year off from this blog (I find it hard to stay focused on these sorts of things), I've decided that I have a few things that I want to say. And today, I'd like to give some tips on competing in pin up contests.

I have competed in a total of four pin up contests since January of last year, Miss Cavalcade of Customs- Cincinnati 2013, Miss Piston Powered- Cleveland Autorama 2013, Miss Voodoo Traditions 2013, and Miss Cavalcade of Customs- Cincinnati 2014. I have won 2 and placed 3rd in another. I guess you can say my track record with these things is pretty good, and I'll be the first to tell you, it would have been enjoyable regardless of any win or loss. The first contest I entered, Miss Cavalcade of Customs 2013, I didn't even make it past the second round, but that contest was a huge learning experience for me. Let me share some of what I've learned with you and hopefully be able to offer some advice.

Dress to Impress: When I participated in that first contest, one of the biggest impressions that I had was how beautiful the other pin up girls were. You had traditional pin ups, alt, and somewhere in between. You could tell who really lived the pin up lifestyle and who did it just to play dress up. One woman in particular walked in and nearly took my breathe away because of just how beautiful she was. Petite, with beautiful red hair, done up in the perfect vintage updo. Her dress was a classic pin up design and her makeup- flawless. She, I thought would be the biggest competition. And I was right because this beauty, Ginger Watson, ended up winning the contest. Now, I wasn't a judge so I can't really speak for what they were looking for, but I suspect that Ginger's look, from head to toe, was just so perfectly put together that they couldn't ignore it.

There is some controversy that modern pin up, or alt pinup, is just not "pin up enough" or not the "right type of pin up" because it doesn't follow the traditional vintage style. I personally prefer the traditional vintage style, but if a girl walks in with tattoos, bright pink hair, and a halter dress that is a few inches too short for a traditional hemline, I'll still appreciate it as long as all the other elements are right (hairstyle, makeup, etc.)

Your look should be as accurate as possible and aim to set yourself apart from everyone else. Ladies, please don't show up in shorts, a shirt tied up under your bust and a simple bandana tied around your head. This is a cute look, especially at a car show (where most of these competitions take place), but this is a contest. Stand out! At Voodoo Traditions I decided to wear a vintage pink, wide-brimmed hat and gloves with my wiggle dress because I wanted to look luxe and very 1940s, a look that I feel I definitely achieved. With that being said, don't feel that you have to wear an expensive retro-reproduction dress. You'd be surprised how great you could look in a vintage-inspired outfit or dress that you find at the thrift store. Yes, you can find vintage at the thrift store! And in fact, most of my pin up and vintage attire is real vintage and was a thrift
store find.

Miss Cavalcade of Customs- Cincinnati 2014

Have the Right Finish: When competing in a pin up contest, you MUST have flawless makeup and hair. There is always going to be another girl there who is a master at pin up hair and makeup and she will be scored very high for it. There are literally hundreds of pin up hair and makeup tutorials on Youtube (some good and some not so good) so you really have no excuse not to learn before you compete. Ginger Watson, who I mentioned above, has many wonderful hair tutorials and I highly recommend checking out her channel. I also highly recommend Pinup Doll Ashley Marie, who is super fabulous and her hair and makeup are always on point. She'll also show you incredible clothing looks and let you know where to buy them. You can find just about any pin up hairstyle tutorial online, so start searching!

At some contests I've seen that they've had a MUAH sponsor that will do your hair and makeup, sometimes for free, sometimes for a nominal fee. This is a great opportunity if you just cannot figure out how to do a curling iron pin curl set and the cat eye is just not happening. Indeed, at my first contest I had my hair and makeup done by the sponsor because I wanted the entire experience. My hair and makeup were fabulous but I know my hair and face better than anyone else and from then on I decided to do my own styling.

And another thing that I have to get off my chest: Ladies, please try a different hairstyle other than the plain, old Victory Rolls. You can do a variation of the traditional Victory Roll style (two rolls on top of the head, and hair hanging loosely down the back), but please try other styles! My favorite vintage hair inspiration is Lana Turner. Seriously, Google some of her images and be amazed at the beautiful styles created for her amazing hair. Next time you're competing or even doing a photo shoot, choose a Lana Turner inspired hairdo and work it! They make take a bit of skills, but you can do it. Even if it doesn't turn out exactly like you want, you may be pleasantly surprised with the look you do achieve. Other inspirations- Betty Grable and Rita Hayworth. And on that note, please learn how to do a proper curling set and brush out. It is absolutely essential to creating authentic vintage hairstyles. You can also find tutorials for these techniques on Youtube. My favorite book in recent years for learning how to do a proper set, brush out, and style is Vintage Hairstyling, Retro Styles with Modern Techniques by Lauren Rennells.

Miss Voodoo Traditions 2013

And if you really want to be daring, wear a vintage hat! A hat can really set off your hairstyle and pin up look. But make sure that whatever hairstyle your going to do works with your hat. In fact, you should plan your hairstyle according to your hat instead of trying to fit your hat into your hair. Again, look up vintage photos where the model is wearing a hat and try building your coiffure in a similar fashion. Hair flowers are almost always a must if going for that cute, girlie pin up style. You can also try hair bows and nylon scarfs. Play with your hair and make it just as much of a priority as your dress.

As far as makeup, keep it simple and clean- no bright colors and no dark colors. Your makeup should be period accurate, and always, always go for winged eye liner, false lashes, rosy pink cheeks, and red lips! And while I'm giving you tips, don't ignore YOUR tips! Make sure your nails look beautiful, not only for the contest but in your photo shoots as well. Paint your toe nails if you're planning to wear open toe shoes.

Be a Lady: Le sigh... I cannot stress this enough: ALWAYS be a lady. This means that you conduct yourself well before, during, and after the contest. If the pin up pageant is doing a Facebook Favorite -or LIKES contest- DO NOT write passive aggressive posts about other contestants or down right insulting things about size, color, etc. And don't presume to be THE authority on whether someone is pin up "enough" or not. Keep those opinions to yourself, at least online. The thing I love about competing is the other women that I meet, are each one beautiful, smart, funny human beings. I've made some amazing friends through these contests and I did it by not being catty, and genuinely being supportive and excited for all the contestants, winners and losers. And if you think the judges won't know about your behavior before the contest, then you've got another thing coming. So please don't put that kind of negative energy out there. This is a lesson for life; people may not always remember what you said, but they'll always remember how you made them feel.

The same goes for after the contest. If you didn't win, there's really no point in being angry about it because that isn't going to change the result. It's only going to upset you further, for longer, and will do nothing for your confidence. Learn from the experience and move on. Pin up contests should not be your validation, they should be fun. No one ever got famous from winning a contest at a car show, and neither will you. Nor are you going to become rich so have fun, take it all in stride and make some new friends instead of enemies. Gain confidence, not a bad reputation.

Additionally, being a lady also means that swearing should be kept to a whisper, among friends, and NEVER onstage!

Miss Cavalcade of Customs- Cincinnati 2014

Pageant Q&A: Most pin up competitions aren't about just how well you can look like the perfect pin up, they want to know more about you! For pretty much every contest that I competed in, I received a list of possible questions ahead of time so I would know what the emcee would be asking each contestant. Take this portion of the contest seriously! I know of many girls who either didn't bother reading the questions or didn't care to think up an answer ahead of time. Don't do this! Take time to really think through your answer. Practice in front of your mirror while you're setting your hair and doing your makeup. Try to show just how clever and articulate you are. Some questions don't require a grand answer (Where are you from?) but try to use even those questions to show your personality. You'll almost always be asked why you love pin up or what inspires you and these questions should be answered thoughtfully, but not in a phony way. Be honest. We all love pin up because it feeds our soul in some way and you should let the audience, and most importantly the judges, know it. Nerves may get in the way a bit, but try to keep calm and don't rush. Take a breathe, smile, and just be your sweet, wholesome self.

At every contest you will inevitably be asked what your favorite vintage car is. This is probably the most important question because you're at a car show! If you don't know much about vintage cars, do a Google image search and find one that really takes your breathe away. Memorize the model, make, and year, and when reciting it don't mess it up! There will be lots of "car people" there and they will notice. Don't forget to let them know why you like the car ("Because I love her curves."), but don't go into a long explanation.

Miss Cavalcade of Customs- Cincinnati 2014

One more thing, when answering your questions, please do not use swear words (see Be A Lady above). If the competition is taking place at a car show, chances are good that there will be children there and you do not want to get the death stare from about 20 different mothers while onstage. Nor do you want to elicit any "pearl clutching" because you said something equally as vulgar. If you cannot remember your prepared answer to a questions, don't start off with "Oh, s---..." Like I said, take a deep breathe and smile. Remember, a pin up is the girl-next-door, and while that girl may love sailors, she doesn't swear like one.

Posing: In some contests, if you make it to the final round, you will be asked to pose with a vintage car. If you're planning to compete, you're planning to win, and you should expect to get to this round. Search images of pin ups and cars. Study these poses so that you'll have plenty to pull from when the time comes. Keep in mind, when posing with a car it is important to make the CAR look good, just as much as yourself. Some poses work much better with a car than others so take note of that when doing your research. And NEVER, EVER put your shoes on the car, or try sitting on it unless you have been given express permission to do so. You'll never want to be the girl who put a scratch in the paint or dent in the hood of a beautifully restored vintage car. You don't. Want. To do it. 

                   Miss Cavalcade of Customs- Cincinnati 2014                                       Miss Cavalcade of Customs- Cincinnati 2013

And posing isn't limited to just the 3rd round. You should always be striking a pose, even when standing on stage. Showgirl Pose is the perfect way to stand when onstage. To do so, you stand with your left leg slightly behind your right, with left toes angled slightly to the left. The heel of your right foot should be close to your left foot, with your toes pointing forward. You can choose to only have the ball of your right foot touching the floor. Rest your left hand on your hip and voila! This pose gives your legs a lean look and helps to exaggerate your curves or create them where they don't exist. Always remember to smile, and smile BIG. Don't forget that posing is a part of a pin up's job so really take this moment to shine.

****

And that's it! None of these tips will guarantee you a win and I don't profess to know exactly what each judge in every contest I competed in was looking for. All I know is this is what I have learned from each and every contest, judge, and pin up that I've experienced. I hope I have given you some valuable information and I hope it helps you prepare for your moment in the spotlight. Good luck Darlings!

Love Always,
Cherie

Beauty and Charm Course

Week 1, Day 3- Tuesday

(I'm a little behind on this, my apologies.)

Facial Cleansing

This day was spent learning how to cream-clean my face.  Anita says that soap and water cleansing is not enough for your face year-round, so you'll also need to use a cream cleanser as an oil massage to gently clear off dead surface cells.

When cream-cleansing, first you tie your hair back in order to keep it out of "the cream zone". Next, if you have eye makeup or lipstick on, remove them with a bit of cream so that you don't push them back into your pores. Use a generous amount of cream, especially around the nose,  mouth, and back of the neck. Apply cream using gentle upward-outward strokes.

1. Start at the base of the throat and stroke/massage cream up towards jawbone.
2. Next rub cream from chin/upper lip outward along jawbone/cheek area towards ear.
3. Rub cream from nose, under eye area and up towards temples.
3. Stroke up between eyes and out across forhead.

Repeat these steps until face is thorougly cleansed then finish by very gently circling cream under eyes and onto eye lids. Gently pat cream onto eyelids and outer corner of eyes.  Whatever is left on your fingers, rub into your nails.

When you remove the cream from you face you can use:

1. Tissue- wipe with same upward-outward strokes as you used for cleansing
2. Astringent (for oily skin) or skin freshener (dry skin)- Pour a small amount onto a cotton ball, using the same 1-2-3-4 motions as before.
3. Soap and water- using warm water and gently massaging motions. Rinse thorougly.

Now there is a little more to just cream cleansing then just cream. Depending on if you're oily, dry, or normal, you may have to use an astringent or skin freshener, mask, steam bath, or lubricating cream.  I tend to have more normal skin, so all I have to do is use cream once daily and soap and water twice a day. Easy-peasy.

Deep Breathing

The next thing to learn today are some exercises on deep breathing.

First, lay on your back with a book on your abdomen.  Breathe in deeply filling lungs, then exhale, emptying lungs completely. Get a good rhythm going, then stand up (keep good posture) and repeat.  Raise arms out to sides, then grab self in a hug as you inhale deeply. Bend down and breathe all air out in 3 big puffs.  She says that is preferential outside, but since it is below 30 degrees right now, I have been doing this from inside.

Diet

Day 2 of the diet went well. It was New Year's Day so my daily schedule was a little behind because of sleeping in. Nevertheless, I ate everything I was supposed to. Well... minus the suggested red radishes at lunch (yuck!) and roasted veal at dinner. Instead I made roasted chicken breasts. Here was my menu:

Breakfast

Grapefruit

Poached egg

Melba toast

Cottage cheese

Skim milk

Coffee or tea (no sugar)

 

Lunch

Salad plate:

Lettuce cups with lemon juice

Celery

Cucumber slices

Crabmeat

Whole wheat bread

Blueberries

Whole milk

Tea

 

Dinner

Tomato juice

Roast chicken breast

Steamed cabbage

Jacket-cooked potato

Plums

Skim milk

Tea

 

 

Week 1, Day 4- Wednesday

 

 

I'm behind on my blog posts so I'm going to make multiple reports on one entry.

 

 

Facial Troubles

 

On this day, she focused on typical facial troubles and how to take care of them: too oily or dry skin, enlarged pores, blackheads, whiteheads, pimples, wrinkles, ruddy face, face fuzz.  Lucky for me, I don't have too many problems with these things normally.  But on this day I was starting to notice that my face was feeling dry, probably because of the soap washing twice a day. I hoped that it was just temporary though and moved on like normal.  I just didn't rub my face as hard or as long when washing.

 

The Hollywood Slant

 

Anita retells several stories from (old) Hollywood actresses who would either stand on their head or lay with their foot up on the headboad of their bed and pillows under their bottom as a means of getting blood to run to the head. They told her that this was the secret to keeping that flushed looked and refresh their body and mind.  Anita recommends doing this every night after your cream cleansing. Luckily for me, my husband bought an inversion table some months ago and it is for just this sort of thing- to hang upside down.  The first night I got on the inversion table for 10 minutes.  Anita suggests to start at 10 minutes then work your way up to 30 minutes.

 

Diet

 

On this day, as expected, I started having bad sugar cravings.  It really took all of me to keep from eating every sugar thing in sight.  But I did stop myself from doing it and was able to stick to the diet.

 

Breakfast

Orange and grapefruit juice

Conflakes

Whole-wheat toast

Cottage cheese

Skim milk

Tea

 

Lunch

Bouillon

Lunchmeat (substitution for boiled tongue)

Stewed tomatoes

Fresh pear

Skim milk

Tea

 

Dinner

Green salad bowl with lemon juice

Broiled salmon

Steamed brown rice

Steamed carrots

Apple

Skim milk

Tea

 





 

 

Beauty and Charm Course

Week 1, Day 2- Monday

Today is the day that I started the 14-day reducing diet in the book.  Let me repeat again, I HATE DIETING... but this one doesn't seem too bad.  You see, my biggest problem is sweets. Namely soda- cherry Coke or Pepsi.  This diet, as with most diets, doesn't allow sugar except that which is naturally found in fruits.  They say that day 3 or 4 on a diet is usually the hardest.  The first day you're pumped and inspired, the second day you're still pumped, but becoming drained, and by day 3 or 4, the sugar cravings kick in.  You get these sugar cravings because your body is used to having out of whack insulin levels and once you eliminate sugar (mostly) from you diet, your insulin levels are trying to get back to normal.  Usually the first week is the hardest, and I figure if I can get through day 3 and 4, then I'll be okay.

First things first- Anita has some very specific rules:

1. Fruit and fruit juices should be without sugar.
2. Beverages should be without cream and sugar, but you can use saccharine if you have to. (Eew. I'll pass.)
3. Vegetables are to be steamed without using fats or sauces.
4. All meats, fish, and poultry are to be lean and fat-free, boiled, broiled, or roasted.
5. Eat salads or clear soups to start meals.

Additionally, you are to follow these steps:

Every day- Drink 4 to 6 glasses of water, BETWEEN  meals and not during.

In the morning (before breakfast)- Drink a mixture of juice of 1/2 lemon in a half glass of hot water (with a straw).

During the day- Take 1 tsp of cod liver oil, or the equivalent in capsule form.

Before going to bed- Drink 1 cup of warm skim milk with 1/2 tbsp of wheat germ.

She instructs that you cannot skip any of the foods in the menu, buuuut, I'm not about to eat boiled tongue, so I did substitute a few things.

So this day, my first few meals consisted of:

Breakfast

Dried apricots

Poached egg

Whole wheat toast

Cottage cheese

Skim milk

Tea

 

Lunch

Tomato soup

Low-fat lunch meat (a substitution for broiled lamb chop)

Steamed chopped spinach

Banana

Skim milk

Tea

 

Dinner

Bouillon

Baked potato

Crisp lettuce w/ lemon juice dressing

Fresh pear

Skim milk

Tea

(I did skip eating boiled ham because I had eaten so much ham the week before for Christmas, that I just couldn't bear the thought.)

 

 

The whole day's food should have equaled to LESS than 1000 calories. Not too shabby, huh?

 

Now, here comes the part where I admit that I didn't follow my diet/exercise plan to a "T" this day.  The reason: New Year's Eve.  I did have a few high calorie drinks and I did have some "nosh" food, but it was a special occasion and I new that it would not dampen my zeal to stick to my diet the rest of the 2 weeks.  See, that's the thing about dieters- when we cheat once, we feel that we've ruined it all and we might as well give up.  But if you have the attitude that you'll just get right back on the horse and pick up where you left off, then more of us would have greater willpower.  So hate me if you must, but I'm not ashamed.

 

I also didn't do my stretching and exercises before bed because, well, I was a little tipsy.  BUT! I did manage to wash my face and makup off! And I remembered to drink my warm milk and wheat germ before bed.  So at the end of the day, I still did well.

 

As for my beauty course, the second day was focusing on caring for your body, namely how to bathe it properly.  She instructs you to use a nail brush to clean you fingers and toe nails everyday and a bath brush to get to those hard to reach places such as your shoulders and back.  Before getting in the shower/bath, you should apply body oil to any areas that are dry such as elbows, knees, or heels. Then scrub using the body brush with a pure soap or a pumice stone if the skin is very dry.  Rub body oil into your hands, really clean around and between your toes and apply foot powder in the summer. Scrub, scrub, scrub!

 

She also talks about ways to get the most out of a bath and really make it a theuraputic experience. Now, I know how to get the most out of a bath.  There was a time when I would fill the tub with either beautifully scented bubble bath or a mixture of oil and bath salts.  I would lay in there forever it seemed, refilling the hot water, and just drifting away.  After having my son, I forgot all of that, so it's great to get back into doing it again.

 

After bathing, she instructs to towel off briskly in the winter and pat dry in the summer so as to not overheat yourself. Then you can apply cologne, powder, oils, or whatever you like.  I've always sprayed a body mist on myself just after toweling off, while my skin is still damp.  The skin really soaks up the scent and you're smelling beautiful all day long.  On days when I'm getting ready for a show or special occassion, I'll also apply a scented poweder to my arms, shoulders, neck, and breasts to add another touch of sweetness.

 

Last thing that she goes into in this section is another lecture on posture.  I did not do the exercise that she suggests on this day because of the whole stumbling into bed thing, but I did do it the next day, Tuesday.  Basically, you lie on you back with knees bent and "tip" your pelvis forward. Then contract your abdominal muscles to pull stomach down and flatten lower back on floor. She suggests doing this 16 times, eventually working your way to doing it with legs outstretched and then finally, with back against a wall. Soon, your body should be able to unconsciously remember good posture.

 

That was my second day! 

 

xoxo

Cherie





Beauty and Charm Course

Week 1, Day 1- Sunday

Yesterday I began the first day of Anita Colby's beauty and charm course as laid out in her Beauty Book.  First step on my way to a more beautiful me- wash that damn face, gurrrrl. 

Cleansing Your Face

Anita lays out the different types of skin- normal, combination, oily, dry- and the best ways to wash and clean them.  I have normal skin, not dry, not oily, just kinda... normal.  She advices not to wash your face with any special expensive soaps or cleansers. She says that the best way to beautiful skin is to eat what she calls "beauty-clean" foods, so that you feed your skin from the inside out, and to wash with soap and water.  Here, she says, is all you need:

1. Clean hands.  Only touch your face with "fanatically" clean hands.
2. A pure, bland soap with no special perfumes, chemicals, or dyes.
3. Soft water.
4. A set of clean, soft washcloths and towels that only you will be using. Wash you washcloths in very hot water before using and to use your fingertips to massage the soap into your face, behind your ears, on the back of your neck, and under your chin. Oh, and dry your face very well.

Now, for my skin (normal), she says to wash morning and night with the mild bland soap and lukewarm water.  I use Neutrogena Naturals facial soap, if you were wondering.  After massaging the soap into my skin in a circular motion, upward and outward, I will rinse at least 3 times, the last time with cold water.  Now, it does take a few more rinses to get all the soap off, and that is okay.  But I must admit that I like to splash cold water on my face A LOT. When I was younger and thoroughly obsessed with every little tidbit I get find out about Marilyn Monroe, I read where her first husband said that she would rinse her face 16 times with cold water.  So being the fan that I was, I rinsed my face the same way. But I digress. I must say though, I really love the feeling of icy cold water on my face. Plus, it wakes you up like no other thing can.

So yesterday, I got up and dragged my half awake behind to the bathroom sink to start my new daily beauty ritual. Not too bad.  Then I did it last night before bed, which actually made my skin feel incredibly soft when I woke up this morning. Now remember... I don't wash my face except when I'm in the shower and use a bit of cleanser. But even that is only once or twice a WEEK.  So time will tell if there is a more noticeable change.

Your Posture

The other first step in my beauty and charm course is establishing good posture.  For this she had a little exercise: Hang a weight string down the middle of a full length mirror and stand down the middle of the string.  Starting with your feet parallel and toes point forward, lean your weight forward onto the balls of your feet. This is your "Foundation Block".

Next you tuck your tailbone down to the floor, at the same time contracting your abdominal muscles just below your navel. When you stand with your pelvis pointed down, then "it spills out your innards, gives you a bulging stomach and sway back".  Eeww. Not a good visual.  But after standing up straight like she instructs, you can definitely SEE a difference in the way your shape looks and how flat your tummy is.  Hell, it looked like I was a few inches smaller in my waist!  When you've aligned your pelvic region, this establishes your "Trunk Block", which then sets up your "Shoulder Block".

Last thing in establishing your good posture is to keep pulling upward so that the straight line going up your spine continues to the crown of your head. She says that if you don't hold good posture here, then the vertebrae holding up your head will drop and give you a double chin.  And this is your "Head Block".

So now that I have PERFECT posture... it's on to exercise!

Exercise

She recommends a few warm-up stretches in the morning when you wake up and then again at night before doing your nightly exercises.  These warm-ups include:

The Elastic Band- lying in bed or one the ground and stretching the right side from toes to finger tips, repeat on left, 4x.

Then stand in a doorway and stretch from your toes, through your hip and rib cage, and up through your fingertips, touching the top of the doorframe.  Repeat.

The Cat Stretch- Basically the same arched-back exercise as cat pose in yoga, but adding in stretching out each leg behind you one at a time like a cat when they stretch. All 3 stetches done 6x each.

The Knee-Chest Position- While down on hands and knees, fold hans down in front of you and lay head on hands.  Bring hips up until they are almost a straight line down from floor and push your chest towards the floor.  Push down towards the floor 5x.

Now when it comes to the exercises, Anita recommends worrying mostly about the areas of your body that either need building up or slimming down.  She puts forth at least 3 different exercises for each part of the body- the "bosom", the waist, the hips, legs, calfs, and ankles, thighs, knees, and inner thighs.  I thought it would be fun to try doing a couple workouts for each part of the body.  Most of these are just stretching exercises, with no real hardcore sweating involved.  I don't think I burned any calories doing them, but just like yoga or pilates, I'm sure they helped more than I realize. 

These exercises didn't take me more than 5 minutes for the warm-ups and 20 minutes for the special exercises.  I felt great when I finally laid down in bed (after washing my face, of course.) and I didn't wake up with any strained muscles, which is good.  But I think mama is going to get herself an eliptical for future exercising once this experiment is over.

What do you think of my first day?

xoxo
Cherie

My Beauty and Charm Course

It was over a year ago that I found a book called Anita Colby's Beauty Book on Etsy and jumped at ordering it. The book, which had its first printing in 1952, was written by model and actress Anita Colby.  Early in her career Anita was dubbed "The Face" and was one of the highest paid models of the time. She was hired by David O. Selznick as Feminine Director of Selznick Studios, and was charged with teaching young actresses such as Joan Fontaine, Jennifer Jones, and Rita Hayworth beauty, poise, and publicity. 

                                                                          Anita Colby

She wrote her Beauty Book to include all her tips, tricks, and secrets that she taught her famous starlets.  The book includes a 14-day reducing diet and a 4-week beauty and charm course.  I've read this book practically cover to cover in the time that I've had it, but never attempted the diet and beauty/charm course.  Now with the start of a new year, I figured why the hell not? And I'll blog about my experience too!  So, this outta be fun...

I'll be the first to admit- I HATE exercise. I HATE having to eat "healthy" or diet.  So, I generally don't. But I'm not getting any younger and my body is starting to tell me that I can't eat whatever I want anymore or do whatever I want and always have the strength and flexibility to do it. Add to it that I know I'm not the best at, say, washing my face after a long gig.  Nope, I just normally pull the false eyelashes off, wipe off the lipstick and fall into bed.  I'm also a stay-at-home mom and housewife, so I generally don't look like Cherie when I'm at home. But I'd like to look, and most importantly feel like Cherie all the time. Beyond that, it's just fun to run through the steps that famous stars such as Ingrid Bergman and Ginger Rogers did when trying to look, feel, and act their best. So this shall be a fun little exercise for the next month, and who knows? Maybe I'll learn a thing or two.

Anita believes that eating healthy foods, exercise, good posture, regular skin maintenance, and lots of fresh air are CRUCIAL for wellness and beauty.  Now this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who has ever read a diet book or health and beauty magazine, and it's certainly no surprise to me.  First, she wants you to take your measurements and record them. She gives an example of what a young movie star's (in the 40s and 50s, mind you) ideal measurements are:

Height- 5'6" (Check)
Wrist- 6 1/4" (Check)
Bust- 35" (I'm a bit bigger than this)
Waist- 10 inches smaller- 25, not over 26 (Uh... not even close. But I believe it with the tiny tiny waist these actresses had back then.)
Hips- 35", not over 36" (Just measured, and I'm a little over this number. When did that happen? Geesh.)
Calf is 4 or 5 inches larger than ankle
Ankle- 8 1/4" (My calf would be just a touch bit bigger, but my ankle measurement is spot on.)

Looks like I may have some work to do...

She also includes a weight table by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in the book to determine your type of body frame- small, medium, or large (mine is small, who knew?). From there you're able to determine your ideal weight for your frame and height. Mine should be anywhere between 123 and 132lbs. I'd like to be somewhere in the middle of that, but currently, am not. Bummer.

I'm excited to start this beauty course, which begins on a Sunday (yes, the days are set in the book), so I will be starting tomorrow morning! The diet starts on a Monday, so I will be starting that in a couple of days. I hope you have fun reading up on my little experiment!

xoxo
Cherie

Someday I'll Get Around to It

I don't know what makes me think I can keep up with a blog, but this is the second such one I've started and left sitting idle for many months.  But... I know there was a reason I did it, so I shall continue. Many, many things are always happening both in my personal and professional life. If anyone cares enough to keep abreast (hehe, get it?) of any new developments, then I shall update them.

One of New Year's resolutions is to become better at marketing myself, and I planned to use my blog for just that purpose.  But with the ever expanding use of social networking, it is becoming harder to maintain my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/cherieblondell), Twitter account (www.twitter.com/cherieblondell), my email account(s), email lists, this blog, and of course, my website (www.cherieblondell.com).  Oh! And then there's updating my youtube account with new videos. Le sigh.

But marketing my shows and appearances isn't the only thing I'll be doing.  I also want to use my blog to "introduce" myself to my fans.  Did you know I LOVE to cook and bake? Well, I do! I'll share favorite recipes and tips.  I also collect vintage aprons.  I'm sure there will be a blog post about those with pictures of myself modeling each.  Plus tons and tons of other goodies, so stay tuned.

Being more proactive and marketing myself better... it's time to stop saying "Someday I'll get around to it."

xoxo
Cherie