"Should I or Shouldn't I?"

Have you seen my Sunday night Facebook series "Should I or Shouldn't I?"?

I had to do something creative after Miss Pinup Australia finished and this was just what I needed!

In case you haven't, here is what you've been missing out on!


Week 1:
A - T shirt with peter pan collar picture and tutorial from greylustergirl or

B - mens shirt refashion picture and tutorial from Little Blue Mouse

 Winner... A!

Cost = $0! I had the shirt in my cupboard already and used scrap material for the collar

Week 2:
A - A pussy bow top (Black and white stripe top from https://www.pinupempireclothing.com or the red and white striped top from http://www.bonsaikitten.com.au/ ) or 

B - Christmas inspired cardi like this one from http://www.lindybop.co.uk/

 Winner... B!

Cost = $3.50! Cardigan and bottons were op shop finds and I had everything else in my stash!

Week 3:
A - An eye shirt with collar (inspired by the top on the left found on vintagevirgin) or

B - A top inspired by the Laura top by Pinup Girl Clothing

 Winner.... B!

Cost = $3! Shirt was from the op shop!

Week 4:
A - A sweater ala Dita (I'm sorry I have no idea where this sweater is from)  or

B - A collared shirt ala Audrey in Roman Holiday

Winner...by a MILE... A!!!

Cost = $4! I already had the top and I just purchased 2 x fat quarters from Spotlight for the trim

Week 5:
A - Skirt made from a quilt cover and inspired by this harlequin print by Pinup Girl Clothing or

B - A Dita inspired cardigan by Wheels and Dollbaby

 Winner... A!

Cost = $5. Materials - second hand quilt cover.

This is actually the skirt I was thinking of when I bought the the quilt cover used for this project. Why I didn't use it in the original post is anyone's guess haha!!

Week 6:
A - Eye shirt - AGAIN! vintagevirgin or

B - Fur trimmed cardigan

Winner... A!!

Cost = $3! I found the tee at the op shop and I had leftover eyes from my MPA evening wear!

Week 7:
A - Pinup Empire Clothing or
B- Fur trimmed cardigan

 Winner.... A!

Cost $3! An op shop shirt.I cut the sleeves down from 3/4 length and used scraps to make the bow.

Week 8: (this week!)
A - A dye job on this awesome City Chic top (that needed some TLC) or
B - A skirt made from this quilt cover I bought for the super adorable starbursts (you know why...)

Winner.... A!!

If you want to see how this project turned out, you'll have to stop by my Facebook page tonight for the reveal!

Every Sunday night I reveal the result of the past week's project and then shortly after I post the 2 projects for you to vote on for the next week! So don't forget to check out how I went and leave your vote for the project you want to see me complete!

Hope to see you pop by my Facebook page soon!

Much love and red lipstick, Miss Toxic xx

An Interview with Miss Pinup Australia 2016, Miss Jade Serpentine!!

One of the perks of being a part of Miss Pinup Australia is the friends you make. I am very lucky (and proud!) to call the new Miss Pinup Australia my dear friend!

Getting to know Miss Jade Serpentine was easy because she is so darn friendly and easy to get along with. We originally bonded last year over our favourite guilty little pleasure, The Bold and the Beautiful! 

Yes, seriously!



I asked if she would mind answering some questions for the blog and she, of course, graciously accepted.
So without further ado, here is my interview with the wonderful Miss Jade Serpentine!!.......

T - "Hi Miss Jade! At this very moment in time, it has been one week since you took out the title of Miss Pinup Australia 2016! What have you been up to in the last week?"
J - "Hi Miss Toxic. In the last week I've been going back to what I call my reality life. Still being a pinup during my waking hours but instead of practicing my routines etc for MPA I have gone back to being the domestic goddess. I have also been using this week to reflect on what I have done for the last 8 months and keeping in contact with my pinup girlfriends online such as yourself!"

T - "You were are a part of MPA last year also. What motivated you to enter again this year?"
J - "A part of me just wanted to prove myself that I could do this again. When the announcement was made I jumped on board straight away. The experience I had in my first year was fantastic. I made lots of new friends and got to discover things about myself that I didn't know existed. The experience was so positive that I didn't hesitate coming back into again. And I know that when the next season runs and if the ingenious category is open, that I will be definitely be entering that. I love sourcing clothes and putting routines together. It gives me so much happy!"

T - "What have you gained from being an entrant of MPA? Was your experience this year different from last year?"
J - "As an entrant of MPA I gained a lot of self confidence. For a long time I didn't feel like that I was good at anything. I was under the radar a lot and just watched people do things rather than do them myself. This year I have put myself more out there. I'm more socialable and I like having my fun side back. I also gained a lot of friends which I didn't think was possible. I have managed to keep in contact with a lot of them on a daily basis and it would be so strange if I didn't talk to them at least once a day!


My experience between the two years has been so different. My first year I felt like I was hanging back. As you know I first entered into the Neo category thinking it was just using modern day versions of pinup clothing. But the theme and the clothes I had didn't feel right, but I kept pushing the issue until State Finals last year. After I performed I knew at that point that I was in the wrong category and when I had the opportunity to become a wildcard I changed everything from head to toe with category and theme. It wasn't perfect, but I knew that I had taken the step in the right direction and that becoming Prestige gal was the right thing for me from then on. Overall, for my first attempt in a pinup event I was pretty pleased with myself. This year was about pushing my boundaries more and to see how far I could go - I wasn't sure where it would lead me but I could feel myself changing more than I ever imagined. Even the difference between our Area Finals to Grand Finals I could feel a difference in my attitude and how I carried myself."

T - "What inspired you to use James Bond as your theme?"
J - "Having James Bond was just by pure chance. I had a totally different theme in mind. After the 2015 season finished I was already writing down various themes in the hope that we would have another season. My original theme was all going to be asian based but I couldn't make my ideas gel to make it effective and easy for the wider audience to understand. It wasn't until one of the local venues in Canberra was doing a Bond theme for NYE's and that was when a light bulb moment had hit. I started researching about the books and discovered that they were written during the 50's and that the movies were in the 60's. Once I got the AOK I just ran with the theme and I loved every single moment of it from the planning stages, to sourcing my clothes, to preparing the routines and altering them to fit the bond girl persona to all the memes I started making. I didn't think I could keep up the momentum but when you have had as much fun as I did with it - it becomes pure joy and to hear that people who also loving what I was doing made it all the more worthwhile."

T - "What made you choose Jade Serpentine as your pinup persona?"
J - "As for my name. I use the name Jade because of the jade bracelet given to me by my maternal grandmother. I wear it all the time. The Serpentine is just my play on words for dragons. I have a fascination of dragons. As it turns out there is also a crystal with the same name, which is a great mediation stone and that helps you find inner peace and clears out blockages in the chakras!"

T - "Is there a main style you aim for?"
J - "I have no particular style as such. Last year I was all about the tea dress look because I only ever bought reproduction clothing. But being in MPA again for another season I've been sourcing more vintage clothing so because of my bond girl theme I chose to go along with the traditional qi pao and wiggle type dresses. At the moment I would like to wear wiggle dresses as I think they suit my body shape better but we will just have to wait and see."

T - "Do you consider yourself a full time pin up?"
J - "I don't consider myself a full time pin up because I still have a job which requires me to wear a uniform. Most days I have the hair and make up done pinup but not always my clothes because I have to do things with the kids at school or I go to work. But if I could, and I had enough room in my wardrobe I would!"

T - "Do you have a favourite accessory or item of clothing?"
J- "My favourite accessory at the moment is the serpent earrings that I wore during my sleepwear routine. They are the biggest earrings I own and they sparkle!"

T - "and lastly, does Miss Jade have any surprises in store for us in the near future?"
J - "I'm not sure what I have in store at the moment. My main goal at the moment is give back where I can to Miss Pinup Australia and to share my experiences with everyone on Facebook. I am hoping to travel around the country and be overseas in the next 12 months but it all depends."

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Great big thanks to my beautiful friend and pinup sister, Miss Jade for taking time out of her busy day to let me ask a few questions.

Stay up to date with what our 2016 Miss Pinup Australia is up to by following her Facebook page!

♥♥♥

Much love and red lipstick, Miss Toxic xx

2016 Miss Pinup Australia Grand Finale Wrap Up Part 2!

We start todays post with...

Day 4 -

Grand Finale day!!!

Alarm set for 8AM because makeup, hair, arghhhhh!!

First of all I stressed about what to have for breakfast. Waffle with nutella, strawberris and banana? Yep!
Drank several coffees while starting makeup. I did NOT want to be under-caffeinated today!!

Pop my drier on to make sure those curls are super set and have no chance of falling out.

Then the pacing began.

Stockings on.

Shapewear on.

Entirely black outfit ready for opening number on.

Time to leave!!

We were not far from the RSL but my GOSH the traffic!!!

It only took almost an hour and a half to get there! Where I live, that distance would take 6 - 7 minutes!

We needed to be there at 3pm to get all our props and outfits upstairs and backstage, run through some important notes, practice, finish hair and makeup and then start at 6pm!!

We get the order to 'shush!' as the audience make their way into the room.

Before we know it we were lining up on stage behind the curtain for our opening number.

The song starts and there's no backing out now!

We ace our dance routine and get a rather impressive round of applause as we walk backstage to prepare for daywear.

So my theme this year was "weird vintage beauty pageant winners".

Daywear was The Honey Bee Queen.

There are amazing photos from the Grand Finale available now but I haven't got any yet as I want to wait until they are all released but if you would like to view them go to Phill's Kustom Photography and have a sneaky peek! I promise I will share some with you when I decide which ones to pick!!

Now I was the very last pinup to go on stage. As us Neos lined up in the corrider waiting to go on stage, a panic attack started taking hold. What could I do? I was the last one to go out so I couldn't exactly ask someone to go before me while I tried to calm down!

Enter: Miss Rouge Noir. Gosh I love this woman! She managed to calm me enough to get my butt up on stage. She is worth her weight in gold, I tell ya!

So on I go, absolutely terrified. BUT I got through every pose!
I popped another balloon which was a HUGE deal for me.
At area finals I didn't get my joke in...
Man, I was making sure I got it in this time!!
Pop Quiz! What kind of bees make milk?
BOO-BEES!!

The Neos go back on stage for our little routine and back off we go, to get ready for...

Swimwear!

The Jungle Queen.
I based every one of my swimwear poses on a Bettie Page pose and most from the leopard shoot she did with Bunny Yeager.

Obviously my outfit was leopard print. I personally LOVE this outfit!
Also, green lipstick!
All pointers given to me by Miss Pixie during our one on one phone conversation were taken into account and I feel like I made this routine 100% better than it was at areas.

Win!

We finally had a chance to breathe with the first imtermission.

I didn't make it out into the audience for this one though because I needed to take my time getting ready for lingerie.
I had to clean off the green lipstick for a start.... Not sure I recommend changing to such a dark coloured lipstick in the middle of a show! Maybe if it was for your last outfit!

I took it slow and made sure I had all accessories on and fixed my hair.

With intermission over, it was time to prepare to take the stage again. By now I was feeling much more relaxed about going on.

Lingerie - Miss Beautyrest Mattresses

This outfit was based on the gorgeous woman pictured on the left, Hedy Lamarr in Ziegfeld Girl.

I absolutely adore that I was not the only one who chose this Ahhhhmazing costume to base lingerie on...

The beautiful Miss Jade Foxx (who just happenend to take out the Miss Illustrated title!) did too and she. looked. stunning!

This was my only outfit I altered from area finals. I changed the green sash to gold, added sequins to the black lace at the top of my nightie and made a necklace similar to my crown.
Again, all suggestions from Miss Pixie! The woman knows what shes talking about!

I got all my poses in again and I think I also pulled off this routine much better than the first time round.

Now we get to put on our evening wear!!!

Evening Wear - Miss Lovely Eyes

I was so excited to finally be wearing my dress I had created so much hype over.

I don't think I have been more proud of any garment I have 'made' then this dress. And I didn't even make the actual dress! It is a Lindy Bop that I took the sleeves off of. I added the tulle on the bottom.

Several days of hand sewing later...

And of course the eyes!
Now they were iron on so it wasn't difficult, but I had to make sure they were spaced correctly and then I had to leave room for a special eye.

To be honest, when I was putting on this special eye I thought I might get a bit of a giggle out of it.. turns out it was going to be the highlight of my entire time on stage that night!

Now, what is this special eye I'm talking about? Well, it was a winky booby eye!

A bit of fishing line, cardboard and velcro makes for a very funny addition to your routine hahaha!

As I was walking off stage Miss Pixie said "Well that's something I've never seen on stage before! A winking booby!" I felt awesome with the cheers and applause it received.

I have had several requests for a short video of it so I will make it happen soon.

Next we got ready for

Talent - How NOT to follow the Singer Sewing Manual

This is the only photo of have yet of my talent outfit. I'm pictured here with the HILARIOUSLY gorgeous Miss Mixi Venus (Queen of Neos, Miss Neo 2016). Her talent had us all in fits of laughter!

Essentially I stood behind a sewing machine dressed like a very UN 50's housewife trying to sew an apron while the sewing manual instructions were being read out. I did not follow them. I made a boo boo and 'sewed' the apron to my gown!! Serves me right for not following instructions!

Walking off stage we high fived, hugged, took photos and got changed back into our evening wear.

It was done! We did it!

Now we got to hang out with family and friends while the adjudicators added scores and made the unenviable decision of who got titles.

At that point of the night, titles don't matter. We've all done something terrifying and anxiety inducing and survived! The girls all did a magnificent job, we know because the audience and mentors tell us so. They should know, they have sat and watched us all night for hours on end.

We eventually get the call to take the stage one last time for the crowning ceremony.

So many wonderful women were acknowledged for their help behind the scenes and then came time for the announcements!

Well, thank you so much for taking the time to read through this post, sorry it was so long.....

What's that?

Oh,

....you want to know the results?

Oh..... ok then, I guess that makes sense!
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In that case!

Miss Neo - Miss Mixi Venus
Miss Illustrated - Miss Jade Foxx
Miss Prestige - Miss Nancy Blossem Belle
Miss Perfect - Miss Cherrybomb 56
Miss Appilicious - Miss Rouge Kitty
Miss Amity - Miss Wurple Violet
Miss Pinup Australia 2nd Runner Up - Miss Tee Cee
Miss Pinup Australia Runner Up - Miss Gigi Anne
MISS PINUP AUSTRALIA 2016 - MISS JADE SERPENTINE!

Had you going there for a second hey?!

As if I'd leave you hanging there like that!

So after a very long night full of nerves, excitement, laughs and tears, it was all over! Well for those of us who didn't get a title anyway. We got to go home and wonder what we will do with our lives with all this spare time now!
The title holders still have days of MPA ahead!

These lucky girls got to attend the official Miss Pinup Australia national title holder photo shoot and I am DYING to see how the photos turned out!!

Overall, this season was something I really truly needed to do for myself.
There were moments I considered dropping out, because it would be the path of least resistance.
But how can you expect to get anywhere in life without challenging yourself?

I am still working on my confidence but OMG, I am a zillion times better than I was this time 2 years ago.

A few things I heard last week really stuck with me.
One of those was a conversation with Miss Kitty Sapphire. At one point she chose to use my own advice against me haha! Dammit, the woman was right! She told me how she had watched me grow from last year to this year. I hadn't realised people had even paid attention. She's an incredibly supportive and encouraging woman that Miss Kitty!

Another was a pep talk from Miss Rouge Kitty's partner, Paul. That awesome dude has a way with words and my goodness does he ever support Miss Rouge Kitty with all he has.

Of course several things said by Miss Pixie have stuck with me...
She is the epitome of encouragement!

I don't really want to share exactly what these all were as I feel they are quite personal and probably won't mean to you, what they mean to me.

So all in all this season was difficult but as hard as it was, the positive results from that hard work was returned 10 fold.

I walk away with the Miss Southern Area Runner Up title and a sense of immense pride.

I feel like me entering next year is unlikely... but we all know that I said the same thing last year haha!!

I highly recommend giving it a go. Seriously. It is one heck of an experience!

So, for real this time, thank you for sticking around to read this post. I still have plenty more to share from this season and it will all come in time.

But, for now,

much love and red lipstick, Miss Toxic xx

2016 Miss Pinup Australia Grand Finale Wrap Up Part 1!

O.
M.
G.

What a ridiculously CRAZY busy week!
Crazy busy but crazy FUN!!
I wanted to make this in 2 parts so that you didn't get bored reading one big super long post.

I have so much to tell you and show you so let's get started!!

So, the MPA finale started with most non-Sydney siders making the journey into town.

Day 1 -

My husband and I packed up the car, full to the brim, with props and outfits.

I also took along a 'special guest'.... my head!
She popped up from time to time in various pictures...

Once we arrived in Sydney, we checked in to our motel and I set my hair and then chilled out for the night.

Day 2 -

The alarm was set for 8AM as we started our first day of rehearsals at Paddo RSL at 12 noon.
Coffee was drunk, makeup was applied and hair was brushed and sprayed and backcombed and sprayed again and brushed again and sprayed again!

"Dress to impress" was the dress code of the day as we had been informed that the Sydney Morning Herald would be present to take photos and video of us!
So impressive clothes were put on, crown and sash followed.

In to the car to make the "short" trip to the RSL.

Arrived with a minute to spare.

Wasn't the last to arrive.
Winning!

Once there everyone made the rounds giving out hugs and saying hello to girls we've met before and people we only know from interacting online.

My girl Miss Jade Serpentine and I

Miss Gigi Anne and I

So happy all the girls are sweet, beautiful souls. I wouldn't expect anything else seeing as they made it to finals.

Once everyone arrived it was time to get serious. Secret discussions about secret MPA business.
(Also, when I say 'time to get serious', if you are with this group of ladies, nothing can ever be THAT serious...)

We were given our running order and then practice started!

We learned the first half of our opening number and then some! It was a huge first day but we achieved so much!

Getting back to the motel and eating and sleeping was very necessary afterwards.

Day 3 -

Today the alarm went off at 7 as we started at 10AM.

Makeup and hair was a bit more relaxed for rehearsal today`as we had much more to do and had to leave the glamour for our Meet and Greet that night.

We tried to remember what we had learned the day before and then learn even more. Our opening number was starting to look GOOD! Even though I can't dance to save my life.

We took a moment to pose for a photo in our jeans as it was Jeans for Genes Day

By the end of rehearsals we had actually learned the whole dance and worked out our category formations and poses for each clothing category.

Not being biased, but I think our Neo formations were pretty awesome!

Finally we were finished rehearsals. However that left us an hour to get ready for the meet and greet.

We weren't finished yet!!

The meet and greet is an opportunity for family, friends and fans to come along and meet us and hang out with us and watch us be just a little bit weird.

We also helped raise some money for Jeans for Genes Day.

Yours truly, Miss Jade Serpeentine, Miss Mixi Venus, Miss Rockabilly Tam, Miss Foxy Rocket and Miss Scarlett Summers

Lady Liliana, Miss Annie Lou, Miss Gigi Anne, Miss Peach Cottontail and Miss Trixie Bombshell

Myself with beautiful Miss Emily

I'm not kidding about the weird! Clockwise from back - Miss Rockabilly Tam, Miss Rouge Kitty, Miss Mixi Venus, me being a nong and Miss Jade Serpentine

Bed and food were needed even MORE after today! Especially as tomorrow would be THE day!!

Hair sets, nourishment and beauty sleep... come at me!!

Well here was days 1, 2 and 3. I'll leave this post here because day 4 is a post all on it's own!

I just want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support and interest in my journey!

Stay tuned for Part 2 coming in a day or so!

Much love and red lipstick, Miss Toxic xx

Miss Southern Pinup RU 2016!!

The Miss Pinup Australia Southern area finals! Wow what a night!!

Did I tell you?.... I was given the title of Miss Southern Pinup RU!!!!!!!

Oh my gosh I'm so over the moon!

On Thursday morning we packed the car full to the brim ready for our trip to Melbourne!

Once in Melbourne we took advantage of some free time and shopped, ate and drank (coffee) our way around the city. We weren't exactly blessed with beautiful weather but there's not much that can dull the beauty of Melbourne.

When we returned to my sisters place it was time to set my hair and get some beauty sleep!!

I didn't want to leave anything to chance on Saturday so I sat with my dryer on for about an hour to make sure my hair was ALL dry!

Sooo attractive!

Suddenly (or so it seemed) the time had come to make our way to the stunningly gorgeous venue, The Melba Spiegeltent in Collingwood. I have never seen anything like it.

When it is raining outside and there are pinups with their hair painstakingly and lovingly set, expect to see a multitude of umbrellas!!

I thought I was putting on a brave and joyful face for the other girls until I looked back on my selfies...

The face of someone who thinks they are being brave but is in fact made up of about 99% nerves!

We finally got to take our props and outfits inside, have a pep talk and then it was time to go, go, go!

Daywear outfits come first.

I did better taking selfies this year than last year, but only just...

Luckily Jac from Derriere Boudoir & Vintage Glamour was taking gorgeous pictures of everything that happened!

I SWEAR I thought I was smiling!!

Daywear - The Honey Bee Queen.

Credit - Derriere Boudoir and Vintage Glamour

This is one of my favourite photos from the night. It shows me a split second after popping a balloon! I'm not a fan of balloons. (Ok, I'm terrified of them...)

I forgot to take a swimwear selfie. But Jac was on it! I was The Jungle Queen! Meeeow!!

Credit - Derriere Boudoir & Vintage Glamour

Sleepwear - Miss Beautyrest Mattress 1953. Twinkle twinkle little star!

Still not smiling...

Credit - Derriere Boudoir & Vintage Glamour

If you would like to see the rest of the images from Derriere Boudoir & Vintage Glamour click HERE! *Please remember, Jac has spent a lot of time and effort on these images so DO NOT alter, copy or screen save the images. If you want to use them, please PURCHASE THEM!*

Once we completed our outfit categories it was time for Talent! I had a sewing 'segment'. Needless to say I did NOT follow instructions and the results were disastrous! (Luckily, that's what I was aiming for!)

Then we had a bit of a break to get changed back into daywear and breathe a sigh of relief that it was all DONE! We did it! 

We all made our way back over to the stage and lined up awaiting the announcement!

And then......!

It was completely unexpected and I am so honoured to have been bestowed with the title of Miss Southern Pinup Runner Up. 

The women that took the stage with me are absolutely incredible and everyone looked so amazing. I am so proud of us all! 

Below is the beautiful Miss Rouge Kitty who was crowned Miss Southern Pinup!!! This woman is a gem of a human being and I am super dooper proud of her!

Miss Rouge Kitty - Miss Southern Pinup and I. Photo credit - Derriere Boudoir & Vintage Glamour

So much love and admiration for this woman!!

Miss Rouge Kitty - Miss Southern Pinup, Miss Pixie - owner and creator of Miss Pinup Australia and little old me!

Could NOT wipe the smile off my face!!

So to say it was a great night really seems like an understatement!! 

Now I get the pleasure of going to Nationals!!

I'm off to make an evening gown!!

Much love and red lipstick, Miss Southern Pinup RU, Miss Toxic xx