VLV Wrap Up: CD Purchases

I wanted to mention that I got more than clothes at VLV this year. I also got CDs! I haven't found the right record player yet, so at the moment we only collect CDs and not vinyl. One day I would love to start collecting my favorite songs on vinyl. But for now, CDs are great! I love to add them to my ipod for the gym and work. I also love having them in my car-things vinyl can't do! 

These are the CD purchases we made during our trip to VLV:

1) Let's Go Rockabilly & Rock N Roll Vol 1

I found one song on this CD that I thought was interesting and didn't have: "Walking Wanda".

2) Let's Go Rockabilly & Rock N Roll Vol 4

3) Record Hop Madness Vol 4

These two are both your typical rockabilly compilation CDs. 

4) Risque Rhythm Nasty R&B

I had high hopes for this compilation CD of old sexual innuendo songs, but it wasn't as good as I was hoping. The song that stood out to me most is the first on the album, "Big Ten-Inch Record". It has a lot of stuff I already had, like Wynonie Harris. 

5) Twisted Tales From The Vinyl Wastelands Vol 4  Hippie In A Blunder

This compilation was intriguing because they are basically all songs making fun of hippies....

and I love making fun of hippies! There are other comps with different themes, so I see us buying more of these in the future.  

6) The Sparkletones

This is my second favorite CD we bought this trip. It is actually better than I was expecting. I love "Black Slacks", "Maybe Baby" and "Well Dressed Man". I do have to say, that I liked the first half of the album better than the last half, probably because that portion is of music from later in their careers, and sounds a little too much like The Beatles for me. 

7) Sureshots Rock'N'Roll Ball 

I loved this live CD so I put it at my 3rd favorite album of this group. I love all of the covers they did. My favorite being "Just Thought I'd Set You Straight" very daring and unique!

8) Roy Kay Trio Rock-a-way Lonesome Moon

9) High Noon Stranger Things

This CD is good. How could it be bad? It's High Noon! But, I will say, that their songs sound the same to me. On the bright side, they are highly recognizable! 

10) Starday Dixie Rockabilly Vol 2

11) The Western Aces (is that Riley Kern on the cover?)

12) Star Mountain Dreamers Rhythm, Feelin & Phrasin 

13) Deke Dickerson Mr. Entertainment 

The name says everything. This CD is entertaining. 

Take Deke's version of "I Love Rock & Roll" called, "I Love Rock & Bowl." All jokes aside, there are also some seriously good songs on this album like the "Burbank Hillbillies Theme," "Ain't Got A Pot" (I have never heard Deke so western swingin'!), and "Mean Little Mama." 

14) Deke Dickerson and The Modern Sounds Live at Duffs

This is fan-freakin-tastic! I do love when The Modern Sounds and Deke get together, so I knew this CD would be up my alley. I love "Mexicali Rose," "Snatch It And Grab It," and of course my all time Deke fav "Muleskinner Blues." The Modern Sounds backing Deke up are just the cherry on top!

Of course, I am not just saying this because they read my blog.....

15) Caezars She's My Miss

I had to get this new three song single when I saw it. I will say, they are getting a little 60s garage for my taste,  but I still really like it I suppose. 

16) The Lazy Boys Wham Bam

I am glad I got this CD, it is a hoot! I love the sexual innuendos in the title song "Wham Bam," among others. I also love the guest singer Meg Pfeiffer on "Perfect," listening to this song makes me happy. Mirko, you are a great writer! Again, not just saying that because he reads my blog.....

Without further ado, my number one acquisition: 

17) JD McPherson Signs & Signifiers 

Okay, seriously, why didn't anyone tell me about JD McPherson? Because apparently I missed this band wagon and am the last to know about this new phenomenon. I knew within 10 seconds of listening to this album that he was my new favorite artist. I have been looking for a modern artist with this sound forever, and I never thought I would find it in this white guy (sorry to say!). I had to do a double take at the album cover. THIS sound is coming out of THAT guy? Well, lord bless him! 

Back to the CD....Of course "North Side Gal" is my favorite song on the album. I had heard Djs play it before, so I thought he was covering it. That is how authentic his sound is-I thought it was old when I heard DJs playing it! Doh. I also love "Fire Bug" (good jiver possibly? I must try it), "Dimes For Nickels" and "B.G.M.O.S.R.N.R." Really, there is not a bad song on the whole CD! 

Please, do yourself a favor and buy this CD asap if you don't have it. Or at least look at his YouTube videos! 

XOXO

Dollie

Looking Forward To The 4 Day Weekend!

Can you find me in this flyer?

Have a good long weekend!

XOXO

Dollie

VLV Wrap Up: The Loot!!!

I wasn't sure if I was going to do a post about the stuff I bought at VLV. I was still throwing around the idea when I had multiple readers come up to me at VLV while I was shopping and tell me that they couldn't wait to see what I bought. When I told them that I wasn't sure if I was going to do a post about it or not, because I didn't want to seem materialistic, everyone of them told me that I had to because everyone loved those posts and everyone wanted to see what I got. I do work very hard to save money for Viva so that I can do some shopping because I get a lot of enjoyment out of it, and apparently, my readers get a lot of enjoyment out of seeing what I got too.So, here it is, my Viva Las Vegas loot post!

First off, while at Viva I got a few gifts from readers. Really!!! What a nice surprise! 

This was waiting for me when I got home from vacation. It is a giveaway from Tart Deco:

Vintage purse, broach, bracelet, and hat.

The hat is so beautiful! I really think the mint color is flattering with my hair color. 

I had no idea! Now I must find a nice dress to match this hat!

This is a close up of the shadow box that Ellen and Jorge Garcia gave us! I love this and am already using it. They drove all the way to Vegas from CA with this in their car just to give to us. 

What great friends. I really do love them!

This is a super cute little purse mirror that Tatsuo and his wife brought me all the way from Japan! 

I was so touched that they thought of me! I know that space is limited in suitcases of people coming from over seas, so it is really sweet that they brought this all the way from Japan to give to me. 

Next is the stuff I won in the bathingsuit contest!

I got this beautiful hand painted serving tray and I am already using it!

I saw the other girls trays, and I really like mine best!

I also got this super cute apron! It reminds me of a circus or carnival or something. I like the scallop edges too. This apron is completely different than my others, and I am already getting a lot of use out of it. 

New Gretsch shirt. I can use this at the gym for sure!

Other random stuff....Big Toe stickers, cute bow, pictures from painted pinups, year subscription to Bachelor Pad Mag, and two custom bangles from Hard Times Baby Boutique (but I can't seem to reach them via the website to take them up on the offer. Also cant seem to find them on Facebook).

Here is a gift I bought for an upcoming baby shower. She reads my blog but I hope she doesn't see this! 

I just couldn't help but share it with you!

It's a 1950s overalls and bonnet set, in pink and white stripes in perfect condition.

Isn't just darling!

Now, on to the stuff I bought for myself.

Let's start with accessories! 

I wanted some sheer gloves for the wedding.  I saw these at Boss Vintage and I liked the frilly details. 

I like that you can see my manicure through them too! Best of both worlds!

I think they are simply delicate. 

Some bakelite accessories. A wide orange bangle, three rootbeer spacers, a carved green ring, orange triangle earrings, and triangle charm bracelet.  From various vendors.

I love my giant Mexican woven thatch purse with tooled leather handle and closures.  I got this from Boss Vintage on a Sunday sale!

This year I was really looking for two and three piece outfits. 

Here are the ones I brought home: 

I love love love this pink and white stripe set I got from V Male. My cat likes it too! It is a deadstock pants and shirt set with attached skirt and wrap tie. The tag says it is for sporting, like tennis, cycling, hiking, gardening, etc. I probably won't wear it doing any of those things!

This is my favorite outfit I bought all weekend. It is from Donnaland Vintage. It is a three piece set: shorts, crop top, and shirt in pink silk with white flowers. I love it so much that I bought it even though the shorts are an inch to small in the waist. I figure I would take them to the seamstress to see what she could do. I just couldn't pass this set up!

This is another shorts and crop tie top set I bought. This one is a reproduction from Atomic Swag made from a vintage pattern and vintage fabric. It is so soft! Again, it doesn't fit. The shorts are too big, so I will have to take them in. 

This is a deadstock shorts and top set I bought from Boss Vintage. 

This will be great for summer picnics! 

Ahhhh... my first two piece squaw dress! Everything is right in the world!

This is why I love two piece outfits: two looks for the price of one! I can totally wear that top with jeans, and yes, I am definitely going to!

Now.....can it be??? Yes, a two piece, novelty print, squaw dress! All of my collections have culminated in this one piece!! Yes, the top has these little native american bow and arrows.....darling and dangerous! 

The skirt is so basic too, that I can wear it will a lot of different tops. Both of these squaw outfits are from Boss Vintage in Denver Colorado. 

Now, a few new tops:

This is my new favorite top! I can't resist novelty print cotton tops, and this one has super cute little roosters and a cute collar. I have already worn this like 5 times!

I can wear it with pink, green, blue, orange, red....

I am also thinking about wearing this top with the all blue squaw skirt above, or those red and white gingham shorts above. At first it seems wrong, all of those patterns, but I think it will be oh-so-hillbilly-dumpling-right!

This is my 2nd new favorite top! It is a Hawaiian silk tea timer top. 

It is sooooo soft and cold all of the time. Perfect for summer!

The Hawaiian novelty print is perfect!

Now, for some dresses, and yes, more novelty prints!!

One word: Kamehameha. 

Look at the bust detail, and the halter top that ties at the side.  

Ohhhhhhh soooooo flattering! 

I love the little Hawaiian people with the drums and guitars. 

Lately I have been really attracted to novelty prints involving musical instruments. Hum.

This little number is a doozy also. I love the collar and the drop waist (hard to see). 

This one has little maracas! Muy bien!  

This is a sweet dress I got at Calo Style with my $75 giftcard I won in the bathing suit contest.

It has a sheer pink fabric over a pink lining. 

The fabric is printed of course, with little pink leaves. The sales girls tried to talk me into a solid black dress (something I need probably), but I just can't seem to like black or solid colors for that matter. I know what I like: colorful prints!

Last but not least, my tiki mugs from Frankie's! Now at home in my living room.

I hope you enjoyed this post!

XOXO

Ask The Rockabilly Socialite

It seems like things are getting busier everyday in Rockabilly Socialite land, especially over on my facebook page. I have been getting about 20 messages a day asking questions about various things like: "What time period do you think this fabric is from?", "How would you clean a vintage straw bag?" and "Where could I find reproduction gold lame pants?" So, instead of answering all of these questions half ass like on Facebook, I thought I would use them to start a new blog feature called Ask The Rockabilly Socialite! People are looking to me for answers so I will try my best to help them out. Now, I don't claim to know everything, but if I don't know it, I will look it up, or find someone who does. So, feel free to email your questions to RockabillySocialite@yahoo.com or message me on facebook. I will try my best to answer all questions asked, but not all will be featured on this site. So, here is the first question:


"Dear Vintage Guru,

I have a question for you about a certain style of necklace...basically I don't know if it has a certain name and what its made of. I'm looking for a fun colorful necklace with fruit on it and I'm not sure what to type in the ebay/etsy search engine or maybe you even know a local place that carries them? I know I've seen them, and they usually look like the one you wore with your gold lame cigarette pants at Viva...the kind that have the loop chain in what I'm guessing is Lucite or celluloid but I'm just not positive and I'm not doing very good at searches for them online. You seem to know so much about all this vintage stuff and I thought maybe you'd know a specific name for them. 

Thanks for your help!
Reagan"

Hi Reagan!

I believe you are talking about this outfit and this necklace, right?

My set is a reproduction that came all the way from Japan. 

I got the black and yellow one, and a white and yellow one. 

They were selected in person and brought back for me by my wonderful friend Sandra Sprague while her husband was touring there. I wish I had more info on them to give you. I have looked around the web for necklaces like these, and they can be tricky to find, and very expensive too. I usually use key words like: Vintage Celluloid/Bakelite/Lucite Chain Necklace Fruit. Sometimes adding Carmen Miranda helps too! 

I have seen a few companies doing reproduction versions, and I instantly thought of my friends at Atomic Swag. At Viva Las Vegas 13 they were carrying necklaces and bracelets just like the ones you are talking about, but this year they had more atomic versions:

$28 from Atomic Swag

$28 from Atomic Swag, made with vintage lucite pieces! 

http://atomicswag.com/NECKLACES_c26.htm

These are super fun and colorful and you can't beat the price! I think I need to get a few of these for myself. Their website is super easy to use, you can pay via Paypall, and there is no competition like on Ebay. If you still have your heart set on the fruit look, I found these other options on Etsy for you:

$69.50 from Holi on Etsy

$65 from Holi on Etsy

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Holi?ref=seller_info

These are great reproductions and the price is still very fair. That black and yellow one looks almost identical to the one I have! If you have you heart set on vintage, look at this beauty I found: 

$134 from Pretty Kitty 13 on Etsy

http://www.etsy.com/shop/prettykitty13?ref=seller_info

This vintage piece is twice the price of the other options, but worth it in my opinion! Look at those huge leaves and tangerine colored balls! There is no denying that this is a hefty statement necklace. 

With all of these options, be aware that the chains are very fragile and they have a nasty habit of getting tangled in your hair. As for reproduction VS vintage, that is all up to you. I have a vintage one that cost me a boat load of money, and I have the two reproduction ones that were about $60 a piece. I love them all, and I know you will love yours too!

Hope that answers your question.

XOXO

Dollie

300 followers???

I just noticed that I got to 300 followers! I never ever thought I would get to 100, let alone 300 in my first year of blogging! A big thanks to each and every one of you! I loooooovvvvveeeee you all!

Sorry for my lack of blogging this week. I have been really sick. Boo! I do have a lot of great posts I need to get around to doing, including my viva clothing purchases post, CD purchases post, and some wedding planning posts. I also have a new series I am doing called "Ask the Rockabilly Socialite", so stay tunned!

But for now I just wanted to share a link with you to Papermag. Alexander Thompson shot some photos of me and some other amazing people at VLV and wrote a little blurb about it, so go check it out!

http://www.papermag.com/2011/05/viva_las_vegas_weekender.php

Much Love,

Dollie

VLV Wrap Up: Final Thoughts

Another Viva has come and gone. This year was really different than any other year, in good ways and in bad ways. So, here is a breakdown of my thoughts on the good and the bad.

GOOD:

Being a Socialite: I got to see a lot of old friends and meet a lot of new friends. This seems to be the main reason people go to Viva nowadays, and I can see why. It’s great to see your friends from out of state and out of the country. It’s also nice to meet your online friends for the first time, and meet new people all together. It was great to meet so many of my readers from all over the US, UK, and Australia.  I had so many people come up to me and say “You are The Rockabilly Socialite! I love your blog!.” That just made me feel so warm and fuzzy, so thank you all. I also had people tell Zack, Sandra Sprague and Amber Foxx “You are Dollie’s friend! I recognize you from her blog!.” Which is very flattering, because they are the famous ones from the rockabilly music scene, where I am just a blogger, yet people know of them from me. Too funny! So, this was honestly the best part of Viva for me.

Jerry Lee Lewis: He stole the show that weekend. Everyone was talking about how awesome he still is. I was really happy I got to see him. I don’t know if Tom will ever be able to top that car show!

The Hooch and Smooch: In my opinion, this year was the best lineup yet for the H&S. I found a new band I really like: The Lazy Boys! I also got to see one of my favorite bands on a VLV stage for the first time: Blue Collar Combo. The new venue upstairs was a huge improvement. The H&S is really the best way to kick off the weekend. I am very appreciative of Sweet Pea for all of the hard work she puts into the H&S to make it happen. She really does a lot of work, and doesn’t get a single thing in return for putting that all together. She does it all for the love of the music!

Deke’s Guitar Geek Fest: I really had a lot of fun at that show. I can’t believe I never went to it at VLV before. Now it will be one of my must see’s for future VLVs. It’s like jamming all of the music for the weekend into one hour of just the hits. Also, it didn’t hurt that I got to get on stage and spank Sugarballs.  

Pool Party X3: This year they had the pool party on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I actually went to the pool party on Friday, which I didn’t expect, and I really liked it! I liked that one day I actually wore a normal bathing suit and could go in the water, and another day I wore my cute vintage swimsuit and just lounged. I think this is good addition.

The Swimsuit Contest: Just because I got second! It was a great experience for me, and I had a lot of fun, so I have to include it here.

BAD:

The Dancing: The biggest disappointment for me this year was the dancing. I can’t put my finger on exactly what was off with the DJs, but something was definitely off. I only danced to a handful of songs the whole weekend. My biggest complaint was that they kicked us out of the main ballroom way too early, then kicked us out of the Bienville Room way to early, and then made us cram into the little Big Easy room down stairs. I thought the 24 hour record hop downstairs was an addition to the event. What I didn’t know was that because of this addition they were talking away the upstairs rooms! I was so bummed about this. The Big Easy room is cool and all, but it is just not the same. It is super tiny, there is no room on the dance floor to dance at all, and it gets so hot in there. It is really like a cave! This is the first year that I felt like the Orleans wanted to get rid of us and cram us into a dark corner like sardines. Every other year they seemed so much more accommodating. Because of this change, Viva just wasn’t the same for me this year. I really look forward to that feeling of dancing in a big ballroom all hours of the night, and I just didn’t get that this year. If I wanted to just sit and listen to a DJ in a cramped dark room I could have just stayed in LA! There was also something off with the DJs music selections. I know everyone says they are tired of hearing songs like Little Lil’, Jungle Rock, and Dance Franny Dance, so I believe that is why the DJs didn’t play songs like that over the weekend. But, dancers love hearing them, and they do get the dance floor packed. So DJs, please play these songs again! I didn’t hear anyone playing these songs, or much rockabilly stuff even. There was really a lot of 60s garage stuff played. I like that type of music a lot, but it is not ideal for bopping, strolling and jiving. So, can we just get back to the classics please?

No Boot: This year they didn’t have boots and it bummed everybody out. They had these Viva Las Vegas souvenir bottles and tiki mugs. The worst part was that you couldn’t refill your VLV souvenir bottle anywhere in the hotel. They expected you to buy a new bottle each time. When asked why, they said it was for sanitary reasons. Boo. Bring back the boot!

New Rules: The Orleans had all of these new rules this year. For example, you couldn’t bring any food or drink into the pool party. Why? I don’t know. I understand why you can’t bring glass in, but why the rule for everything else? I had a bag of chips that I didn’t eat at lunch, and I just had them in my purse for later. Well, the mean lady at the door made me throw them away. A lot of people either had to throw away their food, or not come in. This is the reason that there was no Peaster Bunny at the pool party this year. They wouldn’t let her come in with a basket of chocolate. Big Boo!!! Again, this is the first year that the hotel made me feel unwelcome. 

VLV Wrap Up: Sunday

On Sunday we slept in, grabbed lunch and a cocktail, and headed to the pool.

I wore a deadstock tiki print two piece suit that I got at VLV last year. 

I paired it with a red wide brimmed hat and red swede and wooden heel wedges. 

Everyone relaxing by the pool

Looks nice!

Frannie and I

Kyle always has the best pool outfits. This year it was a pink flamingo hat!

Zack and Sally Jo

 I was looking forward to sitting by the pool and sipping a cocktail for the remainder of the afternoon, but instead I ended up entering the vintage bathingsuit contest! I had heard about it via facebook a few weeks prior, and I knew the prizes were really good, so I was considering it. I was hesitant though, because I never win anything like this. Then Mary from Vintage Swimsuits by Mary (the sponsor of the contest) came by to talk to me and Frannie about our suits and ask us if we wanted to enter, so we decided to do it. There were a lot of girls initially, and then they were narrowed down to 20. Franny and I both got in the top twenty. I was sad to see that my friend Lola Devlin did not get in the top 20, because I felt her suit was much better than mine, and I had pegged her to be the winner!

Thats me on stage!

The contest was fairly easy. All we had to do was walk across the stage and show off our suit. We didn't have to dance, do a talent, or get crowd applause. We did have to answer one question, but it was an easy one: "How often do you wear vintage?" Most girls said all the time. I didn't because that would be a lie. I do wear modern pieces to work mixed with vintage, and I also don't wear vintage to the gym or to sleep in. So, I said: "I wear vintage as much as possible. I actually have a whole room in my house dedicated to storing my vintage clothes!" I think that went over well with the judges, at least it did with Lisa Love, who I was told also has a dressing room to store her vintage clothes. My friends in the crowd were so good to me, hooting and hollering. Sandra Sprague even went above and beyond and made signs with my name on it for her and Alana to hold up during the contest. I love my girls!!!

After the top 20 went, they narrowed it down to the top three. I never thought I would be in the top 3 because there were a lot of great suits, including a beautiful gold lame suit with flowers and rhinestones on it. So you can imagine my surprise when they called me in the top three!! I couldn't believe it! I never make it in the top three for anything!

On stage with the top three. 

Don't I look surprised! 

Then they called third place, and I was sure it was me, and it wasn't! 

Then it was down to just two, Stephanie Weber of Minneapolis and I. I met Stephanie earlier in the weekend, and she was a sweetheart. It was nice to be able to talk to her during this contest. It was her first viva, but every time I saw her during the weekend she looked so fabulous and put together, and I knew her winning this contest would be the icing on the cake. So, I really wanted her to win, and I believe that is what I was telling her in this photo.  

So, they announced it and I got second place! I was so happy! I really never win anything, so I never ever thought I would place this high in the contest! I was really really happy for Stephanie, especially because she had a great experience at her first VLV. 

I got a beautiful hand painted serving tray that said Vintage Swim Suit Beauty, 2nd Place and these photos taken by Painted Pinups. I also got a $75 gift card to a vintage clothing store in Vegas, a year subscription to Bachelor Pad Mag, a Gretsch tee, a cute apron, little hair bow, stickers, and two hand painted wooden bangles!!! Wow. All of that for 2nd place??? First place got two tickets to VLV next year, a Gretsch guitar, and a playsuit from Vintage Suits by Mary on top of all of that other stuff. Not too shabby for a swimsuit contest!

I think I was just most happy to have friends like Sandra who would go through so much trouble to make these signs. Who else had signs? No one! Just me. I must be loved. 

I was sooooo pooped after all that fun in the sun, but I didn't have time to relax because I had to go catch my friends band in the pub: Roy Rapid!!!

I have talked about them before, but one more time won't hurt. 

They are a group of young boys from San Diego, CA. 

 They have had a lot of success come to them quickly because they are very talented, and super nice boys to boot. I heard a lot of people over the weekend talking about there show.

While I was there, I ran into Holly, the Temperamental Broad.

She loves Roy Rapid too! After watching them we ran upstairs to see the jive contest.

There they are, jiving away!

Top 6 couples....

Top 4.....

And the winners were:

The couple from the UK! They always compete every year, but never seem to get first place.So I was happy for them to win this year. Everyone was great this year, so I imagine they had a hard time picking. I know my personal favs were T Bone with his partner and Franny and her partner. There were also two other couples I really liked, but didn't know there names. Congrats to everyone who entered, as they were all amazing. I was also happy to hear that they got cash prizes this year!

With Sally Jo, Cara and I. 

Me, Alana and Deen.

We all decided to go formal on Sunday night.

For my Easter Sunday outfit I wore my blue1961 prom dress with daisy pillbox hat, gloves and remix wedges. I had some vintage heels to wear with this dress, but my feet were dying from wearing those high wedges at the pool party. After a little more shopping I went to go see some bands.

The amazing and beautiful Kim Lenz!

Her skirt was to die for! It had 3-D cowgirls and cowboys swing dancing on it. I need one of these now!!

If Deen and I were not matching enough already, we both bought huge Mexican straw bags from Boss Vintage! We are looking pretty gangster. 

I really love Pia Anderson!

After the show Alana helped Kim sell some albums. Like she needs help! Pssshhh.

Matching yet again, with double fist cocktails. 

Everyone loved Young Jesse. His song "I Smell A Rat" was a big hit. 

The legends house band

I wanted to dance, so I changed into a sharkskin skirt and black strapless top. 

Smoky pic, but still pretty!

The last band on for the night was Jittery Jack, and boy, did he put on a show! He has great showmanship for sure. At the end of the set Deke said the magic phrase: Pants Off Dance Off! And wouldn't you believe it.. 

He took his pants off!

He even mooned the audience! It was an amazing end to the weekend!

Then we went to the other room to see my friend Lucky La Rocka DJ.

This was the last picture of VIVA!!!!!

I was sad to see it end, but it had to end sometime! We danced til about 6am and then hit the hay to be ready to check out of the hotel at 12pm. 

VIVA LAS VEGAS BABY!!!

XOXO

Dollie