Traditional

Neil Collins aka Sailor Jerry

I absolutely love traditional tattooing & got my first one a couple years ago. As of right now I have 7 traditional style tattoos & 3 modern style tattoos & even though some people disagree with them, I plan to get more! :) Western style tattoos figure bold lines usually filled with solid red or green & additions blue, yellow, brown, and purple. Neil Collins, known as Sailor Jerry (http://sailorjerry.com) is one of the most well known traditional tattoo artists. Here's a few examples of Sailor Jerry style tattoos:

Here in Winnipeg, I have come across one really great traditional tattoo artist named Don Ritson from Rebel Waltz Tattoo. (http://rebelwaltztattoo.com/home.html) Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get a tattoo from him yet, but I plan to in the future. You can also follow his tumblr page where he posts a lot of his work @ http://tattoosbyritson.tumblr.com 

Here is a photograph of one of his pieces from his website! Amazing right!?

Traditional Tattoos are very common within the rockabilly style & this year while looking at pictures from 'Viva Las Vegas 17' I saw lots of amazing traditional art & it made me excited for my future tattoo ideas. Here are some ideas I've had:

People always ask me what tattoo shops I recommend in Winnipeg & here is my list:

http://www.livingcanvastattoo.ca

http://rebelwaltztattoo.com/home.html

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Phase-II-Tattoo-Body-Piercing/7989642935

I picked these three because this is where I had the best experience professional wise, treatment wise & tattoo outcome. 

xo, 

Miss Mady

Music

Our Facebook Page

Our Manitoba Music Page

Our CBC music page

Our Soundcloud page

Youtube Page

I am lucky enough to be in a band with Cory Sulyma & Ben Mak-Wiebe, who are both amazing musicians. Blue Rubies formed last year when we decided to try out as an indie-folk group for the Winnipeg Folk Festival's Young Performers Program. Happily, we made the program & got to work with Allison De Groot from 'Oh my Darling.' It was such an amazing experience. It was my third year in the program & every year only keeps getting better & better! 

We have been accepted again this year & we are very excited to be part of the program with many other amazing musicians. 

Below I have attached one of our songs called, 'The Town'

https://soundcloud.com/blue-rubies/the-town

We recently heard ourselves on CBC radio & that was a huge thing for me/us. I couldn't believe I was hearing my voice on the radio. It made everything feel real & what we were doing was being heard, which to me is a great feeling. I feel a lot of great things coming our way & we can't wait to share our hard work with the world & we hope you will enjoy it! We love all the support our friends/family have given. 

Our next show is on May 7th at the Pyramid Cabaret.

 http://pyramid7.com/2014/05/07/wooden-horseman/

You can pick up tickets from us! We hope to see everyone there! 

xo

Miss Mady

Meet your Hodel!

Over the past week I auditioned for a part in the musical, "Fiddler on the Roof!" After a very nerve racking audition where I sang & acted, I got a call saying that I would be playing Hodel, the middle sister! I was so excited because this is the role I was hoping for! 

Hodel falls in love with Perchik in the play who is a radical young student. Hodel eventually leaves Anatevka & moves to Siberia with Perchik. I cannot wait to sing the haunting solo that she sings to her father called, "Far From the Home I Love." Along with that solo I get to sing in five other songs & I have a ton of dialogue which is super exciting. 

Here are some photographs of the musical.

This above is photograph of Hodel & Perchik dancing. This is a photograph taken from the 1971 film.

The sisters singing the very familiar song called "Match Maker"

I am VERY excited for this scene above!

We start practicing in May & the show will be around October!

Here's to hard work coming my way!

:)

xo 

Miss Mady

friday

Happy Friday

xo

Miss Mady

Alfred Shaheen

(January 31st 1922-December 22 2008)

Alfred Shaheen was known for popularizing the Hawaiian shirt & opened his first garment business in 1938. By 1952 he was printing more than 60,000 handprints/month under the name, 'Surf 'n Sand Hand Prints.' Alfred Shaheen was in business for 40 years until he retired in 1988. The business closed their doors shortly after. Shaheen's Hawaiian labels include Alfred Shaheen, Shaheen's of Honolulu, Surf 'n Sand, Kiilani, and Burma Gold Hand Prints. 

I have always wanted to own my own Shaheen dress & after seeing so many posts from Viva Las Vegas, I have been looking at different pictures of beautiful Shaheen dresses.

Below, I have posted some photographs of Shaheen dresses from the 1950s that I would love to own!

This & That

I hope everyone had a great Easter! Over the past while I have had some pretty great news. The band I play in (https://www.facebook.com/bluerubiesmusic) got accepted into a Toronto music showcase & I am beyond excited for us! Here is the link to the Toronto music festival! (http://nxne.com/tickets)

Also, I have decided to continue my love for musical theatre. In high school I did a lot of musical theatre where I was honoured to play Ms.Sherman in the our high school musical, FAME. I also have competed in the Interlake music festivals singing, "I Won't Grow Up" as Peter Pan, "On My Own" as Eponine, and "If I only had a Brain" as the scarecrow! Below is the song I am wanting to sing for my audition that the character Hodel sings to her farther. Wish me luck!

Below is a picture of my jewelry box! As you can see I have quite the number of earrings, necklaces, bangles, etc. I will post some of the websites I love when it comes to vintage/retro jewelry underneath this photograph.

https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/desperatebeatnik

https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/Luxulite

http://bowandcrossbones.com

Speaking of jewelry! The other day Cory surprised me with a trip to Peoples Jewelry to pick out a promise ring! I couldn't believe it. I picked this beauty below. I am so completely shocked! 

I think we may have scared our parents a little bit…thinking we came home engaged! ;)

One of my favourite things to do on this planet is perform with Blue Rubies. We all have such a chemistry on stage & not to mention these two boys are quite characters! Lately we have been focusing on writing new songs & booking as many gigs as possible. Be sure to check out our Facebook page that I have posted a link to at the top of the page for our shows in the next month! We would love to see you all there! Below is a photograph I took at our band practice the other night of a very rough version of a song we are currently putting together. I can't wait to perform the finished version! ALSO Today is Ben's birthday! Be sure to sing happy birthday to him when you see him because he just loves that. Here's to you Benny- boo! 

Here's an album I have been listening to. I absolutely love Wanda Jackson!

Here's a link to one of my favourite Wanda songs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNjI1HwiXiE&list=ALBTKoXRg38BC8pyEPLy6WVNjavx3TfMZ4

xo

Miss Mady

Words Said

“Sometimes I think I was more in control of my life years and years ago, and yet one should make progress; one should learn more every year and become…well, if not happier, then calmer and more able to handle your problems. But I’m not. Sometimes I just seem to make more problems for myself. I do. It makes me feel I haven’t grown up as much as I should have by now."

I've read many different books on the life on Marilyn Monroe & watched tons of different interviews of her & always wondered what makes her absolutely stunning besides the obvious beauty. You can be drop dead gorgeous but you need the charm to make it irresistible & Marilyn definitely had the charm.  Regardless of Marilyn's obvious beauty & fame, she lived a very sad life & wore a smile that seemed to only be masking what she really felt inside. I think we have all been there at least once! We all put on a smile & pretend like we are okay, but really we are fighting with our emotions & trying to make sense of it all. Here's a collection of photographs I love & words written about Marilyn Monroe by either people she worked with or people who knew her.

“I was very, very drawn to her. To me, she was like a golden child. She radiated light and vulnerability. She used to gravitate to me at parties because she knew I was not very secure either. She was fragile. I was very touched by her.” -Jane Fonda

"She was not the usual movie idol. There was something democratic about her. She was the type who would join in and wash up the supper dishes even if you didn’t ask her. "
Carl Sandburg 

She walks like a young antelope, and when she stands up it’s like a snake uncoiling. 
Jerry Wald 

The trouble with Marilyn was she didn’t trust her own judgment, always had someone around to depend on. Coaches, so-called friends. Even me. 
Allan ‘Whitey’ Snyder 

She was a difficult woman, you know. We liked her and we said the nicest things about her and she deserved them; but, she was trouble and she brought that whole baggage of emotional difficulties of her childhood with her. 
Norman Rosten

I have the same problem as Marilyn. We attract people the way honey does bees, but they’re generally the wrong kind of people. People who want something from us – if only our energy. We need a period of being alone to become ourselves. 
Montgomery Clift

She stood for life. She radiated life. In her smile hope was always present. She glorified in life, and her death did not mar this final image. She had become a legend in her own time, and in her death, took her place among the myths of our century. 
John Kobal

The Old House Revival Company!

Today I got the chance to check out a three story antique mall called 'The Old House Revival Company'. (http://www.theoldhouserevival.com) They had tons of items from kitchen tables, plates, cups, clothing, jewelry, shoes, hats & all the way to a random mannequin in a old telephone booth. I could have bought the whole store to be honest but unfortunately money doesn't grow on trees. I did however pick up two very well priced hats, and one very unique hand bag which I am super excited to sport. 

Here's the handbag I picked up. (pardon my horrible picture of it) As you can see it's very unique
in the sense of it's vertical shape & floral pattern.

I fell in love with the pattern of this hat & I have the perfect
black dress to go with it! It's sort of hard to tell what this hat would look
like on from this photograph (pardon my work out outfit in the background) so i've attached
a google image of a similar hat on a mannequin. 

This next hat was surely a steal of a deal & I have been searching for one
like this ever since I saw a picture of Marilyn Monroe wearing
a hat along the lines of this one. I've attached the photo below!

Absolutely flawless.

If I am ever out & about in the city I always like to stop by the Goodwill Store, Value Village,  Salvation Army, etc for
any interesting pieces that someone threw away.  You know what they say, "One man's trash is another man's treasure!"
Below is a photograph of me in a dress I picked up for only $4 dollars at a thrift shop! I do indeed love it!

Happy Easter everyone! :)

xo

Miss Mady

Playing Catch Up!

Lately I have been checking out different thrift shops & antique sales & coming home with some amazing finds. If you haven't been to MCC Thrift Shop, (http://thrift.mcc.org/shop/canada) I would highly recommend it. The prices are unbelievable there & they have some amazing pieces. We picked up a 1950's coffee table for $4 ! It was in perfect condition! The picture above is me seating in a cute little chair that I saw at the Keewatin location. 

My mom was nice enough to pick up this record holder at the Keewatin location as well! It holds a ton of records & it was only for the small price of $10!

These are a few of the items I picked up at the Assiniboine Downs Antique Show & my favourite Value Village. I love the poodle figurine & little deer. They were popular in the 1950s & I can't wait to display them in my home.  I have a huge obsession for retro glassware & I think I really need to stop collecting. I have so many I could probably change cups for every season/holiday!

Check out this retro recliner that we bought off of a friend! 

This is also some of the finds I found at the Assiniboine Downs Antique Show!

A couple of weeks ago I went to the "Rocking Richards Record Sale" I picked up these records at some amazing prices & mint condition!

Awhile ago my Auntie Kim gave me these amazing polka dot cups! 

Lastly, Check out these 'Hang Ten' heels! I can't wait till it gets nicer out so I can rock these with some of my dresses!

xo

Mady