A-Z of me!

I saw this on Straight Talkin Mama's blog and I thought it was such a great idea I decided to do one also!! Hope you don't mind my love!

A-Age: 21 3 days away from being 22, arghh eight years away from 30!

B-Bed size:

Currently at university only a three quarter bed, I cannot wait to have my double back in my life!!

C-Chore that you hate:

Washing up and ironing, I hate many chores and would definitely make a rubbish housewife!

D-Dogs:

I pretty much like any dogs, their sooo cute

E-Essential start to your day:

Shower!! Helps me get motivated for the day...It tends to go downhill after that!

F-Favourite Colour:

Ask any of my ladies and they'll tell you it's yellow but I noticed when sorting through my wardrobe I own a lot of aqua and blue so maybe this is a secret fave that I never knew about!

G-Gold or silver:

White gold or silver, I think normal gold comes across to brash and tacky!

H-Height:

5ft 7 ish!! I was once the tallest in my class now I think I'm shrinking!

I-Instruments you play:

I used to play the keyboard for many years and also the bass guitar during my goth/emo stage but I've given up on both over the years!

J-Job title:

Full time bum .. I mean student!

K-Kids:

I'm coming round to the idea now, I used to hate the thought of it but now I'm excited!

L-Live:

Chatham in Kent for uni and Lowestoft in East Anglia when I'm home for holidays!

M-Mothers name:

Johanna!

N-Nicknames:

Obviously a lot of people call me Bettina as that's my modelling name, however it's either just Beth or some of my girls call me Boo!

O-Overnight hospital stays:

Nope,never (touch wood!) I've always been pretty good when it comes to doctors and hospitals luckily as it doesnt run in the family!

P-Pet peeves:

People not cleaning up after themselves!! People listening to music from their phone without headphones, how rude!? Bad manners in general, please and thank you goes a long way you know!

Q-Quote from a movie:

'I want you, I need you, oh baby oh baby' - 10 things I hate about you, still one of my most favourite films ever!!

R-Right or left handed:

I'm left handed but I do most things with my right! other than write, weird huh? Most people used to call me weird for being a lefty

S-Siblings:

An older brother, Kai who's nearly 27!

T-Time you wake up:

It depends on the day,  I try to stay in bed as long as possible if I can, I loveee my bed

U-Underwear:

I buy tooooooo much of it, I bloody love the stuff! I actually don't have any room to put in it anyway so  I need to stop buying it, hmm never! 

I adore What Katie Did and La Senza

V-Vegetable you hate:

Most to be honest! I'm soooo unhealthy its unreal

W-What makes you run late:

one of my pet peeves should have been I hate people running late but then I run late because I like to faff around doing nothing!

X-X rays you've had:

Only one for my ankle when I was younger

Y-Yummy food that you make:

I can't make food at all, I can't wait to learn to cook when I finish uni!!

Z-Zoo animal:

I don't like zoo's I think they're mean!

Goodbye to 2010..

Yes 2010 has been and gone in the blink of an eye! I really can't believe how quick it has gone and what a blast it has been, I've gone through a lot of ups and downs in the past year I think, luckily though its been mainly ups and 2011 seems to have kicked off with a high but I thought I'd reflect over the past year and what 2011 may bring!
The beginning of the year came with some sad news with the loss of my gran which left a big gap in my family and I still miss her every day but we had to get on and positive things came and passed in my life such as landing a fashion article in the 50s Rock n Roll magazine UK Rock which for me felt like a light bulb going off in my head and made me discover my love for writing which I didn't realise I had and since April 2010 I've been writing my monthly article on fifties fashion, this has pushed me further with creating my blog and emailing other magazines.

Then came May and the Hemsby Pin up Contest where I won first place in the contest which I never expected to get as to say having the jitters would be a slight understatement, there were some gorgeous girls in that competition and I didn't think I'd even come in the top three but no I was wrong and I got some great vouchers to spend and got a double page spread in MilkCow magazine!!

I had constant photo shoots through out the year luckily enough, I got to work with some fantastic photographers and I definitely think I have become so much more confident in myself with modelling and am hoping 2011 will give me more of this.

University wise I passed each project and got through to the second year with good grades and am now half way into it! How quick it's gone, I've only got a year left until I have to go into the big wide world! Through Uni I've now done three work placements with three companies, Tatty Devine, Vivien of Holloway and of course Vintage Patisserie!! I'm finally getting some names on my CV!!

Towards the end of this year I went to my first Rhythm Riot where people were recognising me from the magazines which I thought was lovely!
I was also getting emails from newbie pin ups asking me for advice which is a real boost for me if I do say so, which makes me think I might do a post on some of my best pin up advice.

I celebrated my 21st birthday with a blast last month and was also Miss December in a blog calendar from a photographer I worked with!

So what can 2011 do to top such a great year? well I'm hoping to do some more writing for other magazines, blogs etc, really pull my finger out with modelling, which I'm already starting to line up!
Carry on doing great at Uni and all being well get some work experience at a magazine. As I've thought to myself that however much I loved working for smaller individual companies I think it is time to take a step up the ladder and try a designer or a well known magazine.

What can it offer? Only time will tell

Until Next Time

Toodle Pip

xxx

Want something a little different for Christmas??

We all know  that certain time of the year is approaching fast and if you are like me, you're running around like a headless chicken trying to find what to buy people! Or you want to go out nearer the time but can't find anywhere to go? Well here's something that  will be right up every ones street: Kustom Kristmas in London!!

A day out full of Rockabilly, pin up, pin striping and all things Kitsch!! So if you are looking for something different this year head down to this on the 5th December, you'll hear great bands, buy the other half something nice and maybe even have time to indulge in some yummy cakes
Don't miss out on a fabulous day, I'm hoping to make it down there so if I do, I hope to see you all in the Kristmas spirit and having a dance under then tinsel and mistle toe!

You can check out the event on

the London Lowbrow page on Facebook or email me for details at: Bettinascarlett@hotmail.co.uk

Until Next time

Toodle Pip

xxx

Burlesque mime vs Katie Price

I've finally got round to editing a few images from a shoot I did a couple of months ago with the photographer Peter Taylor, I decided I wanted to do something different so I put on my face paint and squeezed into a couple of corsets and away I went, I can't really say the look I was going for, however I think it somehow worked into a mime artist look!

Wearing my What Katie Did corset and Scroll necklace byPeggy Sue Jewellery

So I finally got round to wearing my green corset that I bought months ago!

It works so well with the PVC skirt I wore!
I think this image looks quite burlesque influenced, I would like to invest in some

 fans but maybe when I win the lottery

Then after seeing Katie Price in the then latest copy of Wonderland and the photo shoot she did I wanted to try and recreate it, I know what you're thinking, Katie Price you can't be serious?! But no this fashion shoot was completely different to her usual glamour work,it was grimey and grungey and I loved it!!

So I wanted to do something that was similar because I had the clothes, its jeans I wear most days!! my hair wasn't as long unfortunately but I think it worked!!

I didn't quite know how to get the high contrast shadow but I

 quite like the way they have turned out

Its obviously very different from my regular pin up modelling but I think it works quite well, I'd like to do something like this again because I found it quite easy and Peter Taylor was a great photographer to work with so hopefully next year I will do some more interesting shoots like this

Look out for my blog on Kustom Kristmas

Until Next Time

Toodle Pip

xxx

A Bright and Early start to in Gravesend

As I have been so busy with uni work I've let my modelling side slip a fair bit and this has annoyed me greatly! Because you know occasionally it is fun to pull faces in front of a camera. So me being the silly girl that I am applied for a casting with a local photographer but then I looked at the date and realised it was the same date as The Rhythm Riot, how could I possibly get this mixed up you may ask, I know I was in shock too. I told the photographer and he asked whether I was free at the weekend, I thought it over with the work load I still had to and thought Oh what the heck!!

    I got up rather early for it and met the photographer who was a lovely chap and I think we got some fab shots from that morning, it was a rather short and sweet photo shoot but I didn't mind because it meant that I could get on with my coursework and it was also a bit nippy so I was happy to be back in the warmth.

    Anyway here are some of the images, I hope you like them!!!

Wearing my Vivien of Holloway halterneck pencil dress

It is amazing how my bags under my eyes weren't that noticeable!!

Unfortunately I had lost some weight since I last wore this dress so it was a bit loose,nothing an elasticated belt couldn't solve

                                 However I am wearing my lovely Rocket Original shoes

                     According to a friend I remind them of Imelda May in this one

                                                                   Any thoughts?

This was near what used to be Vintage red telephone boxes

 but for some reason they'd painted them green?

What was I thinking about?

Answers on the back of a postcard

I like that this has a grainy edge to it, It

gives it a vintage feel to it

I'm very convincing at not looking cold!!

Hope you've enjoyed my new pictures ladies and gents, I shall be putting my editing cap on soon and putting some old ones up too!! Also check out my blog about Kustom Kristmas that's happening in London, and my view on my first Rhythm Riot!!
Until next time

Toodle Pip

xxx

A stroll along Dover beach

Yes people, I've done another blog! I'm keeping up to date at long last, it only took me a few weeks, just a quick hello to all my lovely new followers, I hope you enjoy my blog!
So here are a few photos from a photoshoot I did in Dover at the end of September, with a local photographer, Ian Farrent, he emailed me many moons ago asking if I'd be interested in doing a photoshoot which seemed quite gothic/ 1930s inspired, we got influence from a video blog of the amazing photographer Melissa Rodwell .
Here is the video blog if any of you are interested in seeing our influences

 

I was very interested in doing this shoot because Ian's work is very individual and it stood out to me a lot so I jumped at the chance to work with him, he'd paired me up with another model, Charlie for the day and we got on tremendous! I didn't have exactly the same clothes as the ones in the blog but I think we improvised quite well, so here are the final results, I hope you enjoy!!

Wearing a 70s style leopard print maxi dress borrowed from my dear friend and stylist Rosie

Wearing a vintage 50s black chiffon dress, it was impossible to stand on sand in heels!

Wearing a make do and mend swimsuit borrowed from Rosie! I had great difficulty climbing onto those rocks!!

So there they were, hope you like them! These are definately some of my best shots to date and hopefully I can keep up the good work!
Until next time

Toodle Pip

xxx

Salute to the 40s... in Chatham?!?!

Last year when I'd first moved down to the glorious area of which is Kent, I found a 40s event at a place called Chatham dockyard, I didn't know anything about the event then and I wanted to go dreadfully! But having only just moved, I hadn't made many friends so I had to give it a miss. When I found out they were doing it again this year I was thrilled and even better I had my man to take me there too! I checked out the website and found out it was 70 years since Dunkirk so it was also a remembrance as well as a jolly good day out!





  So off we went just after midday, I'd dolled myself up to the nines wearing my brand new Vivien of Holloway turquoise pencil dress and Hawaiian wedges, which after my man getting us lost and taking us on a tour of Chatham it seemed, my feet were lets say a bit on the sore side. However this did not put my spirits down and when we got there I felt like a little girl at Christmas!

    I didn't quite know what to expect as Chatham's not got the most going on but as I walked down to the main event it was fantastic to see everyone in original  40s clothing and in world war 2 uniforms, including police, army, firemen. Oh it was magnificent! Everyone was so friendly and looked like they were having the time of their lives! I was a bit nervous at first thinking I'd over dressed, how wrong I was! I felt under dressed in the end. Ladies in beautiful tea dresses and Dior inspired suits and hats, men in double breasted suits or sailor outfits.

Every girl's gotta have a man in the army..or two

Four lovely ladies lookin good!

    Every now and then I had the urge to have my photograph taken with a plane or with a car ( as you do!) and as my man was taking my photograph,I noticed other people doing it as well, how nice of them! I guessed from this event people put on their glad rags here and love to have their picture taken so I let them snap away!

My favourites from the day,opposite from each other but just as good

   There was live music from singers and bands, I only caught a few of them, two of my favourites were a t-chest bass blues band who did a lot of Elvis, of which I was happy to hear! Don't get me wrong I adore forties music but it was still a delight to hear my favourite! And also a very Andrew sisters inspired girl group who were just fabulous, they had the look down to a tee and their voices were just gorgeous!

      I gave out a few business cards hoping for some work to come my way, but if it doesn't I don't mind, there was a few stalls to buy clothes from and of course there was the Best of British magazine there so I made sure I got myself a couple of copies of that magazine, there was a woman making hand made snoods too so after treating myself to a pretty one on eBay I made sure I got myself another so I have a choice now! I'm still trying to get the hang of wearing them at the moment, because when I try it on, I seem to look more like a dinner lady then a forties starlet, better keep practising I say!  I also had to stay away from a lovely vintage dress that caught my eye, it was a beauty but I thought I'd better not!

Some lovely ladies getting their hair styled

   Do you know I could actually go on about this day forever, when I was walking home I kept saying to my man how I'd had such a good time and I honestly did, being a fifties girl I was a bit wary that I would get fed up with a day of the forties but how wrong I was! I definitely could tell a difference between the 1940's scene and the rockin scene. There is a lot more drinking involved in the 50s scene and the music where as 40s is more about the clothes and dancing, which to me is still just as good, I loved watching the couples lindyhopping and would love to do it myself but I'll just stick to my jiving, I can do that, I think I'd trip over my own feet and that would not look good!

  So after a long ole day we retired back to my house to go get ready to go out in the evening. A long day of glorious 40s music, dancing and great people.
    I'll be reporting on the London tattoo convention over the next few days so keep your eyes peeled

 Until then

Toodle Pip

xxx

 

In rememberance to people who lost their lives in the war

A peek at some of my new images

So I haven't been able to do my blog for quite a while now, I've been distraught, I've felt lost, but this is due to the fact I had moved into my lovely new house with my lovely new house mates and gone back to university. But now I have it up and running I'll just post a short and sweet blog tonight just to get back into the swing of things and hopefully have a follow up of last weekends events at Chatham's historic dockyards! With some superdooper images to go with it, and of course I will also be posting about this weekends international tattoo convention (I can hardly contain my excitement honestly!) So you should all have some light reading to keep you busy for a little while.

Hope you enjoy it and keep your eyes open for my new post, be careful you might just miss it!

Until then

toodle pip!
xxx

 

Hi ho Hi ho its off to school I go

So here I am again, this time things are slightly more familiar... Yes that's it, I'm going back to university for my second year!

  Gone are my first day nerves, will I fit in, what should I wear, will I get my head flushed down the toilet by the bigger kids.... OK maybe not that extreme but everyone has first day jitters don't they!  And now I'm going to my second year pretty sharpish!

      

    

 I still rememeber moving into halls and thinking OH MY GOSH!! WHERE WILL ALL MY CLOTHES GO!! Remembering leaving my parents and speaking to my (not then) boyfriend to reassure me I was doing the right thing... Then of course was the "house warming" party- where I met lots of great people and spent most of my evening hugging the toilet due to drinking a wee bit of vodka.. which of course I learnt a valuable lesson from that well until freshers week.

  The first year went tremendous and I enjoyed every minute with work experience at Vivien of Holloway, Tatty Devine and fashion shows! Here I am now nearly back in Rockin Rochester (well the delightful Chatham) sharing a house with 3 gorgeous girls!

   Of course there is the urge to buy "back to school" pens and "uniform" (of which I mean spending spree on Ebay!) But instead I'm here shopping, finding some delightful vintage styled signs for our home, Im quite lucky my house mate Rosie has similar taste so we can both buy anything vintage and know we'll both like it!

  I've got quite used to being under my mothers wing so I'll find it hard to leave her and my dad again but its a good job I'll be seeing them at the annual London tattoo convention in a few weeks!

   Who knows what the second year will bring, of course fun and frolics with my lovely ladies, oodles of experience in the fashion industry and god only knows what else! But if it goes as quick as the last year did I better start sending out the cv's otherwise its hello job centre!!

But until next time

Toodle pip!

Gil Elvgren I do love you!

I've received some images of a shoot I did recently with the fabulous Dominic Fenn, a local photographer who is quickly getting a great reputation for taking fantastic images!
When he first emailed me he hit the nail on the head straight away by saying he wanted to do images in the style of Gil Elvgren, one of the most famous pin up artists of all time. I had been wanting to do this style of shoot for a while now but was having trouble finding the right photographer. So after having a first successful Hollywood glamour styled shoot we quickly arranged our Gil inspired shoot!

   When I'd got organised I met Dom and he had done so well picking up little accessories and bits and bobs for the shoot, vintage phone, diy books, a giant parcel! Even bubbles and ice cream, he was well prepared I'd say!

    It was a lot of fun and I think we created some great images, all with a Elvgren vibe, I took a extremely full suitcase of clothes as I usually do, I think this time though I had to sit on the suitcase to shut it!

   So here are a few of my favourite images from the days shoot! Hope you like them, would love to hear some feed back to see what you think!

We were quite lucky that the images didn't need too much editing!

Happy Birthday from Bettina

Wearing vintage 50s black Sun top and atomic circle skirt!

Wearing What Katie Did  stockings and a
 1950s dressing gown

Some lovely bubbles to end the shoot with