My Interview on Dieselpunks!

I am so excited to announce that I had the privilege of being interviewed by Tome Wilson from Dieselpunks! In my interview you will find where and how my passion for retro living started. Where I get my inspirations. And how I came to be the woman that I am today.

Being featured and interviewed for the Dieselpunk and Steampunk communities has been such a wonderful honor. I thank Tome for granting me such an opportunity to share my passion for retro living!

And in case you haven't heard about the Dieselpunks or Steampunks cultures, I invite you to visit: Dieselpunks.Org! You will find this website so interesting and fascinating!


Here is the link to my interview article on the Dieselpunks website:
"Interview Carmen Johnson of Retrotimes Productions"



Have a fun weekend!


Chao,


Carmen

Living in a Time Warp, story on CNN!

This past week several vintage folks and myself were featured on CNN Ireport, Living In a Time Warp! I thank Mr. Hanks for the wonderful coverage story that he did on Time Warp Wives and Time Warp Living! We absolutely enjoyed reading about the different folks and their passion for vintage living!

It's has been definitely a very exciting and crazy week for me. I seriously can't keep up with the sudden flux of emails and visitors from all over the world! I told my hubby that I would need several more hands to be able to keep up with the demand. Good thing that last month I hired new talented Time Warp Interns. Such help came at the right time!

On the other hand I don't think that I am used to all of this attention. I rather interview folks then being interviewed myself. I can't help it, but that is the reporter in me. Though I have to say that from this experience it gave me a chance to read what other people think. So yes, there were some positive comments about the story and also negative ones. Oh well, that comes with the territory.

At the same time I have several folks lined up to be interviewed, which I am totally ecstatic about!



Smile and be happy!



Chao,



Carmen

My Life As a Retro Artist!

The other day I was contacted by a Cnn reporter! I was totally excited, because I had never had another person approached me to interview me! As a Retro Reporter I do the interview and bring the stories to my viewers. Of course, I am in front of the camera most of the time and sometimes behind the scenes when I interview my guests. I don't like it to always be about me. I just love listening about other peoples lives. I am a people's person and that is part of who I am.

Though, I have to admit, that it does feels nice to once in a while receive a complement or commendation from another human like myself. So that made my day!

I knew that having the opportunity in being in national T.V. would be something big! So, I took the opportunity and made my video "My Life As a Retro Artist"! Yay, movie time! This short film is a biography of my career as a Retro Artist, Reporter, and Filmmaker. Since I was young, I have been fascinated about time traveling, history, and retro living! I always wanted to learn about how people lived in the past.

Come with me, as I share with you my life as a Retro Artist!


Chao,


Carmen

An Interview with Candice De Ville!

Whenever I watch an old Hollywood movie, I am not only enjoying the movie itself, but I am also looking for my next retro inspiration. So one day I wanted to experiment with a new retro hairdo. The problem was, how was I going to figure out the steps to achieving such a look? Well that is how I came across Super Kawaii Mama, my next interviewee!

Author of the popular blog "Super Kawaii Mama" and hostess of her own vintage hair tutorials on Youtube, Candice De Ville has made her passion for retro style and living her career.

I have enjoyed and learned new retro hairdo by watching her tutorials. Her tutorials are easy to follow and her Australian accent adds an air of sophistication, which I am sure that you will find very delightful as well!

Not only did I had the opportunity to learn a new hairstyle, but I also got to meet a lovely lady!


Here I present to you part of the interview that I had with her:

“I believe that to a great extent you create your own reality and can choose to
live in a more beautiful world, even if you do spend most of your time chasing
after two small children.”

In her blog “Super Kawaii Mama“, Candice concentrates on her own take on fashion, style and many of her inspirations. “I’ve made it my personal mission to introduce more glamour to the world, particularly the world of the stay at home mum."

Her blog also features examples of her daily outfits, health and beauty tips, styling recommendations, style icons and inspirations, as well as discussing the ethics of fashion in a wider sense. Her vintage hair tutorials came from a desire to connect with her readers. Candice wanted to demonstrate that “looking good is not all about having a lot of money or a team of stylists behind you.”

Most of the styles she started out with began as happy accidents that she refined. “I have since been studying different vintage looks I’d like to achieve and figuring out short hand ways to achieve the same styles with the wonder of modern products.”

To read more of Candice De Ville interview you can visit:
Time Warp Wives Interviews


Have a great Monday!



Chao.


Carmen

An Interview with Marzipan Jones!

Time Warp Living has always fascinated me. As a Retrotimes Reporter I have enjoyed talking with many people that love living in the past. Now there is one particular gal that wanted to see how it would be to live vintage.

Last year in 2008 Marzipan Jones lived as a 1950’s housewife. Her most difficult challenge was not being a housewife or a mom, but rather that she had to be made up everyday; dresses, stockings and heels while she performed her housewife duties.

Several months later Marzipan Jones realized that living as a 50's housewife wasn't as easy as she thought it was going to be. One of the things that she had mentioned in her blog was that she felt she was somehow missing her real self. Eventhough she didn't complete her year long vintage living experiment, she was brave enough to had start it in the first place.


Here is an excerpt of her interview:

“I've learned that the homemakers back then were some tough broads! You had to be in order to get everything done in such a stylish and gracious manner without expecting a salary in return.”

We asked Marzipan what is the 50’s year housewife. “The 50's year housewife is Marzipan Jones, my alter ego. I'm basically living out the next year as a stereotypical 50's housewife and following the golden rules of such wifedom.”

Marzipan Jones had been meaning to conduct a year-long experiment for a long time and always had the idea of “doing a 50's year” in the back of her mind. “I've always been extremely interested in 50's pop culture: the music, the literature, the films, and especially the clothes! And as a feminist who respects a woman's choice to stay home, I always found the 50's notion of a June Cleaver-type to be both intriguing and a bit frightening."

To read more of Marzipan Jones interview you can visit:

Time Warp Wives Interviews.


Have a fun day!



Chao,


Carmen

An Interview with Regina Ann Moscrop

One of the many perks that I love about interviewing my guests is that we get to find out how they manage their personal lives and their work life. Have you heard of the Bear Flag Republic store? Well this retro store is owned by the lovely Regina Ann. She was such an inspiration to all the women that dream in having a their own successful business. Not only that but Regina is also a designer of these cute vintage inspired shoes, which are highly used for dancing because of their comfort and great style.


Here I present part of our interview:


“I really like modern kitchen appliances. Love the microwave and crock pot. However, I do hold old fashion values”.

Owner of Bear Flag Republic and Designer of BFR retro shoes, Regina lives on a 20 acre ranch with her husband and their two children . She loves Marlena Dietrich, vintage hats and the Cicada Club in Los Angeles.

Regina decided to start her business when a friend of hers was getting married on the Queen Mary and it was a period wedding. “ I had the hardest time finding vintage clothes to fit my larger hips. The 40's women were much thinner and less hippy.” The groom for this wedding was a musician so they wanted to get him a radio/CD player that looked vintage but had all the modern elements. But instead it turned into a treasure hunt that ended with them buying antique dishes...

You can read more of Regina Ann's interview at:

Time Warp Wives


Enjoy!


Chao,


Carmen

An Interview with Lorelei Lee!

I love retro photography and I am always looking to interview ladies that love dressing retro. So when I saw Lorelei Lee's lovely retro pictures I didn't want to pass the opportunity to interview her!

When I interviewed this gal, I found out that she had other passions in life besides fashion photography. Here it was a young wife waiting for her husband to come from oversees and be reunited with him again. Reading about her love for her husband and their strong marriage was like reading a love story!

And here is part of her interview:

“I love wearing vintage, listening to old music, watching old films, and dancing. But I also love taking care of my husband and making sure he is comfortable.”

As a teenager, Lorelei Lee started buying antique dresses. Years later she is an Antique Dealer, a wife and a homemaker. She loves the clothes from Gone With the Wind, the handsome and rugged Clark Gable and the soulful Billie Holiday.

For the past year, her husband has been overseas serving in the Navy, so right now a typical day is a tad different than it will be when her husband comes home. But on a typical day she would take her dogs out for their morning walk, then tidy up the house before heading out to search for antiques at auctions or garage sales. “That can sometimes take all day. But its worth it when you find that perfect piece.”

You can read more of Lorelei Lee interview at: Time Warp Wives

Enjoy your Monday!

Chao,

Carmen

Sweet Betsy

One of my favorites retro towns here in Florida is the City of Celebration! Whenever I visit this place I feel like I am stepping back in time! The homes and streets in Celebration are designed to reflect that Old Americana town feel. This place is also all so romantic. For these reasons I decided to make my "Date in Celebration" film.

As an amateur film maker, I learned many things as we filmed our first retro film. First, I should have written down and learn the dialogue for when I was in front of the camera. That way I wouldn't make too many boo boos. Second, we should have filmed earlier in the day, when the weather was cooler. By noon I melting like a Popsicle, and that wasn't a pretty sight. I didn't have a professional makeup artist that could touch up my hair and makeup.

Over all, I love learning new things. I think now of how complex it is in making a film. Also when you do your own film and put your own ideas into it, you kind of feel proud that you accomplish something nice and that you get to share it other people.

Making this film with my hubby was a lot of fun. We worked as a team and took time to hear each other ideas and suggestions.

My hubby and I love spending time walking together holding hands. I can't wait for when we go back to Celebration for another date!


Here is the link of my film:"A Date In Celebration."


Enjoy your Monday!


Chao,


Carmen

An Interview with Dolly Dahl!

I have always loved retro pictures of times gone by. And when I came across Dolly Dahl lovely pictures and retro website, I knew that I wanted to interview her. Dolly loves Home Economics and being a house wife. I am sure that you are going to love Dolly's perky and fun personality!

So here is an introduction of my interview with Dolly Dahl:


“I personally prefer staying home and being a '50's wife', but that doesn’t make me any less interesting to my man."

Born in Virginia but grew up in Scotland. Dolly Dahl lives in a tiny house in Palo Alto which she shares with her husband and their little dog Butters. She loves Marilyn Monroe, Technicolor Musicals and being a Housewifery.

To read more visit:

Time Warp Wives

P.S. I have been so crazy busy this week! My sister have been visiting from out of town. And we have been going to bed very late chit chatting. There is nothing better than to have a sister or a friend to talk, "girl talk". Her visit have been so much fun. I wish it will never end.

An Interview with Stephanie Strowbridge!

The interview that I had with Stephanie was exciting for me for two reasons. First, I was so thrilled to interview such a talented woman that specializes in retro hairdo's! And second, this was the commencement of my Retro Reporting career!

Here in The Retrochic Corner, I will be featuring every month an interview
that I am sure will inspire you!

Enjoy!


“I would describe myself as a Timewarpian. I definitely stick out like a sore thumb! But that is OK with me!”

Stephanie Strowbridge specializes in hair styles from 1930's-1960's. Besides being a part-time hairdresser, she is also a busy wife and mother. Stephanie is a huge fan of Vincent Price, she loves watching classic movies, and almost always wears a scarf.

Read more of Stephanie's interview

at: Time Warp Wives!

See you next week!

I Am a Retro Reporter

Barbara Walters scoot over, I am the new reporter in town! Don't worry Mrs. Walters, I am not going to take your job. I am not a regular reporter. I am a Retro Reporter.

I started my new Retro Reporting career in 2008, after I had watched the British Documentary "Time Warp Wives." I was so captivated by what I saw, that I created a website where I could interview and meet people that have that passion for that old school lifestyle.

So how do I do it? I research people online that have that unique retro talent and lifestyle. I email them an invitation. Then if they are interested. I send them their interview questions. After the interview is completed I post the interview on my Time Warp Wives website.

Recently, I raised up the notch on my retro reporting with my new film company RetroTimes Productions. I am a huge fan of the Samantha Brown travel show from the Travel Channel. I always dreamed of going all over the world like Samantha. But at this moment that is out of my reach.

What would this Retro Reporter do? This reporter worked with what she has. And I had Florida, the fun state of the world! I was raised in Miami, Florida most of my life. So I know what we have here in Florida. I don't think this state is big enough to host all of these events!

If you haven't been to Miami Beach you have missed the best experience of your life. In the last 10 years this place have become the new Hollywood. Where things are happening or are going to happen. And as far as Arts, Movies, Music, Fashion and Events. This huge melting pot of culture and flavors, is where the action is! Here is where I will be able to meet my future interview guests!

How does it feel to be a Retro Reporter?

I love people. And I love listening to their stories. As a little girl I always asked one my favorites uncles to tell me a story. I would sit down quietly in expectation of what story he was going to tell me. Every time I interview one of my guest, it brings me great satisfaction. This has been one of the most rewarding job that I have done, that of interviewing people and learning about their life stories. And what an experience it has been!


Stay tuned, as I bring to you more interviews and films!


This is Carmen Johnson reporting,


for RetroTimes Productions.



True Fact: When I used to live in Miami Beach, I lived 15 minutes from the Bee Gees mansion. I grew up listening to the Bee Gees. Sorry, for all of us that don't care much for the seventies. But I couldn't help it. My parents where Flower Disco Children and they sure loved their music. And to tell you the truth when I listen to those Bee Gees, I get up and dance!