And The Award Goes To....

Christi Williams of Grinkie Girls Photography. Congratulations to our very own Christi Williams for winning the "Best Catch Phrase" award from the Twin Cities Wedding Professionals.

Originally introduced by Flip Script Films in the Grinkie Girl commercial, and sung by Jillian Rae of the Music Lab, Christi came up with the phrase as she was falling asleep one night.

Developed from true love of the art, Christi is quickly becoming one of the Twin Cities top pin-up photographers. She works hard to get people looking and feeling their best, turning everyday beautiful women into sassy pin-up girls. She has also begun working with other industry professionals. B-movie director Christpher Mihm came into the studio, along with his monsters for a shoot.

You can see her work all over the Twin Cities at places like Glam Doll Donuts, Sister Sludge Coffee Shop, and in Minnesota's Premier Pin-Up Magazine, MnUps This award is only the beginning of proving to the Twin Cities that Grinkie Girls Have More Fun.

Give Mom Something Different This Mother's Day

Call or email christi to order a fantastic gift certificate for a pin up photography shoot. She'll feel like a million bucks!!

"Petty Girl" to Grinkie Girl.... A brief history of the pinup....

 by Michael Potter

Back in the 1930s there was a man named George Petty, and he decided that beautiful women are something that the world needed to see. Mr. Petty began creating art pieces that we know now as a 'pinup'. These lovely ladies became know as "Petty Girls" and were featured in major advertisements, calendars, and the cover image of Esquire No. 1.

A Jantzen Bathing Suit Ad featuring a Petty Girl

Another famous name to come out of the 1930s is Gil Elvgren. Born in Minnesota, he went on to study at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Some consider Elvgren to be one of, if not the most influential pinup artist of the 20th century. After his studies in Minneapolis, Elvgren moved to Chicago to work with Stevens and Gross, Chicago's most prestigious advertising agency. Elvgren worked with companies ranging from Coca-Cola to General Electric over a 40-year career.

A Gil Elvgren Original

In the 1950s, pinup models became household names and feature actresses in Hollywood. Women like Marilyn Monroe and Betty Page took America and pop culture by storm.

During World War II, the pinup could be seen painted on the nose of military airplanes, the most famous being the Memphis Belle.

The art of the pinup never really ended, but in the 1960s went into a recession. However, some notable ladies, namely Raquel Welch, kept the pinup culture alive.

Fast forward to today. The culture of the pinup is not only alive but making a full resurgence into pop culture. You can find the classic images of Bettie Page and Marilyn Monroe on everything from tee-shirts to tattoos. Children and adults alike are falling in love with the pinup all over again.

Christi Williams and the Grinkie Girls are doing their best to bring the pinup culture to Minneapolis, turning everyday women into sassy pinups. Having fun is a safe, easy-going, loving atmosphere are the most important aspects of a photo shoot with the Grinkie Girls. The fantastic pictures are a byproduct of the lively environment.

Teaming up with the Grinkie Girls is Dawnfelice Warneke. She and the team at MN-Ups Magazine, out of a true passion for the lifestyle, worked hard to put together Minnesota's Premier Pin-Up Magazine, reintroducing Minnesota to the pinup culture and having fun along the way. 

Voting Open in the First Miss Vine Park Spokesmodel Contest

Ladies and gentlemen, drum roll please…

Our twelve pack of finalists have been chosen from over 40 entries in our initial contest.

VOTE ! Vine Park Brewing Company Spokesmodel Contest

Thank you so much for the enthusiastic response.  Remember, these are NOT the photos that will be used for our advertisements, but that a professional photo shoot with the always fantastic Christi Williams at Grinkie Girls Photography is part of the prize package.

You can only vote once, so if you want to win, share with your friends, on Facebook, Twitter, or your blog, and get the vote out. Official rules for the contest are here.

Just Be A Grinkie Girl Music Video is Released Online

Local actress Anissa Lubbers has been a Grinkie Girl from the beginning. Last fall, she had the brilliant idea for a song, and wrote "Just Be A Grinkie Girl" based on a Andrews Sister-esque three part harmony. She presented the idea for the song to Christi at a Grinkie Girl get together at Sebastian Joe's ice cream shop.


The idea flamed into a full blown video project, complete with professional musicians (The Vagabonds, Travis Anderson), competition swing dancers, a full production team, professional director (Leanne Montoya of Lulupalooza Productions) and a total budget of zero.

A total of just over 60 people came together to create a fabulous music video of "Just Be A Grinkie Girl".

This video is a collage from the World Premier of the video.

Grinkie Girls Teams Up with MnUps Magazine to Spice Up the GSTA Hot Rod Opener

MN Ups Magazine was asked to help spice up the 57th Annual Gopher State Timing Association’s Hot Rod Spring Opener at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. This show marks the beginning of the exciting 2013 car show season with style. Together with Grinkie Girls Photography, we staffed our booth and dolled up the show floor with our bevy of beauties.

We put together a sampling of all the fabulous fun we had. In a word, we…

GSTA 2013 Highlight Reel.

Bucket List...Be A Pin Up Girl!

by Anne Ripka-Payment

Let’s start out by saying I am all about lists; lists keep me organized, on task and help me feel like I am productive.  So it doesn’t surprise anyone that I have a long “Life” list aka a "Bucket" list.  I started this list when I feel I was at my lowest point in life.  I was going through a divorce, my career came to a standstill and to add to it I was not very happy about being me.  I was about 100 pounds overweight and exhausted all the time. The guilt I felt because I was not healthy enough to run and play with my kids made it worse.  

I needed goals so I created this list…

#1 Find Love ~ after a rough first marriage dissolved, Rob walked into my life.  I used to say to him, “You are so wonderful, I don’t understand why you would want to be with a train wreck like me” he would then tell me, “You are not a train wreck, your just a little fender bender”. He kept every promise he made, He is definitely a keeper!!  He gave me the will power to tackle item # 2 on my list

#2 Get Healthy ~  I have always been what people refer to as “Big Boned”.  After I had my first baby I started to notice I couldn’t lose the weight…I fluctuated from 220 pounds to my highest of 261 pounds. I did Weight Watchers, joined gyms (and actually went). Nothing seemed to work, and having 2 more babies on top of that probably didn’t help…. I wanted Rob to be proud of the woman he was with, and my children needed a mother that was healthy enough to keep up.  I wanted to feel good in my own skin, and confident to take on whatever life threw my way.  That’s when I made the appointment at the Allina Bariatric Center.   I would NEVER say it is the easy way out, but maybe the less frustrating.  Within six months I lost about 80 pounds. After that I stopped counting.  I had energy, confidence and it's funny how people treat you differently.  Dresses were fun to wear again, and the Goodwill was my new best friend.  Going down a size a week, there is no way I could afford a new wardrobe a week…

A year later I am at my lowest weight since 6^th grade.  138 pounds and rocking life, another new addition to our home now is on his way.   I decided then to dig out my List and start where I left off.  I needed some quickly attainable goals and I needed to feel sexy again. Glancing through my list #12 caught my eye..be a Pin-Up girl…Classic, fun, full of life, vibrant…All the traits I was looking for.  I have always loved the Retro/Vintage look and believe that in a previous life I must have been a Bettie. Just when I was about to move on to another number, Boom chukka lucka…my friend post pictures she had taken at a local studio…This is exactly what I am looking for…I contacted her and she raved about the experience and how much fun it was…I had to do it!

I contacted Grinkie Photography on Friday and Christi responded right away and by Tuesday I was with Avis getting my hair and makeup done and super excited to get this done…I had no idea what to expect, and maybe my expectation where a little bit low but wowsers…Either the camera and Photoshop are Miracle workers or I am capable of looking amazing.  I felt like my personality shined through.  Christi made everything that I was feeling on the inside shine through on the outside.  I wore 4” heals, strapless SHORT dresses and Avis gave me make-up and hair tips that were easy enough to handle at home.  They made me feel like I was kind of a big deal!  I do so much for everyone else in my life, so I appreciate the “it’s all about you” attitude.  She understands the day to day demands that are placed on women, being a mother herself.  She embraces the fact that women come in all shapes and sizes and don’t necessarily wear a size 2.  She makes sure when you leave her studio your experience is something to rave about. 

Here's one of Anne's pictures from her Pin Up shoot. We love it so much we use it in some of our ads.

I am not one to promote or push anyone into doing something they are uncomfortable with.  Like I said, this was on my list and I needed to get my VaVa Voom back.  Don’t get me wrong the next day, I was tired and looking worn again, the difference this time is I have the pictures to prove that I can be the stunning vibrant Pin-up girl I feel like inside.  Thanks to Christi and Avis at Grinkie Photography My Bucket list just got a little smaller!!

Something Different - Monster Maternity Pin Up

Written by Mike Potter (Team Grinkie)

Our little brussel sprout

"Its nice if you can do something to make yourself feel beautiful when you are not physically feeling your best."  -- Tara

Not to often do you find a women that is eight months pregnant posing for a pinup shoot. Even less often do women make it eight months into a pregnancy without telling everyone they know through Facebook. Tara Leiran decided she was going to be different. 

"No one on Facebook even knows I'm pregnant," said Tara. With a few of the monsters of Christopher Mihm's movie's in studio, Tara decided she was going to do the shoot and show all her friends and family the result. "It's nice to feel pretty when sometimes you don't," said Tara while she was looking at her pictures. Nothing could have been more fun for Tara, or anyone else in the room that day then poking fun at all the traditional pregnancy poses by doing them with a monster. 

Tara makes it look easy