First the project. My brother and sister-in-law have great but very specific taste (in everything, from clothes to music to electronics).  It makes it difficult to find presents to give them that they'll actually enjoy and keep.  One thing I do know they'll consistently love is good food.  They live in NYC and, understandably, eat a lot of takeout.  The doctor recently recommended that they cut back a bit to be healthier, so I decided to get them some yummy "take in" food as a Christmas gift.

Being me, I also decided I wanted to give them the "take in" in an enormous chinese takeout container.  I googled directions for making one, and after a quick trip to the dollar store to buy a few sheets of poster and foam board, I got to work whipping one up.  The finished product didn't take long to make and looked oh.so.cute under the tree. 

In other food related Christmas news, my Christmas tree was tastier than ever this year.  A few years ago I decided I wanted to start a junk food themed Christmas tree as a counterpart to my mom's tree, which is fruit themed. Her tree is really beautiful and she's amassed an unbelievable collection of fruits both familiar and exotic.  But fruit is too classy for my blood. 

In just a few years, I've built up my own collection of tasty confections (with many gifts from friends and family who are always on the lookout for good food ornaments).  The collection grows every year, and I'm strongly considering opening it up to food in general, and not just junk food.  In any event, as I dismantled my tree today I snapped pictures of the major good groups to share :)

Fast food.

Italian.

Asian.


Mexican (empanada and taco -- the empanda was actually sold as a pierogi but I'm claiming it as an empanada instead)


Breakfast.


Candy.


More candy.


Even more candy.


Cheese (gouda, blue, swiss, roquefort) and bread, of course.


Chocolate.


Christmas treats.


Cookies & Smore


Desserts


Donuts (the chocolate frosted with bright sprinkles might be my favorite of all the ornaments)


Drinks (not sure how I ended up with 2 margaritas, but I'll take 'em!)


Greens -- avocado, olive, cucumber (I dip mine in so much dressing they may as well be a junk food) and pickles.


Meat!  T-Bone steak and bacon.


Pastry.


Pie (cherry and lemon meringue)

Salty snacks.


Sandwiches (sub, grilled cheese, PB&J)

Soda (I'm actually a diet pepsi drinker -- I know I'll find one someday!)


Miscellaneous minis.


Candy button garland.


And last but not least, my Angel Food Cake topper -- I bake a new mini angel food cake each year and attach the wings. 

My biggest supplier is bronners.com, which I can count on to release some great new food ornaments each year, as well as Sur le Table.  Let me know if you know of any other great places where I can fatten up my calorie-laden tree!

Make cheering Care Bears of course.

A combined 27,000 people ran the Philadelphia Marathon and half marathon yesterday, and it was really fun to be among the 50,000+ cheering onlookers on a gorgeous fall day. 

The joy and excitement of countless friends and family at the finish line was really moving and motivating. Love actually is all around :)

I can only imagine the venue will look and smell delicious with over 200 food & craft vendors on hand to make the holidays merry & bright.  I'll be representing with all the shop favorites -- science pillows, chalkboard maps, chalk-by-numbers and of course plenty of letter pillows (including plenty of J's and M's, I sold out of them at the Renegade Craft Fair.  J's sell much better in person than online, odd...)

I'm a fan of any magazine that puts Tina Fey, Mindy Kaling, and Amy Sedaris on its covers, and I'm sure they've curated an equally fun show, perfect for finding quirky gifts for friends and fam. 

Click here for more details.  See ya there.

A plant cell (shout-out to middle school science teacher Carrie, who helped me make sure I included all the essential parts!).  This would make a pretty cute pairing with the animal cell if I do say so myself.

A cross-section of the earth

A kidney (I've gotten multiple requests for this one).  If you like organs, this would look mighty cute next to the heart. Just sayin'.

I also added another penmanship pillow, with the classic teacher mantra "settle down."

As always, these and more are available in the shop.

But back to PPR.  So last week's challenge on Project Runway was all about the 70s -- the designers were challenged to create a sophisticated 70s revival design. They were instructed to be inspired by the 70s, but not create retro, costumey replicas of 1970s fashion.  In the middle of the challenge they learned they would have to make a second look, and it would have to be one piece (no separates).

The week before this, the designers had been working on 70s style designs for an all-male band, so I think we all collectively groaned at another 1970s style challenge.  The designers were given a dossier with 70s looks, which I definitely would have liked to see.  Instead, I had to rely on google image as my dossier. This resulted in a rabbit hole of ridiculous 70s Halloween costumes.

After spending a while "researching," I was ready to design my two looks.  The first look was my one-piece.  I decided to take a risk and make a sexy tailored jumpsuit (seriously? I feel like a fool for even writing that sentence). Obviously the 70s were big on bell bottoms and wide-leg pants, so I sketched up a wide leg, low-cut look:

But when I started the construction, I cut the legs too narrow.  If I had been more motivated by the challenge I would have gone back and tried to get my look closer to the sketch, but by the time I realized my error I was already kind of fed up.  So the final look ended up being sort of sexy scrunched pedal-pusher jumpsuit (again, I sound like a fool):

I'm not sure how to feel about it. I think it's kind of interesting on Katie. But I think maybe if I saw a real woman wearing it I would cringe and laugh.  But that's probably true of a lot of Project Runway designs, even winning ones (since those models aren't real women). UPDATE: In the middle of typing up this blog post I spoke to my mother and mentioned my jumpsuit design, at which point she ran off and found a picture of herself in 1977 in a blue jumpsuit she had made.  Obviously, I have to share:

She said one time when she was wearing it she was asked if she was a stewardess.  Oh the 70s. [That child is not me, btw.  I didn't exist yet. But I'm sure if I did exist in 1977 I would have been wearing that poncho.]

On to my second look. In my google image research I noticed a repeated theme in the 70s seemed to be cutesy outfits made sexy -- like little jumpers cut way too short over a shirt with a bow for a collar.  Things that you might think were cute on a little girl, but for some reason were on a full grown woman.  Soooo....that became my inspiration (and yet *again* I sound ridiculous.  It's the 70s though, not me).  I sketched up a frilly blouse with a school-girl style skirt, but shorter than any school would ever allow.

This look is a little truer to my aesthetic, since I like color and pattern.  But I think the judges would probably say it's not really fashion, just clothes.  Whatever.  I think my crazy jumpsuit would keep my head above water and someone else would go home.  I'm crossing my fingers that the last few PR challenges will NOT include homages to some past decade.  Cross yours too.

The designers on the show had to stick to black & white for their fabric designs (they could use other fabrics to add color) so I kept the same rule for myself.  Given that I spend much of my week making maps, I immediately started thinking about a map-inspired print.  I thought having an actual outline of continents might look a little cutesy, so I decided to go with a more abstract map inspiration: topographic maps.

The swirling lines seemed like they would make an interesting pattern and inspiration, without being over-the-top.

To highlight the fabric (and to save on time), I decided to make a simple shift dress in black & white with a pop color.

I cheated a little and made the dress first, before drawing on the lines.

I picture this as a really lightweight summer dress, perfect for a summer day strolling in the city, with funky sandals and some big, organic earrings as the only accessories.

If I had time, I would have been fun to sketch out some of the other map-inspired looks that could have been part of the collection, but I've got other craft endeavors that had to take precedence...sorry for the brevity!

Obviously I don't have access to the Harlem School of the Arts, so for PPR we were allowed to choose our inspiration artwork.  A friend who was in NYC last weekend snapped some great pictures of sand art in Washington Square Park that I thought I would use:

But when my cousin emailed me some paintings her adorable 3-year-old Maddie recently made, I couldn't resist using one of them (there's an oddly similar color palette going on though, right?)

Maddie didn't share with me what her inspiration was, but I happen to know she's recently taken quite a liking to Alice in Wonderland (the cartoon version, obviously) and when I saw this painting it reminded me of a specific scene (it was also one of my favorites when I was little):

So, my inspiration ended up being a combination of Maddie's painting and Alice and the Mome Raths. I decided to go for an extreme version of Alice's dress, with a skirt made of strips of fabric referencing the shape and texture of the Mome Raths :

I got to work prepping frayed strips of fabric and was quite delighted when I glanced over and saw how much similarity there was between my fabrics and the painting:

But halfway through the project, things weren't going well.  Tim Gunn stopped by to offer some counsel and together we analyzed the problems:

First off, the mixture of colors (which I thought was going to be really striking) was looking very grandma to me; Tim agreed.  It just looked too much like a craft project.  And while I liked the idea of a pinafore literally referencing Alice's original dress, it just wasn't working on Katie.  So I scrapped them both and decided to go for an ombre effect with the skirt, which made all the difference (I popped Katie's hair on, too):

To get the skirt really big and full I made a huge tulle slip to go underneath by looping strips of tulle around a ponytail holder, then slipping the whole thing snugly onto Katie's waist; this was a perfect solution! I really like how the top is very true to Alice's blue dress with the collar and sleeves.

I think the profile is my favorite -- she looks like a firework!

Sparkly Piperlime accessories.

I think the judges would say that they definitely see the relationship between the painting and the garment.  They would be a bit bothered that it's not super avant garde and the idea of an overblown skirt is nothing new.  But I think I would still be safe this week.  This isn't my favorite look I've produced, but it definitely fits within my aesthetic and color scheme so I'm pretty satisfied with how it all came out.  I wonder what Alice and the Mome Raths would think...

This week on the real Project Runway all the designers were given t-shirts, shorts, and sneakers and told to rendezvous with Tim & Heidi at a local indoor track.  Once they arrived, they found out that their challenge would be to create a look that could be worn with Heidi's New Balance Sneaker line.  The real designers had to break into teams for this challenge, and the captains of the teams were determined by who could run fastest around the track. Artists/designers are not exactly known for their physical prowess, so watching them run around a track was a bit ugly (but I would have looked just as stupid so I really shouldn't cast stones).

Heidi had some recommendations for them before they set off designing: Think fashion, don’t think just gym. It could be a dress or a suit. Think classic with a twist. The one requirement was that the designs had to include either denim or suede, since those are the fabrics used in Heidi's shoes.

I brainstormed for a bit, and kept finding that any time I tried to come up with something involving pants or shorts it either felt too sporty and like workout wear, or too detailed and fancy to the point where it wouldn't look right with sneakers.  So I decided to totally switch gears and go with a sporty dress and pair it with a dressed-up hoodie.

Yes, I did photoshop in Heidi's actual New Balance Sneakers.  I wanted to prove my outfit would look right with them!  

Ok, so let's start with the dress:

Obviously it's just a very simple silhouette, I was basically going for the shape of your average tennis dress.  The fabric has a lot of texture, and I like the effect of the stripes and texture I got from cutting on the bias.  I've actually used this fabric on clothing I've made for myself!  It's lightweight and stretchy, and I love the fun colors.

Keeping it sporty from behind with the racer back.

Now, onto my pride and joy: the hoodie.

Obviously making a hoodie out of traditional sweatshirt fabric or jersey wouldn't have been fashion-forward enough, so I thought I could take the idea of a sporty hoodie and totally dress it up by making it out of leather/suede.  My mom and I sometimes sew with leather so this little jacket is actually made from a buttery soft piece of leather. (What a lucky little model she is!) I love the contrast of the the suede versus the traditional leather of the plackets and bottom band.  I did intend for this to be a bit longer, but I think the cropped length is fine, the judges would just think I planned for it to be short.

It turns out this can be a hoodie in name only, since Katie's head is CRAZY disproportionate to her body.  If I made the hood big enough to actually go over her head it would be the size of her entire back. Once again, I love the contrast in textures between suede/leather.

For accessories, she's of course wearing Heidi's New Balance shoes, she's got a sporty pink watch, and she's looking cool with a pair of Michael Kors sunglasses (that should butter him up a bit during judging).

Overall, I'm very happy with this look. I feel like I've got my PPR groove back and the judges would definitely see some things they like.  What say you? 

That being said, there were definitely some standouts!  We'll start with designer Chica:

The shape of the dress is very simple and nothing groundbreaking, but what really makes it a winner is the fabric choice and the placement of the chevrons.  Nina Garcia generally doesn't wear pattern, but I think she'd make an exception in this case. The warm gold and brown tones would really complement her skin and hair.  And the leather belt is a perfect way to both cinch her waist and break up the chevrons so she doesn't look like a landing strip. 

Next up, Swellanor:

I mean, the tailoring on this is insane! (Try to focus on the dress, not the model -- she's a little scary, her eyes seem to be all pupil.)  Swellanor shares: "The fabric and the tailoring are supposed to evoke classic women's suits of the 50s."  This totally gives that 50's feel but obviously updated to feel modern and sexy. 

My one fault with this look is the beading.  The designer herself admitted that the beads looked really oversized, so she decided to use them "more like blingy jewels."  They still feel a bit awkward, but I know what she was going for and this look is definitely among the best.  And I think Nina would wear it in a heartbeat.

Finally, we have Alex:

What I love about this look is that it's really fashionable but also really comfortable and versatile.  Alex said she likes the juxtaposition of the grey jersey and the gold silk and I agree, I like it too.  Matte versus shiny often makes for a lot of visual interest, and it elevates this simple silhouette to something really great.  I also think Alex wins on styling:

This outfit would be appropriate at the office, at an industry event, grabbing a cocktail after work, out to dinner with friends...it's really a perfect combination of wearable and fashionable.  Alex is definitely "in"!

That's it for the runway roundup.  I'll be posting again on Thursday with my design for Heidi's New Balance sneaker line. Until then, make it work!

Well, Nina's not the only Garcia in town--she and I happen to share a last name, but that's about all we share (let me briefly mention that she's also not the only Nina Garcia in town, I happen to have a cousin of the same name who is cute and easygoing and would probably be much easier to design for!).  I cringed as Nina rattled off her list of dislikes to the designers: “I do not like voluminous clothes. I do not like lots of pleats. I do not like loud patterns or colors.”  Ummmm....this Garcia loves all those things.  It was clear from the start, this was going to be a Garcia showdown.

Nina may be firm on her aesthetic, but I knew I couldn't completely let her bulldoze me out of my own style.  I could hear Tim Gunn whispering in my ear that I had to stay true to myself as a designer.

"You have to stay true to yourself as a designer.  Also, your hair looks really cute like that." 
What? That's what he said.

So, this challenge was all about compromise.  I tossed around so many ideas in my head -- a simple sheath dress with some special detailing?  Tailored pants like Nina loves?  Dark and sophisticated?  I had such a hard time deciding that I finally had to start working without a sketch.  I just got out a bunch of fabrics and played around until something started to materialize. 

So this look is based on a couple different factors.  One is that I've noticed Nina likes to wear embellished shirts a lot.  Usually they don't have a groundbreaking shape, but they have a lot of beadwork or some such detailing.  And though she loves a well-tailored pant, she also wears a lot of dresses and short skirts, so I knew she'd be okay with showing a lot of leg.  And since the skirt was so short, I thought it would be appropriate to show less skin on top and give her 3/4 length sleeves.

My favorite part of the outfit is really the skirt silhouette. Though it breaks both Nina's anti-pleating and anti-voluminous credos, the fact that it comes in tight around the thighs might appease her on the runway. I'm sure Michael Kors would make a fuss about no woman wanting to add volume to her front, but I think this looks cute on Katie's (impeccable) body.

Though the skirt might be polarizing, I do think Nina would like the shirt, or at least elements of it. And that little pop of color and metallic shimmer suits both our aesthetics, I think.

Of course, the look is finished off with Piperlime accessories.

If I were really going in front of the judges, I think I would be most nervous this week.  In order to come anywhere near something Nina might wear I had to make something pretty different from what I'd normally do.  I would worry that in the end they might fault me for doing a look that fits neither Nina nor me.  Thankfully, I'll never have to find out!

Last week I said I was going to do a follow-up post highlighting the best PPR designs, but I never got around to it.  Hopefully I'll find time this week, though promise you won't hold it against me if Hurricane Irene yanks the power and my ability to post.  In any event, see you next week, if not sooner!