What I Wore: 08/23/2010

cardi- gift from Boy's visit to Estonia
shirt and belt- thrifted
pants, watch and shoes- Target (ages ago)

I'm sorry that my posting has been so scarce. Last Friday I started working at my new job, so Monday was the beginning of my first full work week. Back when I was in grad school, I actively followed Fab Finds Under $50's Inspiration Calender to get ideas on what to wear (because I'm not so good at making clothing decisions, or any kind of decisions for that matter, when I'm sleepy) so I thought I would start checking the calender again. Monday's outfit called for Neon Yellow & Tan, so I pulled out my yellow trimmed shirt and my khakis (it's close enough to tan).

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Ongoing ATC Swap: missmoppet

I'm participating in Craftster's Ongoing ATC Swap for August 2010. Right now, I'm busy working away on my Betty White themed artist trading card for shelina, but on Friday I received my first ATC in the mail from missmoppet called "A Fathers Love."

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Project Runway Season 8, Episode 4

This week on Project Runway the designers were to create looks inspired by Philip Treacy's hats. While the hats were fabulously sculptural (and maybe a little bizzaro), the designers looks played it safe and (for the most part) fell flat (no pun intended towards Ivy, who literally fell flat and passed out at the end of episode 3, and was taken to the hospital and treated for dehydration in episode 4) .

Valerie, Michael D. and Michael C. made it into the top three, and Michael C was declared the winner. April and Kristin were the bottom two and Kristen was sent home.

Michael C's look

http://www.craftstylish.com/assets/uploads/posts/69443/michaelc-full_lg.jpg

Michael D.

http://www.craftstylish.com/assets/uploads/posts/69443/michaeld_xl.jpg

Gretchen

http://www.craftstylish.com/assets/uploads/posts/69443/gretchen-_xl.jpg

I agreed with the judges picking Michael C. and Michael D. for the top 3, but why was Valerie there!? I know her dress/vest combination were attractive and well-made, but it had nothing to do with her model's Philip Treacy mask!!! Even Philip Treacy himself questioned the relation of Valerie's outfit to his hat. If it were up to me, I would have put Gretchen's outfit in 3rd place for being well-made and clearly showing inspiration from the hat. I also would have put Michael C. in 2nd and bumped Michael D. into 1st because he made the only sculptural look that was clearly inspired by the hat.

Kristin

http://www.craftstylish.com/assets/uploads/posts/69443/kristin_lg.jpg

April's Triple Panty Look

http://www.craftstylish.com/assets/uploads/posts/69443/april_lg.jpg

Kristin's dress was too heavy and looked poorly constructed and sad. It just did not relate to the hat at all. But, let me just say that when I saw April's outfit come down the runway I laughed out loud. Tim Gunn had warned her that it was looking a bit "diaper" and Michael Kors said that she looked like a woman who decided to go on a three day weekend with three pairs of undies on and I totally agreed. If it were up to me, I think I would have gotten rid of both of them.

Now, how could I sign off without showing you the most bizzaro look of them all!? I don't know how Mondo got the inspiration for this outfit from that hat, why he drew a mustache on his model's face, why he thinks this is men's wear, or how he avoided having Michael Korr's tell him that his model looks like a tranny clown or something like that, but he did. It's just so wacky!? What the heck, Mondo! What the heck!

Mondo
http://www.craftstylish.com/assets/uploads/posts/69443/mondo_xl.jpg

And then I saw the Stephen Burrow's collection at Target...

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ROAOdFqIL._AA260_.jpg

I bet Mondo would like this line.

My top picks after episode 4: I'm sticking with Valerie, Gretchen and Any
Bottom: April, Peach, A.J. and Casanova

What did you think about this episode? Have you seen the Stephen Burrow's line at Target?


As always you can check out other discussions of this episode by Grosgrain, Fashion Me Fabulous and CraftStylish and watch full episodes of Project Runway online on LifetimeTV and leave me comments below.

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What's making me laugh- Antoine Dodson

If you haven't heard of Antione Dodson yet, you will. He's currently got the #35 song on the I-tunes charts and all he did was appear on an Alabama news station after someone broke into his apartment and tried to climb in bed with his sister. Talk about getting the word out!

Original News Story

Auto-tune the News Bed Intruder Song

Now you're going to have that song stuck in your head all week!

Of course, attempted rape is NOT a laughing matter. Hopefully, the popularity of this song will help catch the "bed intruder" and help the Dodson family get out of the projects.

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Sewn Necklaces Part 2

My mom's birthday was nearly a month ago, and I am finally getting around to finishing her birthday present requests. Last spring, I made a few sewn necklaces using a tutorial from CraftStylish and my mom liked them and asked if I would make her a similar one for her birthday.


So, I made 2 necklaces. The first one definitely follows the tutorial from CraftStylish. But, the second one is a little different.

I was inspired by a fancy bib necklace that I saw online (sorry, I don't remember where it came from but, it was pricey $$$).

Materials:

• 2 sheets of black craft felt
• extra firm sew-in interfacing (for crafts)
• 3/4 yard of 5/8-inch-wide velvet ribbon
• assorted glue or sew-on jewels and studs (or whatever you want to embellish it)
• scissors
• sewing machine (or hand-sewing needle)
• Thread
• hot glue gun and glue

1. Trace and cut out the shape you want your bib necklace to be on your 2 pieces of craft felt. For my necklace, I traced the shape of a bib necklace that I already owned.

2. Trace one of your felt bib pieces onto your interfacing. Then, redraw the shape of your bib on the interfacing so that the bib on the interfacing is slightly smaller than the 2 craft felt bib shapes (by approx. 1/2 in.). Cut the smaller bib shape out of the interfacing.

3. Now you're going to make a bib sandwich. Take your 2 felt bib pieces, pin and a-line them with your smaller interfacing bib piece in the middle.

4. Sew along the top and bottom of the necklace using a zig-zag stitch leaving 2 1 inch openings on each side for the ribbon.

5. Cut your ribbon in half and insert one ribbon 1/2 inch into the hole. Top-stitch each ribbon in place.

6. Arrange and embellish your necklace however you like. You can sew-on your jewels or use a hot glue gun.

Wear it and enjoy!

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What's your creativity style

Today, How About Orange shared Psychologie's What's your creativity style quiz. My results said that for me creativity is a release:

"For you, creativity is first and foremost a form of expression: it creates a special link between the internal and external worlds. It allows you to get a grasp of your powerful emotions, by moulding them into a physical form. In fact, the most important thing for you is to be able to release your emotions. You need to be able to touch them or look at them in concrete form, and to do that you have to find a way to make them come alive. This is how your desires and anxieties take shape. Keeping things bottled up creates a tension that can only be resolved once you have expressed how you feel. This means you have to be strong enough not to let yourself get swept away by chaotic impulses; if you turn your creative urges on everyday life — making a picnic, singing to the baby, choosing what to wear — you can express yourself while staying rooted in reality. Creativity is principally cathartic. It relieves a deep need, an almost primal, archaic impulse. For you, being creative is about having the power to give form to something you feel, to those deep personal issues that are often raw and disorganised. For these reasons you are usually attracted to art that demands physicality, that allows you to express what’s inside, and that unites spontaneity, strength, freedom, power and movement. • To find out about how to tap into your creative side, see our feature in the August issue out now. "

I suppose that's why I have a Masters degree in Art Therapy. What's your creativity style?

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Reality Re-cap 08/17/2010

Last Wednesday, Bravo TV concluded their first season of Work of Art (see previous post here). For the final episode, the final 3 (Miles, Abdi, and Peregrine) got to go home for three months to work on pieces for the gallery show. While they were working they were visited by Simon de Pury (the show's Tim Gunn character) who got a sneak peak of where each artist came from and what they were working on. Then, the finalists re-grouped in New York to set up their shows. Miles took photographs of security camera footage of patrons at his local White Castle and created a series of screen prints. His focus was on images of a homeless patron that he'd photographed who froze to death a few days later. Abdi created charcoal drawings, paintings and sculptures dealing with life, death, and spirituality. And Peregrine created whimsical works of sculpture, drawing and painting in a "state fair" atmosphere (complete with cotton candy).

While watching the gallery shows on TV I started to think that Peregrine might take home the prize because she created works using multiple mediums, had a cohesive theme, and her show seemed like the most fun to be at. Heck! It made me want to get out of my seat and head over to the Brooklyn Museum and get myself some cotton candy. But, in the end the judges awarded third place to Miles, 2nd to Peregrine, and top prize to Abdi. I'm not sad by how the results turned out. After all, I called it.

Also on the tube last week was episode 3 of Project Runway. Now the bloggers over at Fashion Me Fabulous and Grosgrain Fabulous have already recapped and discussed this episode with their readers, but I'd like to put in my two-cents.

First, let me start with episode 2. Episode 2 was the Marie Claire challenge. The contestant's were given $150 to complete a look for the Marie Claire woman and the winning look would be displayed on a billboard in Times Square. About half-way through the episode, Tim Gunn came out and announce an extra twist- that the designers have to style and direct a photo shoot of their looks. In the end, Gretchen's jumpsuit was the winner and Jason's "infinity symbol" dress and Nicholas's "circle cape" outfit were out in a double-elimination.

I must say that I was pleased that Gretchen's outfit won the challenge (although Valerie's look would have been excellent on a magazine cover, and I enjoyed Andy's convertible sleeved top). I was also pleased that the judges FINALLY got rid of Jason, however I didn't think that Nicholas's outfit was TOO bad and I would have liked to see him stick around for another round.

At the end of episode 2 my top picks were: Valerie, Gretchen, and Andy
Bottom picks: A.J., Kristin, Peach

Episode 3 challenged the designers to make an outfit using materials from a Party Store. One of the highlights of the episode was seeing Tim Gunn crack up over the "woolly balls" Kristin was using in her outfit. The big downer to this episode was seeing Gretchen turn into a super critical and annoying designer. She obviously let her two-challenge wins go to her head and hopefully will be served a slice of humble pie in up-coming episodes.

The guest judge was fashion designer, Betsey Johnson (SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEL!!!). This weeks win went to Andy and his origami ribbon dress (finally! although I hope he thanked the designers that helped him finish his dress on time) and although Casanova was in the bottom 2 again for his "over the top ruffle-gown", Sarah was the one sent home.

My top picks after episode 3: Valerie, Gretchen, and Andy
My bottom picks: Kristin, Casanova, and A.J.

What are your thoughts about the finale of Work of Art or this weeks episode of Project Runway? Are you as frustrated with Gretchen this week as I am? Do you think the right people are being sent home? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

To see my previous posts on season 8 of Project Runway check out:
Season 8 episode 1, My preliminary picks

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What's making me laugh: people quiting their jobs

Now I'm sure by now you've all heard about the JetBlue flight attendant who slid down the airplane's inflatable slide with 2 beers in his hands as he kissed his job good-bye. For some reason, his story is really resonating with people. To some he's a hero representing those who have held jobs they didn't like and always wanted to kiss-off. And others (like me) hold him in high regard for activating that inflatable slide and using it in a non-emergency (I mean, how fun is it to have an inflatable playground toy that you can only use when you and everyone else is in a high state of panic!?).

Anywho.

Have you seen the story about the girl who quit her job on a dry erase board? I especially like how she calls her boss out for referring to her as a HOPA and for his excessive time spent on Farmville.

*waits for you to watch it*

If you haven't figured it out by now, the girl who quit her job on a dry erase board is a hoax, but that doesn't make it any less funny. Hopefully, those of you who are working haven't had to call it quits.

Have a nice weekend!

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What I Wore: 07/30/2010

Hat: Target
White Shirt: Old Navy
Tank Top: Wal-mart
Bracelet: World Market
Watch: Target
Jeans: Old Navy

My mom wanted me to meet her downtown for our city's Final Friday Art Gallery Crawl. I'd recently read quite a few articles about how to wear your plain white button-down shirts (see here, here, here, and here) so I thought I'd try it out.

It had been quite a while since I'd last tried on my white button-down, and I think my lesson learned was that it's time to get a new button-down shirt.

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Brideshead Revisited

I recently watched the 2008 film, Brideshead Revisited, which is based off of the novel by Evelyn Waugh. The movie takes place in Britain and accounts the memories of Captain Charles Ryder as he remembers his involvement with the Flyte family, owners of the Brideshead estate. Particularly, it documents his involvement with siblings, Sebastian and Julia Flyte.

I watched this film and fell in love with the costumes that were designed by Irish costume designer, Eimer Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh. I was especially taken by the costumes worn by Julia. Check it out!

http://www.moviemail-online.co.uk/images/large/Brideshead-Revisited-2008-25739_1.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i31/costumersguide/Brideshead%20Revisited/04.jpg

http://stylebubble.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/05/02/bhscreenshot3.jpg

Here's how to get your own version of Julia's look:

Brideshead Revisited by chickface featuring Dorothy Perkins dresses

Paneled linen dress, $131
Red dragon print dress, 24 GBP
SEE BY CHLO? L524780M2674 BLUE X98 COTTON -, 78 GBP
1920's Mint Green Dress With Gold Lace, 420 GBP
MADAME ?? PARIS Short dresses - Item 34157946, $160
Bird Print Kimono Dress, $160
Long Grecian gown, $222
Mike & Chris Leland Dress, $345
embroidered smocked waist keyhole top, $27
Summer Duster, $199
Light Blue Acrylic Bead Necklace And Stud Earring Set (Silver Tone) -..., 9.75 GBP
KNEELING CROSS NECKLACE, $90
black stones necklace, $32
ASOS Bright Leather Obi Belt, $30
Tarnish Flower Cloche, $68
"BRIDESHEAD" REDEEMED | More Intelligent Life

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Simplicity Pattern Madness

This weekend I accidentally stumbled upon a Hancock Fabrics 5 for $5 Simplicity pattern sale and I totally geeked out. So obviously I had to take advantage. Here's what I picked up.

First, I picked up this lovely Project Runway skirt pattern. Green Apple and Stars Confidential have already sewed and shared their finished versions of View A on their blogs and I really like the look created by Made by Bird showcasing View A. I also think view B could is super cute, too and needs to be in my closet.

Next, I picked up two Cynthia Rowley patterns. I love the cut-out shoulders and back on View B, but I can't decide if I should make this in a solid color like Handmade by Carla or use a wild and funky print like Ugly Cute Designs. Maybe I'll just make 2. Ha!

I also picked up 2497 which has been made by the likes of The Slapdash Sewist, Green Apple, and AllisonC Sewing Gallery. I'm especially in love with Stitch in my Side's dusty silvery purple taffeta tunic version. I just need to get my hands on some dusty silvery purple taffeta.

http://images.patternreview.com/sewing/patterns/simplicity/2603/2603.jpg

I picked up 2603 after seeing versions of this cardi all over the place last fall. It even made the rounds in the blog-o-sphere with versions sewn by AllisonC Sewing Gallery, Quixotic Pixels, Assorted Notions, and Couture et Tricot. DKNY featured a similar cardigan in their collection last fall and the style seems to be ready to make a comeback for 2010. My only problem is deciding which color to make.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_IZwX7bvnRh1_21ZLGF9jemKSg6RAU79bL2FTf4KTT8oOux5gH1Lx44EdFbL2xIZJVbvoRAURWAk_sfHHoVnO44MHHZtIa7Hf_2nEyiCHIsh0sI6t0OC28Uv0_QhrNKee7-W04s7PQ1I/s320/DKNY+Cozy+Ivory.jpg
DKNY Cardigan

http://images.patternreview.com/sewing/patterns/simplicity/2501/2501.jpg

Finally, I picked up 2501 after seeing the super cute and retro versions by Green Apples and Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing. I've already got some blue gingham in my hands to start imitating Gertie's "We're Not in Kansas Anymore" blouse asap.

What do you think of my patterns? Do you have any color choice/ fabric suggestions? Any words of wisdom or caution? Let me know in the comments below.

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What's making me laugh: Diary of a Baby Vamp

http://truebloodnet.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/deborah-ann-woll.jpg

So, you all know that I'm a fan of HBO's True Blood. Well, did you know that Jessica, Bon Temp's very own teenage baby vamp, has her own (faux) blog? It's pretty funny. Check it out at http://babyvamp-jessica.com/

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Work of Art!?

Have you seen Bravo's latest reality series, Work of Art? The show is produced by Sarah Jessica Parker's Pretty Matches company and the Magical Elves behind Top Chef and Project Runway, and is basically supposed to be Project Runway for the art world. So, it seems like it should be a really great show. Right!? Well, I've been watching the show for the past couple of weeks now and I really wanted to like it because:

a) I love Project Runway b) I went to art school (and graduated with a B.A. in art and minor in art history) c) I like watching others create and make art.

But, no matter how many times I watch the show, it just falls flat.

For those of you who haven't seen it, the idea of the show is just like Project Runway. 14 contestants compete in challenges where they create unique works of art in their medium of choice (drawing, painting, sculpture, performance art, yadda, yadda yadda) and try to be the last person standing in order to win $100,000 and a solo show at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. At the end of each episode, contestants present their art in a gallery where their art is judged by a panel of "art stars" and one (or more) is eliminated.

The show's cast of judges include host China Chow, daughter of Michael Chow (famed restaurateur and art connessour) and Tina Chow (style icon); Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn, a gallerist, art

advisor, independent curator, collector, and tastemaker; Bill Powers, co-owner of Half Gallery in New York and the editor-at-large for Purple Fashion magazine; Jerry Salz, Senior Art Critic for New York Magazine and two time Pulitzer Prize finalist; and Simon de Pury, Chairman and Chief Auctioneer of Phillips de Pury & Company, as the show's Tim Gunn character.

And here are the contestants:

Top: Nao (hardheaded, sassy, performance artist), Judith (the oldest contestant), Nicole (sculptor with a future in Urban Outfitters modeling :P ) , Peregrine (the one that grew up on a hippie commune).Middle: Erik (the untrained artist), Amanda (abstract painter).Bottom: Ryan (emo, realistic painter), John (the gay guy), Mark (the graphic designer), Miles (OCD, recent college grad), Jaclyn (the one that gets naked alot), Abdi (art education teacher), Trong (veteran artist and curator) , and Jaime Lynn (the southern Christian girl).As you can see, the cast includes most of your art school cliches.
----------

To me, the key reasons the show falls flat are that the structure of the reality show stifles artist's creativity, art is subjective, the gallery presentations are lacking a certain "Je ne sais quoi", and the cliched cast of contestants. Allow me to elaborate.

Problem 1: The show stifles creativity.At the beginning of each episode, the contestants are told the guidelines of their challenge (for example: create a portrait of one of your competitors, create a work of art from trash, or create cover art for a classic novel), are allotted a sum of money for additional art materials ( usually $100 at Utrecht art supply), and given about 48 hours to complete their work of art.

Now, unless they're in art school, work for an artistic sweatshop, or are artistic miracle workers, most artists are not used to creating works of art under such conditions. Most artists create art in an environment where they have the freedom to choose their subject matter, how much money they want to spent on materials, and how much time they want to spend on a piece. I feel that artists need that freedom in order for their creativity to thrive and for great works of art to be created. Plus, the time constraint is not conducive to working with media that take a long time to dry (such as oil painting and some clays). Even Ryan hinted in his exit interview that the show didn't allow him to utilize his signature techniques (in oil painting) and that he wasn't 100% proud of the work he produced on the show (Work of Art Finishing Touches | Bravo TV Official Site).

Problem 2: Art is subjective

This show brings together a variety of artists such as sculptors, painters, performance artist, photographers, illustrators and to me, judging and comparing a work of sculpture to a performance piece is like comparing apples to oranges. Problem 3: the gallery presentations are lacking a certain "Je ne sais quoi"

Here's a suggestion: I wonder if the gallery show scenes would be more exiting if the cameras didn't show the artworks as they were nearing completion and then the artists hid their artworks behind a curtain in the gallery and revealed them one-by-one to the judges and audience (like in an auction) for critique to add the element of surprise. Just a thought.


Problem 4: The cast of characters are too cliched.
Namely (and this is my own personal opinion) I am sick of watching Miles, the OCD guy! Miles reminds me of the stereotypical art school douche-bag (if you took an art class, you know what I mean). He's the guy who doesn't follow directions, sleeps through class lectures, thinks his art is the best in the class, always has a critical opinion about everyone else's work, recites quotes from famous artists, and the art teachers (or judges in this case) just eat it up like he can do no wrong. And he frustrates and annoys me! I will, however, admit that Miles has produced some decent pieces and watching his artistic process has been interesting at times and in the art world maybe that is enough, but on reality TV you not only need to be the best at your craft, but you need to be a likable, relatable, and charismatic person and he's lacking at that.
If you're still interested in checking out the show, Work of Art is gearing up for the finale which will air on Wednesday, August 11 at 9PM (CDT) on Bravo. The final 3 are Miles, Abdi and Peregrine.

My final pick for the win: Abdi.

Who will probably win: Miles.What do you think about the show? Have you seen it? Do you think the artwork produced on the show is art? Is the artwork produced on the show fine art, or worth of $100,000 and a solo show in a museum? Who do you want to win? Let me know in the comments below.

For more articles about the show see:

• http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2010/06/09/127590490/bravo-s-work-of-art-can-you-explain-the-thing-about-the-judges-again

• http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2010/08/nature-calls-on-final-elimination-of-bravos-work-of-art.html

• http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,2008102,00.html

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Vote!

This message has been approved by "Oh Sarah O!"


It's primary election day in Kansas, Michigan, and Missouri and I'd like to encourage anyone registered in those states (no matter if you are a Republican or a Democrat) to get out and vote (if you haven't already pre-voted or voted by advanced ballot like me). Thanks!


This message was written by "Oh Sarah O!". Links are provided to each state's Secretary of State web page.

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What's making me laugh: Jane Austen's Fight Club

I recently saw the video for Jane Austen's Fight Club on Already Pretty's Lovely Links and I had to share it.

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