Tag: dolls

LJ Runway Monday: A Rough Day on the Runway (PR 8:8)

Heidi: On the most recent episode of Lifetime’s Project Runway, the designers were asked to create an American sportswear look inspired by Jackie Kennedy.

Barbie: The show’s designers seemed to be very confused by what those directions meant, so I knew I had to pick the right model to keep Becks on track. Someone with a bit of a Jackie look, but current.

Summer: Fortunately, Mattel always comes through, this time with Barbie Basics 1.5, Model No. 13.

Heidi: She’s lucky thirteen!

Barbie: Also known as Morgan.

Heidi: Speaking of lucky, this bubbly dress makes me feel like I’m at the Mermaid Lounge in Vegas.

Barbie: I feel like I’m in a bubblegum dress!

Summer: I feel pretty.

Heidi: Does Becks make Morgan feel pretty? Let’s check it out.

Click here, please.

Rambling update to leave you all spellbound

I went for a three-month medical follow-up today to see what condition my condition was in, and all was fabulous. After running a couple of errands, I came home with the intention of shooting some photos and working on an art project. When–BAM! I couldn’t swallow, had a fever, and could think of nothing more inviting than crawling between the covers and sleeping, which I promptly did, to the joy of the ever-lazy Rex, Margot, and Guinness. (Pixie and Tyson II were at the TimLair.)

Sore throat is better now, but I still feel wiped out. This reminds me of what Lindsey described that came and went quickly for her last week. I’m hoping the same is true for me. Wonder what the heck it is, though?

There is a Victoria doll in the house. What if she’s SUCKING THE SOUL OUT OF MY BODY?

LJ Runway Monday: What’s Mine Is Yours (PR 8:7)

Heidi: On the most recent episode of Lifetime’s Project Runway, the designers were split into teams of two. The twist: Each designer had to cut, sew, fit, and style his or her partner’s design.

Summer: The challenge was to create a resort look. Since Becks doesn’t have any competitors to partner with, I described a look I’d like in resort wear. It was up to her to pick the fabrics and sew it to my specifications.

Barbie: Fortunately, this was another challenge in which I could pick the perfect model: one of Mattel’s “On Location” Model Muses from 2007, the stunning Barcelona.

Heidi: You know what else is stunning? That I finally get to wear the shortest dress of the three of us.

Tim Gunn: Why do I suddenly feel as if you’re so fine, there’s no telling where the money went?

Barbie: Might as well face it: You’re addicted to us.

Summer: We’re simply irresistible.

Heidi: But is Becks? Let’s take a look.

Click here, please.

LJ Runway Monday: You Can Totally Wear That Again (PR 8:6)

Heidi: On the most recent episode of–okay, wait a minute. I know we’re supposed to talk about Project Runway and introduce whatever Becks has created this week, but I have to ask: What the HELL are we wearing? She’s dressed me before in a peachy-orangey color combo and I warned her then never to do it again. And this–what IS this look?

Summer: I don’t know what you’re complaining about. At least you don’t look like a governess.

Barbie: Has anyone seen my shawl? I fear I’ve mislaid it and may catch a chill.

Heidi: Zip it, Barbie. We’re not in a Jane Austen film.

Summer: Wrong period. These dresses are the result of Becks reading Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre and Villette within weeks of each other.

Barbie: You left out Little Women. Who do you think I look like? Meg? Amy?

Heidi: In that frock? You look like the meadow in Twilight threw up on you. We may have to ban books from the work room if this is what happens.

Summer: Could be worse. She also read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

Barbie: Brainzzzzzz.

Heidi: Eep! I guess these dresses aren’t so bad. Speaking of bad dresses, that’s what the most recent episode of Lifetime’s Project Runway was about: Bad Bridesmaid Dresses. The designers met their new models, former bridesmaids who were wearing the fashion abominations inflicted on them by cruel brides.

Summer: Using those dresses and two yards of fabric they were allowed to buy, the designers were told to create more flattering looks for their models.

Barbie: I picked Dinah as the model for this challenge. Let’s see how Dinah’s dress looked originally.

Summer: Suddenly I’m all right with the governess drag.

Heidi: When we asked Dinah if there was any part of the dress she liked, she told us the color was okay. But she felt the dress made her look like a shapeless blob.

Barbie: She also hated the one-shoulder ruffle.

Tim Gunn: Once the dress was deconstructed, thanks to the bottom ruffle, there was more fabric than one might expect. However, as I warned the designers on the show, the goal isn’t to make clothes. It’s to make fashion. Can Becks do it?

Please click here to see.

LJ Runway Monday: There is an “I” in Team (PR 8:5)

Heidi: On the most recent episode of Lifetime’s Project Runway, the designers were divided into teams, then asked to select from several styles and textiles to create a collection of six looks.

Summer: The styles were menswear for women, military, 1950s and ladylike shapes, and minimalism.

Barbie: The textile choices were camel, lace, leopard and cheetah prints, plaid, or gold and other metallics.

Heidi: The show’s two teams chose menswear for women in camel, and military in lace.

Barbie: We wanted Becks to do something different from any of the show’s designers.

Heidi: Since she already likes to create in 1950s and ladylike shapes, we chose something outside her comfort zone: minimalism.

Barbie: We also requested that she create her minimal looks using metallics. Those two might seem contradictory, but that’s what a challenge is all about.

Summer: Speaking of contradictory, we three thoroughly modern dolls decided to go back to Mattel’s closet for vintage tonight.

Heidi: Raspberries! I’m wearing Mattel’s “Concert in the Park” that was designed for Francie in 1966.

Summer: My look was also designed for Francie in 1966. It’s Mattel’s “Checkmates.”

Barbie: I’m not quite so retro. I’m wearing Mattel’s “Barbie Boutique Fashion Avenue Collection” from 1997.

Summer: By the way, Barbs, that outfit includes a pair of black pants. Your dress’s skirt is practically above the Mason Dixon line.

Heidi: I’d like to borrow that dress sometime. The fun of the episode was seeing if contrary personalities with different design aesthetics could put together a cohesive collection.

Summer: We figured Becks is contrary enough to create multiple looks without calling in other designers to help her.

Barbie: Plus I picked out six diverse models for her to dress.

Heidi: Let’s see what she came up with.

Designs are behind the cut.

LJ Runway Monday: Hats Off to You (PR 8:4)

Heidi: On the most recent episode of Lifetime’s Project Runway, the designers were asked to design an outfit inspired by a Philip Treacy hat.

Summer: We didn’t want to give Becks the unfair advantage of designing for one of the hats she’d already seen on the show.

Barbie: I don’t know why Mr. Treacy wouldn’t return our calls asking for a hat for Becks to use. Perhaps he doesn’t create for 1:6 scale.

Heidi: Fortunately, another brilliant designer saved the day. Timothy J. Lambert, from our first season of LJ Runway Monday, designed a delicious hat for this challenge.

Barbie: If you sometimes feel that you could eat fashion, here’s a little taste of Timothy’s creation on this week’s model, Justine, selected for Becks by me.

And more behind the cut.

LJ Runway Monday: It’s a Party (PR 8:3)

Heidi: On the most recent episode of Lifetime’s Project Runway, the designers were asked to create an outfit using party store supplies.

Barbie: Whoa, hold up. I think this is the most fabric I’ve ever seen on your body, Heidi.

Summer: It doesn’t count when it’s see-through.

Heidi: Look who’s talking, Miss Yellow Fever. We decided to bring a little of the vintage to this week’s episode. I’m wearing Mattel’s Barbie Nighty Negligee, a matching gown and peignoir set that was in production from 1959 to 1964.

Barbie: My pink dotted Swiss babydoll nightie is from the same period but is probably a Mattel knockoff. No label.

Summer: My Mattel label is where it’s supposed to be on my 1964 Sweet Dreams smocked yellow bodice, but my little yellow panties are missing.

Heidi: For the sake of the censors, thank you for finding those white ones. In addition to creating a look from party store supplies, Becks was also asked to create a matching accessory. Here you can see her raw materials:

Barbie: I chose Barbie Basics 001, Model No. 10 to model whatever Becks makes of those materials.

Summer: I think you mean to say you chose Tabitha.

Barbie: [whispers] Have you noticed Tabitha’s ears make her look a little like an alien?

Summer: [whispers] Have you noticed someone forgot to bleach half of your hair?

Heidi: Have either of you noticed this is Runway Monday? You can see what Becks did with these raw materials below.

!–more Please click here for fashion.–>


Becks cut the ribbon into irregularly sized and shaped pieces and layered them over a cheesecloth skirt.


The bodice is also formed of layers of ribbon. The waist of the dress is cinched with the pink ribbon folded in a way to take advantage of its silver underside.


Using beads from the party supplies, Becks made an accessory to gather Tabitha’s hair into a thick braid.


She also used the beads to embellish the shoes from Mattel’s accessories wall.

Barbie: A million dollar look put together with an astounding three dollars.

Summer: And a little sweat, a lot of cutting, and a misfire or two with a hot glue gun.

Heidi: No hazard is too great for fashion. See you all next time on the runway!

Previous designs from this season:

PR 8:2–Larger Than Life
PR 8:1–And Sew It Begins

Hump Day Happy in honor of Marika’s birthday

Possibly the silliest purchase I’ve ever made on eBay arrived today. I blame David Puterbaugh and his rousing endorsement of Toy Story 3. While Jim was here, we watched the first two Toy Story movies on DVD, then Jim, Tim, Tom, and I saw the new one in the theater. And YES, David, I DID need the Kleenex I took with me at your suggestion, and I wasn’t the only one. One of the themes of the movie is what happens to toys when their children grow up.

For years, I’ve mourned the disappearance of my wooden push puppet lion. He was one of my favorite toys, and if our toys remember us, he knows I didn’t lose him, discard him, or give him away. I’m sure he was stolen, and I know who the probable culprit was. I’ve never been able to find another resembling his craftsmanship and appearance, and I’ll never settle for anything less.

Along with my lion, other toys vanished along the way. I probably don’t remember most of them, but I do remember my Dolls of the World.

Dolls of the World were sold for 99 cents each with the purchase of Arco gasoline. There were twelve in all, and my mother collected six of them for me. They weren’t really to play with; they were for display. Even at that, not a whole lot of skill and craft went into them. They were basic plastic dolls–the kind often used for crafting–with hair too fine to brush, only movable at the arms and neck, and their clothes were cheaply made and not removable. Still, I liked the six I had. I learned about the countries they were from and took good care of them. Once they even helped me when I started in a new school. I took them for show and tell, and they were such a hit that my teacher took me to all the other classes in my grade so I could share them, a bizarre experience for a shy girl who normally did everything she could to avoid attention.

I know the dolls were on my bookshelves when I went away to college, but I suppose at some point, I was persuaded to let them go. After seeing Toy Story, I dreamed about them, which caused me to look them up online and on eBay. Not all of the dolls I found look like the ones I had, so maybe there were different versions for different years or regions. But I found England’s and Spain’s dolls that were identical to mine, and they were practically free, so I bought them.

In honor of Marika’s birthday, and the child who remains within us no matter how many birthdays we have, I decided to resurrect Hump Day Happy for this week. (Marika is the only one who ever expressed regret that it vanished as surely as my push puppet lion.) Anyone who wants to give me a page number between 1 and 611, and another number between 1 and 25, can get an item from the happiness book to celebrate Marika’s special day with her. (I don’t advise picking 8/11, because I think Marika’s chosen it a couple of times, and it never changes.) Meanwhile, Marika, let’s pretend that whatever number you pick, it includes dancing naked men.