Tag: dolls

LJ Runway Monday: Sequins, Feathers and Fur, Oh My! (PR 6:9)

On the latest episode of Lifetime’s Project Runway, the designers got to meet fashion and costume designer Bob Mackie at the museum of the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. Bob Mackie described the challenges of designing for stage performances, then explained that the designers would be creating a new look for Christina Aguilera to wear on stage.

I LOVED this challenge. I’ve enjoyed Bob Mackie’s work for so many years, not only for his Cher, Diana Ross, Madonna, and Tina Turner creations, but because of his work on The Carol Burnett Show and his brilliant parody of Scarlett O’Hara’s green velvet drapery dress.

And of course, I just happened to have the perfect model: Christina Aguilera!


I couldn’t wait to transform her into my own unique–and Bob Mackie-inspired–stage goddess.

Watching the show, I was a little surprised by the PR contestants’ lack of color in their final designs. I also wondered whether they considered that Christina Aguilera doesn’t just stand on stage and sing–she MOVES. I felt that some of their designs were either lingerie, red carpet looks, or evening gowns–instead of something a performer could dance in that would catch and reflect light, sparkle and flutter with movement, and also be dramatic and over-the-top–a COSTUME.

So how do I rate against PR’s designers?

LJ Runway Monday: A Fashionable New Beginning (PR 6:8)

On the most recent episode of Lifetime’s Project Runway, the designers were presented with new models for the challenge. The “models” were all divorced women who walked onto the runway wearing their wedding dresses. (I wish I could still fit into mine!)

The designers were to take the wedding dresses and transform them into new looks that would fit the women’s lifestyles. They had to use the wedding dress but could buy dye and a small amount of fabric to modify or enhance it. They also needed to take into account their divorcées’ wishes about a new outfit.

I was glad not to use a Mattel Top Model, because I had the perfect doll for this challenge. Discarded and tossed into a bin of tangled toys at a dusty resale shop, she just needed a second chance.I brought her home, cleaned her up, and named her Maud (I had a grandmother named Maude, but I named my doll after Irish poet W.B. Yeats’ muse, Maud Gonne).

My Maud needed something a little offbeat but still classy. Did I free her from bad wedding style?

Click here to decide for yourself.

LJ Runway Monday: The Sky’s the Limit (PR 6:7)

On the seventh episode of Project Runway, the designers were asked to create two looks in blue that could be part of Macy’s INC. collection. The designers were given an INC. dossier before they sketched their designs.

I, of course, didn’t see this dossier, but I did Google INC.’s line, and… How shall I say this tactfully? I was underwhelmed. There were a lot of leggings (UGH), odd late-seventies patterns and embellishments that reminded me of middle-aged priests out of their vestments, along with three-quarter-length sleeves, and… Okay, I’ll just say it. INC. brought the dull! There was hardly any dress or separate that would make me stop and look at it hanging on the rack with a sigh of pleasure or a grab for my Macy’s card.

Did this mean I should design something that might have hung in Macy’s a couple of years ago and could now be found in Ross or Marshall’s? I’m not criticizing those retailers, because I love a bargain as much as the next person. But as Lynne often says, just because you can find it cheap and in your size doesn’t mean you should wear it.

To liven up the challenge for myself, I decided to look among my fabrics for things that would be a little playful and maybe retro, since on a recent trip to Macy’s, I fell into a time machine that took me back to the 1970s. Staring at the racks, I expressed a wish to Tim that I could be thin again so I could wear those clothes. Then I hid the hash pipe and ate a bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos and a box of mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. I’M KIDDING! I get my substances from a pharmacist with a prescription, like everybody else.

Wait. What was I talking about?

Bad Me

I’ve kind of sucked at updating, and it’s not because I’m having a bad week. In fact, I’ve personally had a great week, just busy. It began with a physical on Monday, so okay, the tetanus shot–not so great, as my arm is still sore. But I’ve put in gym time, been taken to lunch by Kathy, shared fun TV with Tim, Tom, and Lynne, and had a riotous time with the dogs. I got a great e-mail from my friend Steve C (which I SO need to answer) and had my usual hilarious phone calls with Jim. I have a very cool gift on the way from my sister. =)

Lynne came over Thursday night for Survivor, Project Runway, and dinner, so I got to spend the day with Sparky and Minute (she drops them off on her way to work when we get together for Survivor night). She brought me some new sunflower serving dishes for no reason except she knew I’d like them. Lindsey brought me lunch on Friday and hung out while I finished my first design for this week’s runway challenge, then she, Rhonda, and Sugar came over for steak night, always a good time. They and Tim helped me name some of the new dolls that have found their way onto The Compound. And Tom, Lindsey, and Rhonda got to play with the Barbies’ Ninja motorcycles–how many people can say they did THAT on Friday night?

I worked for five hours on a post the other day, then realized that probably no one cares what I have to say on the bizarre range of topics I covered, so I never posted it.

At the beginning of September, I was in Target, and walked through the toy aisles, as always. (I don’t hunt dolls there–they rarely have the kinds of dolls I’d buy myself–I just enjoy looking at all toys across both genders and all ages.) As I was looking at JAKKS Pacific’s Juku Couture dolls (if you say “Juku Couture” really fast it sounds like you should be saying “I am the walrus” in front of it) and Spin Master’s LIV dolls, I spied some things that made me happy.


All kinds of kits for hair, make-up, accessory, and fashion design, including Project Runway design challenges. I would have loved to have had one of those little wooden models for figure drawing when I was a kid. I think it’s so cool that some future artist or designer might get her or his beginning with one of these kits. Anything that fosters creativity in children has my approval.

This is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so you’ll probably be seeing a lot of my Top-Models-in-Pink user pic. Please don’t forget to self-test monthly, get mammograms as recommended for your age and risk factors, and if you can, donate or find other ways to support research for breast cancer. Thanks!

LJ Runway Monday: Lights, Camera, Sew! (PR 6:6)

On the most recent episode of Lifetime’s Project Runway, the designers were asked to choose from one of five film genres: film noir, period piece, western, sci-fi, or action-adventure. They had to create a look for their model as if she were an actress cast in that genre. For the first time, it was okay for the designers to create a costume.

Of course, I was horrified. Come up with a character? A story? What?!? Oh, yeah. That’s what I do, isn’t it? I knew exactly which of my models to use for this challenge: Meggie, because her original name, Maggie, came from one of the first characters I created when I was but a ‘tween, who just happened to be–an actress!

Please click here to find out how I cast Meggie.

Birthstone Barbies bring the vintage

With one exception as noted, all of these were gifts to me from Nancy J’s collection. Taking into account her age when I met her, that would date them from the early 1960s.


Patricia in a dress of lace and satin-finished silk that may have been hand-sewn.


Katie in a cotton dress that I believe was manufactured, though it has no tag.


Dandy in a lace and satin-finished polyester bridal dress that was manufactured in the late 1960s, though I don’t think it’s Mattel. This was probably the last Barbie dress bought for me by my mother.


Olivia wearing a cotton dress that’s untagged. If it was hand-sewn, it was exceptionally well made.


Emily’s cotton dress edged in ribbon was probably manufactured, perhaps for a Tammy or similarly-sized doll.


Lily’s silk dress is untagged, but I think it was manufactured and may even be a Mattel dress.


Ava’s dress of thick but sheer cotton eyelet was almost certainly hand-sewn. It may have been a remnant from another sewing project such as curtains or a table runner.

LJ Runway Monday: Fashion Headliners (PR 6:5)

On the most recent episode of Lifetime’s Project Runway, the designers were taken to a plant where the Los Angeles Times is printed and assembled. They were directed to stuff plastic bags with copies of the newspaper, which would be their fabric for the design challenge. When they returned to the workroom, they were also given colored markers, dyes, glue, and tape along with their regular sewing supplies.

Not being in LA and needing only a 1:6 scale for my design, I opted to grab a copy of the Houston Press, the source of information on all that’s happening in the arts in the Bayou City.

I originally chose Rita as my model for this week’s design because of the green streaks in her hair. Just in case I ended up with only black-and-white newsprint, I felt I needed some color. But as I examined the paper, I decided to use mostly the color ads because, when cut, they reminded me of the Sunday comics. The effect I wanted: Rita as a new super hero, “The Green Goddess.”

And then what happened?

Hump Day Happy

People send me dolls.

That should be read as a statement of fact, not as if I’d written the command, “People, send me dolls!” Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

As I’ve explained before, many of my dolls are gifts. Whether they’re beloved dolls from a person’s collection that she (or he) donates to me so that I can include them in Beck’s Museum of Dolls, Dolls, Dolls in the Attic!, or dolls that people find discounted or for sale in a thrift store or online, my doll population grows. I’m not complaining about that AT ALL. I love them, from the most battered, dog-gnawed Skipper to the priciest designer Barbie never removed from her box.

These two Birthstone Barbies are recent additions to the collection. Mattel used the Model Muse body for them, and in Becky World, that can mean only one thing–you’ll eventually be seeing them wearing my designs. As models, they get names. Since amethyst is my sister’s birthstone and aquamarine is mine, I decided they should have names that are meaningful to us (and likely to no one else). Thus the redhead with the amethysts is now “Katie” and the blonde with the aquamarines is “Dandy.”

Here’s another gorgeous beauty. With apologies to those of you who love your super heroes, I’m not acquainted with many details beyond those most commonly known. So I don’t have a lot of inside scoop on Dinah Drake or Dinah Laurel Lance, the mother and daughter whose alter egos have been the “Black Canary” dating from 1947. What I do know is that this is one sizzling Barbie, and she got even hotter when she borrowed Christina Aguilera’s shiny pants and teamed up with…


The Harley Barbies! These were provided by one of my favorite motorcyclists/writers, Linda Raven Moore, who wrote the wonderful A Little Twist of Texas (which I once reviewed here). For a while, the Harley Barbies were misplaced within the mysterious labyrinth of the postal system, but now they’re free to ride. Today they’re ready to wheel their way through the pages of the happiness book just for you. All you need to do is comment with a page number between 1 and 611, and another number between 1 and 25. Happy trails!

LJ Runway Monday: What a Woman Wants (PR 6:4)


On the most recent episode of Project Runway, the designers were asked to create an eye-catching look for their models. The models had input into the designs because they were to wear the final outfits to an industry event. The model’s appearance should help her stand out, but not overwhelm her, as she socialized with people from the fashion industry who might want to book her for modeling assignments.

My model for this challenge was Tanya. For some bookings, Tanya’s look might be problematic because of the red streaks dyed into her hair. Tanya said red is her power color and the streaks are her trademark; she didn’t want a hairstyle that would hide them. She acknowledged that her hair might limit her to funky or quirky fashions, so for this event, she wanted a design that was crisp, tailored, and elegant, with maybe a touch of whimsy, to show that her look is versatile. Having seen some of the designs I created for Summer last season, she suggested that I give her “the Grace Kelly goddess treatment.”

Did I succeed?
Click here to judge for yourself.

LJ Runway Monday: Rumble on the Runway (PR 6:3)

In the third episode of Project Runway, the designers were taken to the beach to meet women surfers. They were then asked to create a design inspired by surf fashion. After they’d already begun work, the designers were presented with a surprise challenge. They had to create a second look as a companion to their first–but this one had to be avant garde.

Want to know what I designed? Read on!

After clicking here, please.