TAGGED! Liebster Award

TAGGED!!!

I have been graciously nominated for the Liebster Award thanks to Smaller Places.
The responsibilities associated with this award are as follows:

Thank the person who nominated you and link to their blog. (Check!)
Give your readers eleven random facts about yourself.
Answer the eleven questions from the person who nominated you.
Nominate eleven bloggers to receive this award.
Invent eleven questions for your nominees.

Eleven Random facts about myself:

1. The first clothes I ever made for my dolls were made of toilet paper. I was about 6 yrs. old at the time.
2. I placed 3rd in a girls' Judo competition at the age of 11.

3rd prize

3. When I turned 16 and began going to parties, my mother bought me 5 party dresses. After wearing each one to a different party, I told my mom I needed more dresses for more parties. She had the good idea to buy me a sewing machine instead! And that, my friends, is when I began sewing!
4. I'm a really good cook in French, Italian, American and Tex-Mex cuisines. I even bake my own bread for the holidays.
5. I love oenology (study of wine). My favorite: French Bordeaux (St. Emilion, St. Esthephe, Margaux).
6. I've had five different careers in fashion: model, illustrator, journalist, educator, consultant.

My illustration for Mode mag.

My illustration for Biba mag.

7. I started a doll collection of small baby and toddlers for my mother who was bedridden before she passed away. The dolls were placed in her bed to keep her company for those times when no one was in the room. Each one was named after a family member or neighbor. Each time we had to turn mom in the bed, the dolls also had to be rotated to the opposite side of the bed!

Mom's "other" family

8. Once, after a particularly bad day at the office, I skipped out early, bought myself a gooey, chocolate covered chocolate cream puff (une religieuse au chocolat) and ate it while watching the comedy film, "Car Wash" (1976). I can't tell you why, but I found this to be the most soothing way to deal with my stress!!!
9. There have been times when a "good idea" goes really bad. (The waxed paper transfer technique was a disaster and even jammed my printer!) Those are the times when it can take up to two weeks to post!!!
10. I use a lot of recycled fabric for my doll clothes. It's a nice way to remember a previously worn garment!
11. Throughout my career, I lived by the philosophy of my alma mater, "Be true to your work and your work will be true to you!" It's a fancy way of saying, "What you put in, is what you get out."

RESPONSES TO THE 11 QUESTIONS POSED

1. What's the oldest item in your immediate environment (room, house, office, up to you)?
Within reach of where I am typing this is a doll my mother gave to me when I was 18 months old for Christmas. Her name is Sandra. Originally her body was rubber, but as it had deteriorated (particular her hands and around her neck) I had to have her re-bodied.

Sandra, the matriarch

2. When has a project exceeded your wildest expectations? How?
When I first started collecting dolls and later began my blog I NEVER had intentions of doing menswear. Along the way, I diversified and was quite surprised to see how well this rendition of an Alexander Wang outfit turned out.

3. Chocolate: white, dark, milk, or none at all?

White and milk chocolate--but only Belgian or Suisse.

4. If you could have dinner with three fictional characters, who would they be?

No one. The person across from me must be as real as what's on my plate! On the other hand, I wouldn't mind kicking up my heels in any of the following make-believe situations: the glitzy parties featured in the 2013 version of "Great Gatsby," the "Toga party" in "National Lampoon's Animal House" (1977) or one of those back-in-time rendezvous depicted inWoody Allen's "Midnight in Paris" (2011)

5. What's your all-time favorite movie?

Cabaret (1972) with Lisa Minelli. Love the singing, the Bob Fosse choreography and how the story line is set and intertwined around an historical period of time (Germany just before WWII).

6. If you could choose a career other than your actual one(s), what would it be?

Broadcast journalism.

7. How many cats is the optimum number?

ONE!!!! Once I had two cats. I got a little tired of them fighting over me (literally on top of me) while I was still lying in the bed!!!

8. What is the most versatile tool in your arsenal?

Glue stick. Great for making good, clean hems or turning the edges down around the neckline in a flash. I use heat (iron) to set.

9. Winter person or summer person?

Summer person. However, I'm from a temperate zone so I need all four seasons to truly appreciate summer. After living four years in the tropics where it was always summer, I found myself missing the other 3 seasons.

10. What do you most wish you could organize properly?

Time for myself. The dolls and my blogs have completely taken over!!!

Catwalk as inspiration

11. What do you do to find inspiration?

For me, inspiration is everywhere--in nature, on the street, in magazines, store windows, memories of past fashion. I might see a flash of something on TV that will give me an idea. For example, recently I saw a photo of Amy Winehouse and fell in love with her hairstyle all over again. This inspired me to do the previous post on falls and hairpieces. All I need do is to look into my closet for inspiration (I've worn everything and everybody and could really open a store)! Nonetheless, I do keep very much abreast of the latest trends in fashion (shared here, of course.) Crafts come to play because much of today's fashion is driven by textiles & creative fabric treatments. I also consult the works of top fashion photographers for ideas on presentation. When I'm finished with an outfit, I pick a doll (from my "modeling agency") who I think will best embody the look, then I photograph her as though she were a real model posing for Vogue. When I've finished I hope that you, the viewer, will be seduced by the look, almost forgetting the model isn't human!!!