Project Runway Scorecard - Season 14 Episode 8: Broadway or Bust

First: I love musicals. Doesn't mean I like all of them, but I do enjoy them. Haven't seen one live in years, though. Just thought I'd share that tidbit. Now you know something else about me. (◕ᴗ◕✿)

Okay, now on to Project Runway. Episode 8, "Broadway or Bust", brought excitement, glee (yup, I said it), tears, singing, and Tim's furrowed brow. Ah, Tim...you tried warning them SO many times. At least most of them listened to ya'.

Have no idea what I'm talking about? It's too much to write so, as always, I've included it in this week's Project Runway vodcast followed by the slideshow and scorecard :

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Dream Boards vs Vision Boards

Notice where “Dream Boards” is? Now look at where “Vision Boards” is. 

Years ago I made (notice how I didn't use the word “created?) a dream board. I thought about what I would like to have. A car (not a new one, anything that had four wheels that I could sit in and drive was good enough), a dressform (I can make a flat pattern but ever since Project Runway started I wanted to learn draping), a trip back home (CT-native here), among other things. I knew some things were out of reach, actually I felt ALL things were out of reach, but I put up my board anyway….I don’t really remember where. My dream board was more of a decoration than anything else, though. This year, I decided I would CREATE a vision board. Isn't it the same thing? No, dear friend, it is not…at least not in my case. Let me tell you why.

Dream Boards

When I first started looking into dream boards (I think I heard about it on some TV show and looked into it), it said to put pictures of things you would like and post them up where you could see. No matter how big or how small. Seeing those images daily would (or it’s supposed to) help you achieve those dreams. Simple enough, isn't it? That’s what I thought.

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Project Runway Scorecard - Season 14 Episode 7: Haute Tech Couture

Fashion? ✔  Old tech? ✔   Me geeking out? ✔✔✔

"Haute Tech Couture" was the second unconventional challenge of the season and, I must say, much more interesting than "Shut Up and Sew". As soon as I saw that dumpster full of VHS tapes, keyboards, wires...oh, that was just heaven for a crafting hoarder geek.

Enjoyable episode, even my partner got into it, with a sad segment (at least for us). Jake decided to resign because his dog had to be put to sleep and he wanted to be there. Totally understandable. Pets sometimes become part of the family and they mean a lot. Being on Project Runway is an awesome opportunity that any designer would want to have, but I totally understood him wanting to leave. I would have done the same thing. I know some people see pets as animals, but only owning one do you understand that they are much more than that. After a tearful good-bye, the remaining nine designers carried on to some pretty interesting designs. Except Swapnil. OMG. Swapnil just wasted time and it showed in his work:

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Digital Art - Thoreau Motivational Quote Freebie

If you're new to the blog, then you may not know I love creating. I love making accessories out of different media and crafting with my king, of course. But being honest, even though I am quick to pull out my crafting tools and supplies I'm not as quick to put them away. It's why sometimes I like to create on the computer. I enjoy playing around in Photoshop. (that's an affiliate* link, btw)

I have been playing around with digital art and learning different techniques. With this one I was playing around with putting some text on a path. As you can see in this time-lapse video, I first tried with a motivational quote that was a little too long, but then I found this one from Henry David Thoreau that sort of fit the emotional state I've been going through lately. In the video you'll also see I originally had some stars underneath the circles (my favorite shape).

I DID mean to have them in there but I turned off the layer to do the stars on the top and I never turned it back on, completely forgetting them. Not rare. I'm usually creating and running around after a certain little someone so there's always something I'm bound to forget.(＾ᗨ＾✿) Speaking of, he ALWAYS helps me out. Even when I'm making jewelry he always takes part (which is why they also include his "signature"). With this Thoreau digital art, he was the one to choose the color palette.

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Project Runway Season 14 Scorecard: Episode 6 - Lace to the Finish

The client is...HEIDI!!! I love it when Heidi's the client. I love Heidi Klum. LOVE her. She has always been such a goofball. It's why I loved she was hostuing Project Runway and why I thought it was awesome for her to get on America's Got Talent as a judge. Basically, if she's coming out on TV for whatever, I'm watching it. LOL

And every time Project Runway has a chellenge in which the client is Heidi...I love it. She is no joke tough. Or maybe I should say, she is all joke tough. She will make fun of whatever you design and let you know you are going in the wrong direction. All without hiding funny faces or scowls. In "Lace to the Finish", Edmond thought she was jokling when she called him Captain Tacky. No darling, she is very serious. LOL

Here is the vodcast for episode six's recap. Remember to scroll down for this episode's slideshow:

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Whole Wheat Eggless Pancakes Recipe with Vegan Option

After I found out I was pregnant, I made changes to the way I ate. I cut down on fast foods (YOU tell a pregnant woman NO when she’s craving some fried chicken), started eating more veggies (in quantity and types), and started using whole wheat flour instead of my regular white one. We also (almost completely) cut out processed foods.

After giving birth, I kept my eating habits. Not to say I eat completely healthy. I may not have a sweet tooth, but I have a salty one. (Pretzels and popcorn are my downfall and I don't think there will ever come a day when I give them.) I always liked cooking from scratch, but I had the few recipes I would always do over and over for myself. Once baby was here, I started looking into how I could make from scratch the boxed foods my partner bought for himself because I wanted my king to have more options than I usually give myself.

One of the easiest (and most fun) recipes to make is my whole wheat eggless pancakes. This came from a day I REALLY wanted pancakes but didn't have any eggs. It took some trial and error to get them just the way my king and I liked, but now it comes naturally to both of us. And I just LOVE making it with him (although he gets a little desperate waiting for the end result once the mix is ready. LOL)

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Project Runway Season 14 Scorecard: Episode 5 - Gunn and Heid

A trip to a paintball park and...ANOTHER TEAM CHALLENGE! This one went far better that the first Project Runway team challenge for season 14. After a little revenge on the field from Ashley, the designers were tasked with creating a mini collection consisting of six looks (one each).

I was still upset with Joseph because of the way he treated Merline during the "Shut Up & and Sew" episode (although better than how Hanmiao treated Edmond...maybe not), but he definitely nailed it when he criticized the girls for how they chose their team. As Tim would say, it was to their detriment.

Check out the Project Runway recap with the episode's slideshow after the jump:

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Toddler Craft - Paper Roll Tube Binoculars

I love creating and crafting. I always hoped if I had a kid he or she would be into making, too. It's why I had my king doodling as soon as he was able to hold things with his hands. Know what? He LOVES it!

We're always either building things out of blocks and/or boxes or we're drawing, coloring, painting, etc. Whatever we're in the mood to when the urge to play and create comes up. Sometimes, I steer a bit. Like a canvas I had him do the background on (he went to crazy on that) and like on this project. I said to him we were going to do something and started prepping the paper roll tubes. He loves painting and although he helped paint them white, he then insisted on using only markers to decorate them.

I'm slightly hoardish. (¬_¬✿) This is possibly part of the crafter in me, but I just don't like creating so much waste so I save some stuff for "later use". (◠ᴗ◕✿) My partner sometimes pokes fun at me, but when he's working on something and he's missing something...guess who he asks? Yup. The hoarder. (＾ᗨ＾✿)

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Project Runway Season 14 Scorecard: Episode 4 - Fashion Flip

Take an iconic fashion design and put your own modern twist on it. It sounds like a REALLY fun challenge and not a very hard one. This season's Project Runway designers used the t-shirt, the jersey, the wrap dress, among others. Some DID put a modern twist on it.  Others? Nooooot so much. (＾ᗨ＾✿)

It was a hard watch, I won't lie. So because of that, directly to the vodcast this time and THEN the episode's slideshow (with notes and results...although the vodcast has the results in it too):

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9 Ways To Take Part In Breastfeeding

Before I gave birth to my king, my plan was to breastfeed. My partner was on board from the beginning. There were various reasons for this decision. It’s more economical, it’s less hassle (referring to the carrying of formula and bottles in the baby bag), and it’s better for baby. I went to breastfeeding classes which I was very happy with. I read online about other women who breastfed. I was completely prepared. When I had him and first went to breastfeed I knew I had it in the bag.

Have I told you I’m a first time mom? Well, yes. I am. So that whole “had it in the bag” thing? Yeah…not quite as easy as I thought it would be. I mean my thinking was “grab hungry baby, position him like you learned, grab the boob, stroke to encourage mouth open, and pop it in. EASY.” It may have been easy the first time. I sat there for a while. But he was drinking his milk while I just looked at him thinking “wow, I just had a baby” so I didn’t really know how long I was there. The second time went the same. And that’s about all the “easy” there was.

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Project Runway Season 14 Scorecard: Episode 3 - Shut Up & Sew

If an unconventional challenge isn't a Project Runway designer's worst nightmare, then it's a team challenge. (＾ᗨ＾✿) Tsk, tsk, tsk. This is when you find out which people do not know how to work with others. "Shut up and Sew", season 14's third episode, was no exception.

If you didn't know by now, not only is he on my "Grin" side of the scorecard but I have a thing for Edmond. (◕ε◕✿) This episode was a hard one for him. I really felt bad. We also got to see Joseph's d!c& side. Not cool at all. Here's the slideshow "Shut Up and Sew" (including my notes AND the results form the show):

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Six Paying Work At Home Jobs

As I mentioned in a previous post, I hate those ads which say you can make hundreds of dollars in one day. You either have to pay some sort of fee "for more info" and/or it requires you to "build your team" (read: find other suckers). I feel the same about MLM that require team building and sales. With those, it comes to a point that everyone and their mother seems to be selling the same things. It was like Avon and Mary Kay back in the day. Then there are sites that "pay" for writing posts. These say they will pay, for a example, a penny per view but when you go into the site it just seems so spammy in itself that who would really want to visit it? So, it's more work than writing to bring traffic to that site. And I won't even go into the deceptiveness called Wasanga.

What I dislike hate about these things is that they are usually targeted towards stay-at-home-parents. I know first hand that feeling of wanting to bring in some sort of income, even if it's small. I can understand why some of these sites seem interesting and like it would be worth your time. I originally signed up for a site called Bubblews which apparently stopped paying after a while. I also signed up for sites DailyTwoCents and Writedge. I must admit the admin there are on the other side of the spectrum from those at Bubblews. They are constantly letting their writers know what is going on with the company and always give tips on writing and how to get traffic to your post on their site. the reason I haven't been as active on these sites is that, as a reader, I visit the site and when I'm reading the article there is a lot coming at you and it's kind of "hectic" to get to the comments area. As a writer, I feel there are way too many opportunities for a reader to navigate away from the page. And don't get me wrong, i know these sites live off of ads (I have my share of buttons on the side) but I think they take up a lot of space. Their payout minimum is low compared to other sites, so although I haven't reached payout, if you're interested in writing for pennies (it's what I call it) it's something you may want to check out. They also have other sites related to the same company with different areas of interest. But for this post, I want to share some WAH jobs I have done AND have gotten paid. These are the ones I trust and fully recommend.

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Project Runway Season 14 Scorecard: Episode 2 - It's All in the Cards

An unconventional challenge. The challenge type most designers are afraid of. The challenge type most designers seem to have never heard of before getting to Project Runway. The challenge type I feel leave some designers sleeping in a fetal position. (＾ᗨ＾✿)

Season's 14 first unconventional challenge was not a complete a trainwreck...but it had some surprises in there. Some good, some bad, one with the usual mistake that the eliminated designer makes, and one...one awesome, awesome creation. If you haven't seen the episode remember, the slideshow contains my notes AND the results form the show:

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Puerto Rican Sarata Recipe

I was born and raised in the states to Puerto Rico-born parents who met in the states.  My dad was born in a suburban type town in Puerto Rico while my mom was born in a rural one.  Like in the states, although they spoke the same language there are a lot of regionalisms they heard from each other.  One day we were in a mini-market and my mom asked the gentleman behind the cash register for a popeta.

My mom was always a clown type of person and my dad, although he liked having his fun, was more serious. Anyway, my dad sternly said her name and gave her a look. She paid him no mind and asked again. This time he was clearly upset and asked if she could have some respect. My mother had no idea what he was talking about. She explained she wanted that wrapped vanilla ice cream that came in a waffle cone with hardened chocolate and nuts on a flat top. I remember my dad just looking at her. I could tell he didn't know if she was being serious or not. The gentleman behind the cash register didn't know what she wanted either until she explained.

Later that night, my uncle (from my mom's side) came over. She took out her ice cream cone and asked him 'What is this? What is this called?' He answered, "Una popeta." She told him what happened and my dad explained that where he's from popeta means something COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. They had some laughs and I just thought Spanish was so weird.

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Project Runway Season 14 Scorecard: Episode 1 - Mad Dash Mayhem

SEASON 14! WOO-HOO!!!

Okay, not as exciting as some of the previous season openings, but that's okay. I love this show anyway.

Filling out my scorecard was pretty easy. Maybe easier than I thought it would be since I chose so many of them. I don't know. Most of these fashion designers don't seem up to par with designers from previous Project Runway seasons. If they were to compete in an All-Stars, they'd probably be eliminated. Well, most of them at least....I have my faves. (◠ᴗ◕✿)

As soon as those designs walked down that runway, I knew who was going to leave. A sad departure for that cutie. Did you see them? Spoiler alert if you haven't: the photos in the slideshow not only have notes made by me, but also the results of the episode:

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Celebrate the Baguette with These Recipes

On September 13 1993, France passed a law that stated that for a baguette to be considered as such it must be made in the same place as it is sold, it must use only four ingredients (flour, salt, baker's yeast, and water), and it should at no moment be frozen.

For this 22nd anniversary, those at Google shared this Doodle with us (which is how I found out about this).

The baguette is known for it's long shape and crispy crust. It reminds me of the "pan de agua" in Puerto Rico (which is also made of the same four ingredients). Personally, I love bread. I haven't had a baguette in over 20 years, but we had "pan de agua" (water bread) about two weeks ago. We've eliminated white bread from our diets almost completely, but you have to understand..."pan de agua" is sooo delicious. If you've had baguettes, then I'm sure you understand why I give in at times. (◠ᴗ◕✿)

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Fantasy Project Runway Season 14 Scorecard

It's baaaaack!!! Just in case you haven't read this post I wrote last year, here's a quick excerpt-intro on what's back:

Aaaaahhh…it’s that time of the year again. No. Not the holidays (although I LOVE that season). IT’S PROJECT RUNWAY TIME!!! (No, I am not decked out in a Betsy Johnson dress and Giuseppe Zanotti shoes, but I absolutely LOVE this show). My love started ten years ago. I was sitting in my living room flicking channels with my boyfriend when I came across a scene of some people cutting fabric on tables. I stopped. I wondered, ‘What are they doing? What is this? Is this…sewing?”

My boyfriend was talking to me. I don’t know about what. Then, I saw one of the people on the TV run to a room…FULL OF SEWING MACHINES. Then I asked myself, out loud, “OH MY GOD! WHAT THE H#77 IS THIS?! THEY’RE SEWING! IS THIS FASHION DESIGN? WHAT IS THIS?” I cannot tell you what was my boyfriend’s reaction. He sort of was no longer there once I saw the sewing machines. I mean, physically he probably was, but I have no idea.

That was maybe the 1st or 2nd episode of the first season of an awesome addiction of mine. I’ve done it all: Project Runway, Project Runway:All Stars, Project Accessory (which I really enjoyed), and Under the Gunn. I’m surprised I haven’t set out to see the international Project Runway shows. {Are those episodes online? Hmmm…}

I've been a huge fan of the show for a while. I've done a sort of fantasy Project Runway for a few seasons now. I decided to start sharing them with you this year (and to start doing recaps). I wish I could say I have a couple of favorites right out the gates but I can't ever seem to narrow it down. (＾ᗨ＾✿)

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Bear With Me

I've been struggling with some issues and taking workshops on what I could do and working on my projects, but I didn't really share. Sometimes because of a lack of time to get things finished and sometimes because, ...honestly? I felt a little down. Like my goal sort of seemed farther away.

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