No more trash talk about the size of Margot and Guinness, Mark G. Harris.

On the most recent episode of Lifetime's Project Runway, the designers had to create their looks in partnership with Campbell Soup's campaign to raise awareness and funds for the American Heart Association’s "Go Red For Women" movement. Their models this week were heart disease survivors, whose stories the designers found inspirational. The women would be wearing their dresses to a gala event to benefit heart health. The designs also became part of Campbell's "AdDress Your Heart" campaign, which has enlisted top fashion designers for the last four years to create the red dresses that are now symbols of women’s heart health.

I was unable to find any of the Campbell Soup fabric that the designers were encouraged to incorporate into their designs, but I did use elements of Campbell Soup's logo.

According to Summer's agent, she was already booked for a photo shoot for another client. Translation:



No problem; I actually didn't want Summer for this design. Instead, I chose Tanya as my model. Tanya is named for a woman who I still think of as my little sister. Although her primary health problem isn't her heart, she has struggled with a life-threatening, chronic illness from a very young age. Her refusal to let health issues daunt her, along with her humor and common-sense approach to life, taught me lessons as a teenager that I still use every day. My design is a tribute to her and to all strong women who deal with health challenges.

( And how does that design look? Please click here to see. )

Right now, I'm listening to the happy snores of a ten-year-old, a nine-year-old, and two eight-year-olds with full bellies. Bliss.

Today was adoption day for Scout's Honor, the animal rescue organization where Tim volunteers and through whom he fostered EZ, Tyson, Dexter, Maverick, and Pixie, with some overnights from several other dogs along the way. Once Tim adopted Pixie, putting the forever dog count on The Compound at four (including his Rex, and Tom's and my Margot and Guinness), I think we knew future fosters could probably be only for weekends and shorter visits.

Except...today he texted me a photo of a couple of little rescues whose mom could no longer take care of them. At eight years and eight pounds each--well, I have a soft spot for this breed. So for at least a time, until they either find a great foster setup or the ideal forever home, we'll hear the tiny clicking of mini-dachshund nails on the hardwoods again.

Meet Esther and Amber:

Margot and Guinness think they're pretty silly, but so far, everyone gets along.



They like to sleep on the dog bed on my office floor, but right now, they're burrowing UNDER a dog mattress inside the largest crate. To show that they don't sleep all the time, I made a minute-long video of the sisters at play. They are two very sweet little girls who any home would be lucky to adopt.

Overall, I'd say I really like this weekend a LOT better than the same weekend last year. In 2009, it was great to see Greg and have king cake, but this year, Tim is safe at home with Rex and Pixie and that's the best gift of all.

Because of the interest some of you have expressed, you can see a few photos of my "True Colors" paintings hanging at Té House of Tea by following this link to my Flickr set. After February, I'll have a link in my sidebar to a better view of the canvases. Of course, if you're interested in purchasing one or more of the paintings, I'll e-mail you clearer photos RIGHT NOW! =)

Like all paintings, they're more vivid in person than in photos--so you Houston folks need to go to Té! It's on the corner of Woodhead and Fairview in Montrose, and you couldn't ask for a better place to chat with friends, write, knit, play on the Internet, eat, and drink tea. I'll be spending a lot of time there this month, and if you want to hang out, let me know and we can arrange it.

The photos include shots of Tom, Tim, Lindsey, and Rhonda doing all the work. They, along with Lynne and Kathy S, have been the best cheering squad ever. Thanks, y'all!

From my artist's statement, this explains what I was doing with the series:

On each of the 18x24-inch canvases in the "True Colors" series, one 4x6-inch section is a solid color that gives the painting its name.
Though the other seventeen sections are different, they're connected by repeated colors and patterns. In this way, the paintings remind me of human diversity: We're different, but we're all connected.

I chose the name "True Colors" because I believe those of us living during the decades beginning in the 1980s will be judged by posterity not for our technology, our wealth, our art, or our governments. We will be judged by how we responded to first sufferers and fatalities in the AIDS epidemic: those people marginalized by poverty, color, and sexual orientation. It's through either the manifestation or absence of our compassion that we show our true colors.

We are different, but we are all connected.

Current Photo Friday theme: Surfaces

Seriously? If these dolls are the true 2010 Harley couple, I could probably resist the Barbie, but I MUST HAVE KEN. I think they're using the Twilight Edward face mold for this doll. Minus the sparkle on the paint job, of course. Team Ken!

For those who want to see how Meesh is meeting the weekly Project Runway challenges with style--and deriving one of her looks from one of my past designs!--you can see her high-end and affordable fashions right here. Tres chic!

Finally, what kind of person would get up in the morning, build a bridge, and risk the well-being of a unicorn named Charlie for YOUR happiness? Me, that's what kind. Please comment with a page number between between 1 and 611, and another number between 1 and 25, and a trio of unicorns will float through these pages to find you some happiness.

It's a bridge, Charlie!
A bridge that Becky constructed from toothpicks and burlap string!
She's an engineer, Charlie! A civil engineer made of hope and wonder!

(Note: I realize Charlie's in a perilous position due to the length of the bridge.
That's because between these books is not the bridge's real destination.
And also, everybody's a critic.)

I yanked this meme from asterapallas 'cause hers cracked me up. Emo poets, watch out!

Take the first line of the first twenty songs that play on your shuffled music (wherever your shuffled music originates). The first line of the twenty-first song becomes your title. Here's my poem--apparently I'm having girl trouble.

I'm Free to Do What I Want Any Old Time
by Becky and her iTunes

Green-eyed girl
Give me one more chance
What good is the dawn
Oh, it's been such a long, long time
At night it hits me cold

You want to give your love away
Walked out, goodbye
I give her all my love
Girls can wear jeans
It's quarter to three

All I know is the way that I feel
So you think you're a Romeo
Cain slew Abel
Moon River, wider than a mile
Trudging slowly over wet sand

Know it sounds funny
She'll let you in her house
Am I real?
Let me in here
When the night has come

And since I'm being poetic, occasionally (okay, twice, whatever, this is my LJ and I'll say what I want to) Mark G. Harris assigns poetry writing tasks to his friends. He finds a past blog entry we wrote and asks us to rewrite it--in verse. He last did this on November 2, assigning me this old post of mine from May 2008. November 2...which is...uh....three months ago today and...um...er....GREAT WRITING TAKES TIME, PEOPLE!

So without further ado--and note, Internet, that's ado, not adieu, but let me not interfere with your massacre of the language so that I can commence my own.

That Day You Got Your Nails Did


Lucy and Marilyn watched from the wall
That day you got your nails did
Madonna was hanging out, too,
But was all into herself
And couldn't be bothered with you

Each twitch from you became sound
In the nail tech's giggles
She clipped and filed and buffed
Around your nervous cuticles
Good theater, but you didn't let me pay

I drove your manicure to Starbucks
To wrap itself around a frappuccino and a Camel
We kept an eye out for handsome men
But got dirty dogs and a rainbow
We're soaking in it, Hardhat Boy

Closing time
Té House of Tea
Houston, Texas

On the most recent episode of Lifetime's Project Runway, the designers went to the American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In the Charles Engelhard Court, they were given a chance to look at ten mannequins dressed in garments from the curatorial department of the Costume Institute, including looks from Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Cristobal Balenciaga, Madame Grès, Claire McCardell, Norman Norell, Pauline Trigère, and other American and European fashion icons.

The designers were then broken into teams and given the task of creating a high-end signature look that would be appropriate among the ten iconic designs. After they'd sketched, shopped, and started sewing, the designers were presented with a twist. They had to create a second look that cost less and would be accessible to a mass market. Furthermore, their second look had to be derivative of the high-end look of one of the competing teams--without copying or pirating the original design. For their signature look, they went to Mood to shop for fabric with $500. For their derivative look, they were given $50 and a second trip to Mood.

Since I can't be part of a team and am not competing with other designers, I decided to take what I think is a high-end look in Timothy J. Lambert's final collection from the first season of Live Journal's Runway Monday. For both of this week's designs, I tapped into my vast collection of fabrics. But was I up to the challenge? And would Summer be available to model either of my looks?

As some of you may recall, Summer isn't just a model, she's also a college journalism student. According to her agent, she can't take any modeling assignments until she finishes a big school project.

Uh-huh. Translation:

Okay, Summer's out. But am I in?

( Please click here to see. )