As you know, I'm a big fan of "Project Runway" and any spinoff of the show, such as "Project Runway All Stars," "Project Accessory" (I once posted a Q&A with one of the finalists), and now "Project Runway: Under the Gunn."
My favorite challenge is the unconventional challenge (I tend to be a bit unconventional myself sometimes), so I was excited to see the contestants making designs completely out of items found at the beach in last week's episode. Hayden and I were quite found of Sam's winning design, which we replicated with recycled paper (old wrapping paper scraps and a brown paper shipping bag) and blue painter's tape.
We also cut out a bunch of construction paper circles to create a paper dress similar to Oscar's runner-up design, but unfortunately, it didn't come out quite as tailored and sophisticated. At least we had fun making it, while watching "Team Umizoomi" and singing about our "super shapes."
Speaking of "super shapes," Hayden made this "Katy Perry Roar Dress" (as she calls it, since it looks like something she would have worn in that video) all by herself. She even put it on without any help from me.
We also made a fluffy pink Katy Perry-inspired dress together. Hayden was quite proud of the color-scheme she suggested (the original dress is either a cream or pale pink color), as well as her paper cutting skills.
Later, we made a paper flower ring to match.
Anyway, we just wanted to share with anyone who is still reading. I know we haven't been blogging much in the past couple months, but it's nice to check in with all of you every once and a while when we are inspired.
Is anyone else watching "Project Runway: Under the Gunn?" Does it inspire you?
We are so "Happy" (although that is a good song, too) that "Let It Go" from "Frozen" won Best Original Song at the Oscars last night, as well as being named Best Animated Feature Film. Hayden loves to sing it, as you can see in the photo above. I haven't been showing her face online lately, but since I knew she'd be seen in the following group shot, I made an exception (not to mention the fact that the one I tweeted with her face hidden looked a bit too much like something from "The Blair Witch Project").
#inspiredbyMayhem (the 4-year-old who makes paper dresses with her mom/posts them on Instagram), Hayden and I made this paper dress from "Frozen." Unfortunately, she opted to stay in her "Frozen" pajamas last night, due to the rain (which has turned into a ton of snow; yes, we are all snowed in today). At least she was still representing her favorite flick in our annual Oscar photo, while the rest of us dressed in character.
I dressed as Amy Adam's character from "American Hustle" and posed next to my Clark Kent hubby, who went with the hero theme of the evening (he is my "Man of Steel"). My son Jacob wasn't as psyched about wearing a costume, so he held a guitar and a cat (don't worry; it's a stuffed animal) like Llewyn Davis, while my dad opted to be Bruce Dern from "Nebraska" and Jack was Joaquin Phoenix from "Her."
My sister April and nephew Colin were also representing "Frozen." Colin found a way to make the snowman even cooler, while April took a more glam approach to her character.
My nephew Cameron had the whole Matthew McConaughey thing down, including his "alright, alright, alright." Here he is with his mom (my sister) Lori, who dressed as "Blue Jasmine."
Here is Lori again with her husband Darren, who took the group photo, rather than getting dressed up. He is a behind-the-scenes man.
My mom drew in some darker skinny eyebrows to be "Philomena."
My hubby and I posed for a pic ...
... but later I gave away his true superhero identity.
Oops! We forgot to use the red carpet, but Hayden and Colin made up for it.
As for the food, I brought freeze-dried strawberries in honor of "Gravity," as well as some "The Wolf of Wall Street"-inspired sushi (actually, I made California rolls, minus the rice, by filling hollowed out cucumbers with avocado, carrot and more cucumber) and raw vegan mini "burgers" (almonds, flax, beets, carrots, EVOO, balsamic vinegar, garlic, sea salt and other seasonings) on mushroom buns. Yum!
We also voted on who we thought would win the awards. Since we left before the end, I don't know who got the most correct (that's who gets to pick next week's Sunday dinner). Somehow I don't think it was me, but it still was a fun evening. How did you celebrate the Oscars?
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Since posting this morning, Hayden and I made another paper dress that we liked from the Oscar's red carpet. Lupita Nyong'o always looks amazing this awards season, and last night was no exception. She made our best dressed list.
Here is our paper interpretation of her look. It even moves well.
This is how we secured the paper with some ribbon, so she can wear it again. Have you tried making a paper dress? Who was your best dressed of the night?
I'm so excited about tomorrow, because it is the Academy Awards. You know what that means. I get to celebrate with my family/the usual Sunday dinner crowd in style. We'll be dressing up as characters from the nominated flicks, eating Oscar-inspired food, voting on the winners and enjoying the evening together, as we have for years. Remember last year's post?
Hayden can't wait, too, since she is a big fan of "Frozen" and its nominated song, "Let It Go." Just like every other little girl (let's make young and old a like, as well as some of the boys), she's been singing it everywhere we go. Sometimes we even change the words to "Let It Snow," although I think I've had enough of the white stuff around here.
In the movie, the sisters also sing about building a snowman, so we thought little raw vegan coconut "snowballs," served with carrots (every snowman needs a carrot nose) and chocolate chips would be perfect for the festivities tomorrow. Here's how we made our coconut "snowballs."
This recipe isn't an exact science, so feel free to make adjustments as you go. To start, put equal parts date paste and coconut oil in a food processor, along with some sea salt and vanilla. I believe I used about 4 Tbsp. of both the date paste and the coconut oil, as well as a sprinkling of sea salt and a Tbsp. of vanilla.
Next, add in some coconut flakes (please don't use the sweetened ones for this). I started with about a cup, and then added more as needed.
I processed the ingredients into a nice "dough," as seen here. I think I used about 1 1/4 cups of coconut flakes total.
Then, I formed the "dough" into one dozen equal-sized "snowballs" ...
... which I rolled in more coconut flakes.
The finished coconut "snowballs" can be chilled in the fridge until ready to serve. They sure look cute displayed, as shown, so you really can build a "snowman."
Now I need to figure out our attire. I actually have a dress-up outfit Hayden can wear to be a character from "Frozen," I think she wants to make one out of paper instead. Have you seen Mayhem, the 4-year-old who makes paper dresses with her mom (thanks April, for the link)? Hayden couldn't wait to start creating one of her own, as soon as she saw her.
Here is our first attempt at making a paper garment, which we easily taped together in a matter of minutes. The best part is that you can take it apart and reuse the paper to make another one (at least that is what we plan on doing, rather than wasting all of that paper). So fun to be #inspiredbyMayhem.
Anyone else excited about the Oscars? What are your plans?
