Project Runway Fashion Challenge: What Will iCarly wear?

We admit it: we LOVE the television show Project Runway. We are inspired by all of the gorgeous designs and enjoy trying to create runway looks of our own.

We were most excited about our Project Runway challenge that Siena's mom and dad created for us. "Tim Gunn" (Siena's mom!) announced our challenge: "iCarly" (our model) would be attending a 1960s-themed party and it was up to us to create her gown! We had a half-hour to research and sketch her outfit and an hour to make a finished garment.

First we did a little research on fashion in the 1960s. We found that bright colors, like pink, purple and bright blue were very fashionable. Our design for iCarly was inspired by flower children and "hippie" styles.

Siena was responsible for using the sewing machine and sewing the garments. Julie did most of the fitting and styling.

As our time limit came near, we learned that there was a twist! We had to create a "dog-a-licious" costume for iCarly's dog! We only had 15 minutes left!

Siena had a plan: she decided to re-sew a cape we were making for iCarly and use it instead for her dog. Siena added a button and a button-hole, and a bright blue flower that matched iCarly's dress.

With no time spare (and a few extra minutes), we walked the runway:

The judges were impressed!

The Case of the Missing Treasure: A Nancy Drew-Style Mystery!

Some of our favorite books are Nancy Drew Mysteries. Julie read them all the time when she was 7 (a long time ago), and Siena enjoys reading them now with her mom and dad.



We decided it would be a lot of fun to make a Nancy Drew mystery for Siena's parents. They were given clues to find a missing treasure: a voucher for a delicious homemade dessert of their choice!


The first thing we decided to do was to figure out where we were going to hide the clues. We made a list of sneaky hiding places:



Then, we wrote clues on small pieces of pieces of paper and hid them all around the house.


Then we made "the treasure," hid it in the back yard, and waited for the mystery-solving to begin.



It was VERY VERY VERY VERY HARD for Siena's parents to find all of the clues. They couldn't always find the clues on the first try.



However, after much searching, they finally solved the mystery and found the treasure!

Flowers and Photos

On a sunny Tuesday afternoon, we went  to the Botanic Gardens in Brooklyn for a photo shoot using a digital camera. We took lots and lots of photos of flowers, fountains, and even rocks! 

The bright pink rose above has hundreds of petals.

These flowers are a beautiful shade of pink and it looks like there are a lot of pretty tiny flowers that combine to make one large bloom.  If you know what kind of flower it is, leave us a comment! 

We met lots of other friends along the way, including a huge caterpillar. 

This friend was in a fountain up to his waist in 

water and moss--he was tending to the floating lilly pads! 

If you would like to see the rest of our photos from the day, click here: http://picasaweb.google.com/julie.rulyak/SienaProject081208

Photos: Siena 

Photos of Siena (and flowers that were out of reach): Julie

Let's get this party started!

Today, we started getting ready for two parties that are just around the corner! We're preparing for a luau (a Hawaii-themed party) in Siena's backyard and Siena's Olympics-themed birthday party in September.



First, we had do a little shopping for some art supplies. (Tip for Brooklynites: we found Target, Party City, and Park Heights Stationers very helpful!). We may have gotten distracted for a moment and tried on some silly sunglasses...

...but after our shopping trip we got to work, making decorations and invitations for both parties.

One of our invitations features a pop-up flower. They are really easy to make. All you need is a paper flower or two (you can use a pre-made construction paper flower or draw one and cut it out!), some additional sheets of paper (any that you like will do), and double-sided tape.

Cut a stip of paper into a rectangle about two inches long and a half an inch wide. Fold the paper twice into a Z shape (kind of like an accordian) and tape one side to a sheet of paper. Make sure that the tape only covers the surface of the "accordian" (otherwise your flower won't pop). Place a piece of double-sided tape on the other side of the accordian and then lay your flower on top of it. The flower should be "bouncing" off the surface about the paper, about a quarter of an inch high. If you don't get the bounce you want, you can add another accordian to help help hold the flower up.

Happy flower-making!

Spa-aaaah Day at Home

We decided that it would be fun and relaxing to have a spa day, where we made all our own spa products!



We made...

• honey and sugar lip scrub


• an avocado and oatmeal face mask (We don't recommend this one! Kind of messy!)


• a sea salt foot scrub with vitamin E oil and lavendar essential oil


• cucumber eye mask


• a foamy face scrub

The picture below shows most of the things you'll need to make these products.




We had a lot of fun making these products! Here are two of our favorite recipies for your own at-home spa!

Honey Sugar Lip Scrub

In a small, airtight container, combine:

• 2 tsp petroleum jelly (Vaseline)


• 2 Tsp white sugar


• 1 BIG squirt of honey

Mix well and apply to lips. Rub lips together and resist the urge to eat the scrub (Siena thinks a small taste won't hurt!). Wipe off with wet cloth.

Sea Salt Foot Scrub (also makes a great foot soak!)

In a medium bowl, mix together:

• 1/3 cup sea salt
• 2-4 drops lavendar essential oil
• 1 tablespoon vitamin E oil

Mix together. Now mix it some more. Apply to feet and scrub with hands, a pumice stone, or loofah. Leave on for about to minutes while scubbing. Rinse feet with warm water until no salt grains remain. Do not eat this one!

Enjoy!

Welcome to our new blog!

...where we'll report on all our sunny summer time adventures, and maybe even inspire you to take some of your own!




Meet the bloggers:



Siena, 7
Siena lives in Brooklyn and she likes monkeys and kitties a lot! In fact, she has a kitty named Caramel who likes to try and lick her nose (even though she can't reach it).

Siena enjoys cooking, reading stories with mommy and gaga, and singing opera with her friend Caroline.

Siena hopes you will try to do the projects that she and Julie are doing this summer.



Julie, 27
Julie lives in Manhattan and loves dogs (especially pugs!), singing (opera!), shopping, and spending time in the great outdoors. Most of the time, Julie works at Turtle Bay Music School in Manhattan, but she's really excited to spend time adventuring in the city with Siena!


Check back often to see what we're up to!