Each team received a different set of materials, wallpaper, window coverings, countertop samples, upholstery, etc. The theme for everyone was fairytales. The Little Mermaid:

Beauty and the Beast:

Thumbelina:

The Emperor’s New Clothes:

Cinderella:

Snow White:

Alice in Wonderland:
Rapunzel:

Jack and the Beanstalk:

Hansel and Gretel:

Peter Pan:

Maleficent:

What a fun day!

IIDA = International Interior Design Association organized this 5th annual “creative collaboration event” where local designers from the top Sacramento architectural and interior design firms turn architectural materials into chic fashion ensembles in just 3.5 hours. This fund-raising event benefited Sacramento’s Student Design Awards. Thais invited me to be a part of the team from LPAS, the firm she works for.

We met at Tsakopoulos Library Galleria on I St in Sacramento at 1:30pm for instructions,

followed by a mad dash to another room to select a pile of materials to work with.

The 12 participating teams were divided in half and sent to two large workrooms. The materials our team selected included burgundy upholstery fabric, gold carpet squares, beige diamond-pattern wallpaper (that looked a bit like leather), and white countertop sample tiles:

Marci, our fearless leader, #1 dress designer and sewer (I was second sewer and did exactly what she told me to do):

Those are “cupcakes” on the skirt made from the wallpaper and fiber strands of carpet and upholstery fabric.

Time for our model to get her hair and make-up done even while her jewelry was being fitted.

My sewing station is to the left while Marci worked to the right. 

This is Gretel (without Hansel) ready for the fashion show.

I had so much fun and this is closest I’ll ever get to a Project Runway-like event. (To my closest friends and family: if I’m ever bed-ridden and need to spend hours watching TV, please figure out some way for me to watch every episode of every season of Project Runway. I will be happy and entertained for many hours, I promise.)

I found a great coffee place and the friendliest person in Placerville: Molly at Roaring Road Coffee.

I always leave early enough to get a “medium non-fat decaf mocha no whip” to enjoy during the hour before Bike Club starts while I’m setting up the blacktop course on the playground.

Caroline is back from her Asian adventure. Caroline spent about 3 months touring Southeast Asia. I almost went with her on this trip, but when final plans were being determined last November, my mother became ill and all my attention went to her. A determined and brave Caroline went on her own. She recorded her adventure at wulzenadventures.blogspot.com if you’d like to check it out. We met at Raley Field in West Sacramento.

We started walking and talking,

and walking … past yoga groups,

steam engines in Old Sacramento,

and stand-up paddleboarders on the Sacramento River,

when all of a sudden, 3 hours had gone by and we were a few miles from our starting point. We turned around, headed back and talked about when we might get together again. We reached no decision on that last point, except that we WILL see each other again and, in the meantime, we will think and dream about when and where we might travel together. Someday.