Tim Gunn's Guide to Style

Tim Gunn's 10 Essential Elements

Tim Gunn is well-known as on-air mentor to designers on the Bravo Reality tv show Project Runway. His popularity on the show led to a spin-off show, Bravo's Tim Gunn's Guide to Style (Starting it's second season Oct.2!), as well as his book A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style.

On his show he helps fashion challenged woman to dress more stylish and to their body type.

Here are Tim's 10 Essential Elements that every women should own:

1. Basic Black Dress - The basic black dress has been around for a long time. It is often called the "Little Black Dress", and it's true that shorter skirts on the basic black dress, when they hit you in the right place, can be more flattering than a long black dress.

2. Trench Coat - The trench coat is one of the pieces that is both classic and currently a hot fashion item. Most any store sells this piece now. It is great for fall and you can pick it up in a wide range of lengths.

3. Classic Dress Pants - Although it doesn't say black, this is probably what you want to look for. Black is flattering on all figures and goes with everything.

4. White Shirt - The white shirt is a definite classic. But it can also come in many different styles to make it look trendy and not dated or like a man's piece of clothing. Find one that accentuates your best attributes and minimizes trouble spots. For example, if you have wide shoulders, stay away from large collars.

5. Jeans - Everyone has a pair of jeans, but does everyone have a pair of jeans that make them look great? The wider leg, low-rise jean style has been popular (and still is) but a narrower leg is coming back along with a higher waist, which eliminates the unflattering "muffin top" look.

6. Cashmere Sweater - This is one item probably not many people own. But including it forces people to buy a piece of clothing that is high quality and that is also a luxury item. Having a cashmere sweater in your closet is like giving a gift to yourself. And aren't you worth it?

7. Skirt - If you need dress pants then you also need a skirt. A skirt is womanly and can be flirty or businesslike. Nowadays women do not wear many skirts or dresses, which makes a lot of them fall into a rut of dressing sloppily or like men. See number 8.

8. Day Dress - Women also are not wearing as many dresses anymore. It was certainly liberating to go from the '50s when women wore dresses every day to wearing more practical pants for gardening, exercising, and so forth. But the dress does not have to be abandoned altogether. They can be very flattering, and there is nothing wrong with "dressing up" for daytime.

9. Blazer - The blazer sounds very masculine, but when you get the right one with a proper shape it is not. Women's blazers should follow the silhouette of a woman's body and accent the hourglass curve at her waist. It is also a perfect piece to put with the skirt or dress pants, and white shirt. Or make it casual with a pair of jeans.

10. Sweat Suit Alternative - As mentioned before, women wear fewer skirts and dresses these days. But some women have taken casual to the extreme and spend days on end in sweat suits. It is possible to be casual and comfortable without looking like a slob. Find a comfortable material (that's why this doesn't say jeans again – denim is not as comfortable as a nice soft cotton) that you would want to wear every day. It could be khakis, cords, a cotton dress, or much more.

Bonus: One Indulgent Trendy Item

Here's a few of my picks

Hope you watch the show and make it work....carry on.

Places to Go, People to See (NC #3)

Inner Peaks

Rock climbing is a fun and affective way to exercise. In the Charlotte area Inner Peaks is the largest, state-of-the-art, full service indoor climbing gym. They have been in operation since July, 1998.

Rock climbing is one of the fastest growing sports in America and offers an exciting & challenging mental and physical workout emphasizing strength, flexibility and endurance. They want our customers to get the most they can out of their climbing experience. That’s their our services are designed to meet your varying lifestyles.

At Inner Peaks you will learn to set goals improve your risk taking skills and increase your mental sharpness. All this while honing your body and enjoying new friendships built on the foundation of a shared experience.

Here’s some information about the gym:

8,000 square feet of seamlessly sculptured climbing wall reaching 25 feet high.
Forty top rope stations. Fifty rope stations in all.
Climbing terrain that ranges from beginning, moderate to advanced.
A teaching area with a multitude of uses, including training programs, kid’s climbing and birthday parties. This area offers privacy for first time climbers where veteran climbers will not be disturbed.
Tall, challenging lead climbs.
Exciting obstacles, such as arches and roofs, to develop skills needed for modern rock climbing.
Space for long traverses, opportunities to master delicate footwork as well as upper body strength.
3 long aesthetic cracks.
Subtle features to perfect face climbing ability and enhance balance.
An inviting bouldering area offering an opportunity to warm up and encourage the climbing community to grow.

Source: Inner Peaks

Left Brained or Right Brained?

Left Brain vs Right Brain

Definition: This theory of the structure and functions of the mind suggests that the two different sides of the brain control two different "modes" of thinking. It also suggests that each of us prefers one mode over the other.

Discussion: Experimentation has shown that the two different sides, or hemispheres, of the brain are responsible for different manners of thinking.

The following shows the diffences between left-brain and right-brain thinking:

Left Brain : Logical, Sequential, Rational, Analytical, Objective, Looks at Parts

Right Brain: Random, Intuitive, Holistic, Synthesizing, Subjective, Looks at wholes

Most individuals have a distinct preference for one of these styles of thinking. Some, however, are more whole-brained and equally adept at both modes. In general, schools tend to favor left-brain modes of thinking, while downplaying the right-brain ones. Left-brain scholastic subjects focus on logical thinking, analysis, and accuracy. Right-brained subjects, on the other hand, focus on aesthetics, feeling, and creativity.

How Right-Brain vs. Left-Brain Thinking Impacts Learning:

Curriculum--In order to be more "whole-brained" in their orientation, schools need to give equal weight to the arts, creativity, and the skills of imagination and synthesis.

Instruction--To foster a more whole-brained scholastic experience, teachers should use instruction techniques that connect with both sides of the brain. They can increase their classroom's right-brain learning activities by incorporating more patterning, metaphors, analogies, role playing, visuals, and movement into their reading, calculation, and analytical activities.

Assessment--For a more accurate whole-brained evaluation of student learning, educators must develop new forms of assessment that honor right-brained talents and skills.

Reading: Bernice McCarthy, The 4-MAT System: Teaching to Learning Styles with Right/Left Mode Techniques.

Try these fun quizzes to see if you are a lefty or a righty:

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22556281-661,00.html

http://www.angelfire.com/wi/2brains/test.html

http://similarminds.com/brain.html

Source: Funderstanding

News of the Weird

A Japanese farmer committed suicide by drinking the pesticide chloropicrin. During attempts to induce vomiting, toxic fumes put down 54 people. Twenty three were other patients, thirty one were hospital workers.

This brings new meaning to passing gas.

Mr. Angel Medina, 24, was found dead underneath a bridge in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in August, and in accordance with what his brother said were his longstanding wishes, he was embalmed in a standing position, in a corner of his mother's living room, for a three-day wake (wearing his Yankees cap and sunglasses). [Boston Globe-AP, 8-21-08]

Daily Charity

A Child's Hope Fund

Their mission is to help fight pediatric cancer, diabetes and hunger through medical and food programs, health education and emotional/spiritual support for children in nine countries endangered by disease, poverty, war and natural disaster. They deliver practical aid to the poor and oppressed, while also strengthening local charities, hospitals and churches to meet current needs and develop long-term solutions to problems.

How You Can Help

Your donations are greatly appreciated.You can mail a check or money order to:

A Child's Hope Fund

P.O. Box 131655

Carlsbad, California 92013

Speak to your Human Resources Department where you work and inquire if they have a matching gift program. Most large corporations have these set up. For evey dollar you give, they match the donation.

Resource: A Child's Hope Fund

A Halloween Wedding

It's refreshing to see a Halloween wedding that is chic fun and beautiful and not dark, goth and gloomy.

Or how about this Victorian-Gothic Sleepy Hollow Masquerade inspiration I found from Snippet & Ink? It is so whimsical, daring and could work perfectly for the right couple.

Resources: Tastefully Entertaining and Snippet & Ink

Places to Go, People to See (NC #2)

Scarowinds

On the North Carolina/South Carolina border, adrenaline-seekers find frightening nights during Scarowinds’ eighth season at Carowinds amusement park. This year’s Halloween treats feature six haunted mazes and approximately 300 monsters lurking around every dark corner. The mazes include the Alien Annihilation, Final Summons and the Slaughter House. Guests will find more than 60 acres of hair-raising thrills and fearsome fun.

Brave souls who dare to enter the grounds of SCarowinds' Halloween Haunt will find gruesome haunted attractions, hundreds of monsters and a park full of hair-raising thrills and fearsome fun.

Purchase a Pre-Scare VIP Package for the killer price of only $59.99 per person. The package is available every night of SCarowinds. The purchase price applies to packages bought prior to 8am EST on the date of your visit. After 8am the price is $64.99 and must be purchased at the park prior to 5:30 pm.

The Pre-Scare VIP Package starts promptly at 5:30 pm and includes:
A VIP FearFeast served in our plaza pavilion until 6:30 pm. An all-you-can-eat buffet-style meal that includes Fried Chicken, Carolina Pulled Pork, Smoked Italian Sausages, BBQ Baked Beans, Fried Potato Crisps, Creamy Cole Slaw, Pumpkin Spiced Cake and Coca-Cola soft drinks. Alcoholic beverage available for purchase, to be enjoyed responsibly by guests 21 and older. ID required.

A private, escorted visit through at least two of our maniacal mazes beginning at 6:30 pm BEFORE SCarowinds opens to the public.

Early entrance into the entire park prior to opening at 7pm. Be one of the first in line at a terrifying maze or one of our petrifying rides

Hydrogen Fuel

For all of you who want to throw away your gas guzzler here is a great alternative: the hydrogen vehicle. The power plants of such vehicles convert the chemical energy of hydrogen to mechanical energy (torque) in one of two methods: combustion, or electrochemical conversion in a fuel cell.

In combustion, the hydrogen is burned in engines in fundamentally the same method as traditional gasoline (petrol) cars.

In fuel-cell conversion, the hydrogen is reacted with oxygen to produce water and electricity, the latter of which is used to power an electric traction motor.

Currently, hydrogen fuel cells are costly to produce and are fragile. Engineers are studying how to produce inexpensive fuel cells that are robust enough to survive the bumps and vibrations that all automobiles experience. Also, many designs require rare substances such as platinum as a catalyst in order to work properly. Such a catalyst can also become contaminated by impurities in the hydrogen supply. In the past few years, however, a nickel-tin catalyst has been under development which may lower the cost of cells.

Fuel cells are generally priced in USD/kW, and data is scarce regarding costs. Ballard Power Systems is virtually alone in publishing such data. Their 2005 figure was $73 USD/kW (based on high volume manufacturing estimates), which they said was on track to achieve the U.S. DoE's 2010 goal of $30 USD/kW. This would achieve closer parity with internal combustion engines for automotive applications, allowing a 100 kW fuel cell to be produced for $3000. 100 kW is about 134.

For more information try www.hydrogenhighway.com

The mission of HydrogenHighway.com is to:

• Excite the imagination of the American and world-wide public to envision a future in which the majority of our energy needs are provided by a clean, renewable resource.
• To encourage the support and development of hydrogen fuel cell technology and the infrastructure needed to create a hydrogen-based economy.
•To hasten consumer acceptance of these new technologies because they will result in a better future for us all.

Other Alternatives

PHEVs
ICE-based hybrid cars can be plugged into the electric grid (Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, or PHEVs) and achieve much higher overall gas mileage and lower emissions than other hybrids. A 2006 article in Scientific American argues that PHEVs, rather than hydrogen vehicles, will soon become standard in the automobile industry.

EVs
Electric cars, such as the General Motors EV2 are typically more efficient than fuel cell-powered vehicles on a well-to-wheel basis. As Technology Review noted in June 2008, "Electric cars—and plug-in hybrid cars—have an enormous advantage over hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles in utilizing low-carbon electricity. That is because of the inherent inefficiency of the entire hydrogen fueling process, from generating the hydrogen with that electricity to transporting this diffuse gas long distances, getting the hydrogen in the car, and then running it through a fuel cell—all for the purpose of converting the hydrogen back into electricity to drive the same exact electric motor you'll find in an electric car

News of the Weird

Recent Alarming Headlines

(1) "Elephant beats heroin habit with detox" (Reuters, 9-4-08) (Chinese poachers had spiked his bananas with heroin to control him).

(2) "Court grants injunction to stop woman cutting off man's penis" (Daily Telegraph, Sydney, 8-15-08) (He told the judge in Darwin, Australia, that to escape her pursuit recently, he had to hide in tall grass).

(3) "Police: Chihuahuas provoke baton attack on nude beach" (KGW-TV website, 7-28-08) (A naked beachcomber, 74, near Portland, Ore., may have overreacted to two Chihuahuas advancing on him).

Daily Charity

82nd Airbone Division Association Educational Fund

Who We Are

The 82nd Airborne Division Association is for anyone who ever served in the 82nd Airborne Division, and anyone who is currently serving on active duty on jump status; or, has ever served in any of the uniformed services on either jump or glider status and was honorably discharged.
The Association was organized in England, prior to the Normandy invasion (1944).
We have members who have served with the 11th, 13th, 17th, 82nd, 101st Airborne Divisions; 187th, 503rd, 508th Airborne Regimental Combat Teams; 173rd Airborne Brigade (Separate) as well as troopers from Special Forces, Airborne Rangers, Marine Corps Recon, Navy SEALS, and Air Force Special Tactics personnel.

Pottery Barn Halloween

I love Pottery Barn's decor for Halloween. Very chic and I totally want a orange door now. Be sure to check out there website for their beautiful but spooky wall murals:

Skull Decal: $19.00

Black Cachepot: $69.00

White Pumpkins: $29.00

Feather Wreath: $49.00

Black Tapers: $10.00

Feather Garland: $29.00-$54.00

Voluminous Camilla Canisters: $54.00 - $69.00

Places to Go, People to See (NC #1):

One of my favorite places to visit is the Biltmore Estate located in Asheville, NC. It has an European, romantic and adventurous feel and there is so much to do there:

Discover the Wonders of Biltmore:

Plan your getaway to America's Largest Home, Biltmore House, surrounded by inspiring gardens, America's most-visited winery, and the interpretive River Bend Farm.

Play in our 8,000-acre backyard with an array of outdoor activities, indulge in one-of-a-kind shopping, and savor our restaurants' exceptional fare. Visit Biltmore in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, NC and let our gracious hospitality inspire you.

Need more details to plan your trip? View our Biltmore Visit Planner online.

Musical Road

As a transportation engineer I thought this was really interesting:


(Click photo to see youtube video)

From Autopia's "Most Annoying Promotion Ever" department comes this dispatch from Lancaster, California, where Honda's marketing team joined forces with the city to turn a stretch of road on the edge of town into a giant LP that plays "The William Tell Overture," which you might more readily recognize as the theme to The Lone Ranger.

The quarter-mile stretch of Avenue K renamed "Civic Musical Road" features grooves cut into the pavement in such a way as to make the tires resonate to the tune of Gioachino Rossini's classic symphony. The road, which Honda claimed sounded best when "played" on a new Civic going exactly 55 miles per hour, was just one of four "melody roads" in the world and the first in America. "I think it's kind of cool," Peggy Llano told the L.A. Daily News. "When you are driving out on Avenue K. you're going out to the middle of nowhere. It's kind of a nice surprise to come across this thing."

A lot of Lancaster residents disagreed, which is why we're writing about this in the past tense. The "musical road" is being paved over today, leaving only the YouTube video after the jump to remember it by.

For all the poorly chosen music we hear blasting from elaborate in-car sound systems these days, it's easy to see how Honda's groovin' pavement seemed like a good idea at the time. Let the road dictate the tunes, and let the car play them. Word has it that the Bee Gees were inspired to adopt the disco sound after enjoying the "beat" of driving over a wooden bridge crossing Biscayne Bay, which eventually became the rhythm guitar in "Jive Talkin'."

We imagine the dusty brown landscape of Lancaster's outermost reaches conjures up images of a certain Wild West hero. Just not in the middle of the night, or quite so loudly. Now the only masked men Lancaster residents want to thank are the fine folks of the paving crews restoring Avenue K to its former tone-deaf status. "When you hear it late at night, it will wake you up from a sound sleep. It's awakened my wife three or four times a night," Lancaster resident Brian Robin told the Daily News.

Honda's ad agency, which plans to include the musical road in an ad that will air later this month, chose Lancaster based on its feeling of openness and community. The city signed on because it wants to bring more film and TV production in the area, and road crews started cutting the grooves Sept. 5. "We thought it was far enough away," Antelope Valley Film Office liaison Pauline East told the Daily News. Who knew that the sort of folks who move to remote areas don't like to be bothered by strange noises, not to mention city-dwellin' tourists crowding their streets with Honda Civics -- some of them reportedly making multiple trips to play the tune over and over again like a skipping record. Honda officials apologized to all who complained, including some who lived as far as a half mile from Civic Musical Road and still heard it. Still, we imagine that Lancaster residents wouldn't complain about Honda's previous So Cal guerrilla marketing campaign, which had Honda employees pumping free gas and carrying groceries.

Maybe the problem was the tune Honda picked. One Lancaster resident suggested that old Beatles chestnut "Yesterday." Perhaps "Drive My Car" would have been a better choice. Let us know what tune you'd like to hear your car play.

News of the Weird:

Weird Science:

In July, microbiologists writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reported that the Malaysian pen-tailed tree shrew subsists on a diet of fermented palm nectar that is roughly the equivalent of 100 percent beer. "They seem to have developed some type of mechanism to deal with that high level of alcohol and not get drunk," according to one researcher, who hoped further study could help with human cases of alcohol poisoning (and other rare instances in which people ingest alcohol for purposes other than getting drunk). [MSNBC-LiveScience.com, 7-29-08]

THE CUTEST ALCOHOLICS I'VE EVER SEEN.......

Intelligent Design:

Among the photo exhibits at New York City's Museum of Sex in July was the display of the genitalia of the spotted hyena, which was described by Bloomberg News: "(B)oth the male and female have penises. The female, it turns out, has a scrotal sack, too. For reproductive purposes, the male transfers his sperm through the female's penis, which doubles as her clitoris." Other exhibits included "Gay Dolphin Blow-Hole Sex" and a "Deer Threesome," featuring a "Bambi" with two stags. Said the museum's curator, the exhibit simply compensates for museums' traditional animal exhibits in which depictions of genitalia are suppressed. [Bloomberg News, 7-25-08]

Try not to Laugh but:

Kay Underwood, 20, of Barrow upon Soar, England, risks momentarily collapsing every time she laughs, according to an August report in London's Daily Telegraph. Her cataplexy causes a sudden, dramatic weakening of muscles when she experiences strong emotions, including joy, excitement and anger. She said she has collapsed as many as 40 times in a day, and sometimes her friends will good-naturedly try to make her giggle, but she said she has learned tricks to protect herself, "such as locking my knees together or grabbing on to something." [Daily Telegraph (London), 8-6-08]

Daily Charity:

The 4-H Development Fund is committed to developing current and future leaders by securing and managing resources dedicated to supporting the 4-H Youth Development Program in North Carolina.

Programs We Support

Major Initiatives
North Carolina 4-H has a history you believe in and a future you can trust! This area showcases the major projects and initiatives that are on-going! Learn about the latest county or state endowment that will benefit a targeted program area. Explore current scholarships and awards programs that you can support. Explore innovative curriculum opportunities! The future of 4-H begins here! Learn how you can support our volunteers and staff.
Annual Campaigns
Wonder what your annual gift supports? Wonder how your end-of-year gift is earmarked? Each year the 4-H Development Fund puts out a “call for proposals” and the finance committee makes recommendation to the Board on those projects that are funded. Review those proposals that were accepted for the current year and select one that you’d like to support!
Camps & Conference Centers
Remember that first time you went away to 4-H camp? Where did you go…to Swannanoa in the mountains, Roanoke Island or Mitchell at the beach, Millstone in the sandhills, Betsy Jeff Penn in the piedmont, or Sertoma Challenge Camp? Perhaps you’ve participated in the Eastern 4-H Center (the replacement to Roanoke Island) or done wilderness camping at Anita Alta.Remember canoeing or learning to swim? Sitting around a campfire with new friends you were sure were the best you’d ever find? Remember tying your first lure to fish in Bull’s Bay or learning to rock climb at Pilot Mountain? Maybe you can remember taking your own food to camp! Get reconnected with the Camp you attended and find out more about how to help today’s youth create the same memories you have! Our North Carolina 4-H Camps and Centers provide experiences for young people that will last them a lifetime.
Special Campaigns
The 4-H Development Fund hosts major “friendraising” and “fundraising” events across the state. Look here for these exciting opportunities and join us for one or more! Our signature event, The North Carolina 4-H Lifetime Achievement Awards Gala, provides us the opportunity to recognize our outstanding 4-H Alumni and showcase today’s programs! Check out our plans for the 100th Anniversary of NC 4-H in 2009…or the opening of our 4-H museum! We sponsor several golf tournaments a year. We’d love to have you join us in celebrating North Carolina 4-H!!

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

I don't know about you but one of my favorite things about Halloween is pumpkin carving. How can you not love of art that you light up? Plus you get to eat all the toasted seeds you can handle!Too much fun! Here's my favorite carved pumpkin from Martha Stewart:

Then this ebony bird
beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,

By the grave and stern
decorum of the countenance it wore.

"Though thy crest be shorn
and shaven, thou," I said, "art sure no craven

Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the Nightly shore
Tell me what thy lordly
name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!"

Quoth the Raven,
"Nevermore."

History of the Jack-o-Lantern

People have been making jack-o-lanterns at Halloween for centuries. The practice originated from an Irish myth about a man nicknamed "Stingy Jack." According to the story, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack didn't want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to buy their drinks. Once the Devil did so, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented the Devil from changing back into his original form. Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition that he would not bother Jack for one year and that, should Jack die, he would not claim his soul. The next year, Jack again tricked the Devil into climbing into a tree to pick a piece of fruit. While he was up in the tree, Jack carved a sign of the cross into the tree's bark so that the Devil could not come down until the Devil promised Jack not to bother him for ten more years.
Soon after, Jack died. As the legend goes, God would not allow such an unsavory figure into heaven. The Devil, upset by the trick Jack had played on him and keeping his word not to claim his soul, would not allow Jack into hell. He sent Jack off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with it ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as "Jack of the Lantern," and then, simply "Jack O'Lantern."
In Ireland and Scotland, people began to make their own versions of Jack’s lanterns by carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes and placing them into windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering evil spirits. In England, large beets are used. Immigrants from these countries brought the jack o’lantern tradition with them when they came to the United States. They soon found that pumpkins, a fruit native to America, make perfect jack o’lanterns.
Source: The History Channel

Fall in Love with Fall!

I love Autumn! It's one of my favorite times of the year with the chaning colors of the leaves, the breeze in the air and most of all the delicious warm pies! So I dug up some classic pies from the Entertaining Goddesses Martha Stewart and Katie Brown (click on the links to get to the recipes):

Mile-High Apple Pie:

Pecan Pie:

Nutty Caramel Pumpkin Pie:

"When you die, if you get a choice between going to regular heaven or pie heaven, choose pie heaven. It might be a trick, but if it's not, mmmmmmmm, boy."

- Jack Handy

Van Gogh

I haven't been back on here in almost 2 years but I'm excited to start back. Here's another Van gogh painting I did.

Spooky Trees

A Foggy Morning outside our House.