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Monday, June 3, 2013

Monday Morning Inspiration

Last Saturday a friend of mine handed me a bag and said, "this is your birthday present, a little late, but I think you'll like it." Oh my goodness, she knows me all too well. Inside the bag was a Barbie calendar. I have always been a Barbie girl. I loved everything Barbie as a child. Somehow I think that once you're a Barbie girl, you're always a Barbie girl. I had a whole piece prepared on the designer Charles James for today's post, but once I received this gift, I just had to share it as it has already inspired me, so if you want to find out what inspired me so, be sure to scroll to the end. In the meantime, enjoy the little trip that will possibly rekindle memories of your own Barbie days. 
If by chance you would like a calendar of your own, you can find one here, http://www.amazon.com/dp/0767191129












Here it is. Another lady was sitting at the table when I pulled the calendar out of the bag. She too remarked on how much she loved Barbie. I told her to go ahead and break open the calendar and enjoy the pictures. She commented on how this dress reminded her of a Christian Lacroix dress. I took one look at the dress and was immediately inspired. For months now I have been collecting pictures of dresses that I like for inspiration. The zoo ball is coming up in July and I need(I don't NEED, but I want)a new dress. No, I am not going to wear a dress with Barbie pictures plastered all over it.  
What I am going to do is wear a dress with animals from Lincoln Park Zoo plastered all over it. I was in such a funk on Saturday night, so sitting at the computer and looking for animal pictures was a great thing to do. Below are a few of the pictures I found.



Aren't they wonderful?!! I think this is going to be such a fun project. Once I start transferring the pictures to fabric, I'll be able to decide whether I want a tiger print or a zebra print as my background fabric. If you'll notice, the Barbie dress has a zebra print in various places. The colors of the pictures tend to steer me toward a tiger print, but we'll see. I'm super excited and wish that I didn't have other things to work on. Oh well, all the more incentive to work quickly through the other projects!!!
Hope something wonderful enters your life and inspires you this week.
Wishing you all the most wonderful of weeks!!! I truly do :)
Rhonda



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20 comments:

  1. Amazing, your Barbie must have been much more glam than mine, how pretty and inspirational.

    I love zoo's, the animals are fascinating. Houston has a nice zoo, we should go while you are in town. I can't wait to see your dress with the pics.

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    1. I love the Houston Zoo. In fact, I think my mother has a picture of me drinking water out of one of the lion drinking fountains. Some years ago my husband and I went to the zoo and I couldn't believe that they still have the same drinking fountains. Such a blast from the past!

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  2. Oh, Rhonda! That sounds like a wonderful project! I also love the Barbie calender, but never, ever liked Barbie as a child. Actually, I never liked dolls in any shape or form. Am I weird or what?

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    1. Hmmm, you didn't like dolls but you spent a year creating all those delightful little dresses!! I think you just didn't want to waste your creativity on crazy dolls. You had bigger aspirations:)

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  3. I was never into Barbie or Cindy, but my twin was, however I have to say that the calendar is really cute and I would even like that.

    Can't wait to see your animal print dress, it will be amazing I am sure.

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    1. I hope the dress will be what I imagine. I think it will be quite fun. Keeping my fingers crossed!!

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  4. Can't wait to see it, I hope you'll post a ton of photos!

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    1. I will post TONS and TONS of pictures. It will be a bit of a process.

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  5. Thankyou, you have a great week too! I never had a Barbie and I so wanted one. My girls had lots of Barbies and Bratz dolls, in fact we still have them.

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    1. I love how you said, "we" still have them. Hopefully you were able to play along!!

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  6. I'd love to know if Robert Best designed those Barbie outfits. I love his stuff, and he's so funny. Your zoo dress sounds amazing, and you were so casual about "transferring the pictures to fabric". Let us know how that goes!!

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    1. I don't know who the designer is, but I think the garments are wonderful.
      I plan on trying one process for transferring and hopefully it will work. If not, there are a few others ways to go about doing it.

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    2. Ami Simms, quilter, has a fabulous way to transfer to great quality cotton. Worth checking out. She uses the $30,000 color printers at office Max. Home computers cannot compare in quality, it's not expensive, and it doesn't use up all your ink. Look for "picture play quilts"

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    3. Thanks for the info Mary. I will check this out!!

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  7. The Barbie memories! Your dress sounds amazing and I look forward to seeing the final.

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    1. So you were a Barbie girl too!! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the dress will be what I imagine.

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  8. Can't wait to see the dress for the zoo gala. Isn't it fun when the creative juices really start flowing?!

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  9. Love your idea! Barbie was my first sewing client, though she didn't pay. I remember setting in sleeves by machine and I couldn't have been over 8. Loved sewing those clothes...

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