Project Runway?

Lucy is a very visual girl. Very creative, artistic, and dreamy. (Gee, I wonder where she gets that from?) She has a very keen attention to color and pattern that really surprises and amazed me. From a very young age, she would spot things like a woman wearing the same shirt that I happen to have (which is totally weird because all of my clothing is original custom-made work and never EVER from Target or the Gap). Recently at the beach, she spotted a girl wearing a bathing suit in the same floral design as a hat that Phoebe happens to have -- I don't think I ever would have noticed that.

Last week, I was going a bit nuts in the morning as the kids tore up the house. So, to buy me a few minutes of quiet, I let Lucy have a true treasure -- a few pieces of purple and pink tissue paper that I knew I would never use. Rip, tear, tie, tape...I noticed she was making the paper into a dress. So I stepped away from whatever I was doing and thought, heck, let's go with it. I helped her craft that tissue paper into an awesome little ensemble, complete with rosettes and a matching headpiece. She adored it, and had even more fun tearing it off. Ta-da, a creative and fun activity was born that tapped right into Lucy's love of color and design. Gosh, I sound like one of those pushy Hollywood parents when I say that. But so what. Here is our creation and its dismantling:

Of course, I jest when I query where she gets this from (and I jest about where I get my clothes...in case you hadn't figured that one out!). This week, I looked at a skirt of mine that I almost donated to charity because I've just never felt good in it (rule of thumb...if you never feel good wearing it, it has to go...life is too short for clothes you hate). It felt a shame to throw out such pretty fabric, though. And, look, the waist can just be taken in and then there would be no need to add a zipper (which I don't know how to do anyway). So....rip, tear, tie, tape (ok, I mean--measure, pin, cut, sew)... here is what I came up with:

{i added a shirt, per lucy's request}

Like mother, like daughter. It's in the jeans. I mean genes.