Santa, Barbie, and Barcelona! What Toys Did You Love? Do you
remember the toys you loved playing with as a kid? One of my favorites
was Barbie. When Barbie was the brand new doll on the store shelves, I
wanted one. My friend, Honey was the first person I knew who had a
Barbie, and actually she owned two. (Yes, Honey was her real name. She
lived in a gigantic old house at the bottom of a hill in West Virginia,
and she had a pet billie goat named Trash.) Honey always let me play
with one of her Barbies. And then...I received my own! I remember the
Christmas I got Barbie. She was the very first present I opened. She had
bright blue eyes, and a short, bubble blonde hair-do. My Uncle Tommy
said she looked like Marilyn Monroe. That year, along with Barbie, Santa
also brought a bright pink Barbie case, lots of clothes, several pairs
of shoes, a couple of pocketbooks, and a big black, wide-brimmed hat. I
was five. When I was seven, Santa gave me a little Singer sewing
machine. It was cool! The machine made chain stitches in the fabric, so
when I made a mistake, I could pull them out and start over. That’s the
year I started making clothes for my Barbie. I salvaged fabric from the
big box of remnants my mom kept in her sewing room. The clothes I made
for my Barbie consisted of simple tubes. I’d stitch hems at the top and
bottom of a square of fabric, wrap it around the doll, and pin it in
place. Then I’d slip the outfit off Barbie, reposition my pin, sew up
the back seam, and turn my creation right side out. If I could slip the
tube on Barbie, and her curves held it in place, I had a dress. If the
outfit I’d made was too tight and I couldn’t get it on her, or the tube
fell off, I’d pull out the stitches and start over again. I made short
tubes, long tubes, flared tubes, tubes with ruffles, tubes with lace,
tubes with peek-a-boo cutouts, tubes with back slits, tubes with side
slits, tube tops, tube skirts, and tube bikinis. There was only one
problem. None of my designs had sleeves. I couldn’t hang them up on the
little hangers inside my Barbie case. My dad came to my rescue. He
solved Barbie’s wardrobe problem with an empty cigar box! I covered that
box with dark green contact paper, and glued handles on the sides that
I’d fashioned from a brown paper grocery bag (remember those?) That
cigar box was transformed into a steamer trunk, because my Barbie loved
to travel, and she adored Spain. I didn’t know much about Spain, but
from the pictures in the encyclopedia, it looked like a magical place.
And the way it jutted out into the Atlantic Ocean, I could easily find
it on the globe. Eventually I passed my Barbie and her bountiful
wardrobe on to my little sister, who I think loved that doll even more
than I did. I moved on to roller skates, a bicycle, books, and boys. I
don’t sew anymore, but Spain still weaves a magical spell that makes me
yearn to visit. You know what I’m thinking? Barcelona or bust! Thank you
for reading. Posted by Deborah McTiernanAuthor of Lilly Noble &
Actual MagicParanormal books for teenagersPrint and Kindle book versions
are available on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Lilly-Noble-Actual-Magic-Volume/dp/0989180700/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367984399&sr=8-1&keywords=lilly+noble+%26+actual+magicEbook
version available for FREE UNTIL 09/30/2014 as a PDF file adaptable for
all electronic devices in the MAGIC SHOP at www.deborahmctiernan.comAll
Ebook versions are also available for $2.99 for a limited time on
Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lilly-Noble-Actual-Magic/316625361776891?ref=hl
and also, https://www.facebook.com/LillyNobleFanPage To find the MAGIC
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button.
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