Seriously, what better theme to kick of Season 10 of Project Run & Play than a 80’s cartoon challenge????  I strongly boast to be an 80’s baby, and I really feel like my heart will always beat neon, sparkles and all things Aqua Netted!! One of my most favorite cartoons growing up was Rainbow Brite. Of course I loved My Little Ponies (remember when you could actually brush their hair and style it??), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (oh how I loved the Nintendo game!!!), and adored Strawberry Shortcake (the toys smelled soooooo good!!) but there was something special about that blonde cutie with a heart of sugar and those ginormous moon boots striped in rainbow colors!

I considered the options and sketched a few ideas until I had my light bulb moment: Rainbow Brite and her sidekick, Starlite, a white horse. See, Kenzie (my 4 year old) is simply obsessed with horses right now. As soon as the themes were announced, the girls and I boarded a plane set for Michigan (my home state), where my amazing in laws had a sweet friend who worked with the most beautiful, pristine, white horse. I knew that K would be smitten to model my creation with Doc and thanks to the wonderful friends of Hardy Farms the photo shoot came to life. Kenzie needed the perfect jockey attire, so I drafted an adorable and comfy jumpsuit with a woven bodice, flutter sleeves and roomy knit pant. I wanted it to stand out against Doc’s beautiful white coat, so I hand dyed my material to the most subtle, soft rose pink. I love this image and how the light catches the pink perfectly in the jumpsuit.

Living in the Rainbow State, I get to awe at them almost daily. There’s something magical about the colors and how they appear before your eyes, follow you around the island and vanish on a whim. I knew I wanted to create a triple flutter sleeve with hand beading detail to mimic the beauty of the rainbow. It ended up being a perfect design detail, as Rainbow Brite’s pinafore had a super cute flutter sleeve! BINGO!

Rompers and Jumpsuits are super in style right now. And, I love how they look on all ages- infants, kids and even for myself! I created the pant portion from knit and used inspiration from my favorite MC Hammer style pants to leave it roomy through the hip with a tapered leg. I added a pleat on each side of the strap to draw the pant in at the chest and add some detail.

Now let’s talk about the rainbow circle skirt. I wanted a way to incorporate the beautiful rainbow colors without being too literal to Rainbow Brite’s attire. Somehow, the memory of playing with the rainbow-colored nylon parachutes in gym class came to mind. Those were the best days in school, the ones you longed for and soaked up the fun of lifting the parachute up high, and running underneath as it bubbled overhead.

Surely my kids needed their very own parachute to play with, so I went to work. I knew I wanted to keep it light and airy, but allow for some girly influence and lots of color. I found these amazing iridescent organza fabrics at a local Joann’s (which I shopped almost daily while in Michigan). To add some structure and durability, I hemmed the parachute with coordinating wide bias tape. It was the perfect “grip” for the kids.

Of course, a parachute is super fun and all but I wanted it to tie into the outfit as well. As I drafted the parachute, I allowed for a knit waistband center so that the parachute could be functional as a circle skirt. My mind was buzzing with radius, and pi and all things circles. It’s about time I put my math degree to good use!!!! It looked amazing draped over Doc and the sunlight bounced off the bright colors like a dream come true! I tried to get a picture of Kenzie twirling in the skirt, but the horse wasn’t sure what to think about it so we vetoed that plan.

I am super thrilled with how my Week 1 entry came together. I am pretty sure that Kenzie’s horse-obsessed dreams came true, my kids adore their new parachute and my fingers are starting to heal from all that hand beading!

I hope you enjoyed my 80’s cartoon inspired look: Shine Brite by Lily Shine Boutique!!!!! Head here to vote and send some Lily Shine love!