Kids in Different Countries.

March 16, 2011 by debi.

Children inspire me all of the time.  I am so amazed at how uninhibited and happy they can be.  I took the pictures of the two little girls above in the town of El Anclote, Nayarit, Mexico a few years ago.  They were both so cute in their own ways.  In the first picture the little was totally hamming it up.  She was very excited to have her picture taken.  She was actually so excited, that when she was jumping around, she hit her mouth on my friend Wanda’s camera.  She was very proudly showing her new teeth coming in, and her brand new toothbrush.  The second picture is of a toddler walking with her mom.  She was very cute, and very curious.  It was kind of her mom to let me take her picture.  She was so sweet and innocent looking.  I think that they are all fairly guileless at that age.  Everything is new, ready to be touched, and looked at, and played with.  Little girls like this inspire me to use pastels when I am designing.  They remind of the girlishness of being a girl.

The blond girl above was playing tag with her sister outside of a restaurant in Cairo.  I caught her running in the picture, which is why the picture it is a little blurry.  She was absolutely beautiful, because she had that blond hair it made her skin look really tan.  She was dresses the way Egyptian woman dress, except because she was young her head was not covered.  As you can see from from her smile, she was having a really good time.  It was fun to watch.

The lives two little girls pictured above could not be more different.  These pictures were taken in Rhodes, Greece.  The first picture of the baby is innocent, and pampered.  Her pacifier is still in her mouth, her parents are with her, she has a stroller, and is well taken care of.  When I look at her baby sundress with its pastel colors and simplicity, I see innocence.  The little girl in the second is beautiful in her own right, but she has a very different life.  She was not in school, she was a little gypsy girl playing the accordion for money from tourists.  I did not see much hope in her eyes, I mostly saw a world weariness that a 6 or 7 year old child should not have.  I gave her money for letting me take her picture, but I wondered where her mom was, and how she could send this beautiful child out to beg for money by herself.  The colors in the picture of this little gypsy child are bright, and beautiful, but these bright colors hide a sadness.

 All too often in my travels, I see children on the streets by themselves begging for money, or in the gypsy girl’s case playing the accordion for tourists for money.  I worry about these little people who are seeing a side of life that most of our children will hopefully never know.  I try to give them a little money, a smile, and a prayer that they will find some happiness in their lives, also.  I would love to see them find the innocence that I was able to catch in the other children’s faces.  All of these children influence the colors I use in designing, and and the patterns that I make and use for clothing and accessories.

Visit my website Dreams by Debi at www.dreamsbydebi.com to see what I have been designing.  The newest scarf will be online in the next few days.  Check back to see the new FORGIVEN Scarf.

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