Monday, February 25, 2013

Blog Hop - My Turn! (and a giveaway)

Today is the day!

It is my turn to share with you my creation for the "It's All About Me" Blog Hop. A BIG Thank You to Marlene and Madame Samm for putting this Blog Hop together and Thank you to Amy Bradley for her wonderful design as an inspiration for us to play with.

When told that we needed to make this pattern our own, I knew exactly the project that I wanted to do. I am a Music Teacher by trade, a Voice Instructor, professional singer/songwriter, performer, recording artist, studio musician, etc. If it is in the music field, I've most likely done it.

Along with my passion for teaching the younger generation about music, I also enjoy helping them to release their creativity by using DRAMA as well. I am the Director/Instructor of a Summer Camp entitled, Magical Fantastical Theatrical Camp (MFT Camp for short). Students learn pantomime, physical comedy, clowning, circus acts, magic tricks, basic theatre techniques, musical theatre and then we wrap up the whole camp with a Thoroughly Amazing Vaudeville Show!

This past Summer, to help inspire my students in the creation of a clown character, I created one of my own.
This is Mama Z.

Mama Z is quite an interesting character. She will say in a very deep, husky voice, "Excuse me, I have something to tell you... I am not feeling well." She will putter around in a wheelchair using her feet as a motor like the Flintstones. The container she is holding is actually her pill bottle. In true "clown character" fashion, her pills can range in size from large smarties to twinkies. Hey, they may not be medicine, but kids sure love it when she shares her "pills" with them!

I have been wanting to make a "purse" for Mama Z since last August and kept the idea in my head as to how I wanted it to look. When this Blog Hop came along, I knew that my purse was going to be it.

The bag is rather large so that I can hold all of the items that Mama Z would need. From handles to base, it measures 26" and is 21" across. The base is 10" by 12". I blew up the pattern to 122% and then altered the neckline, the face shape, designed my own hair (because mine is curly), extended the glasses to make them cateye, and made the pillbox hat.

The quilting was done on the bag with a light lavender thread. Her hair is burgundy and curly like mine, the horn-rimmed glasses are adorned with french knots to look like the rhinestones on the real glasses, I machine zigzagged silver rayon embroidery thread for the lenses, the hat is in animal print to look like the pheasant feather pillbox hat, and the calico is to resemble the flowered dress that Mama Z wears. The necklace is made with pearls and silk ribbon twists, with an earring made of beads, red embroidered lips and black nose and chin.

Here is a view of the inside of the bag. I have lined it with pockets on all sides. One pocket is designed to carry my water bottle when my teenage boys (who have become professional clowns) and I do parades this Summer,  another pocket is for a balloon pump (to make balloon animals) with other pockets completely around the inside to fill with whatever I will need. The main area is big enough for "Mama Z's Pills".


One thing that cracks me up about this likeness is that my arms have NEVER been that thin! I make fun of my own "Granny Arms" and threaten my students by saying if they misbehave, I will then raise my arms and "THWACK" them in the head with my Wobbly Granny Arms. They usually look at me with that look of half horror/half ready to burst out into laughter.

Thank you for visiting!

Please check out our other participants today:

Tuesday, February 26


And now for my giveaway - I will send you a gallon sized bag of "cotton scrap pieces" for crazy quilting or crumb piecing. I love piecing with small scraps. One of my latest projects uses scrap diamonds. I will send you some of mine so you can create whatever you desire with them!


To enter my giveaway, please comment below and share what you would create with those cotton scraps.

Thanks again for visiting!

Lavonna ZWB

92 comments:

  1. Oh I love your version and such a great idea to make it into a bag!

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  2. Love you gal. You did a great job!

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  3. Oh my, I absolutely love your crazy mama! My daughter is just starting a textiles course and those crazy scraps would certainly I've inspiration!

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  4. Great job and I'll beware of the Granny Arms! I think that it would be a fun table cloth don't you!

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  5. Mama z is too cute!!! Thanks for the chance

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  6. Your Mama is really awesome. I love your purse. I think I would make a scrap quilt with the give away if I had the chance to win.
    Thanks for sharing and a great give away

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  7. Your Mama Z is incredible!!! Looks just like you :) The hat just makes it for me!!! Thanks for sharing your creativity with us!!!

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  8. Love your story and your bag. I'm sure it will get lots of attention.

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  9. I would use the scraps along with more I have waiting to finally finish or at least get closer to finishing my scappy quilt.

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  10. This is just a hoot! Your kids will love the addition of a purse to carry Mama Z's goodies around. Thanks for the smiles this morning..... wonderful job!

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  11. Hi Lovonna, I am Sharon from Tn and I love your bag...and the story that you have told us just suits all that you have done with your "me" it is wonderful and so creative...thanks for sharing and I hope you have a fun filled day. Oh I would love some of your scraps. I did not make this blog hop entry but I am going to do the pattern from Amy that is posted on Madamme Samms blog where we can do ourselves and our friends and that is what I would need your scraps for...take care and enjoy

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  12. Love scrape quilts and that would be a good win. Thanks for having a give away. Love your picture.

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  13. Your bag is sure to bring lots of comments! great job.

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  14. My quilts friends tease me about collecting scraps. When I show off a scrappy quilt they are very quiet. I would add your scraps to a quilt and remember crazy Mama Z each time I use it.

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  15. Love your bag. Thanks for the good laugh this morning. I've been wanting to make a really scrappy quilt, so your bag of scraps would be put to good use. Thanks.

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  16. That Mama Z looks like a lady to be reckoned with, and her bag is a triumph! What a clever idea! I would use those scraps to make 12 inch scrappy blocks for our church's quilt group. We're going to sew them together to make quilts for victims of the recent floods and bushfires here in Australia.

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  17. Stunning bag!! I just love what you did....way too cute!!!

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  18. What a great likeness to your photo. Mama Z bag is a great way to use "you" too.

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  19. Love the bag and also love drama and have done costumes for an amateur group. Would love to see your performance. Sounds like you have so much fun.
    I see a scrap quilt in the future if I won.

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  20. wow you rock! this lady is beautiful. thank's for the chance to win, love the idea of a scrapy border. think i'll keep it on my do to list! I just can't throw away my scrap fabric... normaly i use it on my sock monkey instead of foam, great way to use tiny piece but for bigger piece scrapy quilt is better! thank's for sharing, have a great blog hop

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  21. this is hilarious! thanks for the morning chuckle- granny arms ha ha

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  22. Momma Z, I want you to be my momma. A cool one!! This is hilarious. I bet your students have no idea how to take you some days! When on this planet were teachers ever soooooo cool! Keep on, keeping on with your great bag O' tricks!!
    :-) You've made my day!

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  23. What a super job you did on recreating MAMA Z. The detail is amazing and the likeness, well, unbelievalbe. Congrats on a masterpiece.

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  24. Great job on your Mama Z bag! How fun! and inspiring! B-)

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  25. Hilarious! I love it! You sound like a great teacher! You did a great job on your little bag!

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  26. This is hilarious! I think I'd like to hit the road with Mama Z - what a blast. Thanks for sharing - your students are very lucky!!

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  27. Thank you for the laugh today - I'm thinking you need humor to be a teacher:)

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  28. I bet your students look forward to their summer camps with Mama Z! Fun bag. :)

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  29. FABULOUS! BRAVO! My favorite piece so far and I love them all, but this is THE ONE!

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  30. She is great. I love what you did with her hair! She looks like a very fun personality. Your students are lucky! I have been wanting to make a spider quilt, and this would be a great addition to my scraps for this project.

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  31. Actually i have been wanting to create a crzy quilt for a ehile. I have been collecting fabric scraps from my moms alteratiosn shop...But I mostly get denims, kaki and silky fabrics. Rarely do I get cottons. So this would be great to win. Love Your project....Great idea and very creative. conn_and_vans_mom(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  32. hands down, your version is my most favorite! way to be yourself and do it your way...love it

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  33. AWESOME!!! Sew creative. Thanks for sharing.

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  34. AWESOME!!! Sew creative. Thanks for sharing.

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  35. I love Mama Z! Great way to get more use of the block by making a purse. Love it!
    hulseybg at gmail dot com

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  36. YOU are awesome. I love her and I love your Mama Z idea. I once babysat for a family who had 8 children. Their mom taught them piano and she would dress up like that and call herself Mrs. McGillicauty when she taught their piano lessons.

    Your bag turned out beautifully. I would use those scraps in some scrappy blocks - my goal this year.

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  37. Rosemary B here: I am following I adore your bag, and you are so cute.
    I think your story is great. I would LOVE to have a big twinkie pill. you are funny. I am certain kids love your imagination and are inspired. I love kids too.
    Your bag is marvelous!
    Thank you for the opportunity to win some of your cotton scraps! I would be honored to win your stuff heehee no seriously I would :-D

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  38. Love your ideas. How fun. I would add your bag of scraps to my own and then do some miniature piecing.

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  39. Now, that was a great idea...what a cool purse to go along with Mama Z's personality!

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  40. I love your bag! Here we call 'wobbly granny arms' bingo wings!!!
    I'd make a scrap quilt with your scraps!
    Thank you for sharing!!

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  41. How cool your bag is! You did a great job of bringing her personality to light.

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  42. scrappy quilts are fun to make...your bag is sew cute.

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  43. Holy Cow you did a great job. Fun bag. Thanks for sharing.

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  44. I LOVE your gal,and you!I don't know what I would do if I win. Probably use thrm on a purse or throw. Love your purse, BTW. You just got a new follower.

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  45. O.K. Mama Z is a hit with me, I am sure you will have to be this weeks winner hands down. I have wabble arms too, put my boobs are bigger. Love the Mama Zshand bag.

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  46. OMG, your Mama Z is a perfect match to your "Biased" character; I'm still laughing! :) If I won, I would roll your scraps into one of my "immediate gratitifcation" projects (like pillows & sewing machine covers), which I do when I get stuck (read: run out of something I need) on MY FIRST KING SIZE QUILT EVER. :)

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  47. Mama Z-Love your bag with your AB version on it. Purse designers must never use them or they wouldn't design them they way they do. I seldom find one that suits me, so my next one will be my own "design" with all the "bells and whistles," that I want. I adore the embellishments that personalize your project. From California, thanks for sharing.

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  48. I love Mama Z, She has a great pair of glasses!

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  49. I love your project! And I really love the story behind it. Thank you for all your hard work with the teens.

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  50. Your Mama Z purse to just to cute! Love the story. You are sew funny. Thank you for sharing you!

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  51. Super snazzy!! love it Mamma Z! I love these hops... mine is up today too! http://blog.patsloan.com/2013/02/its-all-about-mmm-me-you-who.html

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  52. Hello Mama z. You are one delightful lady, truly inspiring piece,,,you must be such a much loved teacher

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  53. Mamm Z is amazing , such a creative piece and I am sure a delightful clown . Thanks for the chance at your giveaway :-)

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  54. Wow! You are one busy, fun, talented lady! What a great creation you came up with, before the blog hop even came along. Mama Z is definitely your "me!" If I had more scraps than I do already, I would probably create some more mug rugs with them--instant gratification and lots of fun to do!

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  55. The bag is great! Thank you so much! So creative!

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  56. I loved your interpretation of the pattern. It is so fun that you made it all about you1

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  57. You have a wonderful sense of humor and it shines throughout your piece! I believe you have captured the Mama Z persona perfectly. If I were voting, I would give you most creative of the day for your wonderful tote. Well done!

    Sorry about the deletion---forgot I was supposed to tell you what I would do with scraps. I do a lot of pro bono quilting and today at quilt group we were discussing doing some quilts for AIDS babies in Mexico that someone is doing as church mission---we can help.

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  58. I love your lady and she certainly shines with your personality and fun sense of humour . She is so creative and your work is beautiful. Thanks for sharing you with us.

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  59. Well of course I would add those scraps to mine and make a scrappy quilt:)
    Love your Mama Z!!!!

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  60. Mama Z is hilariously delightful! Thank you for sharing her with us! I love scraps and have been making mini-quilts and table toppers for various holidays to put out entirely out of scraps. My last one involved sewing 30-some triangles together into 1-1/4" HSTs to make pieced flying geese accents!

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  61. I would make a quilt for kids quilt with them and add some novelty prints to them. I love your Mama Z, both the fabric one and the inspiration.

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  62. I love using scraps, I have a good collection of them and do crumb piecing with them. I'd probably make a kids quilt for Turtle Camp that my quilt guild helps out with pillows and quilts for all the campers. You must be one fantastic clown, I love your Mama Z purse. So much fun reading your blog. Thanks for sharing.

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  63. You are so talented. I love your biased lady. I also am going to sign up to follow you.

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  64. Your purse is so nice. I would love to carry a purse like that! I love scraps also.

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  65. Very creativ, this lady is so coll and you did a great work.
    Thanks for sharing.

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  66. Your purse if fabulous! Your project is soooo awesome! Love the picture! I would love to win the fabric scraps, I love to paper piece and am always using little scraps for this and that. Thank you for the chance.

    Happy quilting!

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  67. Mama Z, you are the craziest "ME" that is out there!! What a totally marvelous story and project. Your purse is absolutely exotic and you duplicated yourself totally. That purse MATCHES you and I'd love to see you in a parade. I'll be the one calling out, "Mama Z, you rock!"

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  68. You did a wonderful job with your gal. I'm really impressed with all the embellishments you added. I especially love the glasses And the pillbox hat. Thanks for the chance of the giveaway.

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  69. Oh how I am enjoying your very creative version of Ms. Biased. The perfect story character come to "life" in your bag of pills and tricks. Thank you sew much for sharing. Creative Hearts are Happy Hearts...

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  70. Love your crazy Momma Z. I'd love to get my hands on a grab bag of scraps for applique and paper piecing. I'm saving all my scraps for a scrap quilt someday, don't know what pattern yet.

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  71. Great job! I'd love to win the scraps to use in making scrap quilts for our church quilt ministry. Thanks for the giveaway!

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  72. I love your bag! It is so creative, and I could tell a lot about your personality by seeing your creation of yourself. I know you must be a fantastic teacher.
    If I won the scraps, I can think of several ways to use them. I do appliques, and mug rugs, and make little drawstring bags. Always something going in my sewing room.

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  73. I adore your purse project! It is fabulous. Thanks for sharing and inspiring, reading your post was a lot of fun. Thank you for sharing your talent with kids and encouraging them. Great job. If I win your give away, I have always wanted to do a postage stamp quilt. Scrap quilts of any kind is a ok in my book!

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  74. Fabulous! She's a dead ringer. :) I teach piano and I love when my students have fun with their songs and put creative twists on them. Good job both guiding the rising generation and on your wonderful purse!

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  75. Ooooooh my gosh!!! I think I love your Lady best - so far!!! She is amazing!!! & I love that your made her on a purse!!! AWESOME!!!! :)

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  76. Hi I love the quilt and your story and great use for a bag. Susie x

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  77. I absolutely LOVE what you and the ladies have done with your blocks I have not had this much fun in ages and I have new blogs to follow.Gosh what to do with the blocks after playing with them a hundred times I'm unsure BUT they would get put to good use and enjoyed maybe something in honor of this hop Thank-you so much Becky
    derry04@yahoo.con

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  78. What a great bag! Thanks for sharing, and giving me a huge smile this morning.

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  79. I love your Mama Z and that bag is amazing! Loved your humor, too. :O)

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  80. Hi!!! Wow!!! Love your story and Your Lady!!! She is wonderful!!! So fun!!! Sounds like you and your sons have lots of fun!!! Thank You

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  81. I adore your purse and the accompanying story. I laughed and laughed as I read the story about clowning and the bottle of pills. Children need more things to help them hone their imaginations. You are very creative as well as generous. If I am lucky enough to win the blocks, I would try to learn from then. Then I would donate the ones that have child appropriate fabrics in them to our Hearts and Hands project at guild. The lady who headed up that project was just found dead in her home over the weekend. A policeman who lives next door did not see foot steps or tire tracks in the one snow we've had this year. He got no response at the door. Then he could see her on the floor through a back window. The thought is that she had died either Feb. 12 or 13. She gave a lot to that ministry project and had just given up the leadership at the end of last year. She was still very active in the ministry. I think it would be a wonderful way to honor her, using what I can to make quilts for the babies and donating some blocks. Even though she was older than I am, she was open to new ideas and eager to learn.

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  82. Great job on MamaZ and the bag! It's delightful. Terrific story. Congrats on being one of the chosen.
    I'm new to quilting,so don't have many scraps yet... I'd love to try a scrappy quilt.

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  83. Love your portrait AND bag!! And love you sharing your fun story!
    Crossing my fingers for your scraps.... because you know that someone else's scraps are so much better than my own!! smile

    susie

    legato1958@aol.com

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  84. Hahahaha, great story! Your bag is really awesome! I am so sad that I didn't think to make mine into a bag. Might have to make another one for just that purpose!

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  85. I love the bag! Stunning! :)
    Thank you so much for your lovely blog!
    www.quiltworld2.blogspot.com
    Hugs, Ulla
    Ulla's Quilt World)

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