Thoughtful Thursdays: I See Stars!

For me, inspiration can come from anywhere at anytime and from anything. And since I watch TV, listen to the radio, and love going to see plays and movies... sometimes it comes from the stars of stage, screen and sound! Many times it's influential in a teeny-tiny way, like the stars on this woodburned piece here. This particular (and literal) addition of stars was influenced by Kat Von D of LA Ink. Kat has a collection of small stars tattooed on her left temple.

This tree-like assemblage was influenced by the band They Might Be Giants and their song Build A Little Birdhouse. In it, they have a line that says, "make a little birdhouse in your soul".... so I did!

And, well... you may recognize this little troublemaker if you saw the movie Coraline! She's my very own Little Me — inspired by the movie character's scary little doll she found in her own likeness. I practically ran home and started making this after seeing the film. I think Coraline is going to be one of those Cult Movie favorites, for sure.

So there you have it... a little bit of star-inspired inspiration. Are there any stars that have influenced your art or creativity in big ways or small? I'd love to hear about it.

Cotton Candy For Coraline...

Oooooh... I almost forgot! I meant to make my "Little Me" some yummy cotton candy. It's her favorite. I made an aluminum foil base, glued an unwrapped cotton ball around it, and sprayed with a paint/water mixture. Nice and fluffy! The cone is out of cardstock and I painted red stripes on it. I'm letting it dry before I assemble it.

Can Little Me Come Out To Play? Patience, Dear... Just One More Day...

So, I wasn't happy with the tea dye color of my Little Me, so I re-tea dyed the whole doll. But all I had was Celestial Seasonings Lemon Zinger... and it made her pink! Too funny, but not my intention. Serendipity, perhaps? I painted on some lips and freckles...
Fashioned a skirt and hand-dyed peek-a-boo crinoline...
Added the arms and made a cute pink sweater from one of my own sweaters...
Added a darling vintage pin as a barette... and tomorrow I shall reveal my Little Me finally completed! This doll was so much fun to make. Having sewn it by hand, I really felt like a little girl in the Colonial days... making her own little dolly. Until tomorrow...

Little Me...Coming Around...

My "Little Me" doll is starting to come into focus! I traced out the hair placement with pencil so I could add the eyebrows and eyes in the appropriate place. Before I sewed up the doll after stuffing, I inserted a long triangle made of cardstock for the nose. Cute, but it keeps slipping sideways though. So I may need to sew it into place later on...
More fun! Adding the hair. And... uh... it's pink... did anyone guess that's what color yarn I would be using? She's really developing a little personality...
And of course, matching pink striped stockings! Hello dolly...
Until next time...

Coraline, Coraline, Coraline...

Okay, so being inspired is quite addictive! It's been a real Coraline "Little Me" weekend. I realized from my original pattern (already cut out), that I forgot to add her ears! So I was able to sew them in while sewing the entire doll by hand...
To age the doll, of course some tea dying was in order. I do like to get messy when I create. I used the tea bag "direct-to-surface" for optimum color, but rinsed a little of it out. I think I might want more color, but I'll wait and see...Stuffing is fun and therapeutic! And, as you can see, the "creative juices" are flowing...
Until next time....