A revolutionary digital space that explores life as we all evolve within it. I present my personal commentary on Fashion, Style, Art, Parenting, Crafting, Music, Literature, Culinary delights, Inspirational people and their stories. I aim to share the tips, tricks and knowledge that I have gathered on my journey in an effort EMPOWER and INSPIRE! Xxo
The fun loving, bumbling scarecrow was a joy to create. His costume was a lot easier to curate/style than Glinda's. I repurposed and reused elements and incorporated some new pieces into the look as well.
Costume:
I used a costume shirt that was once used for a jester. Removed the ruff/neck and the rick rack from the cuffs.
back
front
I hot glued straw/dried leaves from the corn stock's I purchased from Jack Creek Farm's for the set and the bail of straw I borrowed from Pets and More in Cambria. I trimmed out the cuffs and cut a hole in the front of the shirt and glued it.
For the scarecrows hood I purchased an empty sandbag from the local hardware store for .99 and cut the face hole out of it.
The overalls I used were acquired second hand and damaged and over sized for my step-son which was perfect for the look. They were a neutral plaid wool. I loved the play on textured wool, the sheen of the green top and the textured burlap sandbag. I used a raffia strand to create a collar.
The black felt hat came from an inexpensive Scarecrow kit along with the strands of raffia. His gloves are basic gardening gloves in a neutral tone. The crow props I grabbed out of a Halloween decor display in October. I found some rope in a second hand bin and used it for the belt and to tie the cuffs as well.
Makeup:
The makeup for the scarecrow was a simple mix of neutral face paints, shadows and lip color.
The looks for each character for our shoot were carefully curated. I wanted each character to look like the characters from the film but not exact replica's. My Betty Lou Who character, played by my step-daughter was a great example.
I created her wig from THIS rock'n'roll 80's wig + 2 toilet paper rolls, hot glue and bobby pins. T I trimmed the wig into a Betty Lou Bob and used the excess curly hair to cover the toilet paper rolls to create her unique hair look.
I also DIY her plate/eggnog fascinator. See Details and list of supplies in my Cindy Lou Who Blog
Her costume in the film had a matching red cape and dress to Cindy Lou but I wanted a little more diverse color pallet in my family photo so I opted for a Vintage green cape instead of red and a Black and White Vintage checkered dress.
Dress: 55,000 Dresses (from my collection)
Belt: Evolution Vintage (Stretch Belt - $15)
Vintage Petticoat: 55,000 Dresses (for sale $35)
Vintage Green Cape (From my collection)
Faux Fur Collar with pom pom's (from my collection)
I added the plate to the front of the dress, similar to Betty Lou's
I used real cookies that I painted and hot glued and a candy stick. I pinned the plate to the dress.
Because Betty Lou loved lights in the film I purchased Vintage light bulb necklaces in bulk. We used them for the shoot and them my family enjoyed them all season long!
*The Flats also came from my personal collection*
MAKEUP:
Our Makeup artist Hanna Fisher used a latex FX appliance for Betty Lou's Who nose (Buy here), Who long lashes on the corner of her eyes a long with a full set and Holiday makeup complete with a red lip and a painted Rosy nose tip!
She also had a gorgeous set of front Whoville over sized teeth! (Shop)
Anyone who has visited me recently knows that I have a stack of fashion magazines piled up beside my bed waiting to be read. If I have time I enjoy pouring over them for both image and article. This image in particular from the Dolce and Gabbana Palermo 2017/18 eye wear campaign leaped off of the page.
I love the simple 'Little black dress' and the mix and match array of adornments on the front bodice and back sleeve.
After realizing that I don't quite have the money for a Dolce Dress and I likely wouldn't fit into one if I did it inspired my DIY side. I immediately recalled that I do indeed have a black dress of similar silhouette and a wide array of Vintage brooches to work with to create my very own version of this look.
Time for a Dress DIY
I dug into my Evolution Vintage brooch stash and was able to find some interesting (and similar pieces) as seen in the ad.
I chose one of my many EV Black Dresses and pinned the brooches on in a similar way/
This DIY dress will be available soon for sale with or without the brooches. Individual Vintage brooches are also for sale in this lot or separately.
Remember creativity doesn't always require consumption. Think about what you have on hand that you can add to or transform in some way. If you don't have materials on hand how can you acquire them second hand or re-purpose something to suit your style?
What can you use in your own closet to DIY this or any designer look that inspires you?
I am sharing the series of family masterpieces that were the elements of this years family Christmas Card this week. I have shared my Girl With The Pearl Earring and now it's time for Beethoven.
This year I realized how diverse each of my family members are. Each their own work of art, different strengths and skills like the different skills poured into the iconic paintings they represent by the respective artists. Differences in style, era, and color pallets much like a metaphor to illustrate each individual.
Ludwig van Beethoven is my favorite classical composer. His fury and passion you can feel through his music. He also had a serious hearing impairment and wrote his most famous work, 9th Symphony - Ode to Joy when he was completely deaf. An amazing example of overcoming obstacles associated with "disabilities" and creating a unique masterpiece.
I wanted to present my interpretation of Joseph Karl Stieler's Portrait of Beethoven, painted in 1819, with oil on canvas - 62 × 50 cm (24.4 × 19.7 in)
Journey of the portrait:
*Commissioned by Franz and Antonie Brentano in 1819/20
*Purchased by raffle by the brother of Louis Spohr at a raffle run by the Art Association of Brunswick
* Following Spohr's death it was inherited by his daughter Rosalie, the Countess Sauerma a harpist
* 10 February 1909 Purchased by music company C.F. Peters Henri Hinrichsen
*Mr. Hinrichsen was murdered in Auschwitz 17 Sept 1942 and the painting went to his son
*Walter Hinrichsen took it to New York to hang in his office
*1981 it was sold to Beethoven House in Bonn Germany where it still hangs
Information about the painting was taken from Beethoven's conversation books, "Stieler was permitted four sittings between February and April 1820. This "concession" - Beethoven considered such sittings to be a kind of penance - was not only due to Stieler's artistic ability but also to Franz and Antonie Brentano, who commissioned the portrait. Beethoven was happy to grant them this concession as he had been close to them since 1809 and once referred to them as his "best friends in the world". source
The painting was created on commission by the married couple Franz and Antonie Brentano, who had been friends of Beethoven since around 1810. Beethoven's conversation [sic] books give rather detailed information on the origins of the painting. The composer was sitting for the painter four times - a very unusual high number of sittings, since Beethoven is said to have been unable to sit still. The hands in the painting had to be painted from the artists memory as Beethoven could not be persuaded to sit any longer.
Stieler's portrait of Beethoven distinguishes itself above all through two novel elements. First of all - in contrast to all other contemporary paintings - it shows the composer while he is performing his art. Beethoven is holding a pen and seems to be working on the Credo of his "Missa solemnis". The face of the manuscript he is holding says: "Missa solemnis / From D # (# stands for Major)"; on the page facing the composer, the word "Credo" can be recognized. Further on, Stieler shows the view to a forest landscape in the background and by doing this, he - for the first time - combines a portrait of Beethoven with the romantic motif of nature. Beethoven's well-known love of nature and his famous "Sinfonia pastoral" op.68, with its haunting musical description of nature, provided him the biographical clues for such a depiction. Both motifs - "Beethoven composing" and "Beethoven in nature" - became very popular during the further course of the 19th and 20th century, and until today, fine artists again and again were depicting those motifs. source
Unedited original of my step-son as Beethoven
Edit #1 With the painting background
*Wardrobe: I.N.C. Military style jacket (similar trim to Beethoven's in the portrait)
*Red Cashmere scarf - tied slightly different than the painting to cover the ruffled bodice of the 70's men's tuxedo shirt used.
*The book prop was created and the actual sheet music placed inside the book.
All of the makeup, wardrobe, digital editing, card creation and images were created and taken by me.
Edit in frame and used in the gallery of our card.
