This week’s Artist’s spotlight is on @duartedollhouses !

1. Tell me a little about yourself:

“I grew up in Orange County California going to the beach and South Coast Plaza, these places were sacred. I’d throw a penny into the fountain at the mall and wish that I could go live with Laverne & Shirley or blow on a dandelion and wish that Falcore would swoop down and save me! I could climb on his back and fly away. Movies, TV and music were my inspiration, escape and salvation. So Pop-Culture is pretty much everything to me.
My Grandmother, Rita Utah, was a fine artist and my Best Friend. She encouraged my creativity and inspired the hell out of me. When I was 7 she gave me and my sister a customized dollhouse and it was magical because of the touches she had added. It wasn’t an out of the box set up dollhouse. She had worked for months adding touches and furniture and making it super rad! It was the start of my love of miniatures.
I studied Experimental Animation at California Institute of the Arts where I did stop-motion with paper and cashmere cut outs. From there I went to Disney Animation where I created a Pilot. Then I went to work on the show Robot Chicken, where I made puppets for the sketches. 
But I was extremely unhappy navigating the “industry” and working on other people’s projects. I’m way more satisfied doing my own miniatures and miniature films and sharing them on a platform like instagram. The interaction I get from followers is so gratifying. I feel seen and I feel like you find your people there.”

2.How long does it take you to create a miniature?

“It can take a weekend or up to a month to create my miniatures. I customize Petite Blythe dolls into whatever character I want. That means doing hair, eyes, outfit and props. Then I create sets with the furniture and props I have or make pieces from scratch.”

3. If you had to pick 3 pop culture figures to create in miniature form. Who would you pick and why?

” Pretty much all the characters I create are from Pop-Culture. My main thing is making Musicians, Movie Stars and Murderers. Which ones should I talk about?? Debra Winger, Liberace, Gilda Radner, The cast of Spiral, (my favorite French show)? 

I’ll talk about Ed Gein, Jerri Blank and David Bowie. So with Ed Gein, the murderer who dug up dead bodies and made fashion and art with them, I used a doll that already had short hair. Ed Gein lived in the 1950’s so I used a plaid ” Sylvanian Families Shirt” and Petite Blythe jeans to get his look. But what was super fun about the Ed Gein project was using lunch meat to create his body suit, the skin lampshade and chair.

And putting all the doll parts around the set. The eyeballs come out of Petite Blythe dolls so I filled a little chest with them and it was so great! I made a one minute movie which I narrated and I’m really happy with it.

Next, for Jerri Blank from “Strangers With Candy”, I made her whole outfit from scratch and cut the hair off of a doll with the right color. I also used hair spray and paint pens to style her hair. I gave her cool earrings, boots and a belt. But like most characters the props are my favorite. I made a Safe Trap House collection can, she can wear around her neck and paper flowers. I made cheetos and cotton candy and other junk food along with glint, hot fruit, a box of weed, a bong and a pipe. Oh and I’m super proud of the tiny back star dream catcher. I loved decorating the walls of her bedroom with miniature posters and signs. I had so much fun creating her world. I did an entire “Strangers with Candy” dollhouse like the one on the show and added her Step-Mother, Sara Blank!

Lastly, I’m so proud of my David Bowie doll. Before I discovered Petite Blythe dolls I’d tape a picture of David Bowie’s head to a stick and add clothing. I have always been a HUGE David Bowie fan. Like since Labyrinth! After he died I was really, really upset. I felt like the stability I had in having him around my whole life was gone. Making the David Bowie doll was actually healing and having him in my miniatures world makes me happy. I started by making his whole outfit from scratch. It’s based on a costume he wore in the 70’s and then again in one of his last music videos “Lazarus”. 
In the “Lazarus” video David Bowie has a cloth tied around his eyes and buttons where his eyes should be. I literally went to CVS and bought an Ace Bandage which I cut to make the bandage around his eyes. I painted tiny Petite Blythe buttons black and hot glued them to the bandage and suddenly he was alive again. I cut and styled his hair. I used a lot of hair spray and a blow drying to get his hair to stick up. I still have to touch up his hair every now and then. But it’s fun.”

4. How did you come up with the concept of your short film: “Jeffrey Dahmer, the @duartedollhouse film”?

“I watch a lot of True Crime and the story of Jeffrey Dahmer’s life just spoke to me. It’s upsetting that he had no one there for him as a child. His Father worked all the time and his Mother suffered from mental illness and wasn’t able to be present to give him the love and attention he needed. So he got all twisted up and took it out on others he killed to keep with him so he wouldn’t be lonely.

Most of the time, I am inspired by not only the story of a person’s life but the miniatures I get to make when recreating their story. 
I usually only use Petite Blythe dolls but I needed a child Jeffrey Dahmer doll, so I used my second favorite doll, a Dolly Pop! My Dad had gotten me some as a kid and I just stared at them, I thought they were so cute. But this one I won on Ebay!
I was most excited to work with the lunch meat again like I had done for my Ed Gein film. I cut out a fillet and added cilantro to create Jeffrey’s cannibalistic meal. Making these horrific things in cute, miniature form transforms the gravity of the subject into something that is so absurd it’s funny. And then when I add my sweet narration to the film, it takes it to another level of WTF! And somehow people have really responded to this in a positive way.”

5. Do you have any exciting news or events that you would like to share? 

” Upcoming I’m working on my next film about reducing plastic use! The only thing being murdered in this story is the planet! Hey, ho!! JK. And then I’m going to be featured in the next issue of Hype Zine by Hannah Hightman. The issue will focus on miniatures and I’m so excited because it’s such a well done and cute Zine. It’s like candy!”

If you like more information about Lauren and her work. Her contact information is below:

Instagram: @duartedollhouses

Thank you so much for the interview Lauren!

Rowlf is one of my favorite muppets so I decided to share some facts about this cute dog!

He is half corgi and the other half is not known. He was created and performed by Jim Henson. Henson designed three different concepts of dogs and settled one concept as Rowlf. And an other concept became Baskerville the Hound. He is the muppet that is most like Jim Henson’s personality.

He first appeared on the scene in a bunch of Canadian Purina Dog Chow commercials in 1962:

His sidekick in those commercials was a dog named Baskerville the Hound:

These commercials were so popular that Henson was contacted by other companies for more of the muppets to be in commercials for the American Photocopy Equipment Company and Esskay Meats:

He was also cast as a regular cast member of the Jimmy Dean Show (CBS 1963-1966). Which was a variety series with host country singer Jimmy Dean. Jimmy Dean mentioned that the parts of the show that had Rowlf in it were the most popular parts of the show. Out of the 86 episodes of the show he did not appear in one of them. Rowlf even got up towards a thousand fan letters a week.

Rowlf made numerous appearances on different shows after his run with the Jimmy Dean show. Here he is with Jimmy Dean on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1967:

In 1968 Rowlf was one of the few selected muppets to be part of “pitch reel” for Sesame Street:

Rowlf loves playing the piano and showed off his passion of music on the Muppet Show:

He also played one of my favorite characters Dr. Bob on the medical comedy pet drama called “Veterinarian Hospital.” A constant skit that was on the Muppet Show.

His favorite music is classical music and you can always find him near or at the piano. He is known for his serious and funny one liners.

I remember really being into the Muppet Babies cartoon show and always thought that baby Rowlf was the cutest! Rowlf will always have a special place in my heart as do all of the muppets. I admire him for this great serious but funny humor and he seems like a friend for life!

Until next time!!

Source: Wikipedia, youtube.com and Muppet wiki

This week’s artist’s spotlight is on @la_dee_dah:

1. Tell me a little about yourself:

“My name is Katie. I was born and raised in Lancaster, PA. I currently live in Lancaster with my little family…My 2 year old son, Linus and my fiancé, Louis (who I met working at the the post office…we were both letter carriers and he continues to deliver mail).

I’m a “retired” elementary school librarian and mailman. At each of those jobs I would document funny or weird conversations I had with students and the general public. I would then make mini-comics of the interactions. After I had my son I ended up going back to work at the post office and my mom and mother in law watched him while we were at work. In the fall of 2019 there was a freak accident and our child care fell though. We ultimately made the decision that I should resign from the job and stay at home. In hindsight it would’ve happened anyway because of the pandemic but, at the time it was a big decision! Once I was at home I quickly realized I needed a source of balance, something to keep me busy outside of taking care of my son, so I naturally turned to being creative. I was still kind of searching for my identity (after having a baby everything shifts! You no longer feel exactly who you were pre-baby) and pre-baby me always loved drawing and keeping busy in some creative way. It felt like I was connecting with myself again by re-entering this hobby. It’s been a joy.”

I didn’t go to art school so I guess I’m considered “self-taught”. 

As a family we love to hike and camp and ride bikes. Connecting with nature is super important to me and something I’ve introduced to my son from the get go. Our earth is a magical little space ship that humbles me endlessly. “

2. Can you talk a little about your online shop?

“I started the shop very recently when I noticed there was interest in certain shirts I was making. It was a nice way to make the shirts available for people who would stumble upon my Instagram. I throw some drawings and doodles into the store as well from time to time. Everything I post on my IG is for sale but it’s easier to visit an online store to grasp that. 

I make everything by hand so a lot of what’s available in the store is made to order. It’s quite childish to draw on t-shirts with sharpie and fabric markers but I’m dedicated to this craft! When I was growing up, every year at the beach, my grandma would set out a bunch of fabric markers and give us a t-shirt to draw on. I remember thinking how fun it was to make your own shirt and then be able to wear it. I guess that was my introduction to t-shirt making and I never really stopped making them. When I sit down to make a shirt I don’t use a stencil or anything I just go for it. Mistakes and imperfections are part of life and being perfect doesn’t exist. We are all complex creatures with our own tastes, influences, beliefs, histories etc. Ones mans trash is another mans treasure as they say.  I like to make stuff that feels relatable in some way because human connection is some type of magic. I try to embrace that in life through my daily interactions and in what I create.  I love taking custom orders! I feel I enter worlds I wouldn’t otherwise. Most times when I receive a commission I like to do research to try to pick up a “vibe” of what I’m going to draw. Depending on what type of commission a customer wants (drawing or t-shirt) I can usually make it and ship it within a week. Sometimes the design is a collaborative effort and sometimes the customer will trust me to make whatever I feel like. Regardless, commissions are super fun and I love connecting with people through them.”

3. What was the first art piece you created? 

“Oh wow, hmmm. I used to have a subscription to sports illustrated for kids. I was quite a tom boy growing up and played a lot of sports and at recess I’d kick the little boys asses in basketball and football. They hated me for it.

Like most kids magazines they had the section where you could get your drawings published. I  loved seeing other kids drawings and wanted to participate so I would draw Scottie Pippen and Shaq and football players and other various athletes. My drawings never got published but it’s when I can first recall drawing portraits.”

4. What things inspire you when you are creating an art piece?

“When I worked at the post office the general public inspired me and when I worked at the school the kids were inspiring. It’s usually whatever situation I’m in in life I observe it through a specific lens that caters to some kind of creative project. Since I’ve been at home, a lot of children’s books and cute cartoons have been inspiring.  I love listening to the radio in the car and old mix CDs (I have a stack of old mix’s I’ve made since 2003!) and that’s where I find sources of inspiration for the little doodles I make with lyrics. I also pay attention to vintage t-shirts  and the way they’re designed – the colors and shapes of letters and stuff like that. We take everything we are exposed to and put it into our brains and then process it in some way. A lot of it remains in our subconscious. I think we operate largely off of our subconscious without realizing it. With that being said, I also enjoy remembering stuff on purpose.  If I want to remember something I will never forget it! So, visually, that’s a good practice for me and lends a hand to what I make. 

As far as the act of drawing I like making stuff quickly without thinking much about it because I feel something special comes out of it. If I spend too much time trying to make something look right it doesn’t look right at all to me. “

5. Do you have any exciting and/or upcoming events or news that you would like to share?

“Every day I just wake up and wing it. Some days I have orders to fulfill or commissions to work on and other days I have nothing and I love that freedom! I need to have balance in life or else I feel off-physically, mentally and spiritually. Although, I once read a quote something like we are never balanced, just balancing. That really resonated with me. This  project was something I started doing after I quit my job to stay at home with my son. I was searching for this “balancing act” and being creative slowly became a daily thing that I would tune into. Previous to being a stay at home parent I still made stuff it was just different because time was different. Time is weird! It’s so relative. I would LOVE to finally make a zine of my mailman comics but I am very distracted. I have about 40 mini-comics for the zine and it’s been on the backburner for a year plus.”

If you like to learn more about Katie. Her following contact information is below:

Store: https://sandw1tch.bigcartel.com/

Instagram: @la_dee_dah_

Email: kgrineer@gmail.com

Thank you so much for the interview Katie!

Recently I just thought that Burger King only had one mascot. However I was so wrong. There was a time when there was a whole bunch of characters that resided in the Burger Kingdom in 1976 until the mid 1980’s. The cast included:

The Duke of Doubt:

Even though the Duke of Doubt was part of the Burger King Kingdom. He was not a fan of the Burger King. He always doubted the King’s magical power of making Burger King food appear out of thin air. He was the most visible character in the commercials along with the Burger King.

Sir Shake-a-lot:

He was a close friend of the King but his better friend was the shakes that were made at Burger King. He main characteristic was his shaking because he was so empathetic to the cold temperature of the shakes. That is also why he wore warmer kind of clothes and always accessorize with a Burger King cup as a hat.

The Burger Thing:

This character was basically a talking whopper burger in a painting He was more of a minor character in the kingdom because he would be the character in the group that would talk the least.

The Wizard of Fries:

A talking robot who face was a carton of french fries and had an interesting power of making many fries from just one.

The characters in the Burger King kingdom did not have a long run. By 1989 they were replaced by the BK Kids Club Gang:

Do you remember these characters? I don’t but it was interesting to find out how similar their campaigns were to McDonald’s.

Until next time!

Source: Wikipedia, youtube

This week I interviewed a great small business: @anakarenlovespaper !

1.Tell me a little about yourself:

“My name is Ana Karen Romero. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. I am a daughter of Mexican immigrants. And I really, really love paper. I was the kid who preferred crafting, paper, and markers over playing tag. I eat up all things paper and stationery. I touch and stare at the menu in restaurants for too long (or at least used to, in the before times). I can spend a lot of time in stationery stores, where half of the time a little Ana in horns is telling me to buy 12 more pens, and the other half of the time is a little Ana in a halo, reassuring me that buying only one pen is OK. While I love all things stationery, cards have a special place in my heart because they’re a way to express myself. The right words may not come out in the moment, but the art of letter writing allows me to reflect, and to express.”

2. What made you want to start making cards?

“I actually started making and selling cards in high school! When I was a teenager, I became obsessed with a scrapbooking store that opened up near my home. As I dove into the hobby, card making came naturally. Friends, teachers, and family bought my cards, and for a while, I thought this would be my career path: mass producing cards to sell at stores like Papyrus (RIP Papyrus). I went to college to major in business, and in the process, I changed my mind about my card company dreams. I never strayed far from paper, though. Before graduation, I started interning at a paper company, in their purchasing department. I learned so much about paper and the industry, plus I got to play with samples! Being around so much paper eye candy geared up my creative juices again. I started making invitations for family parties, and Ana Karen Loves Paper was born as a blog idea. My goal was to share the invitations I create, along with other stationery content I enjoyed. When I decided I wanted to pursue entrepreneurship, I shifted my focus from marketing a custom invitation service, to making and selling handmade cards.”

3. What are your top 2 best selling products and why do you think are so popular? 

“El Corazón and La Muerte are my two top selling cards. These card designs are inspired by the Mexican bingo game, Lotería, which I think it’s part of the reason they are so popular. I’m absolutely smitten when the abuelas stop and smile at one of these cards. People like to see their culture represented, and I’m happy that AKLP cards remind people of times spent playing Lotería around the table. The sayings are also so sweet, which is another reason I think people love them so much. El Corazón card translates to “I love you with all of my heart” and La Muerte card translates to “I love you until death.” 

4. Do you do custom orders and if so can you walk through the process of it?

“Yes! I take custom orders, with a minimum of 25 identical units. This is perfect for someone who wants invitations, or a business that wants a custom card to sell in store. I split the process into three parts: the Designing, the Prototyping, and the Making. I start the Design with direction from you: what do you need (a thank you card, an invitation, etc), and what theme. I mock up designs using the Cricut software, and finalize the mock up with you. Prototyping is my favorite part, because I pull out my swatch books. I’ll look for the paper that will work best for your design. I look at hue, texture, thickness, etc. In some cases, I may need to test cut everything first, to make sure I can build the piece just how I imagined it. The Making is usually the easiest part, because I’ve figured everything out already, and I approach it like an assembly line. Typically, it takes 2-4 weeks for turnaround. For a more involved piece, like a wedding invitation suite, I’d need about 8 weeks.”

5. Do you have any exciting news or events that you would like to share?

” Since I’ve started my business, I’ve expanded to include other stationery goods. I try to source as much as possible from other small makers, with a focus on BIPOC and women-led brands. Of course my cards are the heart and soul, and I’m so excited to announce that I’ll be debuting a wholesale catalog soon! I dream of boutiques across the US stocking AKLP cards, and this tool will make it easier to reach that dream. If you have any shops where you think AKLP cards would be a good fit, let me know so I can send them a catalog when it’s ready.”

If you like to learn more about Ana Karen’s Shop. The following contact is below:

Email: anakarenlovespaper@gmail.com

Website: https://www.anakarenlovespaper.com/

Instagram: @anakarenlovespaper

I have been watching the Jetsons ever since I can remember. I really thought we would be driving in saucer like cars with a glass dome on top but atlas maybe it might take another decade for that to happen.

One song that I still sing randomly out loud to this day is “Eep, Opp Ork, Ah-Ah!” that was on this space age cartoon and sung by a dreamy cartoon name Jet Screamer.

This episode called “A Date with Jet Screamer” premiered on ABC on September 30, 1962. This episode centers on Judy Jetson who is entering a contest for a chance to go out with a date with the cartoon pop star.

The contest is that you have to write a song which Judy does and Jet will sing it live on his show called “The Jet Screamer Show.” Which is the only time we see that show is on that Jetson’s episode. But Judy is a bit crafty with her song lyrics. She ends up writing a song called “Eep, Opp, Ork, AH-AH!” which is code for meet me tonight. The other lyrics in the song was kind of risky for a children’s cartoon. And I never really looked into them until I was much older.

Some of the lyrics from the song:

“Eep! (eep!), Opp! (opp!), Ork! (ork!) Ah-ah! (ah-ah!). Get in this capsule baby. We are blasting off! Eep, opp, ork ah-ah, eep, opp, ork ah-ah-, eep, opp ork ah-ah And that means I love you. Yeah I read my baby loud and clear, (eep, opp, ork,ah-ah) She just said I love you dear. (eep, opp, ork ah-ah) Now when I reply that way I do, (eep, opp ork ah-ah) I just said I love you too. Eep, opp ork ah-ah, eep, opp, ork ah-ah, eep opp, ork, ah-ah, eep, opp, ork, ah-ah, And that means I love you. You heard the word. That crazy word. That word you heard. Eep, opp, ork, means I love you. Hop on baby. I’ll put you in orbit.”

Some fun facts about the song: There have been some comparisons of the cartoon Jet Screamer to Elvis, Frankie Avalon and other male teen idols of the time.

The Violent Femmes did a cover of this song for an album called “Saturday Morning Cartoons greatest hits. I actually bought this when I was little and played the CD so many times that I made a clear hole in it.

Until next time!

Source: Jetsons wiki , youtube

It is no surprised that I am a huge fan of the show Unsolved Mysteries. I have written about this show various times in past blog posts. But a lot of the cases they profiled is forever ingrain in my mind. One I have been thinking a lot about is “Rain Man.”

Rain Man (Season 5: Episode 18). This segment first aired on February 10, 1993.

On February 24, 1983 in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. The grandfather of Don Decker had past away and a funeral was being held that day. Don was paying his respects to his deceased family member knowing that this particular family member did abusive things to him since he was a young boy. Don Decker was on an approved time off from jail (he was doing time for knowingly accepting stolen merchandise, and he was sentenced to serve between 4 to 12 months in jail) due to the family member’s death. So he had a couple of days out from this jail sentence to go to this funeral. Don claimed that when he saw his grandfather in his coffin that the worst “evil” was finally out of his life and that he can movie on from it. However there was a verbal disagreement between him and his parents over his grandfather. His parents were pumping up his grandfather’s legacy and Don was not having any of that and was very angry at his parents. That resulted in Don staying with his friends after the funeral. And it was during that night of the funeral an unexplained event took place.

His friends he was staying with was a couple named Bob and Jean Keiffer. The couple noticed that water was coming out of their walls in the living room when Don was in there. Both super confused and concerned they automatically notified their landlord of the house. When the landlord arrived he was as equally confused by the amounts of water coming into the house because their are no pipes along those walls. Also the water was only entering the living room and no where else. The water was falling towards a downward direction, sideways and through the floor of the living room. It literally looked like it was raining in the Keiffer’s living room and Don was physically in the middle of it. They had no idea where the source of the water was coming from. Don claimed that he went into a spell like trance when he started to rehash all of the trauma with his grandfather in his mind before the water began to drip down.

. With everyone in that space during the unexplained event occurred they decided to call the police. The police came inside the house and they had no clue and left to report the unexplained occurrence they witnessed to their boss. However their boss believe it was a hoax made by Don and the Kieffers.

He also refused to accept the report that his two colleagues made about it. Even though they made go to the house to witness the unexplained event he just sized it up as a issue with the house’s pipes.

Hungry and confused Don Deck and the Kieffer decided to leave the house to eat at a local diner. The landlord who was still in the house when they left claimed that the rain stopped when those 3 left the house.

Hunger and tried they went to a diner to eat that was close to the house and talked to the owner who was their friend a woman called Pam. Pam knew of the situation that happen in the house when they talked earlier but while Don and the couple were inside Pam notice Don acting weird. That is when the rain started inside the diner and Pam came to the conclusion that it was Don that was making it rain.

Pam was almost certain that Don was being possessed by the devil and attempted to put a cross on him. Don then claimed that the cross was burning him and it turned a solid black color. She also suggested that a priest should either perform an exorcism on Don or bless the house that the first unexplained rain fall began. Don came to realized that maybe he was performing this unexplained event somehow but couldn’t explain how he was doing this. The couple was getting very frustrated at Don and placed blame on him that is when more weird stuff started happening such as Don was levitating, things were falling off their fixtures and finally Don flew and landed hard on the floor while he was levitating.

On the final night that Don stayed with the Kieffers before he had to report back to serve the rest of his jail sentence. A priest was brought into the Kieffer’s house so an exorcism could be preformed on Don. Witnesses of the exorcism that was perform said that they saw Don contorting in an extreme manner and the house feel a sense of calm after everything was done. After that it seem like everything went back to normal and there was no unexplained rain that happen inside the residence again. Don never experienced anything like that again.

What do you think happened? Comment below! Also if their were any other weird cases that you saw on the show let me know!

Until next time!!

Source: unsolved mysteries wiki, youtube.com

In the early summer of 1994 I remember seeing commercials like this on TV and begging my parents that we had to go to MGM Studios (aka Disney’s Hollywood Studios). I remember being a huge fan of the Sci Fi channel and watching the Twilight Zone a lot. So this ride was exactly my number one go to destination. So in the middle of the summer my family and I went to MGM Studio and that was the first ride I went on in the park. I did not know what to expect from the ride so when I finally went inside the building and sat down in the ride. I literally had no idea what kind of ride it was. And to be honest any kind of ride that makes me feel like I am falling I am not a fan of. SO this ride I was not a fan of. Actually I was the lucky rider who when every time we were falling I would cling on to the person next to me. Even though that person was a complete stranger and I never talked to them before or after I got off the ride. That was my personal experience with the ride and I have not been on it since. However I do enjoy the overall theme of the ride. So here are some fun facts about the ride!

There was a TV special in 1994 with Kirk Cameron about the ride about the “history” of the hotel.

The first Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ride opened in Disney’s Hollywood Studios on July 22, 1994.

Other Tower of Terror rides opened up in other Disney Parks: Disney California Adventure opened on May 5, 2004 and closed on January 3, 2017. Tokyo DisneySea opened on September 22, 2006. Walt Disney Studios Park opened on December 22, 2007.

One of the ideas of the ride before it was settled on using themes from Rod Sterling’s The Twilight Zone series was to make a ride based on the Stephen King’s writing.

Another concept was to make a fake ghost tour with Vincent Price:

The Disney Imagineers watched over a hundred the Twilight Zone episodes to get a better sense of what the ride should embodied in terms of the looks and over appearance of it.

Joe Dante directed the video you watch before you actually go on the ride. He is known for directing this movie:

The exterior of the building is a homage of various Southern California landmarks. Such as the Biltmore Hotel:

A lot of the items inside the lobby of the hotel was purchased through various auctions in Los Angeles, California.

There is a clip of Rod Sterling introducing the ride is actually from a Twilight Zone episode called “It’s a Good Life.”

Have you got on this ride? If so what are your thoughts on it?

Until next time!

Source: Wikipedia, disneyparks, and mentalfloss.com

The Last Unicorn (1982) directed by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr. The voices were supplied by Mia Farrow was the Unicorn and Amalthea:

Angela Lansbury as Mommy Fortuna:

Alan Arkin as Schmendrick:

Jeff Bridges as Prince Lir:

And Christopher Lee as King Haggard:

I am going to be honest. The first time I watched this movie was two weeks ago. I don’t really watched what is considered children classic movies when I was a child so I am catching up now as an adult. This movie was made by the Bass and Rankin Team. They also made such memorable movies as:

The Secret and NIMH:

And my personal favorite: The Hobbit (1977):

I am not sure why I waited so long to watch “The Last Unicorn” but I am glad I was finally able to watch it.

It is about a unicorn who realizes that she might be the last one of her kind and she sets off on a mission to see what happen to the other unicorns. On the way she meets some new friends who want to help with her cause. One of her friends named Schmendrick who tries to protect from her from a bull who is the one taking the unicorns. Accidentally transforms her into a human being and the journey becomes a little worrisome. Because when she is turned into a human she begins to forget her mission. However she slowly regains her memory about her mission and it is exciting to watch!

I thought this movie is so beautiful with bright colors and it is about unicorns! I mean come on I am such a fan of unicorns!

Some fun facts about this movie:

It was originally a book by Peter S. Beagle (1968).

Peter S. Beagle also didn’t received any money for the VHS or DVD sales of the movie.

Sir Christopher Lee also did the dubbing in German for the German release of the movie.

The soundtrack of this movie was number 1 in Germany in 1983.

The team that made this movie was considering Harrison Ford, Mark Hamil and Dustin Hoffman for the voice of Schmendrick.

They also wanted James Earl Jones, John Veron and John Carradine for the voice of King Haggard.

Kurt Russell was consider for the voice of Prince Lir.

Janet Leigh was consider for the voice of the unicorn.

This was the first time that Angela Lansbury did a voice over for a cartoon.

When was the first time you watched this movie? What were your thoughts on it?

Comment below!

Until Next time!

Source: IMdb.com

This week’s artist’s spotlight is on Veronica Gregerson aka @feltbuddies

1. Tell me a little about yourself: “I want first to say thank you for letting me be part of your world. I’ve enjoyed your Instagram and blogs for quite some time. Let’s see Who am I? My name is Veronica, and here’s the backstory of what makes me, me. When I was a baby, I was dropped off at an orphanage in Bogotá, Colombia, adopted at age one, and here’s where my story picks up. Growing up, I had always had a knack for being creative. When I was younger, we had the Childcraft Book Set from World Book Encyclopedia, which had several volumes of fun, innovative, and exciting things to learn and create. I looked at those books so often that I’m sure the spines wore down. I liked how the books sparked my creativity with pictures and crafts. I did crafts here and there, but drawing was my passion. My grandma would always say you should use your talents because you’re so good. I never thought anything of it, and for a time, I had given up drawing because life got in the way. I did remember when I drew or was creative; it put my mind at peace. I had thought for a time about what can I do with my creativity? I pursued going to school for floral design, which I had done professionally for a few years. I then went back to school for graphic design, and then the dot-com stock market crashed; finding a creative job at this time was difficult, so I put that creative career on the back burner. As I pursued a professional career, I was missing that joy, but what was that joy? I remembered that when I was creating, it brought out the best in me. I realized I could have both things! Working and having time to be creative was a good balance for me. As I picked art back up, I dabbled in other creative things outside of drawing as I wanted to see what else interested me. It was almost like being reintroduced to the world of art, and there were so many possibilities. I was relearning and learning something new, fun, and exciting! If you can have a healthy balance of two things you enjoy overall, you will be your best person. ”
2. What made you want to start creating this kind of art?: “

“I had tried wool felting once before but never gave it much dedication and had shelved my one and only project, a hedgehog. I decided to revisit felting in the spring of 2020. I had recently lost my dad to cancer, and shortly after, I lost my job. As I tried to pick myself up off the ground, I did some soul searching and thought about what could bring me peace. I remembered my love of art but wanted to try something different, plus I had time, the one thing that I hadn’t in years. I went through my craft drawers, pulled out some wool roving that I had, and came up with a design, a felt sun. I literally needed some sunshine in my life. I made something and gave it life by adding personality to it; it was gratifying. In the process of learning this art, I never knew how painful stabbing your fingers with small needles on accident could be. Yes, stabbing your fingers is a thing when you are starting of as a needle felter. While planning out what I wanted to make, I would framework my 3D characters with armature wire. Armature wire is a bendable wiring often used for clay sculpting to keep it from collapsing, and in the case of wool felting, it is the framework that you can build around. Once the framework is created, you use core wool roving (undyed natural wool) and start poking the wool. Once your shape is as you would like it, you take the dyed wool roving color, place it over the sculpture and poke it repeatedly to catch the core roving fibers to give color to the object. You poke and prod and poke with a very fine barbed needle until it starts to take the shape you desire. With time and practice and many poked fingers, I have gotten to the point where I rarely break these needles or stab my fingers, a considerable improvement.”

3. What are your top 3 favorite art pieces you’ve created and why?

” Tallulah & Brooklyn My dogs mean so much to me, and they were my inspiration to start my dog felting adventure. I wanted to have a memento of my two girls that I love so much. Tallulah is an English Bulldog, and Brooklyn is Frenchton (French Bulldog/Boston Terrier). 

Daruma I have always had a love for Japanese culture. In 2017 I was lucky to spend two weeks in Japan, a place I had only dreamed of and now a reality. We have several Darumas throughout our home, and now I have one more to add to our growing collection.

Yakul from Princess Mononoke Tying back into Japanese culture, I enjoy the Studio Ghibli films, and Princess Mononoke was such a fantastic story with complex characters. I wanted to make my son something that he loves and would appreciate for years to come. If I could have Yakul as a pet, I would in a heartbeat.”

4. What has been the most unique or weirdest art piece you created?

” The most unique thing I have created so far is Spiki, a creation of Nakanari; he’s an artist mostly known for his vinyl toys, which I have followed and admired for several years. My husband and I collect vinyl toys going on 20 plus years now, and in our collection, there are a few Nakanari pieces sprinkled throughout our shelves.”

5. Do you have any exciting news or events that you would like to share?

“I was part of a local holiday market with the Textile Center in Minneapolis, where I had six different ornaments available. I was incredibly excited to participate as they highlight BIPOC artists. BIPOC artists are often underappreciated and forgotten, so this was so important for me to join in. It was a wonderful experience as an up and coming artist, and to be part of this community of beautiful artists was a complete honor and to share my happiness with others. Now that the market is over, I have had the time to reopen my commission list and have been busy creating some touching pieces for people. While I have been getting many dog portraits and memorials, I have also gotten a few others like fruits and fun little one-off items. It’s nice to have the variety and freedom to make things that people enjoy. You become connected to the characters you create by their backstories and the owners’ love and interests.”

If you like to learn more about Veronica and her amazing art. This is her following contact information:

@feltbuddies