Fall is in the air - I can definitely feel it! I absolutely love this time of the year especially since Halloween is just around the corner! Halloween is my favorite holiday and I have so much fun decorating for this holiday both inside and outside my home. Even my 7-year old has already asked if we could start putting up Halloween decorations and it's only September! Also, check out one of my favorite blog posts that I wrote last Fall which was "surprisingly" about Halloween!
It's really a fun time to make paper dolls too especially because I love to add a bit of Halloween-inspired ladies into the mix. Moreover, my latest group of paper ladies come from some great inspirations and are some of my most couture paper dolls yet.
...and here are my latest paper dolls and their inspirations! Enjoy!
BEBE PAPER DOLL
Bebe Paper Doll #25 was inspired by the 1970s Hanna-Barbera cartoon character, Valerie Brown of "Josie & the Pussycats". Valerie was known as the highly intelligent and mechanical wizard of the trio, she also played the tambourines. This Bebe doll carries around her round moon bag perfect for trick-or-treating or for storing her tambourine. She also has a moveable tail!
MERMAID PAPER DOLLS
'Prettiest of Barnacles' paper doll was influenced from a couple of sources. I stumbled upon the first inspiration from a pin on Pinterest which was of a model wearing a flower head garland and a pretty pinkish salmon-colored dress from Hamda Al Fahim's 2013 Spring/Summer Collection. I loved the whole look which I thought was totally mermaid-worthy.
The second inspiration was based also on Fahim's dress and it's collage of flowers at the waist. The flowers reminded me of barnacles and the way they attach themselves to surfaces. I wanted the flowers on 'Prettiest of Barnacles' to look the way barnacles form with the thick layers of flowers growing along her body.
My 'Masked Mermaid' paper doll was heavily based on Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda Fall Collection which I first saw in this September's VOGUE magazine. As soon as I saw the fashion spread on Alta Moda and this particular dress, I knew I wanted to make a mermaid paper doll inspired by it. Gorgeous, dramatic, and perfectly masked for a fall evening masquerade!
I made Mermaid Paper Doll #89 out my deep curiosity about what a ballerina would look like in a world full of witches. I imagined if I were to attend a witch's ballet I would expect the ballerinas to forgo the pink tutus and opt for dresses made of old scrolls filled with cobwebs and spooky spells. And no swans on a lake here, only black cats!
Jellyfish are beautiful, eerie, and one of the most amazing creatures that drift through the ocean. Mermaid Paper Doll #90 'Medusa of the Jellyfish' was based on these magnificent animals. With her tangled tentacles atop her head, Mermaid #90 appears Medusa-like gently and stealthily moving through the ocean waters.
If I haven't told you by now, I am a huge fan of HBO's "Game of Thrones". My 'Lady Dragonstone' mermaid was aptly named after the fictional ancient fortress known as the Castle of Dragonstone. This castle, located on the island of Dragonstone, was once ruled by the dragon lords known as the House Targaryen. 'Lady Dragonstone' features a scaled gown and tail reminiscent of the dragon eggs that Daenerys Targaryen, the platinum-blonde Mother of Dragons, received as a gift on her wedding day to Khal Drogo.
Mermaid Paper Doll #92 was inspired not only by Marchesa's Spring 2009 Collection but also by the gorgeous Halle Berry. Halle wore a strapless black and gold tulle Marchesa gown for the 2009 Vanity Fair Oscar party which she looked absolutely stunning in. My 'Marchesa' mermaid is an absolute beauty too!
A couple of weeks ago, Carlos and I took the boys to the beach at night to show them the amazing blue glowing waves created by bioluminescent dinoflagellates. They weren't as bright as the firefly squids of Japan's Toyama Bay but the subtle pops of blue in the waves were still quite beautiful. Mermaid Paper Doll #93 was based on these bioluminescent creatures and their bursts of glowing blue lights that illuminate the shoreline at night.
'Autumn Silhouette', the last of the Mermaid Paper Dolls for this Fall season, was named by my soon-to-be 10-year old son, Paco. I love to show my finished paper dolls to my boys and usually Paco is never shy to give his suggestions on potential names. His poetic name for Mermaid #94 captured exactly the beauty of bare tree branches against an Autumn skyline.
I hope you enjoyed this look at my latest paper dolls and their inspirations! I plan to take a short break from making more dolls until Winter. Up next on my busy October plate: planning Paco's 10th Birthday on the 14th and setting up for Halloween!
Thanks for stopping by!
