Project Two: Childhood Toys

Heads Up Jewelry Planning and Sketches

For this project, I wanted to use toys from my childhood as the main medium. I chose to do a jewelry set and an outfit to go along with it for the model. I started to brainstorm more of what jewelry/ accessories I could make using the dolls and thought of a slide for a neckerchief. I wanted to do somethings that weren’t really the “classic idea of jewelry”. I wanted the pieces to have a bit of a creepy cute aesthetic to them, since I was using pastel and bright colors and doll parts, which many would see as a bit creepy. Altering the Materials When collecting the materials, I thought about how drawing on dolls got me in trouble in my youth. To build off that idea, I thought it would be more visually interesting to change the appearance of the materials, so it wasn’t simply taking things apart and putting them back together again. Drilling & Stringing

To get the heads of the dolls ready for being used for jewelry, I used the neck holes as guides for going through. After that, I painted the heads a bit then strung wire through them, and finally attached them to earring hooks. For the torsos on the necklace, I removed the legs and arms and painted over any discolored areas. I fished the stretch string through the torsos and strung pastel pearl beads on the string as well. At the ends of the necklace, I tied on a closure so it can be taken on and off easily. Creating an Outfit I wanted to create an outfit for the model to wear that went along with the jewelry. The colors I chose to use were pastel and light colors, a bit nostalgic of childhood colors. The pattern I chose to use is a Japanese inspired school uniform, the fashion itself calls back to youth. Model Photoshoot Edited photos! Up Close of Each Piece This project really sent me to my Final Thoughts nostalgia center. I loved recycling dolls to use as jewelry. I‘m planning on adding more pieces to the collection as time goes on! I’ve already got requests for some pieces! The sewing portion of this project taught me a lot more about reading patterns, and fabricating different types of clothing. I hope to continue to bring a youthful spirit to my work in the future!