Lucia Debrazi is sleeping with the fishes.

"Lucia Debrazi is sleeping with the fishes." ©ramey holsman

I love my little sister. Well, I love ALL three of my sisters, but Melly is my crafting and overall creative BUDDY. She inspires and encourages me with her creativity and various projects . . . and each week she and her best mate Jeri give a crafting challenge on their blog, Weekly JeM. I don't always get a chance to do each challenge specifically, so I try to bend what I'm working on to make sense with theirs.

This week was a S-T-R-E-T-C-H!! The challenge was "to be creative with something that starts with the letter 'B'." So what does an altered doll with hand-stamped and painted anchovies in an anchovy tin have to do with the letter "B"? Well, the Spanish equivalent to an anchovy is a "Boquerone!" See what I mean?  S-T-R-E-T-C-H.

I'd been toying with this idea after making homemade pizzas recently. Anchovies always used to scare me, but now I love them! And the tins are classic. So I washed one and thought of ways to use it. The famous "Godfather" line kept going through my head every time I looked at it . . . "Luca Debrazi is sleeping with the fishes."

So here's how I started. First, we needed some "fishes."

 
I sketched an anchovy on a rubber block, carved it, made adjustments here and there, then stamped 'em out on card stock and painted each one with metallic enamel paints. They felt right at home in the tin . . .

Then I got into my secret stash of bendy dolls and altered accordingly. I don't have a secret stash of bendy boy dolls, so this is how Lucia Debrazi "got made."

I'm not quite done with this project. So if you don't stay tuned, I'll make you an offer you can't refuse . . .

While you're waiting, check out my art shop! cookiechang.etsy.com