What Came First? The Chicken or the Mouse?

Those who know me know how much I love to DIY. I Do-It-Myself because I am cheap, I am creative and I am fiercely independent (aka stubborn). I love to problem solve and achieve my vision. This lifestyle has brought me to this passion and career called HIP Chicks, so I have tackled my Chicks biz with the same DIY attitude: writing my own copy, producing my own videos, writing a book, and doing my own PR. But when it came time to get myself a mascot and turn my cartoon logo into a 3-D sidekick, I was at a loss. I can sew curtains and pillows, but a little floppy chicken was out of my league. Or so I thought.

I found a sharp woman with more sewing knowledge and skill than I and I hired her to make me a chicken! She did a lovely job using great fabric, giving her a sturdy frame and even making her a red T-shirt, too. But after looking at this chick sitting on my desk, I realized that I had a stuffed chicken but she wasn’t mine! Her face lacked the spunk, sparkle and attitude I envisioned for my Chick. I knew I couldn’t ask someone else to capture that spirit for me, because that spirit was me!

This Chick, aptly named Henrietta, was an extension of me and had to be smart, fun, and have a little mettle tossed in, too. Ironically, Henrietta is a German name meaning Ruler of the House. As the mother of three boys, I am all that in my home, too! I knew I needed to infuse my chick with my own creativity, sparkle and attitude. So with my mother-in-law’s help, I began the ultimate foul makeover!

After one quick slice of the scissors, we literally took a chicken with its head cut off and began our makeover. Using the same fabric as the body, we created a fuller head and neck. That was easy. The tricky part was her eyes. They needed to say “I am feminine, feisty, fun and ready to take on the world!" I decided to look in the thrift store at stuffed animals to get inspiration. Oh, there she was … Minnie Mouse. 

A bright-eyed eight-inch plush Disney rodent had the eyes that said all that. A $1 cast off mouse was what we needed, so Minnie would be re-purposed! We tore organ donor Minnie apart, carefully snipping away her fully lashed eyes from her little head. Her flirty eyes fit perfectly on our new Chickie!

We still needed a comb on Henrietta’s head, so mom suggested
we use Minnie’s shoe bows. Genius! We excised the bows from the shoes and
stitched them together in a nice little peak upon the hen’s head. With the leftover shoe carcass we sculpted a perfect little yellow arched beak. After placing her yellow ball earrings in position and donning her in her signature T-shirt, the makeover was complete. My sassy sidekick, Henrietta, is now a fluffy feathered icon for smart, capable, confident Chicks everywhere.

http://www.diyhipchicks.com/hatching-henrietta