Where does inspiration come from? Sometimes, irritation.

Where does inspiration come from? That is one of the most commonly asked questions of anyone producing craft or art. And the answer is almost always some version of "everywhere". This past week, my inspiration came from someone else's art... in an unlikely form... and advertisement jingle. But not just any jingle. Nope. A nagging, torture-some earworm of a jingle.

Do you remember? (If you are like me and catch earworms easily, you may want to stop here.) It was 1988 and California was apparently overrun with Blue's singing raisins. The California Raisin Advisory Board (yes, this exists) paid Buddy Miles to sing Marvin Gaye's classic "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" to help save California from its apparent raisin crisis and drive America's millions to munch away on this dehydrated delight.  This campaign was so successful, it launched these cartoon depictions to such vaulted heights as to make cartoons and even movies.

In my house, we are Roku watchers. We enjoy the myriad of free B-Movie streaming channels Roku affords us. Recently, one of these channels managed to get a hold of one of these classic raisin ads. (Insert tortured B-Movie actress scream here.)  

Three days. That freaking song was stuck in my head three whole days. I seriously though I was going to need to be medicated.

But good did come from it. With raisins on the brain, I created a new colorway. "Raisin the Bar" is available for your own fruity enjoyment now in my Etsy shop, with more on the drying rack just waiting to be listed.

Just don't tell me you "heard it through the grapevine".