Not all that glitters is gold. And in Moriah Elizabeth’s experience, not all that is gold glitters—until she does something about it.
The “gold” in question? Primarily, it’s the “ugly, used, old, dirty, cheap or unwanted squishies” she gets from fans in the mail. The foam-based critters come in torn, missing paint and covered in gunk. But on her eponymous YouTube channel, with some creativity and paint, Elizabeth makes the worn-down comfort toys look brand new.
That’s not all Elizabeth does, however: She likes to draw, customize clothes, tie-dye and more. And if she happens to draw a critter that looks like food, she’ll often attempt to bake up an equivalent version in her oven at home.
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Elizabeth shows just how far some creativity and ingenuity can get an artist. While some of her designs focus solely on much-needed touch-ups for old squishies—making them look brand new—others add elements, completely rethinking the original creation to give it an entirely new look. From her designs, it becomes evident that a good artist can restore old products that most of us would simply throw away; and it may encourage viewers to try their own hand at such a restoration.
That creative mindset continues in Elizabeth’s YouTube series “Thrift Store Makeover,” in which she takes random items she’s acquired in thrift stores and redesigns them in interesting ways.
Elizabeth offers ways for viewers to quell their boredom in her series “Art Things To Do When You’re Bored.” In that series, she walks her audience through a variety of arts-and-crafts activities that even an artist who is just starting out could likely follow.
In one video, Elizabeth mentions that she is a Christian.
A couple of videos utilize fart noises or light toilet humor. We hear the occasional use of “crap,” but we otherwise don’t hear any crude language.
(Parents may want to note that Elizabeth has a number of art-based products for sale, and she occasionally uses them in videos or references them.)
To make something from scratch is impressive, but it’s likewise impressive to take an old design and transform it into something new. Moriah Elizabeth showcases both, whether she’s drawing her own creatures or redesigning someone else’s.
For viewers, her channel stays quite clean (other than the occasional paint smear). The worst of what we hear is toilet humor and the word “crap.” Otherwise, the channel may just inspire a young artist to get creative with their own designs.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He’s also an avid cook. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
