Heath Ledger is important to me. Ever since high school I’ve dedicated my art to him. There was devastation when he died. To ease the pain, I read, talked, and thought only about him for quite some time. I became too obsessed with him, so I decided to stop watching his movies and looking up pictures of him on the internet for a year. In late 2011 I returned to thinking about him. In a weird way, I think he’s my angel. The place I live in right now has a sign which reads “Heath.” I was out of a job for two years and, as soon as I recognized the sign outside, I got an interview and, in time, a job. Also, I was watching a TV show, but it blacked out so I found The Dark Knight to watch instead. As soon as I changed it to The Dark Knight, my water, which was placed in the middle of the table where there was no possible way for it to spill, fell to the ground. A crow follows me around at the bus stop, too, and nears my feet each time. Little events have made me believe he’s out there. I also made a prayer. I’m not a religious person, but I feel some sort of spiritual lift when I think about him. I start each prayer with, “I am the starfish, I am the jellyfish, I am the leaves, I am the trees.” At the thrift store, I found a figurine book, so I put my own little words in it. I keep it inside my heart-shaped box. —Kaitlyn
This is a shrine I made on the top shelf of a bookcase that I primarily use to hold clothing. I created this around October of last year when all I listened to was the Cure and all I wanted was to wake up somewhere in Massachusetts. I can’t say that this shrine is directed to anyone in particular, but instead more to the aesthetic of Donnie Darko, midnight screenings at a local movie theater, fall colors, and, of course, Halloween. –Jace, 19
This is my shrine (that I didn’t realize was a shrine until yesterday) to my dearly departed pet rabbit named Richard. He was a smart, rugged, nifty boy who cheered me on and then chewed all of my best handbag straps. I started off with a small collection of rabbit-related paraphernalia beside my bed and it has grown into this. I say: love me, love my love of rabbits! Shrine-making is definitely one of my favorite late Sunday afternoon pastimes. –Kate
It’s not great quality, but this is my cheap version of a shrine of my dream school, the University of Chicago. I made it with all of the postcards and viewbooks they’ve sent me. –Erika
Don’t judge me! It was for a Twilight competition! It was really fun getting together my Twilight stuff, though. The sad thing is, that’s not even all of it… –Holly
Shrine for The Virgin Suicides from Camilla.
When I was in high school I absolutely worshipped the band Tsunami Bomb. I loved seeing Agent M up on stage in a punk music scene that was predominantly made up of all dudes. This shrine was on my wall and had some set lists, magazine cutouts, tickets, stickers, CDs, a song-request poster, and a note sent to me by Agent M when she sent me her shoes, which have secret compartments (no lie). –Rachel
Here is a shrine I made to Sofia Coppola, my idol. I wanted to pay homage to all her movies and I also wanted to celebrate her cheek-kiss of Matt Dillon in Rumble Fish–I’ll be forever jealous. –Delilah
Shrine for troll dolls from our very own Chrissie.
This is a shrine to violence that I did for a media class on Westerns, juxtaposing the violent imagery and religious symbolism. –Sarah
I had quite the Smashing Pumpkins obsession, starting in 6th grade or so. It bordered on unhealthy–I kept a journal full of letters to Billy Corgan (only HE could understand my pain!), convinced my parents to take me to an SP show in the middle of a family vacation, and held birthday parties for Billy every March 17th, where all my friends were required to wear SP T-shirts. I took these photos when I was 16 and decided it was time to “move on.” (The Cure was SO GOOD! I had just discovered them!) After I took the pics I dismantled the whole thing. I think all of it is still packed away in my Dad’s attic. But I did recently buy the vinyl reissues of Gish and Siamese Dream, so I guess I haven’t moved on entirely. –Alexis
I’ve had a great number of shrines back in my “misspent youth” for books or book characters mainly, but in a recent attempt to pretend that I am in fact a grown up (and let’s be honest, to liven up my bedroom wall) I made a collage which I refer to as “The Hero Crush Wall” (hero crushes–similar to regular crushes, but instead of fancying-the-pants off them, you just idolize them. Totally normal, non stalker-y behavior!). My Hero Crush wall features Inspirational Women. The current line-up includes: writer J.K. Rowling, actresses Helena Bonham Carter, Zooey Deschanel and Evanna Lynch, singers Imelda May and Florence Welch, journalists and feminists Caitlin Moran and Louise Brealey and your very own Tavi. Everything’s decorated with plastic heart shaped gems, stickers and fake flowers. Of course. –Amy, 21
I can’t imagine getting through high school without the Smiths. My dad introduced me to their whiny British pop music when I was a kid , and I’ve been obsessed ever since. Nobody quite captures my teenage triumphs and misery like Morrissey. –Hannah
Here are some pretty shoddy shots of my shrine to The Virgin Suicides. It’s still kinda under construction, one of those things I started months ago and never really finished. I also have a massive 27X40 movie poster that I couldn’t quite figure out how to get in the shot. Oh well! Also, in case you were wondering, I don’t really light those candles. That would be hazardous. –Robin
This is my shrine (or Fryine) in honor of comedian, writer, presenter, documentarian, and British national treasure Stephen Fry. He has also championed gay rights, mental health, and intellectual enlightenment. Man is brilliant. I basically took pictures from shows he has written or starred in, stuck them to the inside of my cupboard door with sticky tape, put a few beads up using thumbtacks and mounted a little box which holds a candle nicely. (Though I am no longer allowed to light the candle, as my mother informs me we have no insurance to cover shrines.) The ticket stub is from his talk at the Sydney Opera House. My greatest desire is that I might meet him before either of us dies. —Maddie, 17
This is my Star Wars shrine. It’s not as expansive as it could be because then I’d feel weird having people come visit. (When it comes to nerdy garage sale finds, I assure you that this is just the tip of the carbonite block.) Star Wars is one of my top favorite things ever and has been for years. There is basically no limit to my Star Wars obsession, except for this one time I had a friend’s life-size cardboard Luke Skywalker in my room and it was SO CREEPY. I’d been searching for that Han Solo ice cube tray for years before my parents magically got it for me. And above Darth Vader is the Star Wars alphabet in case I need to write a secret message to my equally nerdy BFF. I’m so excited to see all of the shrines everyone sent in!! –Louise
I have my sage and candle station at the bottom, my NatGeo “Indian Country” map with strong Native figures, and some Smokey the Bear paraphernalia from my childhood (with Siamese kitties there to guard it). Also, a cool nude of my uncle who lived in SanFran and died before I was born and some lavender my friend left me when my wisdom teeth got pulled. I’m excited to see everyone’s shrines! =) –Mary
My three shrines here are now dismantled, and all of the stuff has been spread out, making my whole room a giant shrine itself, but we’ll start with this one for Bob Dylan from when I was truly devoted…
…Then a minor Star Trek phase took place (Spock bobblehead not included because it was motion-activated and always made me jump). (Also, it totally made sense that those tan legs matched the pale, smiley 7th grader face working them)…
…And then, most recently, a shrine for Hole and Courtney Love. Sniffle. —Tavi
I was going to have a big write up about Lost In Translation and how Charlotte makes the most of her nights, but I live in Christchurch and we just had some more earthquakes so I’m not really in the right place to write that. I’m just sending these photos of my shrine to Sofia Coppola. I wanted to send this before Christmas, though, because I ran out of time to send a submission last month. Earthquakes won’t stop the power of Sofia Coppola! I made this on Wednesday night when I couldn’t sleep, and I’m really quite proud of it. It holds my DVDs (Lost In Translation is at a friend’s at the moment and Virgin Suicides is on my iTunes), a Phoenix CD (“Love Like a Sunset” from this album is in Somewhere), and lots of inspired jewelry and pictures and stickers. The photo of the skyline was taken on my history trip to Vietnam, where I got to do karaoke in a private room, just like in Lost In Translation. The candle holder is for a Virgin Suicides vibe, as is the tiara ring. Sofia directed a commercial for Miss Dior, so I have my perfume in there, too. Bracelets remind me of the ones Cecilia wears to her party. The blue picture of perfume and potion bottles is from my printmaking folio. Sticker/photo breakdown! SOFIA is in alphabet stickers like the ones on the invitations to the party in The Virgin Suicides and the planets are for the solar system in the maths room in the same movie. There are some animal stickers that are endangered: butterflies, fish, and dinosaurs because Cecilia checks the endangered list. Food stickers represent Marie Antoinette/ the room service in Somewhere. The building lights and girl crossing the road are from a spread in Fashion Quarterly, a New Zealand fashion magazine, that was inspired by Lost In Translation. I hadn’t seen it when I got this magazine and I was astounded by how beautiful it was. There are pictures of Kirsten Dunst for obvious reasons, but I ran out of room for ones of Elle Fanning. Looking at it now, I realize Rookie has gotten into my subconscious. Stickers are definitely the best thing ever, as are dollar stores. The toy dinosaur and tiara ring are from the best dollar store. And candy! This has been one of the more substantial early morning creations–usually when I can’t sleep, I make collages or draw. I love being up when everyone else is asleep. I can pretend my bedroom is somewhere far away, like its an apartment in Camden Town or New York. I can listen to my music without people complaining that they don’t like it and I get to watch my cat sleeping. And even though I love the internet, my mum turns the modem off when she goes to sleep, so when I stay up I have to figure out how to do things without the help of Google and it’s much better. Being offline is good sometimes. And reading books in the dark under my sheets with my lamp makes me feel like I’m six and nothing is wrong with the world. –Annamarie
This is a shrine my sister made me for x-mas–a pocket shrine to my favorite actor and mega-sexy man, Alan Rickman! It’s in a cassette tape box so I take it on trips. I hope you love it as much as I treasure it! –Robyn
Papier-mache Sid and Nancy shrine made for my best friend Brooke’s birthday, complete with safety pins, glitter, and little shoes. –Sofia
From Casey.
I recently came back from Vietnam, where I saw these shrines. Most families participate in ancestor worship so I think the most important things were photos of the subject and incense! –Coralea, 16
My St. Therese shrine. She is my favorite saint. Not that I believe in God or anything. I just like stories. –Neely
It’s modest, but I love it. –Anjali
Kind of looks like a subconscious shrine for my cat. –Caroline
I had a very small room when I lived at my parents’ house. It was like living inside a shrine to the things I loved. I only survived living in semi-rural, southern England, by writing letters to Morrissey that I didn’t send and planning a grand tour of Mexico. I worked in a charity shop at the time. I felt like a curator in a museum. –Amy
The bust of Friedrich Nietzsche may be nowhere in sight, but this shrine symbolizes amor fati as well as the German philosopher. The religious figures, as well as the creatures, are all accepted, despite the fact that some are as kitsch as a garden gnome. –Cubtrina
My shrine holds mostly small objects placed on two levels of a lamp-shelf. it helps to remind me about the silly, cute and enchanted side of life that we all seem to forget about as we grow older: single hawaiian anthurium flower in transparent vase, tea light holder with triangle windows, tiny jars with micro beads inside, Kidrobot candy cane figure, Kurt Halsey canvas, Crystal Garden Wish, Scandinavian-print teacup, miniature teacup filled with colorful assorted soya beans, hugging salt and pepper shakers, transparent magnetic picture frame with Frankie magazine cutout of vintage children’s storybook prints, and white indoor Christmas lights. –Brittni
This is my Carrie Bradshaw shoe shrine. It also contains notebook covers with collages that I make myself and a book from my high school days with black pumps and shoe quotes–the Marilyn quote actually should say women instead of men! One of the coolest pictures is of a Roger Vivier heel from Sex and the City (the one with purple feathers) that I found in the Sienna Miller September Issue of Vogue from 2007. I remember in the movie, Jennifer Hudson’s character goes, “What if these just disappeared?” And Carrie says, “I know where you live.” —Sabine
I have this weird shrine thing in my closet to my “youth,” I guess? It’s like a bunch of pictures and trinkets that remind me of being little. –Emily
This is just a shrine to all things girly that I love: an amazing Japanese ’50s flower lamp with hot-pink light bulb, baby barrettes, Tippi Hedren Barbie, Dolly Parton 8track, perfume, Built by Wendy guitar strap, Strawberry Shortcakes from my childhood, parts of my baby mobile, and a giant deer skull my ex-boyfriend found in the woods for me with tiaras on top, all sitting on my great grandmother’s dressing table mirror. –Holly
I like decorating the walls of my room with images from magazines. Yesterday I decorated a wall with pictures and drawings from my favorite TV series, Sherlock on BBC and the Sherlock Holmes movie…
…I also had a temporary Virgin Suicides shrine at my windowsill. –Filia
This is my “Voodoo Shrine,” the altar of my “Voodoo Religion.” Its content varies from artifacts found near the River Thames to my Sylvanian Families–and Damien Hirst wall paper. To be honest, my Voodoo Religion is just an excuse to burn candles, float around in lacy dresses, and feel as witchy as possible. But my shrine does have “spiritual” satisfaction: staring at my “patron saint” Alex Turner’s lovely face as I recite spells. Rayanne Graff, my other saint, makes a rather pleasing idol. Telling people “I’m Voodoo and I have a shrine” is always a good way of getting the boys in my class to shut up. –Elektra, 14
The photo attached is my shrine. When I started “building” it, it wasn’t meant to be a shrine, but it has become my “youth sanctuary.” It has stayed like that over the years. There I have everything I loved in my teens (and still do), such as photos with my friends, concert tickets, wristbands from festivals, photo albums, my lava lamp, patterns, kaleidoscopes…I’m not going to forget those years anyway, but I love to keep all of that in a chaotic order. –Laura
Shrines seem to gravitate around me and my magpie tendencies. I love collecting items and trinkets that centre around a thought or person. They make everyday life feel magical and give these dreary University halls some soul! This first shrine features a 3D postcard of the Virgin Mary, a deer antler, Danish cigarette cards, a rotting apple, ammonite, a matchbox with my beetle collection inside, vanilla candles, a dead dragonfly, a dead moth, a dried rose, dried tree sap, and quartz crystals.
I have a bunch of stuff I’ve gotten through the years, and since I am in college in my first real place, it gives me comfort. The statue of Aphrodite is from Greece; the diamonds (faux diamonds?) are from my grandmother. Wonder Woman (found on the street in Savannah), Catwoman, the little lead British solider (from an antique stall in London), the turquoise animals (from the Gene Autrey Museum), the religious stuff from Greece and an old house in Italy–they all represent different points in my life, they all have stories, and they give me a weird strength. Like, knowing I have these stories makes me happy. I rarely take pictures because I can remember it, but the shrine I have made gives the memories more of a potent essence. –Jillian
I saw this shrine on my way home from a water polo game and I asked my mom to stop so that I could take pictures of it. While I was taking pictures, I noticed an older man in his car nearby. I thought nothing of it and kept shooting. A few moments later, he approached me and asked if I knew the boy. The shrine, he told me, was for a 16-year-old boy who had died 10 days earlier. The boy had been crossing the street, where there weren’t any lights, and it was dark out. A car hit him, sending him 100 feet forward, to the place where the shrine stands today. Though I did not know the young man who died, but I think it’s wonderful how his friends and family cherished his life. –Grace, 15
I have always loved shrines, so here’s a selection from various homes over the years! Mine always include candles or fairy lights and lots of fake flowers. I also like them to have things made by friends:funny notes or pictures–anything that reminds me of loved ones. My mom has always had lots of shrines dotted around her home (I’ve included a few pictures!) so I suppose they remind me of home. —Lally
Here are a few shrines I had lying around my house. The first one was made by my mom, who taught me shrine-making. The next one is a shrine for myself inspired by the concept of beauty back when I thought I was really ugly. The third one features the first flower I ever received from a boy. –Gabrielle
This is a shrine I made with an old suitcase, dedicated to Romeo and Juliet, the original play and Baz Luhrmann’s amazing version. I love his version in crazy amounts. Say what you will about Baz, he knows religious motifs and amazing costumes like no other. I painted the case with white paint, covered the outside and the bottom with lace from a thrift store and cut up an old pillowcase to decorate the top. I like the way it looks like the top of a theater curtain when the suitcase is open. I love the pastel colors of the feathers glued around the sides and the movie stills are promotional postcards from Spain. The mask is part of a costume I once wore in a play and reminds me of the party where Romeo and Juliet meet. The cross on the floor is made of cardboard and pictures from magazines. I’ve made a few of them–it’s a bit of a hobby. I wrote lines from the play in glittery crayons where I could find space on the suitcase. This shrine is my favorite decoration in my room. –Holly
I’m absolutely obsessed with John Hughes films and my favorite has to be Pretty in Pink, mostly because I LOVE Duckie!!! I find him adorable in every way. I hope you like my shrine to him and the movie as much as I do seeing it every day. The candle I made was inspired by the religious Justin Bieber holiday candles you had for a holiday gift. The necklace is from Flamingo Cupcake Studios and the hat and glasses are thrifted. –Bella
Not exactly a shrine, per se, but definitely a somewhat obsessive collection if that counts? Usually it’s all in one place, but I’m in the middle of moving so it’s, uh, not. Pictured is my limited edition Pixies tour shirt, the ticket from when I saw them on Halloween, and the cat ears I wore to said show. Also: loudQUIETloud DVD, “Monkey Gone To Heaven” single, Bossanova, Live @ the BBC, Come on Pilgrim, Trompe Le Monde cassette, Purple Tape on colored vinyl, and Doolittle on vinyl. And my bedroom wall that’s coated with Pixies pictures and Frank Black jokes. –Katelynn, 14
I wouldn’t really call my wall a shrine… it’s more of a mural documenting my obsession with Panic! at the Disco during high school. I’ve been a fan since their first album and have stayed committed to them while they completely changed their musical style for their second album, lost the exclamation mark, lost two members, and then found the exclamation mark. Now I’m a freshman in college and I’ve learned how to tone down my obsession from obnoxious to enthusiastic. I’ve never met the honorable Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith, the two remaining members of Panic! at the Disco, but I’d probably be too starstruck to find words!! –Ana
Miley Cyrus by our own Olivia.
Michael Jackson by Olivia.
This is my *Nsync wall shrine and *Nsync cake from middle school. At the height of this obsession, my mom was driving me to the mall to get Chinese food when the DJ on the radio announced that Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears were engaged. I immediately burst into tears and cried all through dinner. I even wrote “Justin” in a heart with my chow mein noodles. It’s important to note that none of this was ironic and I hysterically cried into my pillow until about four the next morning. –Sara
From Madeline.
A holy man in a sacred place. —Justine
I started turning my bedroom into a giant shrine to All Things I Loved But Especially Kurt and Courtney when I was 13. It began on a day I stayed home sick from eighth grade and decided to tape pictures of Kurt, Anthony Kiedis from Red Hot Chili Peppers, Evan Dando from the Lemonheads, a Converse ad I liked, and a picture of Ren & Stimpy boxers to the wall above my bed. The collage quickly grew and a year later, when Kurt Cobain died, much of my wall space, particularly the spot between my windows and over my dresser, became dedicated to him. I’m not a talented artist at all, but the one drawing I did that I was proud of was of him, Courtney, and Frances Bean, which I put the at the center of my shrine, initially between the windows, but eventually over the dresser next to a paint-splattered doll head that a friend gave me, my grandmother’s antique jewelry box, and lots of kitschy Halloween decorations, which all combined, seemed a fitting tribute. Oh, and dried flowers and candles, preferably melted in bottles–a must for shrines. Note also the Nirvana postcard that is framed, like the pictures of my family. I moved out at seventeen and back in for a couple years at twenty one so the collage got rearranged some and expanded even more. As you can see when I ran out of wall space, I started putting posters on the ceiling. I also went beyond the Kurt and Courtney obsession and added in other things I adored like the Cure, David Bowie and The X-Files. Also you will see a picture of Todd Manning from One Life to Live and, in the top left, is Spike from Degrassi Junior High. It was (on-and-off) a decade’s worth of work, which I left up even after I moved out for good. It took an entire day to carefully disassemble when my mom sold the house. –Our very own Stephanie
This is my little shrine. It takes up most of my end table. It’s dedicated to some of my favorite musical artists as well as pictures of my father at the top. Some artists include Led Zeppelin, Courtney Love, Bikini Kill, Sonic Youth, Kate Nash…Bettie Page is also featured, as well as a film still from Dazed and Confused. –Shelby
Shrine to Molly Ringwald in her teenage Brat Pack years. Complete with 16 birthday candles melted to the cement around it. –Mary and Mishaela
From Bix.
My friend Steve has a shrine to OPI in his living room-cum-kitchen. Whenever anyone comes round for dinner, male or female, they’re treated to a full manicure from his amazing collection of polishes, whether they want it or not! There’s also a lion and a few fossils added for good measure ;-) –Lucy
My idol, my inspiration, is Nirrimi Hakanson. She is a young photographer from Australia who can capture life in its true nature, and depicts each moment as a unique piece of time. She doesn’t shoot in studios, she doesn’t shoot for the money, she just loves photography. I, being a painter, mostly bow down to her the only way I know how: by painting a shit load of her stuff. Maybe the breathtaking wonder will rub off on me through my paintbrush. The shrine consists of a couple of my paintings, a couple of Nirrimi’s photos, and things that remind me of her, like candles, sunglasses, indie music, my dad, and an old flower crown I made for summer camp when I was 14. –Lisa, 16
From Claire, 16.
I made this portable shrine to Morrissey and cats for my best friend this Christmas because a) she really loves cats b) we REALLY love Morrissey and c) I wanted an excuse to print out 58 close-ups of Morrissey’s nipple. Yes, that is indeed what those round dots are. Inside the box, I put a framed picture of Morrissey with a cat carefully sellotaped on his hand (balls to you, Photoshop) and a smaller box with a “How To Marry Morrissey” kit inside. I also filled it with my tears of joy. She loved it, as she very well should. WE ALL KNOW THIS IS REALLY A SHRINE TO HIS NIPPLES. –Lauren
I have been planning this small HOMAGE to Kurt Cobain for many years. –Elisa
I wrote an entry about Omi for my blog, which features the shrine, and a recipe for cinnamon apple skulls in her honor. An excerpt from the entry: ”Throughout my life, my grandmother, Omi, has been my hero. She lived her life with unshakable optimism, passion, and humility. After fleeing Nazi Germany with her family, her father died soon after arriving in America. She helped support her mother and four younger siblings as an English tutor, translator for the German Olympic team, and nanny for Marlene Dietrich’s children. She was later a teacher in a rural one room school house, and on especially nice days would teach her students science outside in the surrounding meadows. When I visited her in Eagle Rock, California, Omi would take me on adventures to local museums, leather factories, stables, Chinatown, eccentric neighbors houses, and let me run wild through her garden. As a young child, she trusted me to cut her hair, and asked me to teach her how to whistle. She fostered my meager artistic talent, and gave me my first camera, an old manual Nikon. We developed photographs together in the darkroom she built in her basement. Each night Omi would read me stories from Grimms’ fairy tales, and play the piano until I fell asleep. She was an amazing cook, and would often bake apple crumbles. She died of bone cancer at 65 years young, when I was 12.” –Elisabeth
My mom made this shrine to me for my 20th birthday. She had texted me something like, “I’m having lots of fun with your birthday card, lololol” and obviously she did–using a model of a Lucky grocery store that she bought in a thrift store, my unicorn bookends, pictures of me as a kid, and lots of bougainvilleas (one of my favorite plants). She took this picture, printed it out, and got the whole family to sign it, including my dog, who contributed some teeth marks. –Lisle
I’ve dedicated this shrine to The Mighty Boosh. It’s an excellent TV show from Great Britain–really psychedelic, funny, and different to anything that’s on the telly. Even though I’m from Germany I appreciate the genius that is comedy duo Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding. –Simone
Marilyn made one miracle: she was born. –Heloísa
I have made a nice shrine of Marie Antoinette and thought it would be a nice diy project cause it rocks. All you need is a theme, a glue gun, some pictures, some scrapbook stickers, and any other random junk lying around the house (brooches, sparkles, rhinestones). I prefer to use a shoe box where the top is attached to the bottom because then you can’t lose the top/bottom and it looks prettier to open. –Jensen
Here is my shrine (well, sort of shrine) that I made my freshman year at an all-girls boarding school. I called it my Wall of Man. I thought I was being deprived of my right to boys by my parents–it’s embarrassing. I’m now a senior, thankfully less boy-crazy, and more focused on my interests like photography, acting, literature, and (most important) David Bowie. What can I say? I’m still a little bit boy-crazy, but I’m also a proud Rookie. So here are a couple of pics of me at 15 doing some really embarrassing poses in front of my Wall of Man. Enjoy! —Margaret, 18
Violet Baudelaire sparked my desire to be an inventor when I was eight years old. Violet is a main character in the book series, A Series of Unfortunate Events. She is constantly whipping up contraptions to save the day, and using her smarts to battle the evil Count Olaf. Occasionally I would imitate her by pulling my hair back in a ribbon and trying to brainstorm ideas for inventions. I once created an instrument which closely resembled a coat hanger with rubber bands strung tightly around it. I even wrote music for it in my invention notebook. I was certain that one day, everyone would be tuning up their rubber band hangers in band class. After all, it was a big hit with the adults in my life. Shortly after I went to Camp Invention in third grade, where I built the original “Hermit Crab Exerciser 3000,” I discovered my true hero. Leonardo Da Vinci. The Mona Lisa has hung in my bathroom my whole life, creeping out friends and family as they release their fluids, but I wanted to know more about it. I ended up reading the biography Who Was Leonardo Da Vinci? until it grew mold. I came to realize Leo was the ultimate genius. He was an artist, a scientist, an architect, and an inventor. He was ahead of his time. He built friggin’ robots, and illegally dissected bodies in the dead of night. He was bad-ass. I once celebrated his birthday by putting up posters about him all over the house. That night my mom surprised me by bringing home an ice cream cake that read “Happy Birthday Leonardo Da Vinci” in blue icing. I was thrilled. I realize now I was sort of a weirdo. Most little kids don’t dream of being a Da Vinci Scholar when they grow up. Most little kids don’t collect multiple biographies on the same person and take meticulous notes on them for no reason. I don’t regret it. I plan on taking a trip to Italy someday, and visiting Florence and Milan and Vinci, fulfilling my childhood dreams. For now, I keep a dash of Vinci in my life, by keeping a little shrine in my book case. There, two Da Vinci action figures reside, one, from my mother a while ago, but the other is new, a friend got it for me for my birthday this year. I like to tell people my Da Vinci twins are in love. I keep them holding hands, as they stand surrounded by their genius works of art. –Leah
OKKKK SO…this isn’t my shrine and I don’t want to take credit from the person who made this and put so much effort in creating such a whimsical shrine, but it needs to be here because Leo is the Dorney to everyone’s Park!!!!!!!! –Alex, whose frantic-ness we empathize with
From Cora.
I made a shrine for Frida Kahlo, the amazing Mexican artist. I adore her work and her boldness. She is a real role model who is strong and says what she wants. My favorite quote of Frida’s is, “[Andre Breton and the European surrealists] are so damn ‘intellectual’ and rotten that I can’t stand them anymore…I would rather sit on the floor in the market of Toluca and sell tortillas than have anything to do with those ‘artistic’ bitches of Paris.” That quote is also written on my shrine. When I was five, my parents showed me a picture of hers and it was love at first sight. She is the strongest woman I can imagine. That is why I dedicate this shrine to Frida Kahlo. –Ibe
I am a rather poor student and I just finished a 4 AM snack of ramen noodles with sultanas, so I probably shouldn’t spend my money on shrine materials when it could be put to carbs and all-nighter fuel. However, if I could, I’d build one of my latest girl crush and slight obsession, Lana Del Rey. I’m sure it would look something like this! Around the lovely Lana, I would place the obligatory garlands of roses, pretty cameras, candles, my Lolita specs and Lana and I’s favorite whiskey (which I don’t actually like, but shhh) as well as a coupla hundred-dollar bills. (In my dreams, I’m always rich.) By my shrine, I’d also be playing her EP on a one-of-a-kind vintage turntable because of course I could afford that, too. Her songs to me evoke images of feisty damsels, cologne-doused men, dressing tables with light-bulb mirrors and powder puffs, snatched kisses with the guy in the leather jacket and, oddly, The Great Gatsby. Every time I listen to her I escape to an imaginary place where everyone is a bit crazy and the guys are all in love with me and I have gorgeous mermaid waves and poofy lips. Sadly, I’m actually just sitting in my bed in flower PJs with a hot water bottle and a carb-bowl. Anyway, I believe Lana deserves a shrine because I genuinely haven’t been this obsessed/mushy/crushy over an artist since my Nirvana days, which is interesting as she counts Kurt Cobain as one of her major influences. I think I made the connection myself because both singers have the tendency to articulate all my angsty thoughts in ways I never thought possible–it’s like they snatched all my crazy dreams and thoughts and somehow made them sound beautiful. While they’re both fragile and melancholic on the surface, each singer permeates a certain strength, a promise of hope. I believe it comes from their commitment to their dream, and their ability to keep going despite what the public opinion may say. I’m now talking as if Kurt Cobain is still alive so I should probably get to bed. –Lora
Here’s my shrine to the best couple in music (in the world)! I’m really, really super-obsessed with Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love. Hole and Nirvana are my favorite bands in the universe. Their music/aesthetics and everything they’ve ever done has influenced the way I think, live, and view the world. Just in case you’re wondering, the two blank-looking CDs are a copy of a super deluxe edition of Nevermind that my friend’s dad burned for me. (Ehehehe.) Yes, it is all stupid corporate stuff that’s like made in China (but I’m half-Chinese, so I embrace it) and is aimed at ignorant phony/fake fangirls like me (I DON’T EVEN OWN Pretty On the Inside–but I listen to the samples on iTunes because it’s the 21st century), but every one of these items is really important to me. Especially my Squier Venus and my copy of My Body, the Hand Grenade and the piece of paper that has a picture of Hole on it and cost like, $25. Oh yeah, if you like Hole/Nirvana, you should watch this. IT’S AMAZING! –Danni
Shrine to Kurt Cobain from Miranda.
Here is a photo of my first ever shrine to the almighty Kurt Cobain. This photo, circa an awkward 14-year-old me, does not even do justice to the magnificence which was my shrine! In this photo (yes, I am wearing a Kurt Cobain t-shirt from Hot Topic, thank you) you can see my whole dresser dedicated to the King of Grunge which involves homemade collages of photos, Nirvana memorabilia, roses, and even lit candles to enhance the altar. –Mandy
From Alessandra.
This is the combined talent of mine and my sister’s shrine-making skills. The shrine on the far right is one that I made for her for Christmas, dedicated to Kurt Cobain and River Phoenix. After months of hearing about how incredible My Own Private Idaho is, I decided that River needed to be honored for his greatness. The middle shrine is one I made to Alexander McQueen, whose designs changed my entire outlook on fashion. The left shrine is my sister’s, paying homage to her favorite poets and writers, with the amazing Rimbaud rightfully in the center. I absolutely love being able to express my obsessions in the form of shrining! (Also, we’ve found that those fake candles really complete the look!) –Lily and Kate
My shrine is dedicated to my idol of five years, British musician Kate Nash. I met her in 2010. I collect lots of magazine cuttings from eBay and I put most of my stuff in my shrine. I also have another poster, a canvas bag, badges, and a t-shirt, but I can’t fit them on the shelf. I love Kate Nash because she is a really inspiring, badass, feminist musician. She writes good pop music, but is still opinionated and has credibility. She cares a lot about her fans and making a difference in the music industry and I love her to pieces! –Tess
Shrine for John Stamos from our very own Marie.
This is a picture of my mini shrine to Japanese culture, something I’ve loved since watching Pokemon and Dragon Ball Z religiously every day before and after primary school. Of course, my interest in Japan has since expanded to more than anime. Although I think this is more of a “traditional” shrine, I would also consider the walls of my bedroom to be one big shrine, as they’re covered in not only Japanese things, but everything and everyone that I love, what inspires me, memories, and things that are glittery. –Lauren
As it would be weird and most likely illegal for me to marry the dead James Dean, I decided I would have to worship him instead. –Rosalind, 14
These are a few photos of my Florence Welch and Lady Gaga shrines. I really admire both Lady Gaga and Florence and I love their music so much. –Hannah
A shrine to Frida Kahlo in an exhibit of her photography in Museu da Cidade. –Sílvia
Shrine for Harry Potter from Chloe.
As part of my senior art show this year, I made these shrines about hair–how it is both a source of vanity and disgust (when it’s on the floor, in the sink, on the street, etc.). I know that isn’t exactly a shrine to a person, but I thought I would send them anyway! –Grace
Shrine for Kurt Cobain from Vickie.
I must confess, I have an unhealthy obsession with grunge rock. I happen to be especially into everybody’s famous favorite couple, Kurtney. Or maybe I should call it an obsession with rock in general. How many times haven’t I painted a Ziggy Stardust bolt across my face? Anyways, here are some pictures: an L7 top I made, Babes in Toyland tabs, some of my drawings, and Sonic Youth’s Whores Moaning, which I bought because Kurt Cobain had done the drawings on the cover. –Estrid
This is my Green Day shrine. It includes my ticket from the one time I saw them, a mini-tour booklet from that gig, the International Supervideos DVD, which I used to watch pretty much every day, and a matchbox shrine I made last week at the recommendation of Rookie! Tré gets his own heart shaped frame because he’s my fave. –Rosie (Tré Cool’s wife)
This is the wall shrine for Good Charlotte that I had when I was a teenager. It took me close to a year to complete it and it stayed up for close to three years in total. This was all before I had even seen the band live. Now I have three walls of my room covered in framed photographs of me and the band. –Tezzie
Here are some photos I took of my Florence Welch shrine. She is the lead singer from the band Florence and the Machine and a huge influence on my life. I adored her first album, Lungs. One of my favorite lyrics was from the song “Blinding”: “No more crawling like a crow for a boy / for a body in the garden.” Yes, I can admit her lyrics are quite dark, but as she got over her relationship through making this album, she helped me through my boy dilemmas and the first proper relationship I had. She has influenced my artwork, my style, basically everything. I don’t worship any other musician like this so it’s kind of weird. I haven’t seen her live yet, but I am going to in March. I can’t wait! She only just recently released her second album called Ceremonials, which is breathtakingly mysterious, with a hint of spirituality. Her hair is beyond beautiful—it’s so fiery red and her smile is perfect. I definitely have a girl crush on her! There is so much I could say about her, I could go on and on forever. My boyfriend even told me it was sad that I worship her so much. He’s obviously jealous! –Charlotte
This is a photo of my shrine and me. It includes many candles, collages, polaroids of people in my life I love and the best album to put me asleep. –Stephanie
My pink shrine, with pastel colors and cute things and beautiful perfume! –Tess
There is one person whom I can safely say has made the greatest impact in my life thus far: my girlfriend Cristina. This is sort of an unintentional shrine composed of all things here that have piled up in my room over the years. I like to keep reminders of her close, and she always knows the perfect heartfelt trinkets to pass on to me to make me feel less lonesome. Things haven’t always been easy for us in many ways, and now I’m off at college while she’s still in high school. Our mutual obsession with Rookie helps us feel closer when we’re miles apart. –Kate, 19
My girlfriend made a shrine of herself next to my bed so that I wouldn’t have to miss her when she went back home, as we have been in a long distance relationship for over a year now. She said that if I ever missed her to just look at the pictures and tickets on the wall and remember the good times we always have and to know that she isn’t really that far away. I thought it was very sweet of her so when I saw your advertisement to send in pictures, I knew I just had to. –Jordan
This is a picture of my George Harrison shrine, on top of my bureau in my bedroom. At the back are two of his LPs and in front of them are some ’60s bubblegum cards which my godfather gave me. The plastic flowers are there because of his tremendous love of gardening, and the Indian horse puppet is because of his strong connection to India. I put an iconography bracelet around the horse’s neck because of his juxtaposition of faith. George Harrison has been my biggest obsession for about two years. Everyone says I’m completely deluded, but in my eyes he is completely perfect and my excuse for having no interest in boys is that I love George too much. He is a slightly mysterious figure, because with him it’s not about the facts and figures of his life, but what went on behind his dark eyes, although I think that sets him apart from rock stars these days. Anyway, he has turned me into a hopeless romantic, a relentless rebel and he stalks my dreams so I can’t think of anyone more perfect and beautiful. –Flower
Here is my little shrine dedicated to a holy water bath my mom made in her youth. She made it as a statement against Catholic Ireland’s views on homosexuality so she painted Jesus with his gay lover. Anyway, I decided to make a little shrine to it hidden among my bookshelves. It’s my little oasis of dreams. Oh god, that sounds so corny, but I don’t really know how else to describe it. –Pearl
Shrine for Lady Gaga from Jenna.
Though I no longer consider myself religious, I had to have this sparkly Virgin Mary statue. I’ve always been fascinated with religious art, but I especially like to see it as pop culture commentary. That’s why I like Mary’s serious, reverent posture juxtaposed with the saccharine, super-bright cupcake imagery that seems to be everywhere these days. –Megan
I took a few quick snapshots of my Gabriel García Márquez shrine. It is more of a Macondo shrine because I loved the atmosphere in One Hundred Years of Solitude. The flowers and assorted bric-a-brac remind me of the magic and lushness of Macondo. And I’ve always had a feeling of “home” when I read Gabriel García Márquez. –Nina
Here is my little Japan Shrine. Now, I know Japan is not a person, but I felt compelled to send it in. Although I have never been to Japan, my parents have, so I have a whole drawer full of Sanrio pens and notebooks and a bunch of Pokemon figurines. Here are the things I keep on display: The Buddha I painted at one of those pottery places, back when my friends and I would go almost monthly and paint. My Omatone, this really weird sounding synth-instrument-thing I got for my birthday. My Hello Kitty stamp I bought at the Sanrio store by my house. My tiny welcome kitties. My little wooden egg shaped girl that my mom bought for me in Japan, along with the large Japanese doll. A Japanese eraser from the toy store by the gym. A Totoro that I believe my mother bought in the Tokyo airport. Some chopsticks, also from the Tokyo airport. A Japanese plate, again, a gift from my mother. And finally one of my many Pokemon, this one is Clefairy. –Maureen
This is my shrine devoted to my dear Saint Florence Welch. <3 check out that Rookie patron saint candle! –Rae
I’ve been obsessed with the band Fall Out Boy for years, so I’ve decided to write them a letter. I’m not a giddy fangirl—I really appreciate their music and what it did for me. It’s my soundtrack for writing— I’ve written a book that came out in Germany in November, and work for German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung and feminist magazine MISSY. Dear FOB, I’d really like to thank you for all the memories I had because of you. My most favorite memory is actually buying the Infinity On High record. That was in September 2007. I can remember this so clearly because I bought it on my first weekend living in my new hometown. I left the small town I grew up in for working in the big city. I stranded in this city on a Friday night, feeling very lost in an empty apartment. My dad who brought me waved me goodbye and left me in this three rooms with the big windows in the sixth floor. My roommate hadn’t moved in yet and I went to bed feeling very lonely. The next day I made my way through this new, strange city, not knowing my way and feeling very disoriented. I ended up in a record store and stumbled over the CD. I had been a Fall Out Boy fan ever since Sugar came out but hadn’t had a chance to buy the new record— where I came from there was no CD shop. So I bought it and took it home. I spend the whole evening decorating the empty apartment, listening to the tunes. It brought me a lot of joy. I forgot that I cried only one night before because I was so far away from my friends and family. I even forgot calling my best friend at that time because I was so busy rocking out to the songs. When I finished making myself home in the apartment I sat down next to the big window in the bedroom and looked down. The city was asleep, it was dark and far away the skyline shone silver. Patrick sang me to sleep and I knew that I’d make it somehow, even if I didn’t know anybody and didn’t know my way around. In the more than four years that have passed my live changed completely. I can’t imagine going back to the small town where CD shops are treated like they were built by aliens. I made so many new friends and I never cried again about the fact that I was so far away from my family. I made myself a new family. My new friends and I love to rock out to Fall Out Boy in our favorite nightclubs. Of course, some friends won’t be there forever. Some left my life, but when I saw Fall Out Boy for the first time in fall 2008, I met a girl from Switzerland who was one of the first persons that I told last year that I was writing a book. That’s how close we got thanks to that band. And when I wrote the book, I didn’t let the opportunity pass to write a bit about Patrick Stump’s solo EP. Yes, I know it’s sad this band is no longer, but I cherish the two concerts that I was able to see. I even found Pete’s hidden Meet & Greet passes in spring 2009. When I went to the US west coast in August 2008, I bought his whole clothing line. And now I’m a huge fan of his new band, Black Cards. His lyrics will always inspire me. As I said before, some friends come and go. One of the friends I’ve been with for years gave me “Fall Out Boy’s evening out with your girlfriend” to Christmas, right off eBay. That’s how my life makes ends meet. I know my way around the town now. And I’ll always have FOB tunes in my ear doing so. Thanks for all the memories. xoxo, S. –Simone, 21
This is my shrine. I don’t give a shit what anyone thinks, I’m 21 and I think Lady Gaga is flawless. –Chloe
Shrine for E.T. from Beau.
My notice board where I hang my jewelz, which doubles up as a shrine to my love, Elvis! –Emma
Just wanna share my work desk :) –Alexander
Crystal Castles are my favorite band. I reserved a small nightstand in my room just for them. I adorned it with fake roses, their albums, candles, and random things like pins and rubber skeletons. I made the picture frame. I saw them live twice. You can see my Coachella wristband and the venue ticket. I also made the “Alice Glass” bracelet. She’s my personal goddess. –Hanna
My little Camera Obscura shrine. It’s not much but I think it’s pretty. –Katie
Here’s my Buffy shrine! Buffy got me through my parents’ divorce and countless other episodes of depression. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve watched the series and, until I moved to college, I had photos from my old Buffy calendars posted all over the walls of my room. Now I’ve mostly got it down to this shrine, which I intend to keep adding to once I have the money to spend on action figures. –Brooke
Words like “trailer trash,” “bald,” “used to be,” and “scandalous” probably come to mind when you think of Britney Spears. That’s reasonable, I guess, considering her scandalous past. However, to me, she’s not any of that. And before you rush to conclusions, I want to say that, no, my hair isn’t dyed, and nor is my skirt just barely covering my bum. In fact, I’m completely opposite of that. Before I bore you with any more of this introduction, let’s skip to the story, shall we? I first saw Britney Spears on the telly when I was about eight years old. My first thought was, Wow, that’s the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen! And that’s when I started wishing I had blond and slightly curly hair. Ever since that moment no one in my family has ever had problems shopping for gifts for me: anything with Britney’s face or name on it, or even something similar to anything she had been pictured wearing, would suffice. At one point my Britney obsession was sort of crazy. I absolutely had to have any magazine she was featured in (and if I didn’t have the opportunity to buy it myself, my older sister – who is twice the age of me, and therefore had already moved out – had to get it for me). Every second my best friend and I would spend together, we would watch my Britney DVD and try to memorize all the SNL sketches she starred in, even though we at the time didn’t speak any English. We would also often have competitions amongst the two of us, just to see who could write Britney’s name in the prettiest font. Not obsessive at all, I tell you. Looking back at that time of my life is quite nice; it reminds me of the good “old days” when, instead of an iPod, I had a Walkman (you do remember that round thing, don’t you?); when I had no idea what hair dye was; and when the coolest thing ever was to trade Pokémon cards during recess. Therefore, I guess you can imagine how shattered I was when Britney Spears suffered a mental breakdown in front of the whole world. To most people it was just another celebrity gone wild, but to me it shattered my view of a perfect world. Just imagine it: there she was, my all-time idol, being tormented in front of the entire world. Not a day would go by without there being another unflattering photo or story about her crazy ventures. Coincidentally, I also had some troubles at the same time: I developed a social anxiety and started dreading going to school and stopped hanging out with my friends. Seeing Britney Spears fight through all of her difficulties and getting back on her feet was very inspirational for me – it showed me that no matter how though things get you should never give up, because things will get better. They will. I have never once been embarrassed by telling people that my idol is Britney Spears, and I never will be, despite the look on their faces when I tell them (seriously, one of my classmates once responded by saying ‘’Really? I’ve always imagined you as the kind of girl who listens to classical music in her spare-time.’’). Luckily, my obsession isn’t as extreme as it once was. But, when the opportunity to buy a Meet & Greet with her popped up, I had no choice but to take seize it even though it was in a different country (it was in Montpellier, France, and I live in Norway). Even if you’re not a Spears-fan, I hope you take these five life lessons with you: Stay away from womanizers. A trip to Starbucks can fix almost any problem. Denim from top-to-toe is usually not a good idea. Third time’s a charm. And, most importantly: Go through life like a Karate Kid. I may look like the saddest and most frightened girl in the world in that photograph, but I promise I was happier than I’ve ever been. Just ignore my messed up facial expression (I mean, the girl I’d been obsessing over for years was holding her arm around me – who wouldn’t have a breakdown?) and look at the picture of a dream come true. –Amalie
Being the insane-foaming-at-the-mouth-own-ever-album-know-every-word-crying-at-every-concert fan that I am for Ms. Britney Jean Spears, I decided to take a picture of my Britney Spears collage I hang above my bed and send it to y’all. I made this between the ages of seven and nine, using 60 to 80 magazine pictures and other paraphernalia. This is probably one of my favorite things I’ve done creatively, especially considering I was so young. I knew, especially around 2007, that being a Britney fan wasn’t cool anymore, but I just stuck with her. Her music always makes me dance and smile, and sometimes those are things you forget can be done so easily with some encouragement. Sure, she’s lost a bit of her luster, but so have I, and if anything, I appreciate her more now. She wears her hair in a greasy bun and rarely wears makeup out on the town. I find that to be one of my favorite things about her. It’s just so damn normal! –Jamie
I worship singer-songwriter Conor Oberst! He has been my idol since I was 15 (I am 18 presently). My favorite of his bands by far is Bright Eyes. He has changed my life, and he has made me have an interest in music that I never ha before listening to his words. Music is powerful and his music made me realize it. This is why he is my idol!!!!! –Lupita
Here is a picture of the Conor Oberst shrine I set up in my living room a few months ago (hopefully this qualifies as a shrine, it’s just two pictures I took of him on disposable cameras taped to my wall…but it’s the intention that counts right?). Photo by Yuli Sato. —Laurence
This shrine does not consist of the ONLY people I like, because trust me, there’s no shrine big enough. The Phoenix picture is an article I stole from an airplane magazine (not the free one), and the other two were just cut out of a Glamouror something. Oh, Tom Felton. I am a Harry Potter nerd. Just thought I might share. And James McAvoy—two words: BADASS. (Does that count as one? Who knows?) –Sarah
I’m a David Bowie fanatic and proud of it. This is my David Bowie shrine. It started with one little Ziggy Stardust CD on my desk, and over the years it has become a shrine, complete with a book filled with Bowie photographs, numerous CDs, Bowie pictures, and of course, the hand-made throne. Every rock god deserves a throne. –Maddie
This is my David Bowie shrine. I love David Bowie so much, I totally relate to his crazy style that changed constantly, and his voice sends shivers! –Katie
I’m so stoked you’re featuring Bowie so much this month [last month] because I’m really obsessed with him!! There’s a picture of a cake I made for his birthday, pictures and vinyls on my wall, and a photo of me being completely normal in Ziggy-esque makeup kissing a magazine with his face. –Bridget
This is a picture of my shrine to David Bowie. He is my hero, my god and my spider from Mars and I saw you had him as the person of the month [last month]! That makes me happy. –Emma
Here is photo of my cozy shrine to “British Indie Band” Bombay Bicycle Club. –Olivia
I made this pair of shrines after reading a news article about some birds in China’s Shanxi province. The birds were discovered creating nests in a parking garage out of pieces of hardware because there weren’t any trees left. I couldn’t stop thinking about the poor hardware birds, and wanting to honor them in some way. So I made this corner for bird-reverence on the deck, and now it’s my cat’s favorite hangout. —Maggie
I made this shrine as a gift for one of my best friends, Michael, as a celebration of our friendship. I converted a wooden cigar box by painting it, decorating it, and pasting pictures of two artists we really identify with, Frida Kahlo (outside top) and Lila Downs (inside bottom). On the inside top panel is a picture of the two of us at an airport in Buenos Aires (we studied abroad together) along with an inspirational quote by Kahlo: “I used to think I was the strangest person in the world but then I thought there are so many people in the world, there must be someone just like me who feels bizarre and flawed in the same ways I do. I would imagine her, and imagine that she must be out there thinking of me too. Well, I hope that if you are out there and read this and know that, yes, it’s true I’m here, and I’m just as strange as you.” –Teresa
A shrine dedicated to two of my best friends and Snape. –Sequoia
I am a B.I.T—Beyoncé in Training—from Chicago. I started this shrine, which I’ve deemed the “Beyoncé Jr.” shrine, in an attempt to not only have a place for all of the Beyoncé memorabilia I have acquired recently, but to also motivate myself to live every day as a Beyoncé Jr. Some of the items included are what you’d expect—a copy of 4, magazine covers and Heat perfume. Some of the more exciting items include custom-made shrine candles crafted by my friend The Gaudy God (inspired by a Rookie post), a charm necklace that I hand-cut, punched and polished myself, a 2007 tour book I found at a thrift store for $1, and a hologram chain belt. I love Beyoncé because she is the embodiment of a feminist and a diva. She advocates for women without tearing any women down in the process. Every day, when I wake up and put on my ice-blue lipstick I remember that a diva is the female version of a hustla. –Alysse
I made a little shrine with my friend in August I think? Basically I had loads of junk I didn’t want to throw away so made it into a kind of shrine. It’s mainly dedicated to Belle and Sebastian, hence the vinyl and CDs, but it’s pretty much anything and everything I could find. –Tara
From Chelsea.
Mine isn’t for an actual person, it’s dedicated to Barbie, and grrrls, and teen witches. I thought you might be interested anyway. Oh, and I’m thirteen years old. Just to clarify. I’ve always had an obsession with Barbie, ever since I was a little girl. Whenever I went to a toy store, I simply stood in front of the shelves of Barbie dolls, imagining them wiggling their fingers at me from inside their plastic boxes. I’d line mine up on the grass outside, take them with me whenever we went on holiday, or on day trips, no matter how awkwardly they had to be carried. For a while, I was determined not to be a girl with the “girly girl” label; specifically, the girl who loves Barbie dolls label. I pretended I hated them, but I’ve never thrown a single Barbie away, ever. When I redecorated my room last year and had seven empty shelves to fill up, I could practically hear my Barbies saying, in a conceited tone, “Dahling, dahling, did you really expect to find anything else to put on that shelf?” And so, I made a shrine to Barbie. It developed from one sitting on top of an old video to an entire shelf where I could bask in the pinkness and girliness of it all. At school, I wouldn’t admit to anyone that I love Barbie, and pink hair extensions, or that I filled a shelf with beautiful things that cheer me up. Like an empty Nerds box, an empty Mighty Boosh DVD case, and plastic tiaras, and anything candy-coloured. –Ciara Grace
My shrine is for Kat Bjelland. ♡ Included in it is: To Mother vinyl, Nemesisters and Fontanelle CDs, heart stickers, a photo of Kat and Nick Cave, a REAL lock of Kat’s hair (only it’s my hair), hanging strings, random buttons, some vintage photos in the same theme as the photo in center of To Mother, matches, yellow lace, “Kat” spelled out in beads, candles, a Barbie with a missing head right next to her hand–it kind of reminded me of the Fontanelle cover except it’s not a baby doll. So yeah, that’s about it. It’s kind of hard because they aren’t a lot of Babes in Toyland knick-knacks, but I’m just finding stuff and imagery I associate with the band. –Amanda
This is an ode to my aunt, who gave me most of these awesome things. –Olivia
This is my shrine for Audrey Hepburn. Two films, book, box, postcard, calendar, and a Vespa which reminds me of Roman Holiday. I also have a cup and two posters :) –Gosia
Well, I live in a place where the local culture isn’t exactly….erm…..cultured, so I guess you could call this a shrine to Art and Civilization. There’s some Picasso, some Van Gogh, a picture of a Chihuly, that famous tsunami lithograph, Klimt, a Russian doll, postcards from museums, things I cut out of the New York Times… –Jenna
Here is a bit of my Arctic Monkeys “shrine” that is in my room. It includes pictures, CDs, unfinished/work-in-progress collages, framed art, guitar picks, quotes, and more. It wasn’t a very intentional shrine, it just gradually formed over time. –Johanna
The music of Arcade Fire has affected my life more profoundly than any other artistic or cultural experience. This shrine is a small token of my appreciation for what these awesome people have done for me. –Helena
Let me start off by saying that I am obsessed with Andy Samberg. (Seriously, you don’t understand the magnitude of this infatuation). A few years ago, when Andy Samberg hosted the MTV Movie Awards, I hosted an Andy Samberg party, with all things celebrating the greatness of Andy Samberg, complete with balloons, misshapen cupcakes, a “shrine” (of course), AND Mr. Pibb and Red Vines, ’cause they’re “crazy delicious.” Over the top? …Maybe a little. –Kathryn
Tate, my love, from American Horror Story. Fully equipped with darts and kisses. –Julieanne
This is my modern day “shrine” on my MacBook Pro of Tyson Ritter, the lead singer of the All-American Rejects. He deserves this shrine of mine for a handful of reasons: his voice melts my heart like a stick of butter on a hot summer sidewalk. His cheekbones make me want to pour some chicken noodle soup into them just so I can slurp it out. His dark hair and blue eyes make him one of the hottest models you’ll ever meet. And he gets to make out with my girl crush Emma Stone in The House Bunny. I’ve loved this dude since I was 11 years old, I am now 18. If that’s not love, I don’t know what is. –Therese
Shrine for the Beatles from Catelyn.
My modest Jack Kerouac shrine. I even put a little Buddha there for him. There’s even candles and a copy of Big Sur (not pictured). I was thinking of putting a bottle of Benzedrine there for him too. –Cami
Shrine to Vaslav Nijinksy from Athena.
My bookshelf’s made out of multiple squares, and over the past few years I’ve been using one of them specifically for my shrines. This isn’t my favorite one, but it’s the “inhabitant” of that square at the moment. It’s a kind of homage to the wackiness and bright colors of the ‘60s. I don’t really own pretty much anything from the ‘60s, so I just tried to capture the spirit with what I had. I included many items I’ve picked up at flea markets and thrift stores, like the tin Mystery Machine and the soap dish, and also some of my ‘60s-related books, and a rad First Aid handbook I stole from my grandma. At the back, you can see, coincidentally, the first record I ever bought, and at the bottom is a guide to a Warhol exhibition my mom went to once. The picture on the left is my favorite Dylan-Baez photo ever. I painted that butterfly and owned the wooden necklace when I was younger. And how cute is my hippy cow? –Antigoni
These are a couple of shrines I made–one is to some of my favorite musicians…
…And the other is more generally to literature. –Lili
Patti Smith is my favorite artist and the Rolling Stones are my favorite band. I wanted to honor them by creating 3-dimensional scrapbooks. Here’s Patti…
…And here’s the Rolling Stones. –Claire
This is a shrine to mine and my friend’s best-friendship. It features a few tokens of awesome projects that we’ve worked on in the past — dolls of ourselves intended for a variety TV show featuring us, short stories about a boy named Biles Nietzer (based loosely off of Loey’s younger brother Miles), and a few other funky things. We think it’s super cool for a bunch of reasons, but especially because it’s a shrine to one of the best things ever, FRIENDSHIP. Hooray for friends! We are the best of best friends – we enjoy making zines, planning our exploits as a rollerblading girl gang, making blanket forts, and are the self-declared “most worthy of a television show” award recipients. We are also immensely fond of Klondike bars and pizza. All types of pizza. One day we hope to become very stylish and eccentric old ladies with many cats and matching stone busts of themselves. Our personal motto: “Funtime Friendtime all the time”. –Loey
1. My shrine to Meg White – probably the most underrated member of any rock band ever and the subject of so much unfair criticism. I LOVE HER OK. She’s the reason I play drums, so my sticks are there, along with Autumn De Wilde‘s beautiful photo book of the White Stripes, some candy-cane-striped-toys I named Jack and Meg (because that is normal) and a Lego Meg (my dad named her Mego) I made in honor of the “Fell in Love with a Girl” video. And…
…2. This is my somewhat bizarre Sherlock Holmes shrine. It contains a dish of foreign currency (Holmes has to travel), a camera from 1942 (this is a dude with antique appreciation), a cardboard Victorian house model that could be 221B Baker Street, old leather photo albums of grandmother’s (evidence), a bunch of my pins that just have Holmes vibes to me, and a Russian army hat from 1918 (well, he needs disguises, right?). All these things in it make sense in my head, I promise. –Tess
These are two shrines I have in my bedroom–the first to the Beatles (but really just John and George)…
…And the second to “ugly” babies (I know babies can’t ever really be ugly, but these come pretty darn close). –Rosa
Here are two altars I made on top of my dresser. The first one is inspired by Anna Wintour and Vogue. I made a compilation of an editorial from the 2010 September issue. I really liked all the designers, models, actors/actresses, etc. in the editorial so I thought they would go well with my little shrine. I put Anna right in the middle of the whole thing and dedicated it all to her since she is my queen and I’m forever obsessed. I used candles and old rocks to decorate it. There are two treasure boxes, which hold my jewelry and favorite sunglasses, which I also see as an offering to Anna. Then, since the whole altar is on my dresser, it’s almost like Anna watches over my clothes…
…This is my other altar, for the Hunger Games: Catching Fire. It was my favorite book from the series, and I was so obsessed with it that I had to, like, honor it every night. I added the candles because it’s a total cliche that needed to be included to represent the fire from the title. I’m the biggest Hunger Games fanatic so it was only a matter of time until I did something like this. My classmate even told me once, “You love those books so much! You should seriously make an altar for them and pray to them.” I had to embarrassingly confess that I already had one. –Victor
I currently have two shrines. I’ve had a deep-rooted obsession with Marilyn Monroe for several years. She’s just so fabulous! And…
…a miscellaneous shrine. –Abigail
Nirvana shrine, and…
…Sonic Youth shrine, both from Maria.
alan rickman all-american rejects american horror story andy samberg anna wintour arcade fire arctic monkeys art audrey hepburn autumn de wilde babes in toyland barbie belle and sebastian best friends beyoncé birds bombay bicycle club bright eyes britney spears buffy the vampire slayer caitlin moran camera obscura candles celebrity crushes childhood claire danes collages conor oberst courtney love crushes crystal castles david bowie duckie e.t.: the extra-terrestrial elle fanning elvis presley fall out boy florence and the machine florence welch flowers frida kahlo friedrich nietzsche friends gabriel garcia marquez george harrison girlfriends good charlotte green day grunge harry potter heath ledger hole iconography jack kerouac james dean japan jesus john hughes john stamos justin timberlake karen o kat bjelland kate nash kirsten dunst kurt cobain kurtney lady gaga lana del rey leonardo da vinci leonardo dicaprio lost in translation marie antoinette marilyn monroe michael jackson miley cyrus molly ringwald moms morrissey movies music nails nancy spungen napoleon dynamite nirvana nostalgia nsync panic at the disco patti smith pets pretty in pink richard nixon romeo & juliet rookie readers rubber ducks saint therese sherlock holmes shoes shrines siblings sid and nancy sid vicious sisters smashing pumpkins snape sofia coppola somewhere sonic youth star wars stephen fry teenage bedroom the '60s the beatles the cure the hunger games the mighty boosh the pixies the rolling stones the smiths the velveteen rabbit the virgin suicides the white stripes trolls tsunami bomb tv twilight ugly babies uncle jesse university of chicago vinyl vogue zooey deschanel
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121 Comments
Oh how I loved Heath Leger. He stole my heart in watching 10 Things I Hate About You, then broke it when I heard he died.
What a waste of such an amazing actor.
Ms. Perky: Oh, very clever, kangaroo boy. Says here you exposed yourself in the cafeteria?
Patrick: I was joking with the lunch lady. It was a bratwurst.
much love.
I am really obsessed just with THINKING about shrines, but I never made one, but I´m sure I am going to do it this weekend. I think I am going to make a shrine for Rookie(mag) and for Jane Eyre (that one with Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender :D). Thanks for posting this photos! I love them so much!
Send us photos once you’ve made the shrines!
Someone who actually likes that version! YAY.
(All of the other hardcore Eyre fans I know like the Toby Stephens version the best)
Aw,gutted my Duran Duran stuff wasn’t in this post-not to worry,I’ve got loads of new inspiration for my new room thanks to this post!
these are SO rad!
I wanna go to an andy samberg party.
and also 76 made me want to cry…
The joy i feel after seeing a post that mentions Heath Ledger.
He was just so absolutely beautiful, the way he talked, how he looked, the way he moved, the emotions he could express…And though it is so tragic what happened to him, atleast he is immortalised in the movies he made, Candy being one of my favourite films..
These shrines kind of make me wish all of these Rookies were my best friends.
My favorite: “BFFs +Snape,” (Sequoia, #123)
All the tags and 155 pictures of shrines. I’m so ready for this.
All of this is just so great!!! <3 xoxo
eeeeeeeee. all of these are so unique and kooky…i love them! I definatly am going to make a mini, secret shrine to Miss Havisham now….
I love you, random Great Expectations fan. Although I’m not sure how I actually feel about Miss Havisham (though I’m super excited to see Helena Bonham-Carter playing her!)
Love all these shrines! Make me wonna make one with Marie Antoinette and Joni Mitchell, at same time!!!
Big ups for the Fry shrine.
And the Rickman shrine.
Phew. I got this in my Google Reader feed and I was like, “Literally the longest post ever!? I’m going to actually register so that I can leave a comment.”
So, I click on the link from my feed and get here and realize that these are actually slides (with explanatory text, no less!) and not one insanely long post.
Well – technically I guess it is all one insanely long post, but not in a linear-layout crazy-making way.
oh my gosh! every single one of these shrines is so amazing! the fact that they are special and vair personal to the person makes them 10 times more interesting, you can really figure out what type of person they are. <3 imma page 91
#69 is the best shrine they need a prize of something I WANT TO BUY IT
THEY ARE ALL ARE SO AMAZING! Aaah the Meg White & Sherlock Holmes pair <3
All the shrine-makers – I think I wanna be your best friend yeah.
HI LOVE YOU THEY WERE MINE. :D
#132 has got to be my favorite shrine … I love the Arctic Monkeys!!
This is precious! I can’t belive that someone made a shrine for Gabriel García Márquez, and I see Macondo in it! Love his work so much omg.
Wonderful! This makes me want an obsession.
Is it just me or is looking at other peoples’ bedrooms/shrines the BEST? Not in a creepy telescope-pointing-at-your-window way though. I promise. Love all the Virgin Suicides/religious vibes. I need a glittery Virgin Mary and/or Jesus ASAP.
Love the Smashing Pumpkins one! And also the Pixies one (I know who did that one too!). My two favorite bands!
The shrine to Duckie from Pretty in Pink is so incredibly A+.
the so-called modest duck shrine immediately takes me back to the year I was fifteen at summer camp. My friends all cultivated this elaborate prank that consisted of putting those little rubbber ducks everywhere! No one knew who was doing it until they let the cat out of the bag on the last day. Everyone called them the phantom duckers on account of those sneaky little ducks appearing everywhere…
This is amazing! #47 pretty much looks like every school notebook I had when I was in the ninth grade.
OHMYGOD star wars shrine!!!!!!!!!!
(Faints because of happiness)
#91 Charlotte what show are you going to? I love Florence so much!
This may be my favorite Rookie post EVER! I’m glad to see others are as obsessed about certain things as me (*cough Kurt and Courtney*) and there are so many gorgeous ones! I love the paper maiche Sid and Nancy. That was my favorite movie junior year. “Barbie doesn’t have bruises!” Love it!
I want to be, like, best friend with all you, guys. (especially the camera obscura girl, and the bowies chicks, and the smiths ones, and the andy sambergs, and the st.therese, and the cool grandma and, and…even the britney spears)
I will so be your best friend! Lol
I can’t get the audrey hepburn shrine out of my head… just flawless!
Those shrines look so cool! I just came back from an art vernissage where they had the sickest shrines ever, including gross dead animals…
I adore this post so much. I registered just to make a comment.
Every shrine on here is perfect. So much effort has gone into each one. I’ve had shrines to things since I was 11 (Wheatus and Fred Durst), up to now, ten years later, in my own house. I have a fireplace dedicated to everything I love (Weezer and Nirvana, The Great Gatsby take pride of place), a Stephen King and halloween fairy lights shrine on my bookcase, and an Emily Dickinson shrine above my mirror.
I’m so glad i’m not the only one who does this :) Hope to see more amazing photos in the future.
1. I love the fact that I am not alone in my shrine obsession.
2. All these shrines are gorgeous!
3. Sue Denim has commented on this post! Sue Denim! Sue, I love you!
I love all these! Andy Samberg! Arcade Fire! Meg White! Ahhh! I don’t really have shrines… but I have so many collages of everything I love- they now decorate the covers of my school binders.
Weeeeee thankyou for liking my Meg White shrine! She doesn’t get enough love :D
so. much. amazingness. i wish i had a shrine but i’m too whim-ish to stick to obsessing over one thing. maybe quails…
stylepukka.blogspot.com
It took me over two hours to get through all these gorgeous, gorgeous shrines. TWO HOURS WELL SPENT! Off to make myself a shrine…
NUMBER 12 YESSSSS YESSSSS YESSSSSSSSS
what I love about this post is that it has all the shrines that I have no space for in my room – so i can appreciate it secondhand because some genius made it for herself
THIS IS A LOVING-THE-ROOKIE-COMMUNITY-POST
AAAHHHHHHH LOVE ALL ROUND
also thankyou for posting my meg white and sherlock holmes shrines, they’re not as awesome as some of the others haha :D
*is number 12* YES! :D
OhOhOh! Sherlock Holmes Shrine! Serious high five missus! :D
I feel like I need to make a little Sherlock Holmes shrine in a corner of my room, but I haven’t got any space!! Sigh.
ALEXIS! YOU ARE MY SOULMATE! (based on mutual obsessions). Would you consider selling any of your Smashing Pumpkins posters? If so, I WOULD BUY THEM! I have a shrine to them too but find it really hard to find good posters. Your shine and devotion to them however is beautiful.
ohmygosh
Some of these are breathtaking.
I love the virgin suicide ones (of course).
These are all amazing! I especially love the Florence Welch one with all the flowers. I think I’m going to make a shrine to Zelda Fitzgerald :)
Thanks for posting my shrine, Rookie! Some of you guys are so creative with your shrine building! I love them all. :)
yay my crystal castles shrine is in there! all the others look great too. thanks rookie (:
p.s. you spelled my name wrong, but that’s okay, cos you’re rookie.
fixed it! hanna right?
yup, thanks tavi
I love you Anjali!!!!
heath ledger, Audrey hepburn, panic at the disco, Frida kahlo, sonic youth, river phoenix, and david bowie… this is rad AF!!!!
i used to have a fall out boy shrine too, in the form of my room and life. i saw them live and made a sign, with messages from people on the message board, and gave it to patrick. i haven’t listened to the band in years and no longer understand what i even liked – i’ve moved on to sebadoh and jamie xx and nicki minaj – but i’ve never obsessed over anything so much.
This really hit home for me, fellow Heath devotee. It’s overwhelming to think about his absence, and it’s heart-wrenching to accept the loss of his talented soul. The only consolation we have is that he lived at all.
These are so fun to look at! My room has been a work in progress for a long time, but I’m motivated to “finish” it now, and I definitely need to make a Leonardo DiCaprio + Harry Potter + Virgin Suicides + Boy Meets World shrine! Come to think of it, I have a lot of obsessions to cover…
Oh my The Stephen Fry and Sherlock shrines. If the words “Reichenbach Fall” and “Weeeeeestwood” mean anything to you just know I feel yo’ pain.
I know right? I CRIED SOO HARD DURING REICHENBACH. To the point my sister looks at me and asks if there’s something wrong. BBC’s Sherlock just gives me so many feelings okay. I REGRET NOTHING.
It’s so bad my best friend and I have a list of conspiracy theories. There’s just NO WAY he survived that fall.
Guess we’ll know… in 18 long sorrowful months. O_O
I know! I think I’m going to start a Sherlock shrine soon. I love that show SO MUCH.
GUYS THEY’RE FILMING IT JUST HANG IN THERE WE CAN MAKE IT THROUGH THE WAIT
Such a great inspiration! Very nice! Thanks Rookie!
This is so cool, especially to see so many, it”s awesome!! I really love the pocket alan rickman, i love that it’s travel size, so hilarious. OOOOH and the pretty and pink one, and the smiths one, and the spock one!!! I love them all! I have a little shrine to the ocean, maybe I should send it in…
I love all of the little shrines and trinkets you girls make. You all write so well too. I love how far the style rookie has developed. It’s an outlet for us girls to relate to one another. Helps us feel less alone in this big world. I will always support rookie mag. You girls are incredible. xoxo
street-creature.com
You guys have SOO much imagination!! Congratulations they’re beautiful!
alan rickman is SUPER MEGA FOXY AWESOME HOT! <3
Love this! Rookie never ever fails
yesss! ohmygod yessss. i agree. and if your username is based on a very potter musical i am currently giving you a telepathic hug. you are a supermegafoxyawesomehot person. XD
I really love 52 and 64! One day I have to make a Joanna Newsom shrine or maybe one to Neil Young. This is really helpful!!!
I thought I was one of the only people to be obsessed with Japan and it’s culture! TWO SHRINES DEDICATED TO IT?!
Beyond cool. Now that I’ve seen this I am going to collect all my Japanese related things and create my own shrine!
OMG OMG STEPHEN FRY SHRINE
I love this post!
I didn’t realise how perfect this would be until I saw that there are several Virgin Suidices shrines, a Stephen Fry shrine (he lives near me, you all well jel?), some Frida Kahlo shrines (need to create one of these), Smiths shrines, Harry Potter shrine, Florence Welch shrines, the St Theresa shrine, Trolls shrine… and on and on and on….
P.S. Until I saw this I didn’t realise I had a shrine in my room, but do. I have a corner of a shelf donated to the colour pink (newly rechristened the Pink Shrine), and weird Oscar Wilde corner of a shelf (now known as the Oscar Shrine)!
This post is so great ! I love love love the troll shrine, its completely amazing !
I am a bit sad because after I submitted to this I found pictures of a shed in my old garden that I turned in to a shrine.
waaaa so many things I like in that shrines!!!
I love that there are so many shrines dedicated to Kurt (plus with Courtney and/or Nirvana) and The Beatles! A question though, why are in some picture there are these weird grey blocks in the bottom like it’s not finished loading? :/
oh and BBC’s Sherlock is AH-MAAAZING and just simply beautifully made. WHOEVER MADE #35 CAN WE BE FRIENDS
the stephen fry “fryne” is awesome!!! proud to see another mighty boosh lover here too… and my friend beau’s E.T. shrine…
Oh I know this article isn’t a new one, but OH-MY-GOD, The Mighty Boosh. It made my day to see some Boosh-love on Rookie! Sorry for sounding a tad crazy, but this series is just the best thing ever <3
I love my daughters shrine! especially since she had her daddys photos in it who was murdered when she was 3 years old!..it is the two that are above.
ooops! i forgot to tell you hers is number54. thank you Rookie for having this site for young people to go to.
Thank you so much to post my Frida Kahlo shrine (#71)!
maddemoisellerossele.blogspot.com
OHMYGOD YES. this was amazing!!! i have many shrines that i didn’t really realize were shrines until now… huh. and much love to anyone who made a harry potter or florence welch shrine. there was one that had flo and j.k. rowling and evanna lynch in it and i wanted to give that person a hug and call her my soul sister. seriously, thanks for this awesomeness.
love,
Lizzy
#12 was my favorite (the j.k.rowling /florence /evanna lynch one). Amy, will you be my best friend?? >.<
Can I be included in this best-friend-thing?
Whoever did #12 has the best taste in people ever. JKR, Florence, Evanna Lynch, Helena Bonham-Carter (and, of course, Tavi ;D)
I love the Fryine!
Apologies to anyone who was freaked out by the evil cat in my George Harrison one (#96). I brought it at a car boot for 20p, and I have a bet with some freinds that I can get it into every picture I take. I don’t even know why.
These are all so rad.
My family are moving soon and I am going to make my entire new room into one big shrine.
Thanks Rookie for the inspiration!
Also, to Chelsea on #126 SNAP!
Ahhhhhh these are all so good!!!!!! Now I think I have to make a shrine!!!! seriously these are so good :)
AHHHHH these are all so good!!!!!! I really feel like making a shrine right now
Thank you, Rookie, for posting my Andy Samberg party/shrine pics! I feel a little less creepy now. <3 (also, all of these shrines are so BEAUTIFUL)
WOW WOW I WASN’T EXPECTING A MEG WHITE SHRINE!!!!! And yes, she’s totally rad and underrated, I feel you, gurl. And she’s the main reason I started playing drums too! Also, Mego is awesome!
And all these Virgin Suicides/Sofia Coppola and Frida Kahlo shrines are beautiful. You girls are so cool!
WEEEEEEE YOU LIKE MY MEG WHITE SHRINE!! i feel you grrrl! :D
Guess mine didn’t make the cut :( The other ones are really nice, though!
these are all gorgeous, but from the moment I saw sonic youth in the tags, I was waiting for the sonic youth shrine. and it was AT THE VERY END. grah. but when I saw it I was so happy and it was worth it.
other ones I especially love are the bird shrine (with bonus kitteh), the crystal castles shrine, and the culture shrine- my room also has lots of postcards of paintings, including a picasso, a van gogh, and a chihuly, even though they’re different than yours. yay!
this makes me want to make part of my bookshelf a shrine to sleater-kinney or something. but… books…
This really REALLY makes me wish I had taken pictures of my Emma Watson shrine before it was taken down. I still have 119 pictures of her on my computer though.
After reading this I just realised I do have a shrine in my room! It’s kind of a shrine to luck, made up of Sylvannians and mini plastic horses… Next time guys, next time!
Oh Rookie-readers you are all so great!! Like some others already said: These pics make me want to be best friends with you all. I mean where else than here, on Rookie, you find people who like Snape, Phoenix, Tom Felton, The Virgin Suicides and collect kitschy Japan stuff.
One of my faves is #12 for the picture of Louise Bredlay. (Sherlock rocks. / that’s why I made #35…)
Filia
So excited that mine got included! It’s the Florence Welch/Lady Gaga one. I don’t think you can see in the picture, but just off the side of it there’s actually a tiny picture of Tavi from Teen Vogue.
These are awesome shrines. I think my favourites are the Sherlock shrines because Sherlock is literally the best thing ever.
Also, that Hunger Games shrine near the end is so cool.
And #110’s Buffy shrine is excellent! I have so many Buffy figures including that Tara one in the picture.
I can see you love The Virgin Suicides *-* So do I ! Sofia Coppola and Kirsten Dunst are my idols!
These are all so perfect! I wish I had space in my dorm for a shrine, but I don’t. Maybe after I move into my new dorm in a couple weeks…
OMZ LOOK AT THAT FRYNE!!!
Ugh this makes me want to go back to the 90’s teenagerdom that I wished I lived in, it makes me feel like I’m voyeuristically looking into 155 different lives. I love it so much. (Can I live in these pictures?)
I just realised my room is a bunch of shrines… :O! Also, these shrines are AMAZING! The Sherlock ones are amazing (i am sherlocked lol), the fryne was amazing, the Nirvana ones were amazing, the troll one was beyond amazing, and the violence one about the westerns and religion and stuff was really interesting. Actually, I don’t know why I bothered just writing that because it was ALL so amazing…!
I totally should have submitted my roommates star wars shrine. Including my one roommate standing facing away from the camera to show off her awesome star wars tattoo on her back.
Or I should have added my collection of tiny, vending machine animals. It gets intense. That and my sister and I are starting a turtle collection. Little turtle statues. And one starfish.
Ah I’m so glad I’m up there! What a fantastic and interesting post altogether.
#132 Arctic Monkeys
ahhhh i love #80, john stamos in full house!!!!
this exceeded my expectations. I have a “youth sanctuary” too, surprised that others do too.
Oh how I wish I could have contributed to this. I’ve been making shrines all my life. My apartment currently has 5. Crap, I discovered this site too late!
ahh i love that sonic youth shrine it’s so rad
Wowzers! my britney collage got in, YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
all these shrines look amazing oh my stars and garters! i love this post so so so so so so so so much!
I NEED a Florence Welch candle!!! Also, I can completely relate to the Arcade Fire shrine
I’m moving house next week, so I had to dismantle my (multiple) shrines. I cried a little bit. But hopefully will all this new inspiration they’ll be even BETTER when I remake them!
I love the imaginary shrine to Lana Del Rey. Am I the only one who thinks she looks like Effy Stonem?
this is probably my favourite post on Rookie… and not just because my “shrine” was featured in it :) [115]. I love all of the happy, loving comments, too! It’s ilke Rookie baked a cake filled with rainbows and smiles and ate it and is happy!
ps loved the David Bowie shrines and the Harry Potter shrines <3 you guys make me happy.
(I'm watching labyrinth because I have a 4 day weekend!! ahh :3)
So fantastic! Also ecstatic to see the florence shrines, I’ve been looking for her on rookie for a while since she’s so dang awesome.
I think this is my favourite Rookie post ever, especially the Fryne – I met him at a book signing and he was SO TALL. He said a big hello/welcome to the whole shop and everyone was silent apart from my Mum who was like “HELLO STEPHEN!”
these are all so beautiful. i wish i had an excuse to stay home and make a shrine of my own! maybe i should get the flu or something.
#140 i LOVE the monkees picture in the background!
Love them! Random comment time: I was just re-reading the teen witch stuff and thinking about how a lot of people at my school think I am one. :)
The many shrines to David Bowie and Florence Welch are absolutely wonderful. I think I’ll have to have a go at a musician-shrine myself (Florence/Vienna Teng/The Decemberists, perhaps?), and then one to Shakespeare/Dickens/Austen.
not gonna lie, my grimes shrine=rad.