Cloudstera: Evie’s Final Plush Nightlight

Meet Cloudstera

Say hello to Cloudstera—the dreamier digital version of the photogenic and beloved Monstera Deliciosa plant. This little creation is made from felt, foam sheet, plush filling, a flower pot, acrylic paint, and a custom-wired LED circuit. Instead of performing photosynthesis, it projects colored lighting with a custom-wired LED circuit. Additionally, each individual Cloudstera leaf can be adjusted and moved. Light up the room with fun colors and Monstera leaf shadows.

Here are photos from the final photoshoot—some taken during the day with natural light and some without.

A Millennial Market

According to The Washington Post, millennials’ recent buying habits have largely included the purchasing of plants for their homes—particularly those millennials who live in cities. These urban dwellers are craving nature in any form they can get it in, turning their homes into mini jungles, or “jungalows.”

However, via a Harvard Business Review study, millennials are complete workaholics. Though they crave work-life balance, many millennial workers are actually scared of taking breaks and vacations. This means less time at home and less time to take care of their plants (which may result in an increased number of dead plants…).

And that’s where Cloudstera comes in. Cloudstera doesn’t need to be watered or turned every now and again to face the sunlight in a different indirection. It does, however, blend in with your other plants and double as a nightlight (or party light!).

Circuit Diagram (updated)

Above, you’ll find my updated circuit diagram. I ended up opting for a higher voltage AA battery pack, as I wanted to increase the amount of time it could run for (if I ever used it at parties, hehe). I had to recalculate the resistor amounts, which I did using this calculator.

Behind the Creation Process

I outlined most of my process in my previous blog post on the creation of the first prototype of Cloudstera.

However, there were some notable changes to this final version. There are quite a few more leaves that I added here to make it more plant-like. Like before, I sewed all of them by hand using two layers of felt surrounding a layer of foam sheet with thin metal wire stapled to it.

Also, I ended up painting the pot a pastel blue with little gold shapes on it. When trying to figure out what material to put in the pot, I experimented with several materials including plush filling. I noticed that when I put the plush filling in the pot, it looked like a cloud in a blue sky. I thought it was pretty cute and kept it that way and ended up adding LEDs to the little cloud part. I also ended up buying green foam and putting it in the pot as well so I could stick all the leaf stems in more sturdily. Below, you’ll find some process photos.

That’s all – thank you 🙂

P.S. THANK YOU HANNAH FOR YOUR HELP