By George Fox

@GeorgeJFox



A big Michigan landmark just got a sweet, tiny tribute.

Los Angeles-based artist and internet star Christine McConnell created an ultra-detailed miniature sculpture of the Grand Hotel made completely out of homemade fudge.

Two years ago McConnell visited Mackinac Island. The idea of making the hotel out of fudge seemed obvious so she asked the owners if anything like that had been done before. Turns out the answer was no. I guess anything is possible when a famous hotel is around for nearly 130 years.

How many hours does it take to make a pint-sized hotel out of fudge? “A lot,” laughed McConnell. “When I get excited about something I can work 14 hours in a day,” added McConnell. Measuring 1.5′ x 1′ and weighing 15 – 20 pounds it took four 14 hour days in fact as she recalls the time spent on the project. That’s about 56 hours for those keeping score at home.

McConnell is on a book tour and has a stop planned at Mackinac Island’s Grand Hotel on July 7. She posted photos of the sculpture to her Instagram account Tuesday to promote the trip.

The hotel served as the backdrop of one of her favorite films — the 1980 sci-fi drama “Somewhere In Time”.

More than 249,000 people follow McConnell on Instagram where she often poses in the photos with her creations including sugar cookie face huggers from the movie “Aliens”, chocolate tarantulas and whimsically decorated homes.

And yes, all the photos are also her own work with the use of a tripod, timers and burst mode. A chair or a broomstick serve as a stand-in to get the focus and lighting right.

What’s next for McConnell?

She’s currently working on a creepy pin-up calendar for the upcoming Tim Burton movie “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”. And she’s not ready to share too many details, but there’s a TV show in the works that she describes as DIY Peewee Herman where she plays a Marilyn Munster type-character.

Her Do-It-Yourself book “Deceptive Desserts” is highly rated on Amazon and a top 25 seller in its categories. McConnell’s inspirations combine the works of Tim Burton, Wes Craven, Alfred Hitchcock, and Vincent Price with Stepford Wife twist.

The Grand Hotel owners asked if the sculpture could be shipped to them, but the fragile piece wouldn’t survive the trip from LA. The fudgy art is resting peacefully in a deep freezer at McConnell’s home.