Sparkle like a 1940s starlet with this DIY star crown, inspired by the iconic Hedy Lamarr in Ziegfeld Girl (1941).

Hedy Lamarr wasn't just another Hollywood beauty—she was also a fearless inventor, and wicked smart. While making headlines with her glamorous and sometimes scandalous roles (like in Ecstasy, where she became famous for one of Hollywood’s earliest nude scenes), Hedy was secretly working on a groundbreaking invention to help win World War II. She co-created a “frequency hopping” system to keep Allied torpedoes safe from jamming. That tech became the foundation for what we now use in WiFi and Bluetooth.

This tutorial channels that mix of glam and genius to make a modern, glowing star crown with NeoPixel stars and WLED, perfect for cosplaying the timeless Hedy or adding some sparkle to your next event. Let’s dive into some Old Hollywood glam meets high-tech magic. 

The crown is shown here with my Noods Mask, a resin Noods Necklace, and my Oozemaster 3000 LED Drip Dress, running "Carrie Mode" with red blood drips. I was a hit at the Vampire Ball.

Parts

This project uses a lipoly battery because it's very tiny and packs a punch in terms of power. My crown is set to a fairly low brightness and it runs for hours on this tiny battery. If you plan to wear the crown for more than a couple hours, you may want to pick up 2 batteries so you always have a charged one.

The BFF gives us onboard battery charging for LiPoly batteries, so if you wrap the battery up in lots of tape it'll stay pretty safe. Don't puncture these batteries or get them wet or they can catch fire.

If you're planning to make this for a child, you may want to consider using AAA batteries and a battery extension cable instead. It's much bulkier and less glamorous to do it this way, but it's definitely safer. Clip the battery pack to their clothing or drop it into a hood.

And here are a few more good things to have on hand for electronics projects:

Additional Materials & Tools

• Zip ties in various sizes
• Hot glue gun
• Soldering iron & accessories
• Gold spray paint
• Masking tape
• White gaffer's tape or duct tape