Belated Halloween

This year I did not make a single item for their costumes.  It was bittersweet.  I sort of like working with them to come up with an idea, then stitching it together.  But not spending the night before finalizing the costumes was very, very sweet.    

First up: MARIO from Mario Brothers.  

He is obsessed & has worn the hat EVERY. DAY. since.

He did hate the oversized fake moustache that came with the costume, so it was eyeliner to the rescue.  

SuperGirl and Mario at the church Trunk-or-Treat.  

**SuperGirl costume was bought at Walmart after Halloween last year.  Nothing like a $5 costume!

We finally got around to doing our pumpkins on Saturday afternoon (We trick-or-treat the Saturday before Halloween.  Don't ask.  It's weird.).  One carved, the other painted.  Everyone was happy!

Pirate pumpkin.  Arrrrrgggggh!

This was the ONE shot I snapped on Saturday night before my camera died.  

Great planning, Mom.  

This year was fun because Daddy was home!  The kids insisted that I stay on the porch and pass out candy while Daddy walked them around the neighborhood.  Worked for me - I got to see all the little cuties in their costumes (I just love the babies!!) and he got to experience the mad rush of our neighborhood (we get about 100-150 kids door-to-door). Note for next year: put a glow stick INSIDE their bag or bucket.  Gives a little more visibility in our dark, dark neighborhood.  Plus it's easier to see the candy pile up inside.  

Halloween Treats

Despite my lack of Halloween enthusiasm, I caved & made take-home treats for the 2nd grade Fall Party (Note: apparently it's not PC to say "Halloween" anymore.  I say WHATEVER.)  In order to have the biggest impact with the least amount of effort, I chose to go with the always popular dipped marshmallow treat. 

They were supposed to be mummies, but after 24 squares used up every drop of the Almond bark, I had nothing left to make bandages.  So.... now they are ghosts!  With chocolate chip eyes, of course.  

A bag, a ribbon, and a cute cutout later, we were ready to rock the party.  

I love that these took me a total of about an hour to make (with most of the time spent waiting for coating to melt), yet every adult who saw them thought they were great.  The kids were pretty excited, too.  These are definitely going on next year's must-make list.  

Halloween 2011

With very little bribery I convinced the kids to dress as pirates this year.  

A matching skirt and vest, a couple of hand stitched hats, and some dollar store swords later.... and we were in the pillaging and plundering business!

They collected lots of booty on Saturday night (in these parts, trick-or-treating is scheduled for the Saturday before the 31st, from 6:30-8:00pm), and even managed to stay warm with a few layers under their costumes.  

PS: The pirate password is "Yo Ho Ho". 

Don't say you never learned anything on this blog. ;)

Halloween Deco: Are You Into It?

Halloween is just one of those holidays I don't get super excited about.  I like to decorate.  I like to dress up. I like to eat candy.  But I can do those things any day of the year (although I do get funny looks when I wear my cat ears grocery shopping).  I was having a particularly tough time feeling spooky until my Mom sent me a big box of decorations.  These mostly consist of Annalee dolls.  If you're not familiar with them, they are wool felt dolls with handpainted faces, created for a variety of holidays.  My Mom has been a collector for many years, and these dolls featured heavily in decorating for all the major holidays at our house.

When I opened that box, inspiration struck, and I got to work clearing off the buffet table.

I came up with this first:

But it was a little bare in the middle.  I knew I wanted to use the big frame I had left over from breaking the bathroom mirror, but wasn't sure how to make it less empty.  Pinterest to the rescue!  I found a tutorial for making a cute "Spooky" banner, and 2 hours later, it was hung.  Most appropriately, I made the accordion folds from paper out of a Frankenstein book.  

Much better!

PS: I love that bat garland from Martha Stewart.  I bought it on clearance after last Halloween & have been waiting for a chance to open that box.

PPS: I used Command strips to hang the frame.  Those are genius!

One

Halloween 2010

Princess Leia & Han Solo

Costumes created/ crafted by yours truly

Princess Leia

• Gown: White satin, sewn from Simplicity Pattern #4797 (nativity costumes).  Sash: white satin ribbon. 
• Footwear: Thrifted brown boots, spray painted white
• Blaster: Water gun spray painted black

Han Solo

• Shirt: Thrifted white thermal, cut & sewn
• Vest: Felted black wool sweater, cut & re-sewn
• Pants: Thrifted blue pants, added a red felt stripe down each side
• "Boots": Felted black wool sweater sleeves, worn over pants as "boots"
• Blaster: Dollar store gun

Halloween Happenings

I am so glad that Halloween is over. Although I like to dress up, and carve pumpkins, I don't really like decorating for the holiday, and I definitely don't like getting spooked. This year, Halloween dragged out over the course of a week, beginning last Saturday with Trunk or Treat. Big Sis then got to wear her costume to Ballet on Tuesday, to school on Friday for a costume parade, and then we dressed them both for trick-or-treating on Halloween. Although there's something to be said for getting my money's worth out of the costumes, I am still happy to be DONE for the year!

Big Sis was a "Night Fairy". Night Fairy because she wanted to be a fairy, and I wanted to re-use her black tutu from a previous ballet costume. I purchased a black leotard (which she can wear to ballet class), and we had white tights, her tutu, and silver glitter shoes. Her wings were from her Tinker Bell costume (2 years ago), and she had recently torn them by accident. I deconstructed them, wrapped them in tulle, then painted them with glitter. I bought the headband from the dollar store (a pack of 3), and wrapped a black rose pony tail holder around it for decoration. We accessorized with silver and opalescent eye shadow and crystals on her face. I think the makeup was her favorite part. She also won "Cutest Girl" at Trunk or Treat!

Big J was Indiana Jones. We had the shoes & pants, and I purchased the shirt & jacket from Children's Orchard. I made his messenger bag from some tan fleece I already had, braided the whip from some leather cording, and bought his hat from the Dollar Store. I trimmed the hat down a bit & added the brown ribbon hatband to make it look more like a fedora and less like a cowboy hat. Most people got that he was Indiana Jones, but some thought he was an explorer. Close enough. He wasn't that into trick-or-treating, but once he realized that people would put candy into his bag, he was VERY excited.

Halloween night was clear but cold & windy. We hit about 6 houses in the neighborhood, with Big Sis and Big J hand in hand up to the doors. J did not master "trick-or-treat", but would wave when he received candy. I retired home with Big J while Big Daddy and Big Sis continued around the block. Several nearby houses take Halloween very seriously, with adults all dressed up & "haunting grounds" constructed with places to jump out & scare passersby. I also noticed that several families drove & unloaded packs of kids to canvass the neighborhood. We were prepared with some candy, but will need to buy more for next year.

Hope you had happy hauntings!

Beggar's Night + Halloween

Last night we participated in Beggar's Night (an Iowa tradition). Our sweet friends, the Mons, invited us to their neighborhood, and we thoroughly enjoyed the treats both during and after the trick-or-treating.

Big Sis was Alice from Alice in Wonderland, and Big J was a cowboy.

(Notice the badge? He wasn't just a cowboy, he was a Texas Ranger)

This was just before Trunk or Treat tonight - yes, she got DOUBLE the candy.

I think we brought home as much candy as we gave out! Good thing Mama and Daddy will "inspect" it closely before she's allowed to have any.

To Make or To Buy? That is the question...

I've become a little more crafty in the past year, and have really begun to enjoy sewing now that I have a new, non-jamming sewing machine. I have yet to make an actual outfit for either of the kids, but the idea has been rolling around in the back of my mind. And of course, with Halloween drawing near, I always face the internal dilemma of: Make or Buy a costume? I have yet to make a costume for a number of reasons. First, Big Sis tends to be more than a little indecisive, and nailing down a single costume has been difficult. If I were to sit her down with a pattern book, I think her head might pop off. Next, I've been busy with vacation, planning my Christmas projects, managing the house, and attempting to work, too. And finally, I just don't get that into Halloween. Oh sure, I love dressing up the kids, love going to Trunk or Treat and seeing everyone in their costumes, but I don't decorate the house, and I don't dress up myself. I'd be irritated if I put all the time and energy into making an awesome costume and it only got worn once.

So net/net, we're going with purchased costumes this year. Big Sis is going to be Alice from Alice in Wonderland. I bought the costume before Halloween last year, but she didn't wear it - she was adamant about being Tinkerbelle. I wasn't too bummed as I knew she'd wear it eventually, and because it was already half off when I purchased it (thanks to Disney for putting all your costumes on sale before Halloween!). The dress still fits her and with some heavy white tights and her black sparkly shoes she'll be an adorable Alice. Big J is going to be a cowboy. I found a costume on ebay for him, and when I was passing through Dallas I picked up a Texas Ranger badge with his name on it. Complete with hat and brown booties, he'll be a cutie.

Do you love Halloween? Do you dress up, too? Are you dressing up your kids? I was talking to someone on Saturday, and she said she wasn't going to dress up her son until she absolutely had to. Wha? What's cuter than babies in costume??? And don't say dressing up your dog.....