Hello Again & Homemade Halloween Costumes

Sorry that I've been gone for so long, but my computer crashed and it took a little while to get it back (I lost EVERYTHING though). Then when I got it back, my camera died (and I think my blog is naked without pictures) and I just now got a new one. So, I have been crafting, but unable to take pictures of a lot/most of them (they were gifts and are now gone). The ones that I was able to hang on to, I will be posting about them later (if I don't forget).

I like to do homemade Halloween costumes. I think it is fun (since I like to make things), my kids have a-one-of-a-kind costume, and it is cost-effective (with 4 kids I need that badly).

Let's talk about cost-effectiveness for a minute. A cheap, purchased Halloween costume is easily $20 (or more if you purchase accessories to go with it) and I have 4 boys. Let's do the math $20 x 4 boys = $80. $80 / 2 hours of trick-or-treating = $40/hour. It would cost me roughly $40 per hour for my kids to wear their costumes. Not very cost effective. (I know, I could pass the costumes down to younger children. Let's look at this option: (1) cheap costumes will probably not last - had that experience before w/ just 2 children, (2) children have a mind of their own and will not want to wear their brother's costume from last year, they will want their own, different kids - different tastes. Again not very cost effective.) So we make our own (as inexpensively as possible). Plus, as a bonus - it's fun!

Champ (11) felt he was too old to dress up, so he is not in the pictures (no costume). Lee (12, soon to be 13 - not ready for a teenager just yet, but that's a whole other topic for another day) wanted to be the invisible man (got the idea from Martha Stewart Halloween Special Issue Magazine - the Vanishing Man page 48). Anthony (6) and Rance (5) were Angry Birds.

My idea was for all the boys to be a different Angry Bird and Frank & I would be the pigs carrying a bucket of eggs. That idea went out the door because my older boys have a mind of their own (can you believe that? - how dare they think on their own and not want to do what their mother wants them to do).


This is Lee as the invisible man.
Jacket, shirt & tie (already had items for church on Sun. mornings): cost $0
Hat (already had hat for family pix - hopefully to be made soon): cost $0 (originally $5, but no actual cost to the costume, b/c it was already purchased for another purpose)
Sunglasses : cost $6 (Dollar General)
Gauze: cost $2 (Dollar General $4 per package, only used 1/2)
Total cost: $8





Black Angry Bird
I purchased a black, knit hat from Wal-Mart ($2), this will also help keep his head warm in cool, Halloween weather w/o obstructing his view or putting something over his face (he would probably hate and not wear anyway after purchasing such mask had I done so). Felt squares 5 for $1 (yellow, tan, black, red, white), had enough to do 2 hats and plenty left over for another project someday. Then I just cut out and hot glued on. Total cost: less than $3. (Note: I put the beak up slightly too high, so when he wears it, the bird is looking up, but since he is a 5 year old little boys, adults and older children can still tell what it is - if I had to redo it, I would put the beak and face lower on the hat.)

I did purchase a black, fleece shirt to wear (to keep warm and match the black hat), cost was $8 from Wal-Mart (he can wear it all year long so that doesn't count toward costume only).






Red Angry Bird
I purchased a red fleece hat from Wal-Mart for $3 (used the felt mentioned in the Black Angry Bird hat - still plenty left over). Total Cost: less than $4

I purchased a red and black fleece shirt from Wal-Mart for $8. He can wear it all winter long.

Total Cost for 3 costumes (not including fleece shirts) was about $15 (if you include the 2 shirts at $8/ea. the total cost for 3 costumes = $31). I realize that I only had 3 dressing up instead of 4, but 3 kids @ $20/costume would still be around $60. I think I came out pretty good.



Here are all 3 of my Trick-or-Treaters.

Faux Purse Dress

I made this dress for my niece's 4th birthday. It is a size larger so that she can grow into it.

At Hancock Fabrics, I found some really cute corduroy fabric (perfect for fall) in a cute butterfly and floral print in brown and other fall colors. I made it reversible, the yellow 'lining' is the same print of the yellow butterflies in the brown print of the main fabric.



I made a faux purse (it is an actual pocket) on the side of the dress in the main fabric and used a coordinating color of rick-rack for the purse strap.





I used flower buttons at the shoulders and on the faux purse flap. On the purse flap, it is just for decoration, it does not actually button.







Rance's birthday is August 14 (he just turned 5) and my niece's birthday is August 8 (she just turned 4), so I asked Rance to try on the dress for the pocket placement and to see how it might fit. He reluctantly did it (he really love's his mother).





This dress would look so cute with a long sleeve tee or a long sleeve turtle neck under it and could be worn way into the fall.

Big Sister Little Sister Dresses

My niece just had her 2nd baby (I now have 2 grand-nieces, wow - that makes me feel old). For the baby I made the Reversible Open Back Dress and Fancy Ruffled Diaper Cover that I also made here.



Here is the back of the dress, showing the striped reversible fabric.



The fancy ruffled diaper cover.





For her older sister I made a pillowcase dress in matching fabric.



I love how I was able to find grosgrain ribbon to match the floral fabric that I used for the trim of the dress. Note: I heat sealed the ribbon edges to keep it from fraying.

Showing my Independence

It's a little late for Independence Day, but here you go anyway (better late than never right? - Nah, I don't agree either, just thought I'd try).

I made this Stars and Stripes Pillowcase Dress. I love the fabric because it looks antique-ish (I just made that word up, but it sounds good). The blue fabric has off-white stars in it, the red, striped, ticking fabric looks tea-stained, which gives it an aged look. A little girl could wear this any time, it doesn't just have to be worn on the 4th of July (but it does look Patriotic).

I love pillowcase dresses for several reasons...

1) The first is the history behind them. They used to be worn by peasants and poor people. They made use out of what they had. Nothing went to waste.

2) They grow with the girl. Since the ribbons can be tied tighter when she is smaller and looser as she grows, it is able to be worn longer.

3) The pillowcase dress can be worn as a top (this kind of goes with #2) when the dress gets too short. It can be worn with little bloomers, capri pants or jeans.

4) It can be dressed up or down depending on what you make it out of. Pillowcase Dress with lace trim in white with white leather patent Mary Janes makes a very cute Easter dress. Make it with a casual fabric and flip flops and it can be a summer play dress.



Here was a simple Patriotic table display. I had red and white dishes that I mixed up, I used red and blue bandanas for inexpensive place mats and napkins on a plain white table cloth. I had red and blue enameled buckets (Target $1 aisle) and American flags (Hobby Lobby half -off) about $0.25 each. Quick, Easy and Inexpensive!

Buckets of Friendship

A friend of mine saw the bucket (that is pictured next to the finished chair) here and called me to ask where I got it (just at the local Dollar Store) and she went to get some. Then she saw the buckets that I decorated here, here, and here and requested 3 (one for herself, one for her mother and one for a friend).

So this is what the bucket looked like when she bought it (you know, a BEFORE picture)...


And this is one of them finished (you know, an AFTER picture)...


It's hard to tell in the picture, but the bucket is lime green with navy blue lettering. I failed to take a picture of the other two, but one was burgandy with 'Welcome' in black letters and the last (but not least) was candy apple red with black letters.

I primed each bucket with a metal primer in white. Then I put several light coats of color on each bucket, allowing them to dry in between coats. While they were drying, I cut the letters out with my Cricut and when they were completely dry, I applied the letters. Makes a great gift!

For a little girl

Front...
Back...
I purchased another pattern from You Can Make This. It is a skirted diaper cover. I thought it was adorable. Think how much that it would dress up a little onesie or a simple little T-shirt or plain top.

This pattern is by Monkeysbug Tee and Tie Dyed Diva, you can also get their stuff on etsy. I am a fan of theirs. I may even be addicted to their patterns (I have a huge long list of their patterns in my 'Wish List' on You Can Make This). You can see a couple more of their patterns that I made here.

I AM Different

I am just like a lot of moms. We want our kids to be cute, dressed cute, cute hair cut, you know how it is. But I am different in this way...when they get old enough to want to dress themselves - I let them.

I have friends that have children that are pre-teens, soon to be teens and they still tell them how to dress. I'm not knocking that, but that's not me.

As soon as my kids want to dress themselves, I encourage it. Yes, they may not match, but that's o.k. with me. They are expressing themselves and learning. I just make sure that it is weather appropriate (that's where I put my foot down). I do have a couple of other rules also, the clothes must be clean and they must be in good shape (no holes, stains, etc.).

As you can see here, Anthony picked out his clothes - he has an orange striped T-shirt, a green and blue argyle sweater vest, and a navy clip on tie. He was very proud of it and yes, I let him wear it to church. I even told him (without lying to him) that he was very handsome (it really isn't the clothes that make the man - he is extremely handsome to me).

I know that right now some of you mothers are mortified. That's o.k. It takes us all to make the world go around. When people ask if they dressed themselves, I nod, lean in close and with a sweet smile I quietly explain that they have their dad's sense of fashion. ;o) (Just kidding about that last part - sort of.)