Halloween – Costumes

I think it was right after Eliza Jane was born that someone asked, “What are the kids going to be for Halloween?”

I’d already mostly made up my mind, but I was pondering how I would pull it off.

You see, last year, Reynolds was Woodstock from Charlie Brown.  I made his costume, head-wear and all (I should work for Hollywood movies, I know with all my crazy costume-making-skills).  Last year, I couldn’t find a yellow long-sleeved onesie so I had to dye one (I used yellow fabric spray paint).  And as far as his amazing head-piece, I started off with insane yellow feathers….I know there’s a picture of it somewhere, but I couldn’t find it!!  🙁

But the feathers kind of poked him in the top of the head.  And since his parents are who they are, we decided to give him a fighting chance at life, and I quickly destroyed the feather head-ornament.  With an idea from a stuffed Woodstock (that was given to R by Aunt Dana), I remade his hat with yellow yarn.

He was a pretty cute Woodstock!

So, this year, the challenge was to find something for Reynolds that was equally as cute, but also something for Eliza Jane.  I wanted to have their costumes/characters play off each other.  I thought about Charlie Brown and Lucy…But then, Lucy can be a little on the crazy size and well, I’d already used “Charlie Brown” once, so the next idea I had was Peter Pan and Tinker Bell.

I looked for costumes online and couldn’t find anything for 0-3 or 0-6 months for Eliza Jane.  I knew pretty quickly that I would have to be creative (have I told you yet that I am not creative nor artistically inclined?  well, I’m not).  I looked for something for R.  Nothing I saw was cute enough for the price.  I can’t justify $40 on a costume for a child.  I looked on Ebay.  Nothing.  It was looking more like I was going to have to make both costumes.  A high calling for this girl, who was about to start back to work full time and already time was slim.

Just as in the old college days, I kept putting it off.  Until last weekend.  Our church was having a Trunk or Treat Sunday afternoon so Saturday was my day.  My only day.  I plotted out what I needed and from where.  I had picked up a short sleeved green onesie at Buy Buy Baby for Eliza Jane earlier in the week.  Reynolds was going to be wearing felt (and I prayed for cool temps!).  Saturday morning I took R with me to Hobby Lobby and kept my eyes open for ideas.  I needed a skirt and wings for her, and a hat with a red feather, a shirt and a belt with a sword for him.

Here’s the breakdown:

Eliza Jane is wearing a basic green onesie.

Wings are made from crazy iridescent, glittery ribbon (careful, it will end up all over you and everyone around you!) and stitched onto the onesie.

Her skirt is just tulle tied on to a piece of green and white bakers twine (!!).  I started to spray it with glitter but decided that the daycare teachers might absolutely hate me if I did.  {I have also decided that the tulle skirt is so easy, she WILL be wearing one for her 1st birthday!}

Reynolds’ shirt and hat are both green felt.  I used a loose fitting shirt and traced it onto the felt for the size and then sewed the front to the back (I do love my Nama’s sewing machine!).  Then had fun cutting slits and triangles out of the sleeves and bottom of the shirt.

The “belt” and “sword” are just cut from brown felt (I told you I’m not that creative) and stitched onto the shirt.  I felt a real belt and sword (plastic) wouldn’t last very long on a toddler…and the felt posed no harm to our accident-prone Peter Pan. 😀

And of course there had to be a red feather in his hat.  The lady at Hobby Lobby knew exactly where I could find it!

Only one person call R “Robin Hood” at the Trunk or Treat, and when I told Andrew this after we got home Sunday night we looked at that movie cover.  Sure enough…the only real difference in Robin Hood and Peter Pan was that Peter’s shirt was “torn”…everything else was the same, even the red feather!

So what/who are you or your kids for Halloween this year?