I LOVE LUCY - LUCILLE BALL COSTUME

Every year the law firm I work for holds a Halloween Costume Contest. In the past I've always done "original" costumes such as ghoulish monsters, the bat outfit...I could name a whole bunch. From years of not winning the "prizes" I've learned that in my working environment that what wins is more often than not "corny"... Last year I took first prize with my Elvis Costume and first for the second consecutive year with my Lucille Ball outfit...which, of course, was not store bought and already made. This is how I did...

I looked through my closet for a 50's like dress.      

What screams 50's more than polka dots? I found this dress but it needed sleeves (Lucy always had sleeves) and it also needed frills.

I found my black bolero int the closet at well. Figured I could wear it under the dress just to get the sleeves I wanted. But it needed to look more "50's" still... (the right side is the original look of the bolero)

 I still needed frills and a red wig. Obviously due for a trip to the dollar store. I found some doilies...they were two for $2. Perfect...that's all I need to create a collar and cuffs. I didn't want to sew it on the dress and bolero though so I used my friend Velcro. He worked out fine...and I can easily take the collar and cuffs off ...or back on.

The doily in its original state...just so that you know what to look for...

Had this apron handy too...and although the flower details are beautiful, I've opted to fold it in as to not take away from the polka dot dress and frills ;)

 Now, for the hair...I searched online for a Lucy wig. Found many but the shipping costs were more than the wig itself...So I decided to make one. It didn't turn our perfectly but it ended up costing me $6.00 instead of $40 give or take with the shipping fees. I found this wig at the dollar store (yes, again) and bought two of them. Why two? Dollar store wigs are usually skimpy on the hair thickness and since it wasn't a genuine Lucy wig I knew I would have to modify it...and I did! To my surprise the hair was already curled (unlike its presentation picture)...yay, one less thing to worry about. Now I just had to pin it up like Lucy's. I ended up cutting the second wig in pieces and sewing them to the sides so that it would "sort of" look like Lucy's. I've  also cut the bangs really really short in front. Used hair combs to hold the hair up in the back and also added a Lucy-like bow in the hair.

 

The accessories are easy to find - Fake pearl necklace and earrings. On hindsight, I really should have taken off my modern looking watch...yeah. Also, talked my friend Monette into dressing up like Ethel (she took in third prize)

 Here we are...the three prize winners. Looks like a retro year at the firm...20's and 50's are new again... The Flapper girl is Angela...seriously, I would were that to a X-mas party. She looked amazing!

 

Flying Hunchback Witchkin

My kids went to the pumpkin patch with their school

and this is what they came back with... A medium size warted (eeewwwww) one and a cutesy teeny one! Humm.....what to do...what to do...

Spent 15 minutes of lunch at the dollar store today. Got this and that. You can't go wrong when you're working on a project like this one...buy whatever catches your eye....

 Hat, gloves, hair, nails...etc...

 Cut a hole in the bigger pumpkin big enough to fit the smaller one in. The carve a face in the small one.

 Fit the head inside the body and voila...you have your hunchback Witchkin.

 We've added a broom made with a hula skirt ($ store), black leggings stuffed with newspaper, little slippers for the feet. This is what our Witchkin looks like from the back.

Use sewing pins to pin her legs and arms in place. I've used some wire inside the gloves to form the hands and place them where I wanted them to be.

Notice the cat shape in her eyes :) She's pretty scary in the dark....Happy Halloween Witchkins!

DEADMAU5 HEAD

by Andrew Dumas

 

My friend Andrew, whom I've known since high school, made this Deadau5 Head. I was quite impressed with it so I've asked his permission to share this with you. Andrew has always been a MacGyver type person...great in the outdoors (remember the camping trip Andrew?)...I remember relying on him and his boy scout knowledge for many things. He's always had a knack for making things work with what he had on hand...at least that's how I remember it. So, I'm not the least bit surprised that he can  apply that to crafting as well...

He wanted me to explain in my own words the process on making the Deadmau 5 head...but I think his words are best. This is what he says to do...

How to make Deadmau5 head

1-used a large round balloon and covered it with many layers of papier mache

2-after letting it dry thoroughly cut out bottom and mouth. And used duct tape (strong glue would work as well) to add the two oversized ears (made from kids foam floor mats from Walmart'

3-taped tulle outside the mouth with duct tape to hide face

4-covered the entire thing with two sided carpet tape then a red short haired fake fur.

5-cut a 5" foam ball in half and made x's with black tape, glued them to the head. (slightly hollowed the back of the "eye" to sit better on a round surface...)

Balloon - dollarstore 3 for $1
papier mache i had already
carpet tape $12 any hardware store
play foam pads 4 in a pack $10 walmart
red fur (material ends) $16
tulle $6 for miles of the stuff
foam balls $6 walmart
black tape $.99 a roll
I would say less than $45

Thanks for sharing Andrew...xo...can I borrow this next year? Trade for Batman?

Not "Bat" eh?

Not 100% original but this costume certainly bat cave worthy! I got the idea from a site I googled about five years ago. It's simply an umbrella cut in two and sewn (badly) to the inner part of the sleeves and sides of a hoodie. Extra pieces of the umbrella were used for the ears.

 My daughter wore it the first year... I wore it the next (sorry, can't find the pics) I wore it with a store bought Batman mask...your choice.

Simple, effective...fun. A little dangerous if your child is not the careful type. If he/she is not part of the gentler species...try something else

My son wore it around the house...

But not around other people....

This was a much safer option for him! Look at that

6 pack!

 

 Here's another great idea. Let's party like it's 1999...which         

is about when I made these for some friends. Was more original 

back then than it is today. They had won 1st and 2nd prize.

My costumes were worth $700.00 that night...not that I

ever saw any of it...huh....friends...yeah!

If you just want to have some fun....try these store bought winners ;)

Walk in Elvis' blue suede shoes for a day.... I Wonder what's up with the Babe on his left...

Thank you very much...

THE MAD SCIENCE PARTY

PART 1

It's been a month since my son's Ben 10 party and almost Halloween. In the midst of all that comes the time to start preparing for my daughter's MAD SCIENCE party scheduled for mid November! No rest for the wicked...oh la la!

The Invitations:

As usual I can't just hand out card inventions... but the idea here is to create memories for your kids and their guests. They won't all remember but at least half will have fond memories of childhood parties they've attended. Quite frankly, I want my children's parties to be remembered! So, I set out with the idea to send a test tube invitation but didn't want the tube to be glass...hum... Went to my usual shopping spots. If you've been following me you know which ones they are (pop quiz). This is what I found:

Pretty lucky...I know. But if you look with your grown-up eyes...you FIND! Dollar store of course. My intent was to write and print the invitation details and roll them up in the test tube. However, I only picked up nine of these...turns out we had left out 3 important names off the invite list. I went back to the dollar store to pick some more up but I must have looked with my other set of eyes (men eyes)...couldn't find them!

Soooo, I do what I do best...modify! Instead of using the test tubes I used the beakers already filled with colorful bubble solution. That's even better...yay, problem solved.

Isn't that just beautiful...fun...and colorful!

Next - Print text (other side)

Also print silly photo of genius sticking out tongue. Couldn't find such a picture of myself so I settled for one of Einstein instead...

As always...and most importantly PERSONALIZE your invitations. Make your guests feel like they are the STAR! After all, they are just important as the birthday girl/boy...wouldn't be a party without either one ;)

I've laminated the invitations with dollar store laminating sheets - found in the stationary isle in packs of 10.

My daughter will inform her guests to bring the tag invitations to the party...we'll be velco - ing them to the front of the lab coats we'll be handing out to each lab technician...

B.T.W. the party is from 13h00 - 16h00 - that's been fixed! Urghhhh...

The finished product. Punched a hole in the invitation and tied it on the beaker with simple black ribbon.

DONE!







My daughter's anxious to get these out but in reality she'll be handing them out once Halloween is over. In the meantime we can concentrate 100% on Halloween now!

The Experiments:

The Floating M -  The Floating M

We did this one first setting it aside once we dropped the M&M's into some warm water. It takes a while for the results so rather than wait and watch we passed on to the second experiment. We came back right after to find all of the m's floating to the surface!

Science Bob's Fantastic Foaming Fountain - Fantastic Foaming Fountain you tube

Science Bob`s Chicken in a cup - Chicken in a cup you tube

Air Dry - Air and Water

Ivory Soap in the Microwave -Ivory Soap you tube

Science Bob`s Lava Lamp - Blobs in a bottle you tube

Science Bob`s Drinking Straw music - Straw music you tube

We ended the experiments with that one...the nosiest, simplest and no doubt the silliest one!

The batteries on my camera picked this exact time to die on me so I'll have more to share once I get my hands on my mother's pictures!

Simple decoration - medical gloves for balloons and a bio hazard sign!

 Turned the living room into a laboratory. Each of of young lab techs had their own working space, equipment and gloves. The equipment included a small bowl for the M&M`s experiment,  a small plastic container (that seals shut so they can take it home). Each had their own small pack of M&M`s and Alka Seltzer for the Lava lamp experiment. All other ingredients and necessary equipment was placed in the center of the table for easy access.

 Mad Scientist RAY D. ATION!

 Serious little Lab Techs!

What do you mean a chicken sound? Out of this?

THE CAKE

 Look! It Ray D. Ation!

This deliciousness of chocolatey heaven was created by Caroline Desmarais. Check her out!

sweet cake caroline

Yeah, yeah...I know...This is a bogus science equation...but that does not make it wrong...ok?

THE LOOT BAGS

OOOOH! I had a little fun with these! What screams more fun than a Bio Hazard warning on a Zip lock bag filled with brains and loose marbles? Well...the marbles were loose until we found them here and there and wrapped them up for the LOST and FOUND department at the mental ward. Whooaaaaa ha ha ha ha!

 The Sign is actually the first page of a booklet composed of all the experiments done at the party. This way all the experiments can be re-done in each child's own lab at home. Yay! I'm sensing parents all over just loving me for this right now!

Neat eh!?

This is what was in the bag! Brain candy (dollar store) and homemade Brain cake in a jar and of course some LoOsE MaRBleS!

Also, the children left with their own Chicken in a cup and Lava Lamps!

miam miam...brains anyone?

 CHEERLEADER COSTUME!! 

GIMME AN M...i...c...k...e...y!

Go MICKEY!

So we're October 8th...Thanksgiving weekend. Mickey, as of yesterday morning had no clue on what she wanted to dress up as for Halloween this year. Mickey is more complicated than my son who is content with a store bought outfit that about 50 more kids in the neighborhood will be wearing that Hallow's Eve... Mickey, on the other hand never knows and most often can't make up her mind on what she's like to be. Lucky for us...my mom (Mickey's grandmother) volunteers at her local church thrift shop where she found an amazing cheerleader dress! Mickey was sold!

Now, we needed pompoms...hummmm....  We set off to Giant Tiger...no pompoms...dollar store...no pompoms. I did come across some Hula skirts at the dollar store that, in my mind, can easily be turned into pompoms. Mickey was not so easily convinced...so we put them back. However, I'm pretty stubborn. So, I told Mickey that I'd be making them anyway and if she didn't like them we'd look for pompoms elsewhere...and those would be a min. of 20$ for sure...and probably mediocre. A gamble I knew was worth taking...

The creation of the pompoms:

Found some colorful Hula skirts at the dollar store. I picked up 6 not knowing how many I would use. I ended using 5 in all.

- Two skirts per pompom
- One skirt for leg frills

I found these in the same isle. Those would make great handles...PLUS on Halloween night we can add the glow sticks within the pompoms for visibility!

You'll need two of these.

Take two skirts and wrap around the handle. Secure with a heavy duty elastic band. Do the same for the second pompom.

You should end up with something like this...

Easy...no sewing! (for this part)

With another skirt I sewed a seam vertically on the waist elastic about  4 -5 inches from each end (measure your child's leg). Cut outside the seam at both ends to create leg warmer type frills!

You've made your first pompom...Three cheers for you! (I would have made a terrible cheerleader)

But my daughter... she would be the best ! Well, after she refined her moves a little. We had a blast with this...so will you ;)

M...I...C...K...E...Y!