Halloween Costumes

Is it too early to start thinking about Halloween costumes?

I guess, as far as retail goes, it might be too late, especially since most stores already have their Christmas decorations out.

The past few years, I've made Grace's Halloween costume.  When talking homemade, it's never too early to start thinking about Halloween costumes.

Last year, Grace wanted to be a pig. 

Believe it or not, I took a monkey costume and transformed it into a pig costume (including a curly piggy tail).

The year before, Grace was a sheep.

Bah, bah black sheep have you any candy?

My favorite costume, though, the one that convinced me to continue to make homemade Halloween costumes, was the Martha Stewart inspired chicken costume.

 A costume I am almost tempted to make in adult size.

This year...well, this year we've only just begun thinking about what she wants to be.  At the moment it is ranging from Alice (of Alice in Wonderland) to Robin (as in Batman and Robin). Thank goodness for pinterest. 

Regardless of what she decides, I have a feeling I will need to channel my inner Tim Gunn and (hopefully) make it work, whatever she decides.

Have you started thinking about costumes, yet?  

Halloween Costumes

How is it possible that Halloween is just a few days away?

The great debate has been settled and the option of sheep {or sheepie as Grace likes to say} has been chosen. I am nearly done with her costume, thanks to Martha Stewart.

In attempts to keep Grace from having to go as a sheared sheepie, today will be spent working on the finishing touches of her costume. This will leave very little time for blogging...

So thank ewe for understanding!

Reformed Halloween Grinch

I may have the tendency to lean towards being a Halloween Grinch. Of course, when you have a child of your own, for their sake, the excitement about Halloween becomes necessary.

Last year, in an attempt to get in the spirit of Halloween, I decided to make a costume for Grace. Thanks to Martha Stewart and her spring chicken costume, my Halloween Grinchy heart grew 3 sizes last year.

When I saw that the body of this adorable chicken costume was made out of white feather boas, I was won over completely. Martha used 2 onesies, stuffing the inside one with some fluff and the pinning down the boas to the outside one to make her chicken plump. I only used 1 onesies, she seemed plump enough.

Martha used yellow rubber gloves for the feet of her spring chicken, so clever...BUT I didn't want Grace to stumble over them SO I made her feet out of orange fleece. I traced the shape I wanted over a pair of white sneakers, to get the size right. Then used the tracing as a pattern, also adding ankle straps. I sewed each chicken foot and attached Velcro to the straps to adjust and secure them.

Martha used a pilot's cap for the top of the chicken. I couldn't find one and didn't want to go to the trouble of making one SO I decided to make mine in headband form. Being able to put Grace's hair in pig tails was still a novelty so I liked the idea of being able to show those off as well.

Nearly everyone we passed stopped and admired her costume. I strutted behind her like a proud mama chicken.

With the bar now set high, I am struggling for inspiration for this year's costume. Grace's vote an owl, sheep or a puppy dog. Now, to figure out how to make any of those!

P.S. Riley also wore a costume. There aren't many costumes geared towards the portly dog, so {even though she is a girl doggie} she went trick or treating in formal attire.

Happy Halloween

Oh wait...it's not Halloween BUT it is October so let the decorating for Halloween commence.

I've only just begun my decorating. Before visions of haunted houses, ghosts and graveyards enter your head, I like simple touches.

I love Martha Stewart's Halloween silhouette templates. These bats, hung from fishing line, like flying around my window.

Grace would love for us to get her a cat but since we already have a dog, this Martha Stewart black cat is as close as she will get.

These Martha Stewart mice are the only kind of mice I want anywhere near my house.

Blue Cricket Design gets all credit for the clever no soliciting sign in my doorway.

And so you don't think that I've decorated exclusively using black paper I do have other decorations up as well. The Queen of Quilts made that throw and sitting on top of it a velvet pumpkin.

In the spirit of preparing for Halloween, we've also watched, It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, about 10 times and it's only the first week of October.

Halloween and fall are definitely in the air, so keep in my mind Linus' sage advice, 'Never jump into a pile of leaves with a wet sucker'.

Happy Decorating!

Martha Stewart Slip Up

I'd like to think Martha Stewart and I are close personal friends, after all, she does send me emails on a daily basis. Ok, I admit, she never really asks me anything about myself in the emails she mainly only shares tips of the day.

One of the most recent tips, Martha's No-Slip area rugs, sparked my interest.

The key phrase I took out of this helpful organizational tip of the day was no slip. Brilliant.

All my floors are hardwood so slipping rugs are definitely something I am interested in preventing. I currently have rug grippers from Home Depot BUT after having been used for a few years, they are starting to look beat up...not that anyone actually looks at them but me, considering they are under the carpet.

Some of Martha's projects, I know better than to tackle BUT this one seemed easy and I actually had the supplies on hand to try it. The instructions, flip the rug over and apply lines of acrylic-latex caulk every 6 inches or so. When completely dried, turn the rug back over and the rubbery strips will hold it in place.

So confident that it would work, I threw out my rug grippers as I patiently waited for the caulk to dry. When my carpet seemed ready, I proudly flipped over my carpet, happy to be rid of the carpet gripper. I then took my first step onto the carpet and this is what happened...

I took a not so magical carpet ride. I slid across the floor on my 'no-slip' carpet. I'll try not to let this tarnish my friendship with Martha.

Martha Inspired

With my ReStore can of Martha Stewart's Primer and Sealer in hand.

I decided to paint our window seat window. I wish I had a better before picture but I was so anxious to start my project, I assumed in the thousands of pictures I have on my computer, I most certainly had one already. Nope.

So, here are a few pictures, from when we first moved in. Notice the bunnies, must have been Easter.

Here's another view {from Valentine's}.

The wood was in bad shape, as could be expected when you own a house that is almost 100 years old. Since we decided to paint the window, we were able to use chaulk to fill in the holes and gaps in the wood. We had hoped, by painting it white, it would blend with the bookcase, giving it a uniformed and cohesive look.

While I painted so did Grace. Don't worry, the room was well ventilated.

When the window was primed and painted, I sighed with relief because I think it opened our living room up, making it feel bigger, brighter and crisper. It also highlights the leaded window and the Moravian star light I just got for my anniversary which I love.

Did you notice the mail truck through the window? This was one of those good mail days, you know like when the new Martha Stewart Living has just been delivered. Happy day!

Apparently Grace feels the same way.

*No other wood was harmed in the process.