Upcycle Halloween Costume

Part 1 done! I decided to make a fishing vest and bucket hat for Joel this year. When I went to look through my stash, I found an old pair of shorts with this great pocket.




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Play Time

This morning I decided to try making some play dough. (Okay Joel was happily playing with the Play-Doh that he got in his Easter basket, and I thought he might like a few more colors.) I found this recipe online that used cornstarch and baking soda. I had everything on hand so I thought why not. Not sure why I had a 1 lb box of baking soda, but I did. It was a little tacky so as I was adding the color I used a little extra cornstarch. This also helped it not stick to my hands as I kneaded in the food coloring. We will see if Joel likes it as well as the Play-Doh. I think I may actually prefer the store bought stuff.

I'm Fast!

Not to long ago Joel decided that he was fast. Anytime there is an area that he deems wide and long enough to run he will ask to go fast. As soon as he started doing this my mind went to The Flash. I knew that I wanted to make him a shirt with the flash logo on it. At first I thought that I would use freezer paper and paint it on but then changed my mind and decided to applique it instead. I really wanted to get the two colors and didn't want to take the time to make two stencils or wait on the paint dry.

 

I started with a red shirt from Walmart. Next I pulled up some images of The Flash's shirt on the internet. I had the basic image in my head, but wanted to get the details right. It also made the lightning bolt easier to recreate. Using PowerPoint I made the basic shape using straight lines. This helped me play around with sizing without having to redraw it over and over. Luckily I had a yellow t-shirt in my stash that was the right color. I then traced the images on to the paper side of Pellon Wonder-Under transfer web paper. After that I cut out the image and ironed it onto the backside of the t-shirts for the circle and lightning bolt. I knew that I wanted the edges to curl up a little so I cut out the pieces about a quarter of an inch outside of the transfer paper. (I still haven't mastered the satin stitch on the edges of an applique, and I wanted this to be a quick project.) Then I ironed down the circle and stitched around the outside about a quarter of an inch inside. Finally I did the same with the lightning bolt. We call this Joel's fast shirt. If you ever catch him wearing it, he might just tell you the same. Sorry all the action shots were to blurry to post. ;)

Easy Red Sauce

We have been trying to eat at home more often lately which in turn has given me a little boost to try new things in the kitchen. Lately we have been making a lot of home made pizza.




To keep the cost down I decided to look into making red sauce. After looking at many differed recipes online and examining my cupboards, I thought I'd give it a try. It is pretty simple and can be easily converted to spaghetti sauce too.

Pizza Sauce
1 can tomato sauce (plain or whatever kind you like)
2-4 cloves of garlic (or more if you love garlic)
1T olive oil (I use extra virgin)

Combine all ingredients in sauce pan on stove. I use a garlic press for the garlic, but you could chop or used minced if you want. I don't really measure the EVVO, just a quick trip around the pot. I let it simmer for a 5-10 depending on how much time I have. You could go longer if you wanted to I'm sure. Now it's ready. I've kept it in the fridge for a week or so.





Pasta Sauce
4 small or 1 large can of sauce
5-8 cloves of garlic (alter to your garlic preference)
2-3 T olive oil

Additional Ingredients
1-2 t Italian Seasoning
1 t parsley flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
3 T Fresh Parmesan (I graded in some fresh Parmesan last time I did this, but I don't do this all the time. I did like the result though.)

I don't really know exactly how much I used of everything. I just guess and adjust as needed. I've also used some of the flavored tomato sauces instead of the plain. That was good too.


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A little something

Most of my sewing will have to wait until after Christmas to share, but here is a little something I've been up to.


I used the tutorial on Sew Mama Sew for the pocket tissue packs. A few of these are going to become gifts for various people, but the penguin one is for me. I don't usually sew for myself this time of year, but these went together pretty fast. The great thing about these is I used fabric from my scrap pile!

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My Little Harry

I love the way the snitch appears to be flying in this picture.

Did you guess right? I knew as soon as I saw Joel's scar that he had to be Harry Potter this year. I figured I had one more year to pick his costume so why not. I love the way the snitch turned out. I used golden felt and added wings to a basic ball. To get the detail that I wanted, I drew the basic shape and used this technique in a contrasting color to make it stand out.

I knew he wouldn't keep the glasses on so I just used some black felt and elastic to make them. They really look more like a mask then glasses, but that's okay. They were still cute for the 30 seconds he would leave them on. Since I had the snitch I wanted to make the Quidditch robes.

For the robe I bought a men's small tee in the right color and modified it by taking it in the shoulders and shortening the sleeves and bottom. I added the felt in the front to mimic the way the the robes tied in the movies. Overall I liked the illusion that the costume gave. He already had the broom so no extra cost there. His papa helped him find a wand in the back yard, and his costume was complete.

My little seeker catching his snitch

Flying with Mema

Sneak Peak

Can you guess Joel's costume this year based on these clues?










This injury is now a cute little scar.

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