technical difficulties...

Okay, I've been fighting with technology enough and (fingers crossed...) I have it figured out. I've been working on getting pictures from my phone emailed to myself to download onto the computer to post here and I've gotten so frustrated! Likely my own fault. Whenever there are technical difficulties I'm more apt to blame myself than the equipment. Maybe...

But here are some pictures!!! For Halloween this year I was asked to make some of the costumes, So I actually did! This is really the first year I've done it and I am crazy proud of myself and the patience shown by this amazing crew.

Monkey wanted to be a caterpillar. That was easy enough, she was one last year and the costume is still too big for her. Excellent!

Girly wanted to be the character Scratch from Skylanders (google the image. That's what she wanted). Okay... I can see what fabric I have on hand for that and can kinda see how the pieces should go to fit together...

Sergeant wanted to the Pop Thorn from Skylanders (again, google that. Here I was really REALLY at a loss for how to make it work). I took a deep breath and told him I'd try to figure something out, but please have a back up plan, just in case.

Smarty had two costumes. He had a history project due the last day of class before Halloween and he was to dress up as the person he was researching (he'd chosen Si John A MacDonald) and then he wanted to be Sheep Creep from Skylanders. Okay, that was probably the easiest off all the crafting costumes this year. So okay!

First up, I tackled Girly's costume.  Some felt, some elastic, hot glue for the mask and claws. Thrift store for wings. Hunted in the fabric box for the rest, and I started sewing. I used another costume as a very, very loose template and went to work.

I cut out legs and belly and started sewing and then I realized I didn't have quite enough for the arms and the tail! Thankfully a crafty friend, Judgey Momma (over here) was able to help me out with a close match that absolutely thrilled the girl! 

Doesn't she look pleased!!

Next up was going to either be Sergeant's crazy costume or Smarty's relatively easy one. I opted for starting the easy one while looking online at anything that might work for Pop Thorn. I cut up an old bed sheet that wasn't going to get any more real use, and I did what I could think of for a sheep. Stuffed and stuffed and stuffed! Bearing in mind, this crafting was mostly done while the older three were at school and I didn't have them around for measuring. 'Cuz, You know I'm crazy like that.  

So with the help of Monkey and a friend of hers that I sometimes look after, we stuffed what I thought would look like a sheep. And it would have too if I put the cotton batting around the outside. But Smarty decided that he wanted to put a halt on that for a bit because he was going to just go with being the Father of Confederation for Halloween. 

I was absolutely most nervous about creating Sergeant's costume. Inspiration did strike when a thought formed around paper mache and my exercise ball. So I started looking up different recipes, trying to figure out what would work best, dry relatively quickly, and then I got started. Monkey was sad when she saw me rip up some old colouring books for it. But once she saw and understood, she was great about it.

I made a horrible mess!

 

It got goopy, messy, and very pasty.  I'd never worked with paper mache before so I was kind of just going with my gut. I had no clue at this point how I was going to make spikes or wings, but I knew I had to at least get a couple of base layers down first.

Took a lunch break and came up with an idea for the spikes!! I taped some other colouring pages into a cone shape, cut the bottoms so it could be mached to the base! Aren't I smart?? So Monkey helped me with the tape and a few minutes later we had enough spikes to surround the sphere with space left for arm holes and wings. 

Woohoo! Then I got to deflate the ball, wash it, and sweep up the mess. I cut some arms out and started painting!!

Cut wings out of cardboard and smothered them with paper mache as well and hung them to dry.  Then I got to paint them as well and hot glue them to the finished body.

Made some straps for his shoulders as well to make wearing it easier. I lined the inside with spray adhesive and duct tape and he was good to go! He wanted his face painted blue for going out trick or treating, but that was easy peasy.

The actual pumpkin carving might be a post for another evening. But here are our finished products this year!

And the crew, ready to bring in tons of sugar!