Saturday, October 31, 2009

Trick or Treat!

Happy Halloween!! I celebrated yesterday, so I have to keep reminding myself that today is the real holiday. The theme this year at work was classic Halloween and I was a witch. Another smashing sewing job from my mom! I got a lot of compliments on my costume and passed them straight on to her. It's just too bad the outfit didn't come with real magic powers! Have a spooky day!


Sunday, October 25, 2009

The Ghosts of Halloween Past

It’s that time of year again! I have gotten into the Halloween spirit much more these last few years because it’s a big deal at my work. We choose a theme, decorate like crazy, and do our best with costumes. That’s why I’m so happy that my mom sews and sews well! (I’m sort of a costume snob. The cheapy store-bought ones just won’t do.) She’s been very obliging in helping me put together great outfits each year, so I thought I’d do a quick showcase of her work and visit Halloweens of yesteryear…


This is Halloween of last year. The theme was Old West. Most of my workmates wore cowboy stuff that they already had or bought new to wear in the future, but I’m pretty lacking in that department. What’s the practical alternative to purchasing a western shirt? Saloon girl, of course! ;) This was a lot of fun. I think more clothes should have bustles! The boots, however, were my least favorite. I think the feeling came back into my toes about four days later.

Here is Halloween 2007. Our theme was the movie Hairspray. I was the character Amber. I’ve always wanted a dress with a full skirt and slip like those of that era, so I was crazy about this costume. The most fun was searching the internet for retro patterns. (Fun fact: the style with the full skirt that I love so much is called “rockabilly.”) I could seriously get hooked on shopping for vintage patterns from various decades! I found this early Sixties pattern for a bridesmaid dress that had never been used. I just wish I could have gotten my hair bigger and flippier that day. My dress may have been authentic, but my hair, unfortunately, fell a little flat.

Halloween 2006 was my lucky year. Not only did I get to be Dorothy, the star of the show, but we also won the annual contest between all the departments and $25 each! This is probably my favorite costume, if I absolutely had to choose. People who couldn’t see my feet would ask if I was wearing the ruby slippers. Of course I was! They were very impressed to learn that my mom had made those, too. We took sparkly, red sequined fabric and laid it over plain black dress shoes. The result was perfect! Thanks, Mom, for all the great costumes! :)

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Craft or Crap?


I love holidays. I love decorating for the holidays. I'm excited that it's October and time to get out all of my Halloween things. My mom cleaned out her basement this summer and found something for me to add to my collection. I made this wreath years and years ago. I got the idea for it all on my own--it's made using the orange plastic bags that newspapers came in. I even knew at the time it wasn't the classiest of projects; it was more for fun than anything else. I never thought the end result was that bad, but I also realize it's kinda junky. My mom said, "either take it home or I'm getting rid of it." Not my precious art! ;) I rescued it and it now hangs on the door that leads to our garage. I'm not crazy in love with it, but I think it's maybe sorta cute. I asked Rusty, "craft or crap?" He settled on "crappy craft." I tend to agree. Any thoughts?