Wonder Woman Costume

This year for Halloween Caroline has decided to dress up as Wonder Woman.

I was all for this costume choice and eagerly jumped at the chance to “make” her costume.

First, I researched googled Wonder Woman and came up with Linda Carter.

(As a side note, I was convinced when I was younger that my aunt had played Wonder Woman – she looked exactly like her).

Those costume designers must have really hated Linda since those blue shorts, in my opinion, could not be more unflattering.

With that in mind, we added a bit more fabric for my little WW.

I know.

A-DOR-A-BLE!

Red shirt – consignment store – $2

Blue skort – Goodwill – $1.99 (new with tags on it)

Red boots – consignment store – $6 , then spent $4 on spray paint to make them red

Crown & cuffs – made by me – gold fabric from JoAnn’s – probably $10 – 15.

Gold Lasso which hooks onto her belt- gold string from JoAnn’s – probably $5

Gold Belt – gold material from JoAnn’s- probably $5

Attitude and confidence?

All her own!

A Mary Poppins Carousel Cake

Several months ago Caroline had a Mary Poppins birthday party.

So for a Mary Poppins party we had to have the proper hat...

play a bean bag M.P. toss game

ride wooden “carousel” horses…

play pin the bow tie on the penguin

play in the cardboard chimneys…

and have a Mary Poppins cake.

I started out this cake as I do all cakes – from a box mix.

Frost the cake and set aside.

To create the carousel, I used cake dividers (not sure of their official name but they are placed in between cakes with multiple layers) and ribbon.

First, I attached the bottom of a piece of ribbon with hot glue.

I continued to do this until I had gone completely around the circle.

I then glued another cake divider onto the bottom in order to cover up with glued bottoms.

I then glued a piece of ribbon along the side in order to cover up the opening between the circles.

Next, I glued a candy stick wrapped in ribbon to the center of the top circle.

I then took each ribbon individually and glued it to the center post (candy stick).

I topped the whole thing off with a little white pom pom.

I then attached the “legs” to the structure.

The legs are candy sticks wrapped in ribbon.

For the horses I found a picture online that I liked and printed it out on card stock.

I then cut out the horse and glued it to yet another candy stick.

Three horses late and the cake was done.

Caroline seemed to like it although it’s honestly not one of my better cakes.

Now that she is about to be three and half I’ve finally shared everything from her party.

And if you had any doubt about next years party, Caroline started talking about it roughly 10 seconds after her last guest left.

 

HookingupwithHoH The 36th AVENUE

The Socks Debate

After scouring the area for a pair of Wonder Woman boots for Caroline, I finally found some at a consignment store.

Since they are black I will have to paint them but I’m happy since the fit is good.

While I don’t mind shopping at consignment stores, the shoes can give me the willies.

Dried stranger sweat tends to do that to me.

So each time we tried on another pair of boots I would say, “Caroline, leave your socks on.”

She promptly told me, “No, Wonder Woman doesn’t wear socks.”

Breathing deeply I would reiterate each time that she needed to keep her socks on.

We persevered though and finally found the perfect pair.

As we were driving home, Alex asked Caroline what else she needed for her costume.

She must have had our previous conversation on her mind because she said, “Wonder Woman doesn’t need socks.”

And yes, she occasionally refers to herself as Wonder Woman in the first person.

I said, “I think she does wear socks.”

“No she doesn’t.”

Alex asked her, “Does Wonder Woman fly?”

“Yes but she doesn’t need socks.”

I responded, “I think she wears the socks underneath her boots.”

Exasperated she let out a sigh and said, “No. She doesn’t wear socks. It’s not on the super hero show.”

I couldn’t let it rest, “Maybe you just can’t see them.”

“WONDER WOMAN DOESN’T WEAR SOCKS!”

I’m still not convinced.

Can you imagine with all the running around Wonder Woman does how sweaty her feet must get without socks?

Instead of her lasso and cuffs, she could use her stinky feet to fight for justice.

Wonder Woman Crown

So the Wonder Woman crown and cuffs are done.

I’m pretty sure Linda Carter would be impressed.

So far they have made an appearance at the grocery store, the shopping mall, and swim practice.

They were quite simple to make so I thought I’d show you.

First, draw the crown shape you desire on a folded piece of paper.

Once you are happy with the shape, cut it out and you have the front shape of the crown.

Measure your child’s head and figure out how much more paper you need to add to the sides. It’s important that you leave about 2-3 inches in the back free (you will be putting elastic back there eventually).

Cut out 2 crown shapes – one a little bit larger than the other.

Find an old red t-shirt and cut out one star from the fabric.

Sew the red star onto the crown that you would like to be in the front.

Sew the crowns together inside out first. Remember to leave a little opening to pull your fabric through.

Pull the fabric through so that the outside fabric is now on the outside.

Place a little bit of stuffing into the crown.

Sew on a large piece of elastic on the back of the crown.

(In the picture you can see that I used 2 smaller elastic pieces. If I make another crown like this I will use thicker elastic – less things for little hands to pull on).

Connect the 2 sides of the crown by hand sewing the elastic to the second side.

Have your very own Wonder Woman model the final product.

(I forgot to take a picture of the cuffs but trust me when I say there is lots of posing going on when they are worn).

Caroline loved her crown so much she insisted on putting it in her bed the first night.

Now onto finding some Wonder Woman boots – in a teeny tiny size.

< A Marvelous Mess BWS tips button
handmade projects mop it up mondays I Gotta Try That Chef In Training HookingupwithHoH The 36th AVENUE button A Crafty Soiree

Blame it on Disney

Caroline – “Andrew wants to be a zookeeper when he gets big.”

Me – “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Caroline – “A princess.”

Ugh.

After having two boys, I’m really struggling with this whole princesses thing.

And after seeing this, I don’t feel much better.

Have a great long weekend!

Yeehaw!

Howdy folks!

Living in Texas lends itself to many “dressing western” days at school.

Seeing as I don’t particularly embrace boots and hats we often struggle to come up with an appropriate costume on those days. The boys have never been concerned, often refusing to even wear jeans on those days. Caroline, on the other hand, enjoys her school dress up days so I decided to do my best to outfit her appropriately.

An old dress up hat plus a ribbon was the first part of the ensemble.

Next I made her a skirt using the circle skirt tutorial from MADE.

Caroline and I wandered around the fabric store looking for some appropriate fabric. She refused the horse pattern (thank goodness!) and decided on this flower pattern.

To make this skirt, you have to make a quick pattern and then use it to cut out a circle of fabric. From there you adhere the elastic. Sewing on the elastic was the most difficult part for me though it won’t deter me from making another skirt.

The final piece of her outfit was a $3 shirt from a consignment shop.

Caroline is currently loving the book, Cindy Ellen, which is Cinderella with a western twist. She took this book to school to share saying, “I’m a cowgirl like Cindy Ellen.”

And no, she is not wearing boots.

It was 85 degrees that day and boots are not looked upon kindly on the playground.

Plus, this Louisiana momma can only do so much to encourage a Texas style.

Easter Synopsis Part 2

Let’s see, where were we when we last left off…

7:24 am – Oldest Bunny decides to change attitude

7:27 am – Shoes are on and baskets are empty – let the games begin. First up, the front yard.

7:38 am – The backyard. Happiness overtakes sleepiness when candy bar is found.

7:39 am – “There’s even an egg up here!”

7:47 am – The examination begins.

This is the dumper. Each egg is opened and emptied into a pile.

The examiner. Each egg is opened. Looked at. And closed again. The candy will be removed at each eating session. This technique is quite frustrating to Momma Bunny when she’s searching for a quick treat in the pantry.

The Eater. Open an egg. Eat whatever’s inside – all of it – as fast as you can.

8:02 am – Yep, she’s still eating.

8:25 am – Momma Bunny jumps into the shower throwing Dad the kids outfits, yelling that they need to leave in 35 minutes if they are to get to the 9:15 service.

8:30 am8:55 am – Pleading, negotiating, threatening all take place.

9:14 am – Bunny family slides into pews two rows from the back.

9:17 am – Momma Bunny pulls out a pad of paper and a pen for Littlest Bunny to play with.

9:19 am – Momma Bunny is tracing Littlest Bunny’s hand for entertainment.

9:24 am – 30 pieces of paper later Littlest Bunny decides she needs a new distraction so Momma Bunny pulls out some magnets and paper clips.

9:26 am – The priest tells all of the children of the church to answer him this question, “Doesn’t the church look beautiful now with all of the flowers in it?”

Middle Bunny shouts out, “No!”

Momma Bunny quickly brings her hand to Middle Bunny’s mouth while Poppa Bunny gives him a stern look.

9:28 am – Oldest Bunny and Middle Bunny start arguing over who gets to hold the hymnal so Momma Bunny takes hers and gives it to the Middle Bunny. Momma Bunny and Poppa Bunny just stand now and move their mouths as if to show they have memorized every Easter song.

9:30 am – Littlest Bunny starts talking loudly. She is escorted to the front yard by Poppa Bunny for a prolonged botany lesson.

9:58 am – Church is over and Momma Bunny is ready to leave. Unfortunately, Littlest Bunny has been outside for the last 30 minutes watching the egg hunt being set up so there is no chance of that.

10:04 – Littlest Bunny mentally prepares for the challenge ahead.

10:05 – Middle Bunny and Oldest Bunny talk strategy with the Littlest Bunny for the hunt. There is talk of pushing and shoving if deemed necessary.

10:08 am – The hunt begins. Littlest Bunny is not keeping her eyes on the prize.  This frustrates Middle Bunny and Oldest Bunny who are doing their best to form a human wall discouraging other Bunnies from snatching eggs in the vicinity.

10:11 am – The victory walk.

10:14 am – Champions Easter egg hunters

10:30 am – Bunny family arrives home.

10:31 am – All designated Easter clothing has been stripped off and thrown to the ground by little bunnies.

10:32 am – Momma and Poppa Bunny tell the bunnies to go put some clothes on and stay upstairs. Momma and Poppa Bunny have designated this time as mandatory quiet time.

10:33 am – The Bunny children just laugh at their parents. They know their sugar high will last until right before dinnertime when all three will meltdown at the same time at the sight of their dinner.

Easter 2012 is deemed a success!

Mary Poppins Hat

I’m pretty sure everyone guessed from this clue that we had a Mary Poppins 3rd birthday party.

And if you have a Mary Poppins party, you have to have a Mary Poppins hat.

1 – Go to Target and buy a $1 bin Easter hat.

2- Do nothing with the hat for days since your daughter insists on doing her best Minnie Pearl impression.

3 – Confiscate the hat when she’s not looking

4 – Deny you have any knowledge of the hats whereabouts

5 – Take off pink ribbon

6 – Spray paint it black

7 – Glue on some fake cherries and flowers from the dollar store

8 – Find the hat and present to your Mary Poppins obsessed daughter.

9 – Delight in her joy of wearing the hat and singing,”Let’s Go Fly a Kite.”

I apologize ahead of time for the fact that you will now sing this all day long 🙂

Go here to see the Mary Poppins party activities

A Hairy Christmas

Our family has a history of silly gifts on Christmas day, from my Dad’s t-shirts, to wrapping a present in multiple boxes, to the matching pants my sisters and I received (not an intentional gag gift but one which occurred since apparently JCrew’s sizes run waaaaaay small).

So I figured this Christmas it was my turn to be the ring leader.

Browsing through etsy in September I came across some crocheted beards and I knew this was it.

Laura was wonderful to work with and created 7 beards for me to give as gifts for the family.

Feast your eyes on this awesomeness!

Top row:
My brother the hairy beast (I’m sure this look will be a hit on the college scene)
My dad (gray to match his current stache)
My husband (just what he needs, more hair 🙂
My brother-in-law (Very stylish and practical for shoveling snow in Michigan)
Front row: My sons who are in heaven to be with the big guys

Yes, I said seven but there are only six beards in the picture.

Where’s the 7th beard you ask?

Introducing Princess Grizzly …..

Her hat and beard were created by Laura.

Outside playtime this winter will probably lead the neighbors to think we’ve adopted three middle aged munchkins.

Check out Laura’s site here and have your own hairy fun.