Trunk or Treat 2019

This year's costumes for the annual trunk or treat really began about a year and half ago when my husband and I saw movie props from Guardians of the Galaxy at a pop culture museum in Seattle.  We thought, "Wouldn't it be fun to dress as Star Lord and Gomora?"  The thought hung around awhile, but then left when everyday life kept me occupied with more important things.

Then one day I made a quick stop at Goodwill.  I was about to leave when the thought occurred to me to check the men's leather coats on the really off chance that there would be a red leather jacket in my husband's size.  I mean, what would be the odds?  Apparently, pretty good!  There just happened to be said jacket...half price...and senior discount!  All in all, a very thrifty $9.00!

Harvest Carnival 2018

Every year our church puts on a Harvest Festival with a chili feed, costume parade, and indoor trick-or-treating for the kids.  Most of the rooms have an activity, or game for the kids to do.  This year, we went with a pirate theme.  I had such a blast coming up with ideas for the room.  Of course, much to my husband's dismay, it means more props stored in the barn!

Just outside the room, the guests were greeted with a "BEWARE" sign, and a poster that would determine their pirate name.  I found the graphic on the internet and printed it at a local print shop.  The pirate mask came from the dollar store.

A Pirate's Life!

It's that time of year again!  When I was a kid, this was the time of year when we opened up the large steamer trunk to an explosion of costumes!  I have always had a thing for costumes.  Now that I'm older, though, I don't have a steamer trunk...I have a whole room!  With the kids leaving the nest one by one, I commandeered one of the bedrooms recently and turned it into my very own costume room.  I love it!

Now this year, I could have just went to the room and picked a costume to wear to our annual church Harvest Carnival, and even though we decided on a pirate theme and had enough pirate attire, I just felt the desire to update it a bit.

I really wanted a leather corset to wear, and since I had recently picked up two leather coats for $1 each, I knew that it was going to be on my list of things to do.

The main coat was black, had big poofy sleeves, and two-toned leather inserts.  The other one (not pictured) was a men's bomber style jacket and was only going to be used for trim.

I thought about ordering a pattern from Harlots and Angels, but since I was repurposing I thought it might be hard to follow the pattern with everything that was already going on with the coat.  I did use one of their corsets for inspiration, though.  

(Image source: Harlots and Angels)

If you're not repurposing, I highly recommend buying a pattern...they have some really awesome designs!

I figured that since the shoulders already had some curve to them, they would make a good start to the bodice.  So, after opening all the seams to make the coat lay relatively flat, and taking measurements to get the right size and shape, I made the cut from each sleeve.

This became the front of my corset.  The back of the corset was cut from the back of the coat.  From there, it was a matter of placing it on my dress form and working with it to get the right fit.  I wish I had more process photos, but this was a trial and error kind of project.  It took some time, but I'm very happy with the results!

Let's Runaway to the Circus!

Each Halloween I like to do coordinating costumes with my husband.  We also decorate our van for trunk-or-treating to match the theme.  This year, I was inspired to do vintage circus after thrifting a heavily embroidered and sequined skirt.  As it turned out, the weather didn't permit trunk-or-treating, so the activities were moved indoors.  I have to admit it was easier decorating a classroom than running electrical cords and such to decorate the van!

I had fun collecting curtains, fringed trim, decorated tins, etc. for the circus theme.  I also found a music box clown that I modified to fit the theme.  I ordered a cymbal-clanging monkey from Amazon.  After printing out letters and different flourishes, I made a sign using foam core board.  The white globe lights around the perimeter operated in random motion and added to the fun.  We also made a "Wheel of Fortune" from a bicycle wheel (not shown).  The kids had fun spinning the wheel and then choosing a prize from the appropriate container.  I also printed several vintage circus posters and hung them around the room.  I found some free calliope music on the internet and had it playing for the evening.

So here's a few more details of the costumes...

Feelin' Groovy!

In celebration of Valentine's Day, our church decided to put on a dance for the adults.  I was invited to help with the planning.  The idea was to keep it simple (mainly just food and music), and for the most part it was simple, except for a few fun additions.

After the initial invitation to help, I immediately began to think of possible themes for the dance, especially a theme that could include dressing the part.  I was drawn to a decades dance, primarily the 1960's!  And so it began, my mind started racing with all the possibilities.  Of course, there was a budget to keep to, so most of my ideas were going to have to be DIY and repurposed.

We were going to need the basics, such as lighting, refreshment table, centerpieces, wall decor, etc. But, I also was thinking of adding in some fun activities and a photo op scene.  I hope you enjoy what I came up with as much as I enjoyed creating it!

When the guests arrived, they were transported back in time with this retro living room.

I replaced the traditional foyer furniture with four matching retro chairs that just happened to be at the church already.  I brought in a mod looking rug from my son's bedroom, a lamp from my family room, and a aqua painted TV tray from my game room.

The whole retro living room idea sprang up from the idea of showing some opening and closing credits from a variety of 60's TV shows.  We could have just watched them on a regular TV that sat atop a roll around cart, but where's the fun in that?  So I figured I needed to change things up a bit and make a retro TV.  

I picked up a piece of 1/2" thick cardboard from an appliance store.  I drafted a design, cut it out and built a box.  I covered the whole thing with blonde woodgrain contact paper (thrifted who knows how long ago!) and edged it with real wood trim.  I cut two oval openings at the lower front of the TV and covered them with burlap for the speakers.  I picked up four tapered legs from a reuse-it store, covered them with contact paper and attached them.  It took a bit of searching, but I finally found a couple of old TV knobs from a TV repair shop.  The antennae is made from knitting needles.  

The back of the TV was left open so that I could get my computer monitor in and out easily.  The monitor sat inside on a stand built to the right height of the TV front opening.  We just spliced a bunch of old TV shows together and looped them.  They continued to play throughout the night.  I kept my wireless keyboard and mouse in the cute little retro suitcase to the right for easy access.  A lot of memories came flooding back while listening to the themes from shows like The Monkees, Get Smart, Bewitched, The Flintstones, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Andy Griffith Show, Gilligan's Island, etc.  There were a few commercials from the 60's thrown in for fun!

I couldn't leave the walls empty, so I brought a few vases from home to add to the shelves, and hung a mirror that I made from free paint sticks, a round metal decorative wall hanging, bamboo skewers, and small round mirrors.  The retro phone came from my sewing studio.

To finish off the scene, I made a retro coffee table from plywood, the same blonde wood grain contact paper as the TV, and large metal shelf brackets for legs.  I topped it off with some vintage magazines from the 60's and a vintage candy dish.

I was really happy with the way the whole scene came together.

Moving on to the main dance hall, the guests passed through a beaded curtain flanked with polka dot sheers, all thrifted.  I mean, you have to have beads, its the 60's!

The refreshment table was lit with icicle lights covered with the same table skirting I made for three of my kids' wedding receptions.  (Made from free hotel sheets, they have come in handy many times!)  The walls were decorated with lots of paper flowers, smiley faces, and peace signs cut from my Cricut.  We hung outdoor Edison lights I had purchased for my daughter's wedding around the perimeter of the room.

We had a hula hoop contest, which was a hit!

We also played the "Not So" Newlywed Game with some of our church leaders and their wives.

The lamp centerpieces were recycled from a previous church activity that had a Moroccan theme.  I figured they would fit in with the 60's vibe.  The center squares were cut years ago from some hot pink vinyl I picked up at a thrift store.

One of my favorite scenes was the groovy photo op bus.  I used the same 1/2" thick cardboard as the TV to make the bus.  The headlights were parts from a couple of recessed lighting fixtures I picked up from a thrift store.  The fixtures were missing the actual lights, so I glued a small, clear decorative plate to the inside of each to give them the look of real headlights.  The small reflector lights are inset into mason jar rings.  The mirror arms are metal shelf brackets purchased from a reuse-it store.  The license plate was cut from my cricut and actually sports the month and year of the groovy dance.  The whole bus was hand painted and then edged with black duct tape to cover the cut cardboard edges. For inspiration, I enjoyed several hours of music from the 60's as I designed, cut, painted, glued, and taped! 

The ombre-dyed sheets were recycled from the same Moroccan activity as the table lamps.  The palm trees were recycled from a South Seas activity that we had had previously.  Can I just mention how thankful I am that we built a barn this past year with lots of storage space?!

Of course, the whole evening wouldn't be complete without the right outfits.  I was originally going to wear my mod 60's dress from this previous post, but who am I kidding, this was a good excuse to sew and create something new!  My husband, however, was perfectly fine recycling his outfit!

This time I opted for a whole black and white ensemble.  I used this retro influenced Simplicity pattern to make a coat from a thrifted bed sheet I had in my stash.  

I added some black piping to the collar, and a vintage flower brooch.  It went together pretty quickly.

I was going to make the dress also from the pattern until I looked in my refashion closet and pulled out a black and white dress that just needed to be taken in a little.  It had a black strip around the bottom already, but I added some white to really make it stand out.  Plus I had previously thrifted some black and white loafers that matched perfectly, and as a bonus, they were comfortable for dancing!

I picked up a mod necklace from my favorite $2 jewelry shop.  The white with black polka dot earrings came from Goodwill.  And, how fun was it to wear false eyelashes?!

I also thrifted a fun crocheted purse and hat.  And to top it off, some oversize white framed sunglasses.

My adorable parents!  I loved watching them dance together that night...so cute!

And that was our groovy dance....peace out!

I like to link to these great parties!

Trunk or Treat 2015

Some of you may remember this costume from a couple of years ago.  I created it from six pieces of clothing while I was a contestant on The Renegade Seamstress' Refashion Runway.  You can read all about the process here.

Well, I have never worn it for Halloween...until this year.  And, since my husband and I like to coordinate, he played the part of a wizard.

The really fun part, though, was decorating the trunk of our van to match our costumes.  Last year, we did a steampunk theme for our trunk and costumes.  You can check it out here if you'd like.

As always, the thrift store is my friend when it comes to decorating.

Everything was either purchased at a thrift store, or the dollar store...except for one can of spray foam insulation from a home improvement store.

 

Black birds were purchased at the dollar store.

Everything was battery operated, including the sound system that played music from Disney's Fantasia.

The book was covered with a free printable I got from the internet.  I added a belt and jewelry piece for added effect.

Dry ice and glow sticks gave the cauldron a nice effect.

The battery operated taper candles were from the dollar store.  I used a hot glue gun to make the candles look like they had dripping wax.  I then sprayed them black.  The pillar candles and owl lantern were picked up at a thrift store.

The potion jars were all purchased at a thrift store.  I downloaded various labels (some can be found here and here) and adhered them to the jars with modge podge.  I used E6000 to attach some random jewelry pieces I had in my stash.  I then filled them with Eye of Newt, Toad Tongues, Skeleton Dust, Fur of Werewolf, etc.!

The camera flash takes away the ambiance, but gives you a better look at everything.  Check out the black cat I found at one store, and the perfect size black hat at another!  I even found a silver leafed apple....of course its not poisoned since I'm a good witch!  The coals were made from spray foam insulation, painted black.  There are tutorials on the internet.  I don't put the lights in the foam like the tutorials show.  I leave a domed space underneath the foam and place battery operated lights, covered with red tissue paper, underneath the foam.  This method allows me to replace the lights if, by chance, they go bad.  

I also smeared small amounts of the spray foam onto the outside of the plastic cauldron, then dabbed it with a scrunched up plastic bag.  When dry, I sprayed it all black, then used a sponge dabber to apply copper, tan, brown, and teal green paint.  This gave my cauldron a nice textured, aged look.

The walls and ceiling are discarded sheets that have been stenciled using spray paint.  The edges of the ceiling sheet were burned to give it an aged and worn look.

My husband's costume began as a black graduation gown.  I knew I wanted some trim on it, but didn't want to pay the price for several yards of expensive ($4-5 yd.) embroidered trim.  So I cut long strips of purple fabric (overlocking the edges), then layered narrower strips of striped metallic fabric down the center.  I edged the center strip with inexpensive silver metallic ribbon purchased from Walmart.  Considering I already had the striped metallic fabric in my stash, it only cost me a few dollars for about 7 yds. of wide trim.

His hat was repurposed from a black skirt.  I added wire to the brim and to the hat so he can shape it any way he likes.  The gnarly, twisted staff was found on our property.

Fixing the stache!

I like to link to these great parties!

Gears, Gadgets, Goggles...Steampunk!

Every year our church has a Harvest Festival, which includes a chili cook-off, entertainment, trunk-or-treat, and costumes!  I love costumes and thought this year it would be fun to dress in a steampunk style and decorate the "trunk" of our van to match.  In case you don't know what steampunk is, here's what Wikipedia has to say about it:

Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction that typically features steam-powered machinery,^[1] especially in a setting inspired by industrialized Western civilization during the 19th century. Steampunk works are often set in an alternative history of the 19th century's British Victorian era or American "Wild West", in a post-apocalyptic future during which steam power has regained mainstream use, or in a fantasy world that similarly employs steam power.

So basically, I like to think of steampunk as Victorian Sci-fi, i.e. really fun costumes!  Of course a trip to the thrift store was in order.  As luck would have it, I discovered a local thrift store had already gathered steampunk inspired clothing and decorations and made a whole display from them.  Plus, it was half off women's clothing that day, so I got my jacket, black velveteen vest, and crushed velvet skirt all for $7!

I found a lace skirt at another thrift store.  Add that to the hat, belt, jewelry, boots, and victorian blouse I already had and I was well on my to completing my costume.