Halloween

[blueeyekelly]

So I started making our Halloween costume last weekend. I figured I would tell you all about them.

For my girly (she is 5), she wants to be a Vampire Bride, So I made her a black and gold lace wedding dress (it is a black dress and then it has a gold and black lace over skirt and some more of the lace bunched up around the top), I still have to figure out the veil which is going to be made out of the black and gold lace. And I am going to make a choker necklace out of black velvet ribbon with maybe a sparkly something on it (she loves sparkles...) I might also have to make a petticoat to go under it.

Now I am working on my sons costume (he will be 7 at the end of next month), he told me he wanted to be a champion out of HOMM 3 (heroes of might and magic 3). So I looked around online, and put a couple ideas together, so I have the front and back of his armor almost done, I am making them out of cast material (its like cheese cloth covered in plaster), I made a front and back piece then I wrap him a couple times with more cast material, cut it up the sides and at the shoulders and that will be his breast plate. I will then make shoulder caps for it. We decided that instead of a champion he will go as a Greek solder so I know know kind of what look I am going for, I need to see about material I have that I can make him the things that hang down from the armor (for the life of me I can not remember what they are called...lol) and i need to find a stocking cap so we can make a helmet, however I think I am giving up the stocking cap idea because for the life of me i can not find one, so I am thinking of a pot about his head size with something dome shaped on the top to start with. After I get all the plaster pieces done I am going to sand them smooth and seal them (if anyone has a suggestion on something that will seal them smooth that is inexpensive I am all ears), then I will paint them silver and so designs on them in blue and green.

As for me I am going as Thorn from the Hex girls (Scooby Doo, Either the witches ghost or legend of vampire rock) so all I need to do for me is design a dress, and gloves. I bought a long black wig off ebay from Hong Kong an I am hoping it gets here on time (e-mailed them yesterday to see fi it was shipped because I paid for it on the 7th, they told me it hadn't shipped yet, even though their posting said it ships within 3 days, and they could not guarantee it would be here by the 31 after all it takes 10-16 working days for it to get to the US, posting said 8-16 days, however if I wanted to pay an extra $28 buck they could do a faster shipping method [if I wanted to pay that much more I would of just bought from some one in the US that had what I needed] and they would wait for my response if I wanted faster shipping, I just want them to put it in the mail! Ok that rant over just wanted to get it out...LOL) so hopefully it will be here in time(don't want to dye my hair black again getting the dye out last time was hard enough) and some vampire caps, the small ones not the really long ones (I have wanted caps since I read the Hollows series...lol) They should be here next week, they say not to eat with them in or bite anyone or drink red stuff, I think I can restrain myself from biting anyone for one night...lol

in about 2 weekends we will make our haunted gengerbread house, last years one was neat, I make a lot of candy for it and the kids have a ball helping decorate it....

Ok I am probabbly nuts spending so much time to get ready for about 3-5 hours but it is fun...lol

 

[Kavik79]

I don't think it's nuts at all! I LOVE people that put actual effort into costumes, not just 10 minutes picking something off a rack!

One halloween my gf and I went as Alice and the Mad Hatter from the video game version of Alice.
I spent probably a good 10-12 hours making her dress and the little apron type piece from scratch (I'm not very experienced as a seamstress, so it took longer than it probably should've LOL). Only thing we bought for her, rather than making, was a petticoat, stockings and a fake butchers knife. I cringed a bit spreading fake blood on all that hard work, but it came out looking great!
I cheated a bit on mine, used some old fake leather pants and bought a shirt at the salvation army, but bought a bunch of strapping material and buckles to make the 'straight jacket' type straps, made the hat, made a cane from a wooden railing post and a real small teapot, and spent at least 5 hours on makeup over the 3 times I had to put on the outfit. Latex ears and nose and bald cap, and full latex painted on for a wrinkled old face, then all that covered with makeup.

It was an absolutel blast, and we both got compliments left and right, best halloween ever.


And last year I made my son some chainmaille forearm cuffs that he wanted for his ninja turtle costume....spent a good 4 hours making the rings, making the maille, then made fabric arm bracers with velcro adjustable straps to attach them to. Came out freakin' beautiful, but his p.i.t.a. mother woudn't let him wear them because I made them

Would love to see how the kids costumnes comes out, especially the armor, if you wouldn't mind posting up pics?

 

[Ryle]

Halloween has always been my favorite holiday every since I was little bitty. I remember my absolute favorite Halloween was one year when my parents were especially broke (probably due to some unexpected repair or something.. I was 6 or 7 so I dunno) so we HAD to make every bit of our costumes from scratch (or by modifying old clothes we didn't wear) .. I was a mummy that year. My mom n step dad spent probably 15 hours staining and tearing and even burning in some places an old white sheet then a good hour and a half just to wrap me up. .. my absolute favorite costume ever, I'll never forget it.

There is nothing wrong with putting so much effort into their costumes. When kids grow up... they don't remember how much money mom & dad spent on a gift or event... but they do tend to remember how much time, effort, and love the parents put into something (unless they're like my older sister and too self centered to care).

Post pix of the armor when it's all done? Sounds like it's going to be wonderful

 

[blueeyekelly]

I will post pictures when they are done (or sooner...lol) it is going to be another week at lest before I can buy the paint...

Kavik- that sounds so cool, I know I have used steal strapping (you know you can pick that stuff up at hardware stores for nothing, they just throw it away, at lest the stuff they cut off the lumber) for difrent sewing projects of mine (mainly boning...lol) the whole latex stuff I have always wanted to try, but expenses never work out that way at my favorate time of the year...lol

Its cool you got to wear your Mad Hatter outfit more then once, were you where actually ment to be in a costum... hehe

Sorry to hear about the ex's insensitivity, I would call her a few words for that but I am trying the whole being nice thing....LOL I know I would never turn down chain maille (but I could just be mental)

Ryle- Me too, Halloween has be my favorate holaday for as long as I can remember (so tops christmas in my book...lol) I find it funny (not in a haha way) that some of the best memories somepeople have about growing up is their parents doing something for them because of lack of money, I know my mom put lots of effort into our Halloweens when I was growing up till we where old enough to do it ourselves, I have never worn a store bought costume in my life (growing up it was because lack of money, when I got older it was because I like making them and am too cheap to buy something that is so poorly constructed, and anything not poorly constructed is way out of my price range)

I am hopping the kids remember some of the things I do for them (expecially when they become teenagers...lol) I'm trying to make sure they have a good childhood thats why I get to spend every waking moment with them LMAO

 

[blueeyekelly]

Is it sooner yet? I took some pics yesterday and got them off the camera about 20 minutes ago.... Looking at them I so have to make a petticoat for the dress to make it look more formal

with a petticoat it should puff out some more.... (her eyes are not really red they are just highly reflective...LOL)

And now for the armor

I think its looking pretty cool already, I know the helmet is more reminiscent of a crusader, I need to figure out how to make it more Greek I think I will also make him a tunic (though he has said he doesn't want to wear a dress because he is a boy ) and a Velcro on cape... need to do greaves and bracers too

I have no pictures of mine because all I have is the bat for the necklace and the vampire teeth (fitted those last night...)

 

[Kavik79]

Yeah, I was very glad to get a few uses out of that one.....at work was interesting though. in a professional setting where almost no one out of a couple hundred employees dressed up....half the people didn;t know who i was till i went to my desk, the other half stared and whistled at the tight pants while i was heading there (i work with A LOT of older women LOL)

damn! I wish I had thought of metal strapping, i've got a ton of it, woulda made shaping the hat so much easier! oh well....

the costumes look amazing so far! once you get a petticoat under that dress it will be perfect. too bad about the eyes not really being like that though, it's a nice touch

hmmm, a bat necklace and fitted teeth, sounds like a good costume to me


ugh, I haven't even thought of a costume for this year yet

 

[Kavik79]

they say not to eat with them in or bite anyone or drink red stuff, I think I can restrain myself from biting anyone for one night...lol

I missed that line the first time around. if you can't hold out the whole night, just bite gently. trust me, it's doable

 

[blueeyekelly]

LOL I have never done a costume good enough that people could not tell it was me (maybe its the types of costumes I ware though, dead girl, renaissance lady, enchantress, just trowing on various pieces of weird clothing....) I think it is neat when people actually dress up to go to work, shows you are fun person (or twisted...lol)

Thanks I am still working out a how to do a few things on them to take them up a notch

LOL with mine I still have to make the dress... putting that off a little because I have to make the pattern, and I am hopping my pattern making software gets straitened out before hand... and well long evolved story (which could be a horror one) that is off point...LOL but it will be sleeveless with slits above the knees on the sides and a V point in front and back with a ragged hem. Hopefully the wig will be here or else I am just going as a vampire (first time for me actually, gone as a victim of one before though...)

 

[blueeyekelly]

I missed that line the first time around. if you can't hold out the whole night, just bite gently. trust me, it's doable

So where you the biter or the bitie?

 

[Kavik79]

fun, twisted, is there really a difference?

and, I've been both biter and bitee lol
If you don't do it too hard, and they fit well, you shouldn't hurt yourself. oh, and i forgot one thing about the bitee part, they can and will pierce skin if you're too drunk to remember to be careful, thanks for reminding me of that shocking moment 8-o

 

[blueeyekelly]

Glad to oblige bringing up repressed memories...LOL

SO let me get this right, if you do not bite to hard and your fangs fit well, you should not hurt yourself, what about the person you are biting is that a concern? hehehe

OK inquiring minds want to know... which teeth where you wearing? LMAO I bought the love bites ones because I did not want sabers on my teeth and I think the love bites look more, I hate to say it but, natural then something bigger (I debated between the love bites and the sexy bites for 3 days went with the love bites because I saw more good things about using their goop to fit the teeth then the thermoplastic that the sexy bites use even though the sexy bites are meant to be slightly curved so they may look better, its hard to tell when you just have pics on a screen to look at...)

 

[Kavik79]

LOL that was my point, both can be safe if you're careful, but you can get hurt getting bitten

to be honest, I don't remember what kind I had. they came in a coffin shaped box, were a 'medium' length, top teeth only, not curved and used the thermoplasti stuff. after a little getting used to, I could barely tell I was wearing anything...but the comfort level will also depend on the size of your mouth....apparently mine is a big one LOL

 

[blueeyekelly]

LMAO, Don't you know almost all fangs come in a coffin shaped box these days? LMAO

I'll have to remember it can be "safe" for all parties conserned next time hubby is home...lmao

I wont coment on the big mouth part...lmao

 

[Kavik79]

good point about the packaging....so i don't suppose saying the coffin was black and the lettering was red is going to help matters any either then LOL

it's just like anything else that can be dangerous if used improperly. it's all about self control and personal comfort levels ;-)

and to hold back from commenting on the big mouth part, excellent display of self control there

 

[blueeyekelly]

Thank you, Thank you I am just the apitamy (ok I know that is spelt wrong) of self control... well sometimes.

You are right, almost anything could be dangerous if use improperly, after all I have seen some of the way out there warning labels... LOL

 

[Kavik79]

ahhh, i love those funny warning labels hahaha

hmmm, i was gonna show you the costumes I was talking about if you were interested, but I'm having a little bit of trouble locating them

 

[blueeyekelly]

Of course I want to see them... I hate it when I lose pictures (since March 2003 they have all been digetal so all should be on the computer)

Good luck finding them.

 

[Kavik79]

well, it becomes a question of where they are, on my work computer here, my computer at home, the laptop at home or my gf's comp at home LOL

the one thing that I'm really annoyed with is the time I did the best job on the make-up, i forgot to get another picture that day

 

[Kavik79]

oooh! found one....but I can't get into my photobucket account here at work to post it up

 

[blueeyekelly]

LOL so you get to wait...lol I hate it when I forget to take pictures of something, or that is when I find out I am out of batteries...lol... Like I made a wonderful Ren Dress did pearls and everything on it... only got one snap shot of it and I was standing weird...LOL