a pig and her pumpkins

I decided to post a super special weekend post juuuuussssttt in case you woke up this morning in a cold sweaty panic because "tomorrow is Halloween and I don't have a costume for __________"

This costume is about as simple as they come, and could work for any man/woman/child. 

In fact, I dare a grown man to wear this costume--that would  be pretty awesome.

What you need:

-long sleeve pink shirt (this turtleneck was at Walmart for $3.88!)

-old t-shirt or tank top 

-pink pants/socks/shoes (we had all of these)

-pink felt

-batting
-hair clips
-hot glue

-heavy gage floral wire

-pink blush/lip gloss

-needle and thread

-masking tape

-Take the old tank top/t-shirt and sew it to the inside of the long sleeve pink top
(turn both shirts inside out to do so). It's like you are making a pillow

Just connect the two bottom hems, and then right at the top of the sleeves so it stays in place.
 This is so you can stuff the shirt and make your little piggy fat, and the stuffing won't actually touch their skin.
The stuffing goes between the two layers.
This is a picture taken AFTER it's all done, but it should give you the idea.

I used a sewing machine to do the job--and it was super quick (and I really, really do not sew) but you could also do it by hand.

-Stuff the batting between the two layers (don't connect the top all the way--you need holes to stuff through)

-Cut ears out of felt and attach to hair clips with hot glue.
-wrap floral wire with felt, twist, and glue to secure. Stitch by hand onto back of shirt.

-Cut a pig shaped snout out of felt and stick it to your little piggy's nose with masking tape.
yep. masking tape. It removes and re-sticks easily and she didn't mind it at all.

Dress head to toe in pink, finish with some rosy pink cheeks and lips and you are officially a pig.

OINK.

and now....a little peek at our halloweeny weekend.

happy haunting!

Luke......I am your.....mother.

I present to you:

Luke Skywalker

via Hanes Her Way

in 5 minutes. 

REALLY! 

Easiest costume ever, and quite possibly the happiest moment of my little Jedi's life was the moment he slipped it on and transformed into character.

And BONUS: No sewing needed. 

I mean....I guess you could hem it if you really wanted to. 

But I am lazy time efficient in a rush, and the boy didn't care.

Cut a small v-neck into the shirt. 

Continue one of the cuts across the shirt (about 2/3 of the way) to start the tunic shape.

Cut the sleeves. I kept them longish-I liked how they looked rolled.

Cut straight down and out the bottom.

Wrap your "tunic" around your jedi and belt it. 

I put a safety pin in it, because I know he will be light-sabering everything in sight. 

The boy already had white baseball pants, which made it extra easy-but I'm sure you can find white sweats just about anywhere.

I got the belt at a thrift store for $1 and trimmed it up/made a new hole so it would fit.

Made a small envelope style pouch with felt, hot glue, and a metal button.

Borrowed sister's boots.

And if your little guy is asking to be Luke Skywalker for Halloween.....chances are he already has his very own light saber. 

VWALLA!!!! 

Luke Skywalker.

The girl is dressing up as a pig (still working on it), but it is also suuuuuuper easy. 

Pink clothing + a stuffed shirt + felt.

See last year's Frankenstein and Skunk here.

Happy Halloweening!

the 10 minute tie + a few simple easter projects

I am not at all a fan of how commercialized holidays are.....from the aisles of the store to blogland itself--it's a little out of control, don't you think? We keep it very simple around here.....so simple that I just realized today that it is only a few days until Easter, and maybe I should find something Easter-y for my kids to wear to church Easter Sunday.

Enter the 10-minute tie.

My boy loves to wear ties--he feels so big, and when I can whip them up in a few minutes--he can wear them all he wants.

There are lots of really cute tie tutorials and patterns floating around the www right now, which is awesome if you sew, cut straight, and are good at following patterns.....but I terrible at all of those things.

So this one is easy because you start out with an old tie--like one of your husband's old ties that he hasn't worn in years, yet still has hanging in his closet for some reason. We've also found some great vintage ties at the thrift store with some really fun patterns for little boys--it's fun to see what you can find.

What you need:

old tie (we are using one of Robby's old ties today.....it is EIGHT years old!)

scissors

needle

thread

adorable boy who loves to wear ties

1. Tie the tie onto your boy to figure out how long you will want the finished product to be.

2. Cut across.

3. Fold the ends of the tie up in the back to form a point. You may have to do a little more trimming here--all ties are different--some are 100% fabric, and some have liners inside that you may have to reach in and trim a bit. Either way--super easy.

4. Sew the ends up, being carful no to take the needle through the front layer of the tie.

Does it look awesome in the back?? NO! I told you I am not a seamstress. But was it a cheap/free tie, and no one will ever see the back? oh yes.

5. Place tie on boy.

6. Feel really good about yourself.

that's that.

We've been adding tulips and daffodils around the house, as well as fancy schmancy maple blossoms. What are maple blossoms you ask? Why, they are the branches cut of our maple tree while they are blossoming into leaves. I love them because not only do they add lots of color, a honey-ish smell, and general "springyness" to the room, they also continue to transform even after they are cut--so it's a good way to teach your kids about how leaves are born, if you are nerdy like me.

and a few things we pulled out from last year....

Super easy Easter baskets we made (tutorial here)

And this pompom garland that I hung up again (tutorial from last year here)

And just to keep the real reason of Easter in mind.....

happy day!

happy halloween

...it's like I have a full on Sears backdrop in my  house....

frankenstein: green face paint + eyeliner + bronzer + hairspray + his own plaid shirt + old pants cut off + a 5 minute burlap vest + batting stuffed in his shirt + cut off gloves.

the stinky skunk: a $4 black shirt + a felt tummy + a stuffed felt tail + fur trim + felt ears hot glued to clips.

easy peasy.

The Skirt

Here it is--the one I told you about. The one you promised I could do if I tried....and boy did I try.

(Please check out Susan's original tutorial HERE...she is the professional, I just make stuff up)

Here is the scoop.

Was it easy? Yes.

Obviously....I did it!

I know how to use my machine just enough to throw together silly Halloween costumes and a few things around the house....but I have never in my life followed any kind of pattern, or actually measured something.

Here we go.

What you need:
2-3 yards of fabric
elastic, I used the 2 inch wide variety
coordinating fabric for the pockets*--*please check out the original tutorial!! I was a chicken and skipped out on the pockets, but after following her step by step I now realize how easy the pockets would have been.....next time.
straight pins

two sick children that stay in bed all day so you can get this done

(did I plan it this way, no....did it work out nicely, yes....sorry kids)

phone, to call your mother

Take measurements of:
your natural waist
from your waist to your knee or mid thigh, however long you want your skirt

For my skirt I cut my elastic 27 inches.

Then you want the width of your skirt to be at least 2 times the width of the elastic, so I cut 2 pieces of 30 inches by 23 inches.

Put your two pieces together, right sides facing each other, and stitch together.

turn over and press you seam down (like with an iron....has it been years since you ironed? me too!)

Press your hem 1/4" (mine is way more than a 1/4".....but I did measure extra long to give me a little wiggle room:)

Fold again, and stitch your hem--I hemmed something!

Sew your elastic together.

Pin your skirt in (aprx)1" sections to your elastic(remember your fabric is inside out again!)

Now to sew the elastic. You need to STRETCH the elastic as you go. pull it out with both hands, until your fabric lays flat, then sew.

After you've made it all the way around, do one more lap with a zigzag stitch on the edge of the fabric and elastic (stretch as you go again!)

Turn inside out, and you are DONE!!

Try not to look so much like a giant Easter egg/8 yr old, and please excuse the awesomeness that is my picc line peaking out of my shirt sleeve.

Thanks again to Susan's awesome skirt how-to...it made me a believer of sewing!

the end.

no really, what am I doing?

I don't sew.

I wish I did....I just don't have the patience to follow those instruction thingies (patterns?)

I have sewn a straight line....and.....that's about it.

But seeing as though I still can't afford an adorable new Easter dress, and I want something new....what are my options?

This pattern has been all over the www these last few weeks--it's haunting me!! Every where I go I see someone else that had skirt success.

I have to try it. I picked out some cheap fabric--so if I my sewing machine bursts into flames and everything is lost.....I'm not out much.

And I'm posting it here, so you can hold me accountable. Now I HAVE to do it!! oh no.

wish me luck.