Happy Halloween: Batman Theme Costumes

Hope you all had a Happy Halloween!

I am just glad it's done and over with. I love dressing up and seeing the kids dressed up. But, I am ready to move on to other projects without the added stress of complete utter perfection.

And our costume theme from this year, Batman! I briefly mentioned our costumes here with the printable I used to plan the outfits. I think we turned out pretty good!

I will spend the next few days talking about the costumes (something I intended before November), but it'll give me the opportunity to clean-up and play catch up on the mess that is in the craft-room. As that always seems to be the case after this time of year! LOL

Baby Girl: Harley Quinn (See my guest post on Friend's Stitched Together for Crafting Con)

• pattern used: Peek-A-Boo Pattern Shop's Aloha Burn Blocker (affiliate link)
• Modifications: extended to pants, changed collar and cuffs, moved zipper to back, color blocked
• self drafted hood

Little Man: Batman (see my post about it at Berry Bunch Batman Costume)

• Pattern Used: Peek-A-Boo Pattern Shop's Lullaby Body Suit (affiliate link)
• Modifications: color blocked, applique work on belt and bat symbol, paint for bat symbol
• Pattern Used: Titchy Threads Fancy Pants Leggings
• Hood and Cape: Self drafted
• BAM Sign: cardboard

Hubby: Scarecrow

• Hood: self drafted
• Suit: already owned

Me: Cat Woman

• Patterns Used: Greenstyle Creations Centerfield Raglan
• modifications: raised neckline, 4" zipper at neck
• Pattern Used: BurdaStyle Anita Pants
• modifications: used knit instead of woven, 1 piece waistband, sewn up more like leggings than skinny pants
• Cat ears: Wal-Mart

How do you do your costumes for Halloween? Dress up or no? Do you do themes, or no? 

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Happy Sewing!

A Baby Quilt: A Gift for a Childhood Friend {Story Book Quilt}

I love sewing up quilts, and I do not do it often at all. I start them, but rarely do I finish them. It seems to be the curse of the crafter, right?

Well, this one I was determined to finish! It was for a friend that recently discovered she was pregnant and is due the end of November. And now that she has it, I can share it with you. :)

I used the free pattern and tutorial Story Book Star Baby Quilt on Moda BakeShop. After posing the question to the Tucson Modern Quilt guild for help finding a pattern, one suggested Moda Bake Shop. Skimming through, I pulled up a few for little man to pick out. Little man picked out the fabric and the pattern. :)

I pieced the center a bit differently in an attempt to use all the fabrics I had for this project. I got them before this pattern. Who doesn't just buy fabric, right?

I love how it turned out with the minky on the back. So fuzzy and soft. I hope she likes it.

Happy Halloween: an Octopus Trunk-or-Treat

I am so excited about Halloween this year! I have been mostly on top of the kids and our costumes. Granted we had a minor set back with the hubby's mask, they have been coming along rather nicely! I have to say that the Costume Planning Printables made that so much easier this year! I'm still working on finalizing costumes, and finishing up my own, but took a break to work on our awesome Trunk or Treat decorations. 

I joined the local MOPS group earlier this year and we participated in the sponsoring church's Trunk or Treat event this last Saturday. It was so much fun! I forgot how much fun it is to pass out candy to trick or treat-ers! I have not lived in an area where we got trick or treat-ers in over 7 years! Kind of sad, but then we go to the fall festival with the hubby's parents church and that is super fun anyway! 

This year I'm glad that I got to participate in the Trunk-or-Treat! The theme we decided upon was under the sea/pirate themed with an octopus draping over the hatch, a pirate chest and under the sea creatures. We were supposed to have bubbles, but the bubble solution and the machine were none too happy to work together.

The girls did a great job on the sea net and Styrofoam ice cooler treasure chest (full of candy!)...

I sewed up the octopus using a couple of cheap drapes from Walmart (the yardage equivalence was about 4.66 yards). Seam ripping the hems is so much fun, ha! Just gotta get as much fabric use out of it that I can right? Even though I didn't use all of it...

 I drafted the tentacle pattern using old computer paper being almost a foot wide at the top and narrowing down over 5 feet to a couple inches wide at the bottom. I cut out sixteen to make the eight tentacles.

Brandon drafted the head side panel the foam parts of this octopus puppet for inspiration.  I used a strip roughly about the same width of the legs expanding at the ends.

The eyes are felt and stuffed with poly-fil and the whole octopus is stuffed with plastic grocery bags! I would not have gotten it finished without the wonderful ladies from our groups coming and helping stuff the octopus! (not to mention the reason to make it!) 

This was a fun project!

And now, the kids have something super fun and squishy to play with (or snuggle). :)

Happy Halloween!!

Welcome Fall: Decorate a Mantle {Free Printable}

I am not great at decorating. I have a hard time with it and I feel it doesn't usually look good when I'm done. But this time it's different! I love my simple, fall-ish mantle! I shared my Glass Jar Decor (etched baby food tea lights!!) with GYCT Designs for their 31 Days of Halloween. It is still going on, you should check it out! :)

Today, here I am sharing with you my made over fall mantle! :) It's just now starting to feel like fall here, so I'm now just starting to welcome it in, a month later! Here is the messy before...

Ever since reading Clutterfree with Kids, I've been trying to get more simple. Here is my simpler after...

Well, I found a quote by John Donne from his poem The Autumnal ... "no spring nor summer beauty hath such grace as I have seen in one autumnal face." Granted the poem is about the stage of life and more with the beauty that comes with maturity. And, we may not be at that stage of life just yet... but I liked it.

So I printed it out on Inkjet Translucent Vellum (affiliate link) and put it in the picture frame we used for our announcement pictures for when we were going to have baby girl (you can see them here). It is just a simple 12"x14" picture frame. Sort of like this one here 12x14 Satin Black Picture Frame (affiliate link), but a couple inches smaller on the longer side. I backed it with scrapbook paper.

I think it adds a little bit to the mantle, and I like it. Even hubby said that he likes it! Win!

I decided to make them available for you too. That way it can save you some time if you want to use the quote. I have two versions, one with background and one without.

The Autumnal Quote - Without Background

The Autumnal Quote - With Background

What do you think?