Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Last-Minute Ideas: Twilight Costumes

So, sorry for the lack of postage lately. I have been busily working away at building our costumes for this Friday. It has not been easy, but I think we're going to pull through this with something decent. (I promise to post pictures.) Hopefully, none of you are such bad procrastinators as I am, and you've had your Halloween costumes since Nov. 1 of last year. But for those of you who are more like me, here are a few last-minute ideas for Halloween costumes:

The Twilight Theme

I debated for a while about this one, just because I am not the biggest fan of the novels. I don't hate them - I just don't love them. But I figure the Twilight series would make for a great Halloween theme (what with all the vampires and werewolves and all that), so I decided to just go ahead and shoot off some ideas:

Bella
Be Bella at the prom from Twilight by simply wearing your old prom or formal dress. Bring crutches. Carry a sign that says "I hate Forks" or "I wanna be a vampire when I grow up." Ok, the signs are silly, but the prom dress idea is a good one. I'm sure of it.
Be Bella from New Moon by wearing a motorcycle jacket.
Be Bella the bride from Breaking Dawn by wearing a wedding dress, or by going all vampy with white/pale makeup, glitter all over you, and dramatic eye makeup. You could probably wear anything dramatic.

Edward
Be Edward (or convince your best guy to be Edward) by wearing pale makeup, glitter, and very dark/dramatic/semi-preppy clothes.


Cullens
I am of the opinion that the best costume would be to go with a bunch of friends/family as the entire Cullen family. Basically, look hot. :P No, seriously, pale makeup, your best dark clothes. Pick your character and try to fit the description the best you can - Here's a movie pic for inspiration.



Jacob
My favorite character of them all. I really don't know how you could pull off Jacob, unless you really wanted to go the whole werewolf route. Or you know - look hot.

Well, those are my ideas. Anyone else have some brilliant suggestions? The best thing about the Twilight costumes is they can be pulled off with little to no monetary investment, and very little time. Just... you know, look hot.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Who Ya Gonna Call?

Ghost busters!

I've always been very much intrigued by the idea of getting your family/friends together and all dressing up in some kind of team costume. When I was fourteen, I went as the Tin Man, one friend was Dorothy, another was the Scarecrow, and our other friend was a Cow. We also had a nerd in attendance. So, while I haven't always had much success with this idea (though, this year will be different!) that doesn't mean you can't!

Instructables member Honus has an awesome tutorial on how to make yourself and all your friends into an elite team of evil-fighting Ghost Busters!




Warning: This tutorial is not for the faint at heart!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Crown Tutorial

Are you, like me, dying to just be something pretty for Halloween? Well, Bitter Betty Blogs offers us an easy solution for all those wishing to be princesses this Halloween - a tutorial for how to make a gilded crown out of lace:


Have fun!

Monday, October 13, 2008

Halloween Inspiration: Fairy Wings

So, Halloween is coming up, and I am already getting super excited for my costume. The Husby and I are going to be Link and Zelda! Kind of like these guys (I only hope our costumes will be as awesome.):



What are you guys going to be? In case you are still looking for inspiration, I will be featuring Halloween costume ideas on the site for... well, until I get sick of it. :) Here's an awesome video from Threadbanger on how to make fairy wings (butterfly wings, ladybug wings, pegasus wings... really any wings you want) out of wire hangers, tights, and embellishments. You could really go any direction with this. In my family, we are going to use this tutorial so my awesome sister in law can be Navi, Link's little pet fairy. Tee hee.



Anyway, here's the tutorial: enjoy!

Friday, October 10, 2008

Modest Tip: "Unshrink" a Shirt

Sometimes you have the cutest t-shirt, but it's just too small - it rides up, it constricts, and all in all it just ain't modest. Well, the Household Hacker has come up with a solution for us. Here's a tutorial on how to "unshrink" a shirt, using vinegar and heat.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Etsy Love: Modestmaven

Ok, I was going to try to post a tutorial today, but then I was bumbling around on Etsy and I found something I absolutely had to share: Etsy seller Modestmaven. I saw her stuff, specifically this shirt and just fell in love:

She has several modest, creative, endearing shirts for sale and two beautiful modest dresses, including this one, which happens to be in my favorite color:

So, go check out modestmaven :)

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Formals for Men: Bow Tie and Cummerbund Patterns

So, my husband has been getting on my case about this blog being so female related. Well I can't help it, I'm a female. Well, today I found something to post for the guys, and hopefully that will keep the husby happy for a while.


On Burda they have two new patterns available, just in time for homecoming and formal seasons. One for a bowtie and one for a cummerbund (did you know that's how that word is spelled? I sure didn't.). So, hopefully this made it to you in time to get creative with your men's formal wear - if not, heck there's always next year.... and


Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Make Your Own Layering T-Shirt

So, they're a big deal these days - shirts made specifically to go under other shirts/dresses/tank-tops/what have you. The problem for cheapskates like me is that, heck, they can get kind of pricey. All for a shirt you're only going to see the bottom of, or maybe the sleeves. So, what can a cheapskate do about it? Well, if that cheapskate has a sewing machine, that cheapskate can now take advantage of (dun dun duuuuuun)

The Great Layering T-Shirt Tutorial

Step One: Find yourself a big ole t-shirt that has your desired color, stretchiness, and softness. Maybe someone in your family can donate one to you, maybe a trip to your local Goodwill/DI/Savers will do the trick. I got mine at Savers. The t-shirt should be many sizes too big for you.


Step Two: Remove the sleeves. Cut them off, leaving about an inch beyond the seems.


Step Three: Turn the shirt inside-out. Find a shirt or tank top that fits you well and line it up with the t-shirt so that the collars are in pretty much the same place (I think the picture makes it easy to understand). Trace the sides and pin.


Step Four: Sew along the lines you drew, then trip the excess.


Step Five: Iron down the seams, so that they are open. Then, sew a top-stitch on either side of the seam. This gives it a nice detail and makes the shirt fit you more comfortably, with no bunchy seams.


Step Six: The sleeves. For this, just fold down the inch of sleeve material, then fold it under. Or you could fold it halfway, then fold it again. Just look at the pictures, hopefully it will make more sense. Then, sew down that hem.


If you want, you're done! You can also cut off the collar to make the neckline more to your liking (as I did) and you could also shorten the t-shirt if you feel it's too long. But there you have it - your very own layering t-shirt.

Friday, October 3, 2008

Getting Ready for Fall: Hoodie Tutorial

So, I love Threadbanger. Love, love, love Threadbanger. And today's episode was no exception. They took us on a fun tour of the American Sewing Expo, then taught us how to make a hoodie out of an old flannel and an old t-shirt. I am thinking I'm going to have to raid Savers/D.I. and find an old BYU T-shirt and blue flannel and make mine soon! Fall is here, and I am anticipating the cold. Anyway, here's the video so you can get to creating yours: