They weren't Kidding when they Called Me, Well, a Witch

Happy Halloween, everyone! I take this holiday very seriously and the costume bit is my favorite part. Dressing up, acting out a role that takes you outside of yourself, it's all so good. This year, I will be going in a group of awesome people as Disney villains. I will be playing the role of Ursula. This costume was a labor of love, let me tell you. I pulled a few all-nighters sewing this but, it was worth it! I did it all without a pattern and with my meager sewing skills that wasn't easy yet, I finished it!

Each tentacle was a single panel made from black and purple satin from Joann Fabrics that I sewed together to make a skirt. The suckers are felt circles that I bunched up and hand sewed to the underside of the tentacles. The tulle underneath is one layer of green and one layer of blue gathered and sewn to a ribbon. I just tied the ribbon around my waist and all the raw edges are hidden under the tentacle skirt.

Flotsom and Jetsom were actually not all that hard. I cut their shape out and laid a piece of batting in between and sewed them together. When I got to the back, I added in the ruffle for the their spine ridge and just hand gathered as I went. I drew in their facial features with a permanent marker and went back and used black thread to sew along the lines I had drawn. Their eyes and teeth are just felt. I colored one eye yellowy-orange for each of them and filled in the pupal with black. 

My jewelry is from the jewelry making section of Hobby Lobby. I attached the coral to earring studs and I opted for this awesome pendant instead of the traditional shell because it looked so much like Ariel when she is being turned into a human. Essentially, I have her essence around my neck. I'm all for interpretations of characters instead of straight copies.

I watched a few tutorials on YouTube for the make up and just mashed them all together to create my own look. I used Mehron face paint for my face and body, Wet n' Wild shadows for contouring and eyes,  L'oreal Infallible gel liner to shape the eyebrows, eyelids, and draw in big dramatic lashes, and Colourpop's Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick in Succulent for the lips.

Have an awesome Halloween!

Halloween Coming Out Our Ears

I cannot believe how much we have managed to cram into this month. Every fall I make a mental check list and oh, man...did we October our brains out this year. Hiking, parties, movies, baking, trick-or-treating at the zoo, and that doesn't even include the big day tomorrow. Today, we went to a Halloween dance party at the library and I have never seen my kids boogie down so hard! Afterwards, we went to Starbucks and got Frappulas. Which, were utterly disgusting but, that horrible kind of sickeningly sweet disgusting that kids can't get enough of. So, they loved it!

I also managed to bang out this witch print skirt while I was sewing some Halloween costumes. One, more item checked off the list. Oh, yeaaaah. The print is kitschy and cute yet, the polka dots and color scheme take it to a level of "just grown up enough for a grown up to wear." It's exactly the kind of print that defines my style.

Top: JCPenney | Skirt: Materials from Joann Fabrics similar, similar prints in dress form: 1, 2, 3 | Boots: Modcloth similar | Socks: Torrid | Scarf: similar, similar, | Lips: Colourpop's Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick in Trap

Pinspirations: Plaid and Charcoal

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A couple years ago I found this pin and I knew I had to recreate it. I love how the serious and feminine nature of the structured skirt balances with the casualness and masculinity of the shirt. I never found the right skirt until recently when I was perusing the sale section of City Chic.

City Chic is a great example of a higher priced retailer that has excellent deals in the clearance section. Originally, this skirt was in the range of sixty dollars and while I occasionally splurge, this is not generally in my price range. However, on sale it had comfortably settled in the mid thirties and within my grasp.

Sometimes the clearance section can be a collection of odd bits that obviously no one else wanted but, at the right store, it's a place to find high quality pieces at great prices.

Top: Target similar | Skirt: City Chic similar | Tights: We Love Colors | Shoes: Tom's | Necklace: Shopko similar | Purse: Thrifted similar | Lips: Colour Pop's Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick in Succulent

The One Where I Wore a Plaid Shirt

I was tipped off to this gorgeous plaid top from the lovely Vintage or Tacky and it is perfection in shirt form. This is why the Internet exists. So, lovely vloggers can point out amazing things on wonderful websites and our lives can be complete. I mean look at this top. How could I have ever been happy before this top was in my life? I thought I was happy but, it turns out I was wrong. Thanks, Internet!

Cardigan: Target similar | Top: Modcloth | Skirt: similar, similar, similar

Happy Back to the Future Day!

Back in 1989 it was predicted that this would be the picture of the distant future.

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Well, that distant future is today, people. October 21st, 2015. Do we have self lacing shoes, hover boards, flying cars, or automatic arms on jackets? Well, we're working on it. Do we dress like holographic cyborgs from the post-apocalypse? Sometimes. Overall though, they didn't nail it. In fact, if Marty McFly did stumble out of a Delorean into 2015 he would probably find a world that was pretty easy to navigate. The only big difference is now people's faces are permanently attached to teeny tiny computers that we call phones and our media is 100% more accessible. 

Our fashion has not evolved to such a degree that it would be unrecognizable to the 80's but, in honor of Back to the Future Day, I put together what I consider to be a portrait of modern fashion.

Today's fashion is really an "anything goes" kind of scene. Sure we have trends but, personal style is a respected facet of our modern world. Strappy cage details on tops, drapey pants, chunky hardware, and statement necklaces are just a few of the items that can be seen on people today.

Top: Target | Pants: Target | Shoes: Thrifted similar | Necklace: Target similar | Bracelets: Thrifted similar