BAD ASS HALLOWEEN COSTUME!

That is right folks! I'm giving you a sneak peak at my Halloween costume!

Mostly because I just put the three layers together and it is BAD ASS!!!

Inspired by one bad ass Disney villain! I decided after months and himming and ha-ing over what to be, I came across this picture and my mind was made up!

Now personally, the chick who plays Ursula on Broadway is WAY annoying...so much so that despite her FANTASTIC costume, I will NOT be seeing this show if I happen upon New York soonly. Yeah.

Now, I don't dick around when it comes to Halloween...have you seen my previous posts?! You should go look...

Yeah.

So I had to out do myself this year as well. And in doing that means making my own costume...not purchasing this piece of shiit that Disney pawns off as a legitimate portrayal of Ursula the m.f. sea witch!

yeah.

So I decided to enlist the help of my super talented friend Megan.

That's her being a bad ass in our production of Bye, Bye, Birdie. Yeah, I say "Megan, wanna be passed along like a hoggie!?" She says "sure!" I say "Megan, wanna let me use your mad design skillz for a pair of tentacles!?" She says "of course!" I did pay her in Salmon Fettuccine, so everybody wins.

Step one: the hoop skirt.

Don't judge. It's my first time making something like this with form, etc. I used 1/2 in plastic pipping from Home Depot.

Yep, David got in on the Action too!

So here is my sad attempt at a hoop skirt:

I know...I know...I had a pattern too...eek...good thing it goes underneath! I had to make some stuff up as I wasn't using boning...that shiv is not strong enough to hold up my tentacles...

Don't judge me.

Step two: The over skirt (which will go under my tentacles).

It is made from this super awesome sheer material that when you look at it one way, it's blue, and when you look at it another way, it's green! Way bad ass. Don't tell David, by my initial plan was to have the skirt made from blue cotton...easily a $10 skirt...this cost a little bit more...but bad ass Halloween fabric at 60% off was calling my name...I couldn't let it down!

Step three: The Tentacles!

The tops are made from black on black somethin-or-another...some kind of Halloween fabric, also 60% off. Black fabric with glittery black flocked swirls.

The underside is a purple suede like polyester. The plan is to have wires in them so they curl up and around. Suction cups too...what kind of octopus doesn't have suckers?!

Still missing is the bad ass webbing between each tentacle...it's this sheer material that when you look at it one way, it's green, and when you look at it another way, it's purple! Yeah...Megan picked it out...and is also why blue cotton wasn't going to fly as the underskirt...it just wasn't awesome enough to match the webbing!

The whole tentacle skirt has a zipper up the back and is stuffed with three huge bags of polyfiberfil. Eventually there will be a waistband, but I have to get the wires in first...which David said he'd help on....but he's asleep on the couch right now. I might need to make more Fettuccine for Megan!

On top I will not be wearing my teal hoodie, but rather the bad ass corset that NancieNan made me for my Halloween costume last year. I also took some sculpey and made a sea shell necklace like the one Ursula keeps Ariel's voice in....bad ass!

I still don't know how to do my hair. I have closing night of my show, so I don't get a whole lot of time...not too worried...no one is going to be looking at my hair...

So there you have it folks! You don't have to be a drag queen to be Ursula for Halloween. despite what google images tells you!

PS: Can someone please tell me why when you search "Disney Ursula" I got a bunch of Mermaid porn depicting Ursula with legs and one tentacle? Use your imagination...or search for it yourself...weirdo.

So keep yourself tuned in to see this bad ass costume come to life!!

I am so stoked right now!

I got inspired by someone else's blog!

http://newdressaday.wordpress.com/

This chick rules my world!

Read her blog!

She buys ghettotastic gear from thrift stores around Hollywood (rough life shopping in Hollywood) and turns them in to totally wearable goods!

I got inspired!

I went to the Church Thrift Store by my work the other day during my lunch break trying to find a Scrabble Game, a rotary phone, and a sheet to use as the back of my pirate quilt...I found none of those things but did find this:

A night shirt.

PS, it had longer sleeves...I forgot to take a picture before I got scissor happy.

I don't know if you know this about Swingin Martinis Designs, but we love vintage night things...I want bed jackets to make a come back a light summer jackets...I'm the only one who thinks this apparently...

Look at the cool embroidery around the top! This screams "show me to the world" and not "wear this kick ass top under your covers at night and sleep." So I am making the appropriate changes!

Anyway, I shortened the sleeves and took that extra material and added it to the bottom so I'd have a couple more inches of length...it was just "that much" too short to wear without feeling like I was in a 90s midriff flashback.

I added elastic to the sleeves which was supposed to make them a bit puffier, but I guess I don't know what I'm doing because they are not puffier...I maybe shouldn't have added the elastic right to the edge...I also maybe should have made the elastic bigger to fit over my "buff" (some say fat) arms...and maybe, just maybe, there isn't enough fabric on the sleeves to accomplish that. Weird.

Speaking of Weird, I think someone wore this when they wanted to start a business....maybe a business woman of the night? Or someone's initials....because I'm constantly worried about someone stealing my pjs...or when I leave them on someone's floor, I want them to be promptly returned....maybe she should have added her phone number or email address...so there goes me wearing the top button unbuttoned like a hoe ever....damn. I guess I'll have to save that for the next night shirt that I craft in to wearable clothing!

So that's it for my first "reconstruction" of a $1 Thrift Store find! I hope that there are more in the future, although the Hubs does not....he said I have too many clothes to begin with....he just doesn't know...

An Update

I haven't written on here in a while...I guess that's good?

I have been pretty busy. I have been active in the alchemy world of etsy (which, if you aren't aware of the alchemy page, it's pretty sweet - people post what they would like made and people place bids on making that item...I get most of my business this way...)

I even got a job making a chick a skirt...I haven't really made clothes for other people with any success, so we'll see what she thinks!

I also got a sale from Twitter finally...I joined Twitter thanks to my friend Aimee (beachchicken.etsy.com) and really only used it to communicate with my friend Carly...but one day some chick needed a skirt, I said that I could help her and awesome-o, I got a sale!

I haven't done First Thursday in a while, but not because of a lack of interest, but more a lack of time! After I finished the production Nunsense, I started working back stage on Move Over, Mrs. Markham. I guess I'm a glutton for punishment...the show is hilarious, go see it, but apparently I don't like hanging out with my hubby or my dogs.

I have tried some new crafting techniques - like shirring...wow, what an adventure that turned out to be (stay tuned for pictures and more info).

I also made a pretty awesome dress for my cousin's wedding that I'll write about soon.

So I've been busy, but also have been wishing I had more time to make some stuff for upcoming events (my shop, First Thursday, and Hyde Park in September).

So even though my calendar is booked, hopefully I can bust out one new item a week (my new goal for June, which might just be a pipe dream.)

Wish me luck, bring me treats, or come by and help!

Craftster challange!

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=343481.0

I can't wait to do this challange!

I have been waiting for one that I could actually come up with something creative for!

I'll post pictures as soon as I create something!

More pics when I'm finished!

My New Skill!

Yes Folks, you already maybe knew that I dabbled in the crocheting arts, but my super cool sister in law bought my a super cool book, Stitch 'n Bitch Crochet - The Happy Hooker, and this is the first thing I've learned from it!

Effe Yeah!

Pst - it's a potholder...made from 100% Cotton Yarn. I make two of these squares per pot holder so super protect your hands from the Hot Shit you're pulling from your oven...

I'll post more pics when I'm finished!

http://www.bluecricketdesign.net/2010/03/freaky-friday-tea-rose-home.html

This is just way too cute! I just started figuring out how to make wrist cuffs, including fun shirt sleeve wrist cuffs (pictures soonly).

http://kari-youcanmakeit.blogspot.com/2010/03/drum-light-tutorial-with-flowers.html

I need these...bad!

Effe Yeah!

http://treyandlucy.blogspot.com/2010/03/button-earings-oh-baby.html

I need these on my walls...

But not of eggs...maybe cross stitched skulls or something :)

http://www.vanessachristenson.com/2010/03/tutorial-appliqueing-with-used-dryer.html

Fun Activity

http://www.vanessachristenson.com/2009/11/tutorial-spraypainted-wheat-pillows.html

So I am a part of about a million different Crafty groups from Facebook and Twitter and they always post tutorials and other fun ideas. I decided to share them with you all. I usually keep the page open, forgetting to bookmark it, then the hubby closes the 10 tabs I have open, forever losing the awesome projects I'd like to try...So if I post them here...then maybe I'll actually get around to doing it!


So the link above is for Spray Painted Pillows...pretty cool if you ask me...I think my house needs more fun stuff in it...like throw pillows...

I'll post pictures as soon as I make some...but send me links to pictures of spray painted pillows YOU'VE made!!

Here is another one from the same blog!
http://www.vanessachristenson.com/2010/03/guest-tutorial-blogger-dana-of-made.html

Way too cute!

I have a new skill!

I decided in my recent flower purchasing adventures that I LOVE Ranunculus'!

I love them in my hair, I love them in the ground, I love them all over.

Anyway, I found a really cool site (which of course I can't find again) that gave a tutorial on how to make organza flowers and suggested plain circle petals to make the flower more reminiscent of Ranunculus'.

Here is what I cam up with!

I put one on a hair clip, and one on a pin back...

Thank you District Nine for being unengaging because this is what I decided to do instead of pay attention to you and your South African Aliens...

Surrounded

I never noticed how much I am surrounded by the stuff I have made until this afternoon. After I finished my super awesome new bag (http://swinginmartinisdesigns.blogspot.com/2010/02/pimp-ass-new-messenger-bag.html)

and then started putting my things into it...

my wallet

my camera bag

my make up bag

and

my pencil holder

I made all of those things!

I was also wearing a skirt I made and a headband I made...wow!

Now if I could only get my ass in gear to make things people want to buy and get them on etsy!

Aria Gets Cool Gifts for her Birthday!

Our oldest Niece, Aria, turned three this last week and I LOVE making girl clothes...I need to get better at boy clothes or the twins and Roegon will feel left out...

I made her a coat and a dress:

I used Simplicity Pattern #2745 for this super cute twirly coat!

I seriously want one of these for me! I love this fleece! I need to find more of it!

This might be the cutest dress ever! I used Simplicity Pattern #3588 (thank you 5 for $5 sale!)

I added piping to the front piece...you can't tell, but the neck/collar piece continues down the front and is sewn down all the way around...

I put tiny little bows on the sleeves...fyi - it's totally hard to tie a tiny bow...

She doesn't quite fit into it yet...one of these days I'm going to learn how to make things actually fit people!

Christmas Presents - Better Late Than Never

So once again, I decided to make a bunch of stuff for Christmas...here is some of the bounty I made!

A Super Hero Cape for our Nephew Roegon...we wrote and illustrated him a book in which he is Super Roegon, so of course he needed a cape to go with it!

Using Simplicity Pattern #9784 I made our new Niece Isabel this Pink Dress with a super cool Cinderella pinafore! This fabric I got from a woman in Australia as a sample...I got it in hot pink and blue...it's from Japan and super soft cotton...I don't really see what playing cards have to do with Cinderella, but it's cute so I keep my mouth shut...kind of...

Oh yeah, she got some bloomers too!
One day she might even be able to wear it...Aunt Shannonegans makes things too big...

The new twins, Reuben and Denny, get matching fleece sweaters...you can't really tell, but the hates are vintage inspired football hats...I used Simplicity Pattern #2523.

I used brown ribbon for the detailing and letterman jacket letters for the "H" (for "Herzbrun", their last name).

They look way adorable in them!

They aren't very good models...and they kind of look like Jedis...but still super cute! It's nice to know they wear them!

Pimp Ass New Messenger Bag!

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=182863.0

Thank you!

I have been trying to make a messenger bag for a while...my first attempt ended up being HUGE and went to the sister in law as a diaper bag...

Well, I actually red the tutorial this time and behold!!! :

So I used an old black sheet I had... and a lot of heavy heavy interfacing.

The image I LOVE and printed it on this really awesome "Photo Fabric" that I got from the fabric store...it's kind of pricey, but it's well worth it (especially with a 40% off coupon!)

I just put my image in a word document and printed...you wait for it to "dry", then rise it out, then iron it and Viola!!!

I have a whole slew of funny pictures I want to make into messenger bags! I am sure I can convince the hubby that I need 18 messenger bags...