Halloween Is Almost Here

Over the weekend I finally purchased the supplies needed to make Alex's Halloween costume.  I have been picking up little pieces and ideas here and there, yet so far, none of them have brought on any brilliant or inspiring plans of how to get started.  Finally, I stumbled upon a "looks easy enough" tutorial online and decided to give it a shot.  Normally something I classify in that category can produce misguided results of epic proportions, but so far, this one seems to really be quite simple!

Yay!

I am a huge Halloween fan and making a costume for the little one is just another part of the fun.  I have found that you can make just about any costume imaginable with a pair of black tights and a black leotard.  For the 4th year in a row, that is the basis for this year's design.

But before we reveal Alex's choice (a decision process that usually begins around July)  I thought it might be fun to revisit some costumes of years' past.

For Alex's first two Halloweens we snagged a couple of cute store-bought costumes.  The first one was arguably the cutest thing that has ever happened in the entire universe.  Ever.

I mean, how do you compete with that!???  At 10 months, her first Halloween, she didn't really have any opinions yet, so I had 100% say-so in dressing her up as a piece of fruit.  And I could have just nibbled her right up! 

Year 2 I have affectionately named: The Year of Minnie Mouse.  We met Minnie for the first time at the opening of a new Disney Store when Alex was 18 mos. old.  The following year revolved entirely around that mouse.

There really wasn't a question of what she would be that Halloween.  Add in the fact that her 2nd birthday, a couple of months later, called for a Minnie Mouse themed party and you had the perfect opportunity for a re-purpose-able Halloween costume:

Mommy Like! 

Year 3 (age 2) is when we started to get creative and began DIY costuming. It was also the inaugural year of Alex's Annual Ice Scream Halloweenie Spooktacular, a tradition we have celebrated every year since and one that is currently being planned.

Black tights.  Black leo.  Black Cat.

And thus began her obsession with all things animal related.

We had a small mix-up at an Old Navy in year 4, and a relative which shall remain nameless (Shannon!) discovered a glittery white & pink cat costume that ended up breaking our short-lived streak of homemade glory:

It was an unseasonably warm Halloween that year and, well, you can see how thrilled she was to be in all fleece.   A. It didn't look at all like a bunny, but B.) Everyone thought it did.  Which C.) caused a meltdown each and every time someone said "what a cute rabbit!". 

Okay, it wasn't that bad.  She pulled it off just fine, whatever it was. 

In year 5 (age 4) we got it together again and we were back in black.  By now we had met Evan and our opportunities for DIY costuming became a whole lot more exciting thanks in large part to his sewing expertise! 

This bat was my ultimate favorite.  Until last year.....

We successfully avoided a disastrous "dolphin-bat" concoction that Alex had been dreaming up for Year 6 and used our powerful methods of re-direction to introduce and create: The Panda Bear:

Still.  Can't.  Hardly.  Stand. The. Cuteness.

And now, in Year 7, we are once again working with our basic black attire in the hopes of creating something amazing.  We are avoiding any unnecessary shopping trips where a repeat white/pink cat-tastrophe might occur.

The good news is that this year she chose an actual animal that exists in the real world and is nowhere near as crazy as any dolphin-bat madness.

So, without further adieu, here is a little sneak peak into the beginning details of Year 7.  More to come once the actual sewing commences....

  But until then, any guesses as to what she has in store?