DIY: Halloween Costume Ideas Part 2

{Read Part 1 Here}

I'm back with more DIY Halloween costume ideas - let's just get started!

DIY Frida Kahlo Costume

This costume seems fun to me, not only because of all the bright colors and statement jewelry you could wear, but because few other costumes call for a drawn-on unibrow and mustache on a lady. Rare opportunities should be savored! Frida was the coolest, and dressing like her is SO simple if you have any manner of bright, layer-friendly clothes and bold accessories. Don't forget the braids!

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DIY Watermelon Slice Costume

This project is so painless, it might actually be easier than eating a watermelon slice (no messy hands either!). Find a pink dress, preferably A-line, cut out some green and white felt or fabric trim for the hem, attach with fabric glue and cut/glue black seeds all over the dress. Pair it with green tights or shoes and you're done! If you don't want to ruin (enhance?) the dress permanently, you can always use fabric tape or pins for the pieces instead.

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DIY Paula Abdul & MC Skat Kat Costume

Couples costume! If you're not on the cutting edge of late 80s music videos and somehow don't know this rapping cat, watch the video first. Okay. Throw on a simple black dress, tights and heels with teased hair. Your partner wears a white tank top and sneakers, loose blue pants, suspenders and perhaps drawn on whiskers. MC Skat Kat has his own Wikipedia page, which describes him as a "street philosopher with an alley Kat point of view," if that helps you get into character.

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DIY Jambi from Pee-Wee's Playhouse Costume

If you didn't have a Pee-Wee's Playhouse phase at some point, I'm genuinely sorry to hear that. Within the show there are so many good costume opportunities, but Jambi the Genie is as flashy as they come. Paint your face teal, with black winged eyeliner, gold brows and a ruby red lip. Tie a red scarf on your head and accent with a gold headband and jeweled brooch. For the box, cut and paint a cardboard box and decorate with gems. Wear a black turtleneck to create the illusion that you're a floating head. Throw on a single gold hoop and spend the night granting wishes, you magic maker.

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DIY Paper Doll Costume

I might use this idea myself at some point, and I'd recommend this as a good last minute-ish costume. The idea here is to look like your "clothes" are sitting on top of your body, not that you're wearing them, like a paper doll. Cut out clothing shapes from poster board or foam board and either paint designs or cover them with scrapbook or wrapping paper. Make sure to draw paper 'tabs' around your clothes, which you should outline with a black marker. Attach ribbon to the back of the pieces and hang/attach to yourself. Throw on a doll wig for good measure too.

What kind of other fun Halloween DIY projects are you working on? Are you even dressing up this year? Did you expect to see a Paula Abdul costume here?

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OBSESSED: Found Photos

I've always been the type of person who likes to learn things about people. Sometimes that means asking a lot of questions, and sometimes that means peeking into people's lit up windows when I drive by at night. I'm not a creep, I just like seeing regular, run-of-the-mill moments of people's lives, whether I know them or not. Okay, that does sound mildly creepy, but I promise it's innocent intrigue. 

A healthy less public way to indulge this interest is via found photos. Found photos are just that - photos that have been found by someone else. One way or another, these photos ended up discarded or lost and in the possession of someone who doesn't know the photo subjects. You can find them at antique stores, flea markets or just on the ground, but I like to hunt them online.

I especially love photobooth finds - intimate moments and narcissism at their finest!

I love them because they tap into that curious (okay, nosy) thing inside of me that likes to peer into people's lives. If I could just walk into strangers' houses and see what they keep in their refrigerator or what posters they put in their bedroom, I totally would, but since that is frowned upon, found photos offer a fun peek into strangers' lives and activities. Vacations, proms, dates, holidays, sleepovers - they all get captured on film. Flash forward fifty years or so and those mundane actions are suddenly exotic and cool.

It's fun to imagine who these people are and what their lives were like. You can really create any story you want. See that dude above, with his sunglasses-wearing dog? That could be a photo taken by a friend of a hilarious party moment or the result of a tripod and self timer showcasing a weird, lonely night and a dog trying hard to stifle his "please rescue me" face. You'll never know!

Let's not downplay the fashion inspiration! There are good things to be found in these vintage treasures. Look at those hot flapper babes!

The bird is camera shy, I assume.

As is often the nature of found photos, I don't have any original sources for these photos, but if you do feel free to pass them along!

It's crazy to think of our own personal photos ending up online or in someone's collection years in the future, but that's what happened to all of these fine people. Can you imagine if a photo of you looking totally badass while eating a popsicle on the hood of your hot rod was being admired on someone's blog in 60 years? That would be amazing, actually.

If you want more found photo goodness, follow my Vintage board on Pinterest, which has basically evolved into a never-ending stream of these goodies. Do you love vintage photos? Do you think it's weird to collect pictures of strangers? On a scale from 1 to 10, how big of a creep am I? Have you ever taken a picture of you dancing with your poodle?

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ROUNDUP: Weekly Links 12/18/11

Here's what I'm rounding up this week:
Kitty Wigs

You can actually buy actual wigs for actual cats. Also - can we talk about that blond wigged cat's come hither stare?!
Lisa Frank Clothing Now Available (!)

If only I could combine my Lisa Frank enthusiasm circa 1993 with my grown-up salary to meet in a magical place (perhaps atop an ice cream sundae in outer space?) where I'm allowed to buy out the store and live my life strictly in fluorescent crew neck sweatshirts and t-shirts featuring kissing dolphins. 
Pugs with Courtney Stodden Tweets

Everyone's (least) favorite teenage bride is now the subject of a hilarious and disturbing Tumblr from some genius who thought to combine her overly sexualized (and overly thesaurus-ed) tweets with adorable pictures of pugs.  
Baby Legs Salt & Pepper Shakers

I'm thisclose to becoming one of those people who collects salt & pepper shakers, and ModernFX on Etsy isn't making it any easier with these cool yet totally creepy baby leg shakers.
Cards & More from Chirply

Chirply offers cards, notebooks and more featuring cool, diverse artwork from independent graphic designers - you can even submit your own!


xoxo,
Michelle

OBSESSED: October!

It's finally here! October is my FAVORITE month and having it start on a Saturday is really just the icing on the pumpkin spice cake, am I right? There is so much to adore about this month of pure perfection from the weather to the smells to the awesome autumn activities, so I took the liberty of creating an official (got it notarized and everything) list of the Top 10 Things About October.

In no particular order:

1. Pumpkin EVERYTHING

I will eat/drink/smell/ingest pretty much anything pumpkin. Faves include pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin butter, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin coffee, pumpkin lotion...at the risk of sounding like a Forrest Gump character, I'll stop there, but I really love pumpkin. Unfortunately, most of these wonderful treats are only available seasonally, but I definitely make the best of it - it's only the first of the month and I already have pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin cream cheese spread and pumpkin spice coffee at my disposal. Now I just need some actual pumpkins for carving!

2. Beautiful Trees

I hope for your sake that you also live in New England at this time of year (and I hope that, unlike me, you get to leave for the snowy winter). For all the complaining I might do about the long, cold winters, New England really has the right idea about Autumn. Within the last week most trees have started to turn beautiful shades of mustard and burnt orange and it won't be long until they're crimson and brown and eventually scatter on the ground. This process is actually quite lovely considering what we're witnessing is the leaves dying.

3. County Fairs

There's a local fair around here where pretty much everyone goes this time of year and I can always count myself among that crowd. The older I get, the more I go only for nostalgic reasons (I can't bring myself to ride the rides much anymore - how can temporary rides set up quickly by an unsavory looking character in a dirty tank top be safe?) but I still have a great time petting farm animals, eating carnival foods, marveling at the winner of the largest pumpkin contest and rooting for my favorite racing pig (look it up, you won't regret it).

4. Apple Picking

There is literally nothing as peaceful as a lush, green apple orchard and it's even better when you've arrived at it on a horse drawn hayride. Apple picking is a quintessentially New England thing to do and it really rings in the Autumn. I plan to go this year and to enjoy the adorable country farm store and eat a delicious apple cider donut before taking my photo in the pumpkin patch and daydreaming about the incredible apple pie I'll be making in the days following. It sounds like a daydream, but in October I can make it a reality!

5. Weather

Best weather of the year, hands down. Not too hot, not too cold. You can wear a sweater or not, it's your choice. Feel like layering dresses and sweaters or wearing a knit hat? Go for it. Crisp breezes punctuate each afternoon while the bright sunny skies wrap you up in October goodness.

6. Halloween

Halloween is my favorite holiday and not only because there's free candy and fun costumes, although those are both major factors. I love the tradition and the grandeur of the actual holiday and Halloween parties are always the best of the year. When else can you see copious corgis in costume? As many times as I see it, I will always laugh at a dog in a hot dog costume.

7. Fall Clothes

I don't know what it is about autumn, but it always makes me want to buy new clothes, shoes and accessories. Maybe it's the back-to-school vibes, but whether I need them or not I always end up with new jeans, a pair or two of boots and new additions to my scarf collection. It's definitely my favorite season to shop for (sweater dresses? yes, please!) and the fact that I can layer clothing and wear cardigans comfortably without breaking a sweat is all the proof I need that October is the best month for fashion.

8. The Acceptance of 'Weirdness'

I once went into a coffee shop around Halloween and my server complimented my "costume"; problem was, I wasn't wearing one. She took my floor length tiered dress and the daisy in my hair as a Flower Child costume (her words) and I smiled and thanked her for the kind words. What else can you really do in that situation? All the other servers were in costume and, since it was the week of Halloween, it wasn't unusual to see people dressed up. While she was mistaken, I do love the fact that had I actually been in costume on a random day near Halloween it would have been welcomed with open arms. Pull that stuff any other time of year and you're suddenly a weirdo. People love weird outfits, wigs and accessories within the confines of Halloween season and while I wish it was okay all year long, I kinda love that they'll accept "weirdness" no questions asked.

9. Crunching Leaves

Is there anything more satisfying than stepping on a perfectly crunchy leaf only to hear its crispy being fade away under your sole with a final "cruuuunch"? Yeah, I didn't think so. I will actually often walk out of my way to step on a great crunchy leaf for that very satisfaction. The noise it makes is definitely in my top 10 favorite sounds (maybe a future list post?) right along with the noise your computer's recycling bin makes when you empty it. If you haven't tried it, step on a crunchy leaf today!

10. Spooky Vibes

Probably the best part of October is the overall spooky vibes coming from Halloween and related activities. While not an integral part of the month, they're there if you want to feel them and I most definitely do. Scary movie nights, ghost tours, trips to Salem, MA (the Halloween capital of the world!), late night walks, witchy fashion - it's all part of the season and it must be embraced...if you dare.