Pretty Princess Please

OK, Halloween is a week away. I've never been a huge fan of the holiday but since I've had my girls, I've gotten a little more into it. Unfortunately, I have set a precedent of making my costumes. You all know that I am a crafty gal but since I don't know how to sew, I have to get reeeeeally crafty when it comes to making costumes. I take lots of shortcuts, use glue, handstiching and take lots of time to get the desired effect. It's fun sometimes but always exhausting.

Last year was the first time I let my oldest buy her costume. I'm sure you remember as I wrote about it a lot.  It forced me to make the well needed break from my inner Martha. So, the whole new me was all ready to buy costumes this year. Let's hear it for easy! So far, it's worked for my oldest who has already picked out and bought her dead bride costume or as she's renamed it, "Bloody Mary"(excuse me while I throw up). But what about the 4-year-old? I was just anticipating her to choose one of her many Princess Dress Up clothes and I was happy about it. No, I'm not the biggest princess fan in the world but when she dresses up as one, I melt. It's a little much when she goes on to list all of the boys she knows as potential husbands. Yes, she does that. She's 4. Excuse me while I throw up again. This was all fine and good until she decided to choose and Elephant instead. AN ELEPHANT?

I'm a bit embarrassed to even admit I'm complaining about her "thinking outside the glamor". Any other year I would have beamed with pride that "MY daughter doesn't want to be a princess like everyone else. She is far more creative than that." Instead I have been wracking my brain at how I'm not only going to pull off an elephant but how I'm going to find the time to do it.

I'll bet most of your girls are going to dress up in the most easy costume there is, aren't they? I'll bet most of your youngsters are going to be princesses, right? Let's hear it...let's SEE it...rub it in that you've all got it easy while I'm over here trying to figure out how to make a detachable trunk for my child's nose. Go ahead Kristen, tell me all about how you're just going to put the fair and lovely Q in her Snow White costume, easy peasy, and call it a Halloween.

And here's the crowning jewel...If you share your stories and/or links to your photos with us in the comments here, you will be entered into the drawing to receive the new Disney Princess DVD Enchanted Tales. You heard me right. This is a giveaway ladies! If you don't already have the disc trust me, your daughter will get swept away in all it's Princess grandeur. I know mine did.

Comment away if you'd like the DVD. You have until midnight Thursday to leave your story or link. Winners will be announced on Friday. 

Comments

[Kelly Bera]

I feel for you, really. While I have only made one of my girls costumes with my own "Martha" know-how - http://www.flickr.com/photos/24075973@N00/1726095597/

I do like to add my own touches to the costumes. Last year my girl did choose a princess -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24075973@N00/282910623/
and like you, while not a princess fan I thought she was so precious.
This year my son,2, has gotten into the action and both of my kids are infatuated with Captain Jack Sparrow. So they are both going as pirates. And I have to plug for ebay 'cause I got both of their costumes (New With Tags) for $17 - and that includes shipping!!! That leaves room to spend on my extra touches. They tried the costumes on last night, so here's a preview -without the final touches:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24075973@N00/1726955734/

Good luck with the elephant!! You can buy noses at party stores. I'll bet she'll be cute!!

BTW, are the fires close to you? Hope you are safe!!!

[Alissa]

Well, I have boys, so no Princesses here. But I DO make their costumes--this year I have a monkey and a spotted leopard.

Are you using a hooded sweatshirt? I'd just attach the nose to the very front of the hood, some eyes on the top, and the ears on the side. You could put wire in the nose so that it bends to the side and doesn't hang in her face. That's how I made the boys' tails curl up :-)

I have no photos yet, but I will next week!

[Maya]

I love that she wants to be an elephant!!! I saw an elephant nose made of crumpled up paper spray painted gray one time...seems easy?

[Christina]

An elephant! I love it! The girl's got a mind of her own. ;o)

No princesses here, but we do have a kitty cat. And since I don't have an inner Martha when it comes to sewing, it's storebought...although I've already had to rewsew the tail.

http://momology.blogspot.com/2007/10/little-kitten.html

http://momology.blogspot.com/2007/10/kittys-tale.html

[Stacy]

Well, mine were definitely not easy, but I did make them! :) I have been sewing for 20 some odd years, though, so designing my kids costumes is pretty fun for me.

Here's Anya's Renaissance Dress:
http://the-kraft-family.com/WordPress/?p=742

Here's Kailan's BLUE pirate (special request for it to be BLUE!) and it has a picture of them wearing them at the bottom of the post:

http://the-kraft-family.com/WordPress/?p=751

Alissa had some good suggestions for making the elephant, too. That is going to be a little tricky with the nose!

[Susan Getgood]

My son is recycling the Darth Vader costume he got for his birthday so you can hate me too. And I get away with some spray goo in my hair and a witch's hat. Some say I don't even need the hat :-)

For the elephant trunk, how about using one leg of a grey pair of tights ?

[tracey]

ladies...thank you for your trunk ideas! who knew I'd get help on the costume? I swear I'll get photos and post them, I promise.

Kelly, thanks for the concern. The fires are all around us but not close (thankfully) but the kids have not been able to go outside at school as the air quality is really bad. The whole landscape is yellowish pink as the sun if filtered by the smoke. It's very strange and very sad. We are very lucky not to be directly threatened.

[Ashlea]

i have an Elephant costume in a size 5 if you think it would get there in time!
I always WANT to be the mom that makes the costumes. I even picture them in my mind...but i'm really too lazy.....i mean i am not at all crafty! This year i have a mad scientist, a skunk,a leopard and a "i better hurry the heck up and decide or I'm going as a hippy because my mom has leftover clothes from high school". No pictures yet.
Do people normally take halloween pics before Halloween?! lol

[Catizhere]

Maggie (4) has been:

An Ice Cream Cone
A Bunny Rabbit
Lil' Red Riding Hood
A Kangaroo

I have made every one of her costumes. This year, she has decided to be Stephanie from Lazytown...store bought.

She loves the Princesses, even has the dress up trunk complete with shoes and tiaras.... Not for Halloween though, she likes to be "A NOT princess".

[ktjrdn]

Ally wanted to be a superman. I was kinda bummed. I mean, it's just nowhere near cute, right? The theory is there, woman empowerment and all, but, well... blah. Superman? So when the costumes were either too small or too big for her at the first store we went to, I thought I's have to actually serach for a custume. My husband knew how I feel about this, and mentioned to my daughter that they seemed to have costumes right behind her that would fit her. Voila! Sleeping Beuaty. much cuter. I hate this fairy tale, but hey, at least the pictures will be better.

(I never make their costumes.)

[christie]

I am dissatisfied too. My daughter gets something in her head and then just throws together some dress up clothes and says what she is. She always has to tell people at the door what she is. This year she'll be a fairy, but you won't be able to tell by looking at her. I was able to convince her that we ought to make some sparkly wings.

[Stacy]

I have to admit I am lazy when it comes to costumes. You won't find me anywhere near a needle and thread. I'm fine with whatever is on sale. My daughter has been obsessed with Snow White lately so it was obvious what she was going to be for Halloween. I brought her to my work (a portrait studio) and took a picture of her in her costume with all the 7 dwarfs there too. It came out really cute. Check it out!
http://anothermommymoment.blogspot.com/2007/10/i-heart-halloween.html

[melody is slurping life]

Since we don't watch Princess DVDs around here, I'll join the posting fun, but don't enter me in the draw. Wait, do. I could give it to Wil's girlfriend who is the girlest of girls.

And I'll scrape up photos of one of my son's as a preschool elephant, if you'd like to see my take on it a few years ago.

And sorry, about the comment on the pumpkin post. I swear I only hit post once, just once

[Kathryn B]

I occasionally make costumes. It ends up costing more and more effort than just buying them! What I REALLY like doing is dressing us as a theme. Last year I got smart and bought costumes for this year at 50% off. Sean, almost 10 yo boy will be Captain Hook, Cary, 6 yo boy, will be Peter Pan and our sweet baby Kayleigh (20mos.) will be Tinkerbell! Pretty close to a princess! She'd LOVE the DVD!

[Becky]

Last year, my girls were a horse and a cow. Homemade, although nothing Martha would try to copy :) My older daughter will reprise her role, and the younger one wants to copycat. I'll be making another well intentioned but pathetic horse for this year!

[carrie voris]

I have total "girly" girls...and they did NOT get it from me. But I'm trying to embrace my deeply hidden Princess.

This year my 4yo decided she wanted to be a "vairy" (fairy). Bought a sweet pattern, and then she found a great (totally cheap!) costume, so we ended up buying it.

And my 2yo - she of course, wants to be Cinderella. She's 2!! God help me. I should've known it was coming though - she is Cinderella everyday.

http://barelycontrolledchaos.wordpress.com/2007/09/20/can-you-spot-the-trend/

[carey]

my little bean, age 2, has not discovered the allure of the princess yet... thank goodness! ;)
when we first asked what she wanted to be for halloween she said "jimmy buffett"- no joke! i was very happy when two days later she said she wanted to be a pumpkin. i could have made it but i was lazy and bought it. it is so flippin' cute though i can't stand it!!
if you want to take a look:
http://blueberryandbean.blogspot.com/2007/10/costume-mania.html

[CindyC]

No making costumes here! I wouldn't even know where to start. At first, Rachel wanted to be Cinderella, but she saw this Wonder Woman costume at TJ Maxx. Lucky me!

http://www.letsjusttalk.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=104381&stc=1&d=1193342406

[D'Andrea]

Playing dress up is a regular part of our activities so needless to say I stock up on costumes when on sale. I save my Martha moments for the kitchen as I'm such a hopeless sewer and perfectionist it would only drive me absolute loony trying to complete a costume. The link is a picture of my 3 year old in her all time fav costume- a vintage banana yellow, spandexy, stained, ruffle and sequin extravaganza! She loves all the princess stuff but the sassy short skirt and layers of ruffles can't be beat.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dandreabowie/1752293023/