Then I got to be the parent! :)
I am dramatic by nature. By that I mean, I LOVE to dress up in characters, love being onstage (or pretty much anywhere that I can be a character) and I have a huge imagination when it comes to dressing up. The one thing that I didn't have was money...But I wasn't going to let a little thing like that stop me. Besides, buying a costume at the store meant that you were dressed just like someone else...and I didn't want to be like anybody else! :) So...The tradition started...
My kids have rarely had bought outfits. Their outfits have been made, pieced together and/or gathered on a minimum budget. It started out with the love of a Momma wanting her children to enjoy the fun of dressing up as a favorite character even when I couldn't afford anything. My kids have always seemed to enjoy their creative costumes. If they ever felt bad about it, then it didn't show. In fact, they seem(ed) quite proud to show off their "original" looks.
The kids had their costumes. I had my costume. And, over the years, we were able to convince Daddy to join the show. The holiday became less about the holiday or the candy and more about the family experience. When my youngest daughter got her dog, our list of characters expanded. She insisted that her dog needed a costume as well. And, if her dog had a costume, then the others needed a costume too. (Didn't want anyone to be jealous, right?) So, as our family expanded so did our celebration!
My youngest daughter has had lots of challenges in life. She's extremely creative and talented...although most people never get to see it.
Each year, she gets to pick a character for Mommy to transform her into. (One year she even developed her very own character and I made her vision come to life.) It's so much fun to watch her eyes the first time she tries on the outfit and looks in the mirror! She literally lights up and, at the moment, every hand-stitch is more than worth it! My daughter has a very limited emotional set but, as she sees herself as her hero/favorite animal/etc., I see a spark that is absolutely priceless!
Some years, we do several outfits...which is LOTS of work! This year, she wanted only one...
Even though I had already picked out characters for her Hubby and me, my youngest daughter came up with the idea of superheros. She wanted to be her favorite superhero and her dog would be the sidekick.
The challenge was issued. It was a challenge indeed. #1...We had no budget for this endeavor (as in almost nothing to spare at all). But, there was also the challenge of finding seven superheros that would fit the need. Yes, I said seven! The three of us and then we can't forget the dogs! I went to work finding scraps of material around the house...things that I could destroy in the name of creativity...cardboard, old headbands, toilet paper rolls, old costumes, etc. I gathered together everything that I could find and pushed my creativity to meet the challenge. I ended up needed to purchase only a few items...some small felt pieces, a remnant of red material, some gold ribbon and glue sticks (I ran out!). Then, there were a few clothing items that were purchased and can be worn again...a Superman shirt, red leggings and a red shirt. I think that's everything. I managed to spend so very little...even my hubby was nice enough to expand my budget if I needed. However, I insisted that I do everything on the tightest budget possible. I was a woman on a mission!
I usually schedule a "photo shoot" on October 31. Since the weather is forecasting bad weather, we went ahead and quickly got our costumes on for some very quick photos (before I had to rush somewhere else...covered in glitter...lol!) just in case we didn't get to get anymore later. There are still a few finishing touches that need to be done but you get the idea.
So here's this year's cast of characters ~
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| I have NO IDEA why this is blue here...It's totally black on my computer and other places. It looks NOTHING like this!! :/ |
