Easy DIY Halloween Costumes

Hello friends! With Halloween coming up, I thought I'd try to give some answers to the age-old question: What should I dress up as? Here are 10 easy DIY costumes. If some require a bit more DIY work, I'll also include instructions.

1. Raining Cats and Dogs
     You will need:
          An umbrella
          Plush cats & dogs
          Clear string like fishing line
          Optional: crystal raindrops, rain boots/coat
    How to do it:
          Tie the toys to the inner rods of the umbrella using the fishing line (and the crystal
          raindrops if you have them). If desired, wear rain boots/coat.

2. Morton Salt Girl
    You will need:
          A white/clear umbrella
          A yellow dress/tunic/coat
          White leggings/tights/jeans
          Yellow shoes
          Morton Salt

 3. Vintage Wind-Up Toy (picture tutorial below)
    You will need:
          A vintage outfit (babydoll dress, lace dress, Mary Janes, etc.)
          Doll makeup    
          Cardboard
          Paper towel tube
          Scissors
          Pencil
          Paint
          Paint brush
          Ribbon (preferably to match your outfit)
          Glue

4. Belle (Beauty and the Beast) (hair tutorial below)
    You will need:
          A blue dress
          A white blouse
          A white apron
          Black shoes
          Blue ribbon (to tie around ponytail)
          Books

 

5. Ty Beanie Baby
    You will need:
          An animal-themed onesie
          Red cardstock
          White paint
          Paint brushes
            Scissors
          String
    How to do it:
          Cut a heart out of the cardstock and paint on the Ty logo. Attach the tag either
          around the neck as a necklace or to the zipper of the onesie.

6. Mary Poppins
    You will need:
          A long-sleeved white blouse
          A knee-length black skirt
          Black tights
          Black shoes
          A black fedora hat
          Red ribbon (for around the waist and to make a bowtie)
          Fake daisies
          Hot glue
          A black umbrella
          A black purse
    How to do it:
          For the bowtie, tie a bow and double knot it, clipping the ends off. Glue it to a
          ribbon longer than your neck, and tie it under the collar in the back. For the hat,
          glue the daisies to the base of the hat so they are in the crease between the hat
          and the brim.

7. "Sleeping Beauty" OR Princess Mia (Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement)
    You will need:
          A tiara
          Pajamas (preferably a matching set/nightgown)
          Slippers
          Optional: a teddy bear, a sleep mask, a pillow/blanket

8. The Man with the Yellow Hat (Curious George)
    You will need:
          A yellow button-down shirt
          Yellow pants
          A yellow tie
          A yellow hat
          Brown combat boots
           A black belt
          Black felt
          Hot glue
          A stuffed monkey (or a child dressed as a monkey)
    How to do it:
          Cut out black felt circles and glue them to the tie, then cut strips of black felt to
          glue a stripe around the base of the hat.

9. Medusa
    You will need:
          A white flowy dress (think ancient Greek/Roman style)
          Small plastic snakes
          Bobby pins
          Optional: gold jewelry

10. "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs"
      You will need:
             An umbrella
             Cotton stuffing
             Hot glue
             Clear string like fishing line
             Floral styrofoam balls (in the floral section of craft stores)
               Brown paint
            Sponge-tip brushes
       How to do it:
             Glue the stuffing all over the umbrella. Paint the Styrofoam balls brown, gluing
             some to the cotton and attaching others to the inner rods of the umbrella with
             fishing line.

Note: All pictures saved from Pinterest.

Happy Halloween!
Erin
         

Sweet Spot: Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

Hello friends! Today I have another recipe I made for dinner a few weeks back. My family is always going in different directions, so quick and easy dinners are our go-to. The problem is, quick and easy can become kind of monotonous. When I saw this on Pinterest, I thought it would be the perfect addition to our recipe arsenal.

The Lineup:
     2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
     1 lb. lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
     Garlic powder, onion powder, salt & pepper (to taste)
     1/4 cup steak sauce
     1 cup beef stock
     2 tbsp. butter
     2 tbsp. flour
     1 cup 2% milk
     1 cup provolone cheese, shredded (I used provolone & mozzarella)
     1 medium yellow onion, chopped
     1 green bell pepper, chopped
     4 buns or rolls, split in half*

The Play-by-Play:
     1. Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a large pan. Add ground beef and cook thoroughly, making sure
         meat is crumbled. Season to taste with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and
         pepper.
     2. Add steak sauce and beef stock to ground beef. Bring to a bubble and cook about 2
         minutes.
     3. In a separate saucepan, melt butter and stir in flour. Cook about 1 minute until
         thickened.
     4. Slowly whisk in milk to butter and flour, bringing to a bubble.
     5. Stir in cheese, mixing until melted. Remove from heat.
     6. In a small pan, heat 1 tbsp. oil. Add peppers and onions, seasoning with salt and
         pepper to taste, cooking until onions are caramelized.
    *7. To bring sandwiches to the next level, split buns in half, lightly brush with oil, and
         season. Put under oven broiler or grill, watching carefully, until crisp and warm.
     8. Assemble sandwiches. Enjoy!

Quick Play:
The original recipe calls for onions in the ground beef, and has nothing about bell peppers. To keep the sandwiches more like Philly cheesesteaks, I decided to sauté the peppers and onions to top the sandwiches.

*Note: I completely forgot to take pictures of the finished product. The whole process went smoothly until I burnt the buns because they were on the lower rack of my oven (upon which everything burns), and then they spilled into my sink of dirty dishes because my hand was burning through my oven mitt. It was a very eventful 30 seconds, but the sandwiches were still great.

The Playmaker: http://joandsue.blogspot.ca/2012/07/philly-cheesesteak-sloppy-joes.html

I wish you all the best,
Erin