by Amy | Oct 1, 2014 | Blog, Crafts, The Art of Gathering, The Art of Projects
I love Halloween. That’s no secret at all. One of my all time greatest dreams is to go to or host an epic Halloween party, just like the one in Hocus Pocus. Skeleton-clad musicians included.
Even though I’ve never been to a party that great–yet–I’ve still had my fair share of awesome costumes. Mostly because I have an awesome costume partner. And, although most of our costumes were thrown together in the last minute, we still pulled them off. It’s been a few years since we were costume clad for Halloween…one year I was hospitalized, the next Derek was working, and the years after that we had moved to Minot where our house was too small to host a party and none of our friends did either.
But. But, but, but…that doesn’t mean that our most amazing {and infamous} costume has been forgotten. Quite the opposite. I do my fair share of Pinning, but 90% of the time when I’m notified that one of my Pins has been repinned…I see this.
Me, Derek, Spartan Cheerleader costumes.
Yes, it’s amazing, I know.
So I thought today, being October 1st–I’d revisit this costume. The one that gets me so much buzz.
A friend recently told me that she found it on the top search results on Pinterest. Last year a friend saw it featured on a blog…and today I was contacted by the associate editor of Huffington Post Weddings. She wanted to run it in a feature about couple’s costumes. You can read it here. It’s called “18 Awesome Halloween Costumes for Couples Who Don’t Suck.” So, I guess it’s official. If you think we suck, you’re wrong. The Huffington Post says otherwise.
Crazy, I know.
The craziest part is that we literally threw that costume together the day of Halloween for a party we’d just found out about. We walked into the thrift store with a few basic ideas, and when we laid eyes on those atrocious, red, men’s pants, we knew we’d struck gold. The white bands are cut up white T-shirts destined for the rag bin. I cut the letters out of felt, and the whole ensemble is hot glued together. Who know, way back then in Enid, OK we’d be making costume history?
We even quickly memorized one of the Spartan cheers, just in case. But that never got performed in public, since the party turned out to be pretty lame. {Especially for the types who don’t consume adult beverages…us.}
After all the moves, we still have the sweaters somewhere. Just last year, I made Derek get rid of the pants. He wore them curling. I told him we could afford a pair that is new, and not bright red, or part of a gag. I only hope they have found their way into the heart of another cheerleader…
If you are looking for costume inspiration this month, check out my Killer Costumes board on Pinterest, or the HuffPost article there are some seriously clever things in there {uhhh Butter and Paula Dean?!}
Happy Haunting.
by Amy | Oct 30, 2013 | Blog, Crafts, The Art of Projects
If you’ve ever visited me here in Practically Canada, or talked with me about this place, or read my blog for a while, you know I like it here. Despite the cold and the remote location, I like it here. Despite the small town living and the limited Saturday-night options, I like it here. I really, really do. I like it because the people are hard core during the winter. They walk boldly into -20 temps without flinching. In the spring when it hits 35 it’s officially sweat shirt weather. I like the people because they have cute accents and they use the phrase, “Oh, for cute,” when they like something. I like the people because they are nice and they have quirky traditions. For one, they refer to wedding receptions as “wedding dances.” For two, often at these dances, the whole crowd does the hokey pokey. I mean everybody. Not just the kids. Cutely, adorably bizarre. Generally the natives are nice and genuinely care for one another. Someone once told me that the cold weather keeps out the riff raff.
Which leads me to the point of tonight’s post. North Dakota, Practically Canada and their traditions. Since tomorrow is Halloween, I thought I’d share a spooky tradition I just learned about. Boo-bagging.
Ever heard of it? The super-cute example above from Simple Girl give you a pretty clear idea of what a Boo Bag is. You can follow the link to get her free printable!!
It’s sweet and simple really. You pack up a bag with Halloween themed goodies. As extravagant, as Martha, or a lazy and store bought as you want. Some people make fancy bags, other people just store bought bags, or just paper lunch sacks.
Once you’ve got your goods, it basically turns into a game of ding-dong-ditch. Go to a door, ring the bell and hide or get away before the recipient opens the door and finds the bag. Cute, right? Speaking of cute, you can also be inspired by this Boo version from I Heart Nap Time. She shows you how to make this bag and how to make candy corn trail mix.
Some folks include a poem that asks those who have been “Boo’d” to Boo someone else. But I’m not a fan of pressuring people into things, so I’d just as soon leave that out. Gifts are more fun if they have no strings attached.
I love this tradition so much, I want to spread it to the world. If I had known about this I would have done it years ago. How about you? Have you heard of Boo Bagging before? I’m sure there are other places that do this, I just haven’t lived there yet. And since I have no plans for 10/31 I think I’ll drop some off tomorrow night. {Mine will be of the lazy, store bought variety.}
Amy
by Amy | Oct 19, 2012 | Blog, The Art of Gathering, The Art of Projects
It’s that time of year again. Time to hit the Goodwill at the last possible second to throw together a costume for a last minute Halloween party. If you are like me…which I think a lot of you are…you like the costume, but you don’t like the work and you don’t like spending the dough. So don’t worry. As usual, I’ve got your back. Here is a collection of costumes you can make in one afternoon with things from the local thrift shop. Some I’ve done, some I’ve laid out how they can be done…take a peek, I know you’ll be inspired.
Now, without further ado…enjoy 13 unique DIY costumes that will be the hit of the party!
My favorite costume of all time. In 2010 Derek and I dressed as the Spartan Cheerleaders. Make it yourself. Here’s what you need: Two black tank tops | a white skirt | White headband | Red athletic pants | Two old white t-shirts | Red felt.
Cut up the white shirts into sashes, then outline them with red felt. Outline the sashes with red felt. Cut out letters in felt and hot glue, glue, glue! (more…)
