Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from the Timmreck family! I wanted to post about our first Halloween with little Ella!  This year we decided to do a group family costume. Ella was Yoda, Me Leia of course and Chad is a (young) Obi-wan.  I know we are nerds.

I searched all over pinterest and the internet to find costumes. I came to the conclusion that store bought costumes are completely lame and ridiculously over priced. I also came to realize that there are not cute baby yoda patterns. So I had to get creative, and I figured I would share my ideas for anyone in the future.

Lets talk about halloween store costumes. I looked for a baby yoda costume and it cost 40 dollars! Seen Here for a little cheaper. But the costume wasn't even as cute as I wanted it to me.  After scouring some pretty boring patterns on the internet and Pinterest I decided I need to 'Make it work'.  So I went to JoAnns and found a cow costume which was a 99 cent simplicity pattern #2068. With the help of my sewing guru mother in law I modified the cow ears to the shape of yodas ears and made it out of a bright green fleece with a starwars printed flannel lining (I couldnt resist!)

I then used some brown onsie and pants I already had and took an old 2t jacket I was given and cut it down for a little robe. I left the edges raw to keep the weathered look. Fabric costing under 8 bucks with a 50% off fleece sale and the flannel with a 40% off joanns coupon. Bringing the total for Ella's homemade yoda costume to about 10 dollars!

For Chad Jedi costume I didn't even bother looking for a store bought costume because I knew that a Jedi robe is a glorified bath robe. So I went looking at thrift stores for bathrobes.  I found A dark grey one (close enough to brown for me) for 4.99. I then bought some grey matching fleece and made a hood, and used a jedi under robe pattern I saw online with some heavyweight felt for 2.99 on sale.  Bringing Chad's homemade Jedi costume to about 9 dollars!

For My Princess Leia costume I first looked online and found that most of the Leia costumes were SEXY Leia costumes which I was definitely not going for! I then found a Regular Princess Leia costume at the halloween store for 70 dollars (cheaper online)!! We are talking a onesize fits all crappy piece of polyester  with 2 or 3 seams! It not only was totally expensive but completely lame and wouldnt even fit me. I was set on making my own costume from a simple choir robe pattern but I lucked out and found a graduation robe at the thrift store for 4.99 I just turned it backwards and viola!  

The Belt and wig were a little more tricky! I decided that my hair was not quite long enough to pull off some convincing cinnamon buns so I started looking for wigs. I saw a pretty whatevs wig at the halloween store for 25 dollars (Cheaper online) to my amusement the sales guy tried shameless flirting with me to get me to buy! LOL The wig was OK but I kept looking. I then found a cute Leia bun headband for 8.99 and free shipping! I was able to use my own hair and the headband to achieve the final look. 

The Belt...oh the belt. This gave me a bit of grief. This is i think the reason that most people buy the costume, because I could not find a spare belt ANYWHERE. I did however find some very expensive one of a kind leather leia belts on ebay! Cool but, no way. I went back to the trusty internet and studied other belts people had made. I thought about buying a white or silver belt and just wearing it, but then I would have been stuck with a random and likely 20 dollar belt I would never wear. I then decided to get creative. I found at joanns in the curtain department some wide binding for 1.99 a yard. I bought some sticky felt for 1.99 and a some silver fabric for 2.99. I pressed the silver fabric on the sticky felt and cut them in shapes of the medallions. I then glued and sewed them onto the belt.  I took some old metal band buttons I had and hot glued silver fabric over them and then onto the medallions. Over all my whole Leia costume ended up costing me about 23 dollars.

Finally, no Jedi would be complete without some light sabers! We used inflatable ones given to Chad for his birthday (Thanks Julie) which can be found at party city for 2.99. I found a light up one at Target in the party favor section! In the end we all had awesome homemade costumes for just under 50 dollars for the whole family. Not only did everyone love our costumes, but when Ella grows up she knows that homemade costumes are a labor of LOVE!

One more day till the giveaway!

One day more to vote on your favorite color/follow my blog/comment on you own craftiness before I pick a winner, winner, winner, winner! Do it! I just launched my Etsy Shop so stay tuned for Hip Handmaid and Etsy details!

Cozy Giveaway!

Since I have officially become a 'Hip Handmaid' and started collecting and restoring old windows, and making my no-knit scarves I thought I would do a little give away. This is my maiden voyage into the land of giveaway posts so stay tuned for more to come. I will be giving away 2 of my hand made macrame scarves.


Here is how to enter do each of the following:

1- Become a Follower of my blog (so I can figure out who is actually reading this)
2- Vote on your favorite color
3- Post a comment on this entry and tell me what fun crafting projects you are doing this fall


This give away runs till October 1st. Winners will be chosen by a random generator online. It's a quick one so act fast and get a cute scarf for fall! I will announce the winners on Oct. 2nd, and mail it out asap so you can enjoy your cozy scarf as it starts cooling down. Check back soon for more giveaways, and for an upcoming photo shoot giveaway on my photo blog! Thanks everyone!

Projects

I get into ruts a lot. However right now, I am feeling a rare burst of inspiration. Both personally and professionally. I have been doing more photo jobs and feel that I get more creative and grow with each shoot. Also, I have had a lot of great friends who inspire me. Tamsin has a blog dedicated to projects she is doing! In the face of adversity she is still happy and continuing to stay positive and create new projects. Her mother knits the most amazing and authentic Norwegian sweaters that leave me awed.

Kate has started a crafting bizarre called Hip Handmaids. She showcases many crafty people with many different wares to sale at the beginning of December. I am toying with the idea of selling something there but I need to test my blog readers for market research to see how interested you would be in my upcoming ventures.

Liz makes awesome masks and adorable onesies that make me want to have a baby just so I can have it wear her adorable owl onesie! To be honestly... pretty much all of my friends are wonderful, crafty and talented people and I really just couldn't list everyone that inspires me, it would just be too long of a list. Not to mention coming from My Mom's Carol and Peggy who were both amazing cooks and seamstresses and my mother in law who is so talented as well! I hope to someday make them proud for creating and sending something good into the world.

In the future I may do a photo shoot giveaway to promote my photo blog. And I might just be giving away some of my upcoming projects.

Recently Maureen has started a small crafting night with Wendy and Myself. Last night I went without crafts, just ideas. It was so refreshing to bounce idea off people and to just chat in the tradition of women through the ages. I have wanted to do, and have done craft nights in different incarnations over the years and I have to say that I am so excited to be with people who have fun ideas and are inspiring and encouraging! I have to give props to the Hostel House girls for the original crochet nights! I think back with fond memories of 15 people sitting around the room all making projects! Mindy you are a yarn Goddess and I miss you and want to pick your brain about ideas!

OK.... So here are some of my ideas for upcoming projects. These may or may not be something I may consider selling on etsy or anywhere but I want to write them down.... so all of you in blogdom know that I am starting!

I found these amazing old windows in the alley by my house. I also have been searching craigslist for free old windows. Since I have worked as a framer (picture framer) in the past. I thought I could use my skills to vamp up these windows into beautiful pieces to hang in a home. They can be hung by themselves, or made into picture frames. I am banking on the whole shabby chic idea. I am considering leaving some white and pretty original and wiring them and creating backing mats so they can be used as picture frames. I am also going to be painting some of them in funky colors: red, green, blue, pink and turquoise and then distressing them to give them the vintage/shabby chic look. I think these would look great in a babies room, or as a beautiful show piece. I have also toyed with the idea of using them to create room dividers.

What do you (my blog peeps) think? Would you pay money for these? How much would you pay? What colors would you like? Would you like them as frames or just windows as art?

this is a 2x3 window, but I have many square 2x2 frames as well!

My other projects I want to make are crochet flowers, for hats, headbands, scarves, sweaters, or anything really. It would be easy to make a lot of them in different groovy colors. I have been wanting to do this for a while but just havent been on top of it. I saw this beautiful and delicate crochet necklace that I want to create in different colors and lengths.


This last project is a knitless scarf Mindy showed me a long long time ago, and Ive been wanting to make ever since. It looks so radical and EASY! I can't wait. This might just be my first of many of these!

I am so excited about my new upcoming projects! If you have any ideas, tips, input or even encouragement... anything you have to say would be greatly appreciated!