Well, I seem to have tapped into some cultural zeitgeist for Halloween here. You would not believe how many people out there are googling "tornado costume" (and landing on my blog). Larry's still working on the costume concept here - he hauled home some heavy-duty plastic fencing from Home Depot. I think chicken wire would have been more malleable, but Larry said it was too sharp. To which I said, "So?" These kids should suffer a little for all that candy, don't you think so?
Where was I? Oh, yes, so today Larry was attempting to demonstrate how he was going to make this not very bendy fencing into a tornado costume by wrapping it around Brian's body, like so (and here he executed a very interesting pirouette while attempting to surround himself with the aforementioned material and I still can't believe I didn't have the camera handy). It's always a little scary when Larry takes over the costume design. Maybe it's a guy thing, but he heads to Home Depot instead of Michael's and tends to end up constructing costumes that are, well, very heavy-duty. The year Anna (age 8 or so) wanted to be a butterfly is a good example. Larry obtained some very heavy cardboard and cut out wings and spray painted the whole thing yellow and black (he even studied a picture of a tiger swallowtail in our butterfly book for guidance); in short, he worked a long time and made some very impressive-looking butterfly wings which spanned about 3 feet across and over 2 feet from top to bottom. He then proceeded to fasten them to Anna's little back by securing them with some heavy duty cables around her tiny waist, at which point, of course, she burst into tears. Because the costume didn't exude that flitty, floaty butterfly effect that she was after. She ended up wearing it (what choice did she have, after all the work that went into it?), but we had a real problem with her knocking smaller trick-or-treaters over with the wings as she turned around on people's front steps. And she never dared ask to be a butterfly again.
So, I'm really curious to see what Larry comes up with this time. Whatever it is, you can rest assured that it will be sturdy. And original. Stay tuned....
Oh, dear. I can see how that wasn't quite the butterfly gestalt she was going for. My husband has said many times (just this year) that if it were up to him, he WOULDN'T make the costumes, he'd tell the boys they had to be something we could buy. He also does dinner by calling the pizza place. It's good we balance each other out.
ReplyDeleteWhen my two older boys were younger I felt that to be a good mom I HAD to make a costume . . . no getting one at Target for my boys! This year my oldest son wants to stay home to pass out candy, and my middle son, who is playing football in a league, wants to be (you guessed it!) a football player. Sigh. And I don't need to make one for my toddler because he has a choice of a gazillion costumes that were previously worn by his brothers.
ReplyDeleteWith all this free time I now have maybe I'll just eat more candy.
Boy, I wish you had pictures. The costumes sound so cute, interesting and creative. Just think, if Larry builds them sturdy enough, maybe you could recycle them some next Halloween? My daughter got some cute airy wings at Card and Party Outlet for $5 for her Tooth Fairy costume. (I know. Now you tell me.)
ReplyDeleteI say, Go for it! Eat the chocolate first, though.
ReplyDeleteA tornado... I love it. Sounds like something my kid would come up with. Seems like he needs some giant plastic wrap/gauzey stuff. Can't wait to hear how it turns out.
ReplyDeleteYou don't mention how lucky you are that your husband is even taken an interest in the whole Halloween costume thingy. That would not happen here! If it weren't for the apparent danger his costumes present to the costume-wearer and those around, I would be over the moon.
ReplyDeleteI always wonder if Halloween is crafty people's conspiracy against the rest of us (OK, against me, then!). I'm still struggling to figure something out for this year, so I can't wait to see the pictures.
- Heidi :)
Oh I would have loved to see him tring to demonstrate how he was going to put fencing around him!! LOL!! Maybe he does not know about Michaels??? It is so sweet how he wants to help!!
ReplyDeleteUm, he didn't exactly want to be involved - but he wanted to be nagged even less.
ReplyDeleteLove it! I just love when husbands try to use their carpentry/ plumbing/ construction knowledge to intervene in costume design!! Thanks for the morning laugh!
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