Phase Two

During Phase One my son and I were working on a 1950's space inspired costume.  We worked for a couple of days on a paper model and then he came home from school with this....


He decided that instead of the Buck Rogers / Flash Gordon type, he would rather be a robot that wears a mask.  A month passed, I was very busy taking online classes.  Yesterday Bouncing Boy and I FINALLY moved on to phase two of our project.  We tweaked the mask just a little bit; made the eye hole a tiny bit bigger and moved the breathing vents up to where his nose and mouth are.  Examining his design closely, I was really impressed with one of his "technical" solutions.  In order to help the mask not slide down he had cut little pieces out that fit over the ears, "like sunglasses!"  We kept that little bit of genius in the final design!   He decided on the colors, blue and black with a red jewel.  We worked out together where to put the blue and the black and the jewel.  I cut the mask out of craft foam and taped it together just to make sure we had everything just right.  

Bouncing Boy really wanted me to paint the jewel so it looked "like it sticks out."  With his excited approval I painted the whole mask "like it sticks out."  

Today we glue it all together and work out the details to the rest of the costume.  I love collaborating on costumes with him.  He is full of fun creative ideas, and he is really good at listening to other ideas, too.  
While Bouncing Boy and I were busy with the mask, Baby Girl entertained herself by making "shoes."

You gotta love the creativity, but good grief what a MESS!
Stay tuned for Phase Three!

More Happy Little Fairies

Yesterday marked the conclusion of a two-part fairy wings and tutu class, and just in time for Halloween.  I am so excited about the creativity my students brought to the class!  We had a very small class, but one of my favorite classes of all time.  It is always my goal to encourage students to use their creativity.  For the class, I provided outlines of 3 wing patterns from last year, plus the two new ones I created for this year, as a starting place for students.  This year I had one student create her own wing pattern, another alter existing wings, and 2 more students use existing wing patterns, but paint them in very creative ways.  These ladies all get gold stars for creativity and super cute one-of-a-kind Halloween costumes!

Class began by choosing or creating wing shapes, and then we moved on to painting.

One student created a bat wing pattern.  She had a great beginning, but was unable to attend the second class.  I really hope I get the chance to see the project finished!

After the wings were painted students made no-sew tutus using a method that yours truly created to avoid the tangled, rolled up mess that can sometimes accompany making no-sew tutus.   

Once the tutus were finished, students finished and embellished their wings. 

These wings and tutu were designed to go with a pig hat, which I think will be absolutely adorable, and super fun!

I love the boldness of these wings and the sunflowers make the perfect accents!

These lovely tri-colored wings and tutu were designed to go with a Tinker Bell costume.  This student so enjoyed making wings, that she plans to make another pair for her upcoming wedding!

Thanks for the inspiring class! Those are some lucky kiddos! 

If you are interested in making your own fairy wings and tutu, this pattern with a full set of illustrated, detailed instructions is available on Etsy.