Monthly Archives: October 2012

Second Annual Rejected (yet totally AWESOME) Halloween Costume Ideas

October 23, 2012Kiddo Holidaysfunny halloween costumes, honey boo boo, kooky costumes, unusual Halloween costume ideasDottie

Well, the eternal struggle to come up with a brilliant, quirky, showstopper of a Halloween costume continues. Last year, I came up with five unusual (but totally rad) costume ideas. Â This year I had a few more ideas. My sweetie, Eric of course thinks they are all completely unsuitable for our little kiddo, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t rock them for your kiddo. So, I will share with you what I believe to be showstoppingly awesome costume ideas.

Here we go:

You are just some garish make-up, a curly mop top wig, and some crazy spandex away from being Honey Boo Boo, that little kapow of cuteness who is this year’s Snooki. Don’t worry, if you don’t go as her, one of your friends/work associates/neighbors will.

Mckayla Maroney is a gymnastic medalist and I can’t imagine how hard it must have been to dedicate years of her life to this beautiful sport only to have it all distilled down to one of the most hilarious memes of the summer. Oh that smirk! I really hope she got some amazing sponsorship deals… Clearly only an adult could do it justice.

Yeah, well, it’s easy for him. He’s Picasso! But you can be too with the help of a great striped shirt, some huraches and a bald wig. Bring along a little pad of paper, quickly doodle some pictures and give them away telling people to save for their child’s college fund. Because it has been so long since Jon Lovitz did that hilarious Saturday Night Live skit, that this will come off as fresh.

We should all go as this amazingly hilarious woman! A working mom who rocked it and had the funniest, self deprecating jokes ever! Like:

“My photographs don’t do me justice!Â They look exactly like me!”
“Best way to get rid of kitchen odorsâ€”eat out!”
“Housework won’t kill you, but why take the chance??”

Bonus points if you find such fabulous boots.

For the up and coming goth kid!Â If it was good enough for John Cusak, it’s good enough for you!Â Raven optional.

This actually would be awesome as Halloween costume!Â All you need red track suit and someone to follow you around with a tape recorder of THAT SOUNDâ€”you know the one…Â And if you do it as a kid, you are guaranteed to get you a couple extra Reese’s peanut butter cups smuggled into your bag by the 40+ year old Dad wiping a tear away from his eye.

I know. Katniss is awesome. Girl archery power, etc. But c’mon you gotta love Effieâ€”especially when played by one of my favorite comic actresses, Elizabeth Banks!Â Who doesn’t love taffeta? And crazy make up? It is Halloween, right?

And there you have it. Expected or unexpected? Would you ever consider going as any of these little gems?? Any other ideas?

Vintage Kiddo Retro Round Up of AWESOMENESS!!!

October 22, 2012Vintage Toys + Fun StuffDottie

I hope you had a nice weekend!Â Mine was full of kiddo birthday parties, ballet lessons, sewing a certain someone’s not easy Halloween costume and a great gab fest with a friend!Â But of course I had to share with you some sweet vintage goodies. And this week, I got quite a few goodies!

I don’t know who these guys are on the hem of this dress, but boy are they cute! From Etsy seller, Vintage Under the Sun.

You have to admit, this amazing striped turtleneck doesn’t even look vintage, it is so cool! From Etsy seller, Sweet Pickin.

I’m completely in love with this sweet little Swedish vintage top for a newborn! Sigh! From Etsy seller, Scandivintage.

This little vintage brush set would be a great present for a new mama baby shower, yes? From Etsy seller, Oliver’s Forest.

This would make a sweet widdle cowboy costume for some nice little guy this Halloween! From Etsy seller, Fuzzymama.

Hoo boy, I adore this little horn playing jumper! If it only fit the Peach… From Etsy seller, Storybook Retro.

Pink plaid is so hard to find as is this big girl size 10 jacket too! From Etsy seller, Olive Vintage.

This plastic pony still has some kick left in her for future rides! From Etsy seller, Noodle & Lou.

It’s almost snow season, and this snow suit would be great for any little kiddo! Doesn’t look like something Luke wore when he was on that really cold planet in Star Wars 2 before he met Yoda? From Etsy seller, Bondplace Vintage.

I would buy this sweet yellow vintage cardi in a heart beat if I could squeeze the Peach into it.Â From Etsy seller, Baby Shapes.

Happy Monday!

4th Annual Modern Kiddo We Love Homemade Costumes Parade!

October 19, 2012Holiday Kiddobest kids costumes, DIY Halloween Costumes, Halloween, Homemade CostumesAlix

image: cammi heath: small magazine

Step right up folks, itâ€™s that time again!Â I am thrilled to present our Fourth Annual Modern Kiddo Costume Parade! We said wanted to see yer best homemade costumesâ€”the good, the bad, the semi disastrous. And you delivered! Of course I should have known that Modern Kiddo readers are crazy clever and yaâ€™ll turned it out with some spectacular costumes (I mean, I canâ€™t lie. I was secretly hoping to see some goofy fun disasters but there isn’t a clunker in the bunch!). Take a look at some of these fantastic creations. Seriously guysâ€¦.you are so talented!

Let’s start with a bang, my friends. Beautiful Bela is one of the most creative kiddos I knowâ€”as is her mama Karen (of Misha Lulu fame). Check out this phenomenal Alice in Wonderland costume….complete with Rabbit’s house. Curiouser and curiouser!

This is her as a pouty Frida Kahlo. I love it!

One of our favorite movies is Kiki’s Delivery Service. Melissa (bucktoothmama) made this outstanding Kiki costume for her sweet Sadie. LOVE!

Awesome Kiddo friend Greta (of the famous Little Rainbow costume!) never disappoints. Sweet Olive went as an ice cream cone last year and it’s adorable!

I really should save this one for the end, but OMG, would you get a load of Sarah Ivy’s amazing son Finn as Baby Bowie???? This kid, I tell ya.

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’sÂ the adorable Super Wren! Her mom Mari (Small for Big) crafted up this crazy cute super hero ensemble and I love it!

Well, HELLO DOLLY! This might be the cutest thing I have ever seen!Â Mama Stacey (hartandsew) turned her sweet Little Miss into a wind up dolly.

It’s brilliant, no?? Â Stacey gave us a little peek into her genius simplicity: “The dress is a vintage dressÂ from my shop. The Wind-up Key was made out of a toilet paper roll, styrofoam ball, and cardboard cutout, spray-painted gold. Elastic bands around her arms are attached to the toilet paper roll by brass paper fasteners!” The following year she and her sister went as a butterfly and caterpillar. I love this too!

How about this adorable (a-thorable??)Â Thor!Â Amazing mom Cheri (i am momma hear me roar) made this rad out fit for her little guy! Check outÂ how she made it here.

The darling Isabella was a phenomenal She-Ra! This is SO GOOD, friends!

Her siblings were not to be outdone, check outÂ Vincent as the spunky robot (genius use of CDs on that robot!) and sweet little Donovan as a (sleepy) penguin!

OK. This is amazing. Carrie Anne (thelittlebigblog) turned her sweet cutie into Baby Sushi. BABY SUSHI!!!! Cuddly and cute.

While we’re on adorable baby’s, how about sweet Matilda May asÂ this little BebeÂ Unicorn? The wings are so sweet!

Little Miles dressed up as Russell from the Pixar movie “UP”??? Just kills me. Look at that widdle face!

Melissa of (whileitrains) sent me these next two beauties. I’ve seen quite a few little Snow Whites in my time, but honestly little Stella is just 10x cuter than most!

I also have a supreme fondess for Dorothy’s……and little Miss Rowan is so sweet!

I’m not sure what’s more incredible, the fact that this woman birthed quadruplets or that she crafted up these GORGEOUS Where the Wild Things Are outfits for them!!!! (yes, that deserves four exclamation points!)Â You can seeÂ more of her beautiful boys here.

My friend Jess’ boy (mylittlemustach) little Judah as an Ewok is just crazy cute….part teddy bear and part hip Star Wars awesomeness!

I love simple and sweet costumes and this one is awesome! Little Eames as Elmer Fudd! Whaddup putty tatt??

Katrina (CaliKatrina) stole my heart with the simplicity of her little Ewan in this little ghost. It’s SO Charlie Brown, I just love it!

(Also can we discuss how cute her outfit it??? I want that SKIRT!)

My friend Dawn loves Halloween….her little cutie Memphis went as a classic Box Robotâ€” I love a good box costume!!

Our friend Gabrielle sent us her two cutes boys, Arlo and Billy! Billy was one of our very first Weekly Kiddos and I just love seeing updates on him! His “retro” ghoul is fab! And Arlo’s knight is terrific!

**BIGGER KIDDOS**

OK. As kiddos get older, they either tire of dressing up or they KICK IT UP A NOTCH! My talented friend Inessa (diaperstylememoirs) is of the KICK IT UP A NOTCH school! Check out her handsome boy (you’ll have to trust me on this one) as Beetlejuice!! Inessa really makes the BEST costumes!

My friend James (bleubird)Â sent me these hilariously awesome shots of her two older kiddos. Julian is too funny as Ron Burgundy (from Will Farrell’s Anchorman!). LOVE IT!

And the usually sweet Milla is brilliant as a super scary Girl Scout Zombie! So great!

Our friend Krista’s little girl Izzy went as an amazing SPOOKTACULAR bride! It reminds me of the bride at the Disneyland Haunted Mansion. Love it!

My friend Ward is super talented…check out this Sand Person (ahem….or Tuscan Raider) he made for his rockin’ boy Ezra. WOW!

Reader Angel and her husband made this AMAZING Lego costume for her younger brother last year. How did they do that headpiece??

** GROUPS! **

OK, Mollie Greene’s family had me in stitches! Each costume is terrific (Bat Boy Jude, little Lola as Super Mario and The Nerd, starring Henry) but something about them all together is just killing me!

I always love when little girls opt for untraditional costumes. Katie’s sweet Paisley loves Peter Pan….but did she want to be Tinker Bell? Oh no friends. She wanted to be SMEDE, the pirate! LOVE!

Here’s the whole family in on the action! Mama Katie (katiecupcake) is the lovely Wendy!

Our rockin’ friend Tiffanie (corner blog) has the cutest familyâ€”check them out as a Side Show extravaganza! Bearded lady! World’s Strongest baby! Sideshow Barker! Aaaaaand a sweet Dorothy thrown in for good measure!
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Little Josiah is a Star Wars fanatic so when he went as Darth Vader, sweet mama Jocelyn (thenestingspot) decided all the kids would follow along. Â Sister Audrey was Master Yoda (in fact, Yoda was one of her first words!).Â Little William was only 2 weeks old so he doesn’t have a lot of say in it all but he sure made a cute R2-D2!!

AWESOME EXPRESSIONS!

I am loving this Little Miss Muffet. Mama Shelley hand stitched it herself for little Lindsayâ€”completeÂ with bloomers! Her reaction is great!

My sweet friend Katherine sent me this awesome photo of her and her sweet lil man Henry. I just love that wistful expression! He totally looks like a little Civil War soldier!

Sweet Holly sent us these two rascals…..PIPPI!!!!!! And a really enthusiastic (and adorable) Anakin!

Etienne’s boy Oliver rules….here he is as a VERY dramatic vampire (with sweet Marlowe as the turtle!).

…and the year before, as a SUPER coolÂ Tarantula. SO clever!

Speaking of clever….look how amazing Tara’s little fella Jake is as Jonah in the Belly of the Whale!! His expression kills me….haha!

This is another keeper. Tori’s son Augie as Eddie Van Halen!! Â Toria told us everything, including the wig, was thrifted and then modified. The guitar was a purple Hannah Montana one before she painted it! It was such fun…

And finally….we come full circle. Remember little baby Bowie? Well sweet Finn is going as Dr. Who this year!

WHEW!Â So there you have it. Â Iâ€™m exausted.Â AMAZING stuff my friends! Oh, if you submitted a costume and donâ€™t see it here, please let me know! It probably just got lost in the shuffle and Iâ€™m happy to add it to the parade! EVERYONE is invited!!

Can’t get enough of homemade costumes? Check out last year’s Homemade Costume Parade for even more inspiration!

CRAFTOBER: A return to quilting.

October 18, 2012Crafts + DIYhand quilting, UFOsDottie

When I was home last Christmas, I went through all of my old boxes that had been in the basement for years.Â I found in one my first attempt at making a quilt.

This was the product of a long weekend staying at my beloved craft mom’s house. I still remember it so well!Â Mrs. Jones was and is an amazing amazing quilter. She took me to a fabric shop and let me design my first quilt–picking out a pattern and fabrics.Â The colors were decidedly Laura Ashly inspired but at the time I loved them.

I sped through making that quilt top so quickly. Let’s just say the pieces didn’t necessarily match up perfectly. But it didn’t matter to me.

Then I moved cross country and the quilt was packed up, only to be taken out again a few years later after I was cast in the musical, Quilters.Â I guess my drama teacher was into method acting because she set up a quilt to hand stitch in the school library. I remember sitting there during many a free period slowly learning to hand quilt.Â And I loved it.Â It was simply magical to me.

But the musical ended and I was swept up into applying for colleges and being a senior and the little pink, blue and green quilt was boxed up again, to be forgotten until that trip out to Colorado for the holidays.

My parents happily sent that quilt out to me and again, it waited. Until a week ago, when I felt the need to to some hand quilting.Â Just an hour at night. I’m amazed at how fast I fell into it again.Â And with the temps lowering, it is pretty nice to just snuggle under the quilt.

When I pick up the quilting hoop, the Peach will find me and snuggles under it. And the cat just knows. I can’t pull out without that cat finding me and plunking herself right on top of it.

I’m making mistakes, of course and this quilt isn’t the most fabulous colors, but they have grown on me. I do still love them.Â And there is just something about this something quilt… I just want to finish it.Â Twenty years isn’t too long to take to finish it?Â Surely someone has an older UFO hanging around in their craft room? Or not. But I’m really enjoying the process right now and that is half of the battle, right?

I’m taking Craftober very seriously, indeed!

Are you a quilter? Have you ever tried hand quilting?

CRAFTOBER: Swinging Seventies Crafting with McCall’s!

October 18, 2012Best of Dottie, Crafts + DIYDottie

As you know, I love a good vintage craft book! And this one is a holy grail of awesomeness!

Published in 1975, this sweet craft book has the best seventies crafts one could imagine.Â And some that really should be brought back–like this wonderful tissue paper lampshade designs.