Halloween Revisited

This is a repost from 2008.  It also happens to be my second most popular story.  Apparently people are very interested in the Snap Crackle and Pop outfits pictured further down!  So, I figured, what the heck?

Since my kids won't be dressing up, and since I somehow never found the time to make the Liquorville costumes I was hoping to... and since we really don't have a party to wear them to anyway... why not take a little stroll down Halloween-costume-memory-lane?

So now, without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy this encore presentation of the very popular Fun Monday, Halloween!

The host for this week's Fun Monday is Sayre of Sayre Smiles. She made me smile when I found out that this weeks participants would be posting pictures of Halloween Costumes! Here's what she says:

"Tell us about your favorite Halloween as a kid (pictures, if you have them!), and show us your costume for this year. If you're not dressing up, show us a picture of a pumpkin carving that really tickled your fancy or how you decorated your house. "

I know, she said my favorite costume, but Halloween is my absolute FAVORITE HOLIDAY and these costumes ... all hand made ... they're like my children, I can't possibly pick a favorite! Growing up, my mother made all of our clothes, so when it came time for Halloween, why wouldn't she make our costumes too? I learned everything I know from her, and continued the tradition of homemade costumes.

So, without further ado, let's bring out our first model...

Here we have my baby sister Vicki modeling a lovely pink pioneer woman dress. This dress, made of cotton candy pink percale, features white ric rack and had a matching bonnet when I originally wore it.

Next up we enter what I like to call my mother's "ethnic years." Here we see me, sporting a lovely bathrobe, magically transformed into a kimono with the use of a scarf, some rubber thongs and a live hibiscus flower. Yes, live.

Moving on, we see Vicki again in another selection from the ethnic collection. This time the fabric is purest white bed sheet, embellished with the finest felt tip markers. Her adorable curly bob is set off with a headband and feather, fashioned from 100% Safeway grocery bag. And pulling this ensemble all together are the blue fuzzy slippers.

Next, we fast forward in time to a David Bowie inspired creation. This stunning silver space suit was the result of finding silver pants at a thrift store for a dollar then spending twenty five more dollars on the silver material, thread, and makeup. A bargain compared to today's prices!

Here we see me sporting a traditional witch costume, lightened up for this festive occasion by the use of a red scarf jauntily looped around the hat, and some red earrings. The real star here is my BFF Kimisue who is channeling Sally Field in her Flying Nun costume. This white, on white on white habit is fashioned again from bedsheet. The hat, or wimple, as it is called, is made from cardboard box, and hours and hours of papier mache.

At yet another party, Kimisue and I are joined by our other BFF Tami! Kimisue, on the left, is respendent in her weathered chaps, with matching hat and ammo belt. Tami, in the middle, 8 months pregnant at the time, was the ball attached by a chain to her convict husband... a costume that proved to be only too prophetic. And here we see the silver pants from the space suit of a couple of years ago repurposed in this ringmaster outfit, complete with red satin waistcoat and tails!

Me again, modeling my whimsical wench wardrobe (at work). This fetching ensemble features a peasant blouse and skirt, dyed to match. Not visible are the white eyelet knee length bloomers which match the perky dust cap which (thankfully) covers my 80s shag haircut. Costume comes with black hose and shoes. Pewter drinking mug and cockney accent optional.

Next up, a splendid recreation of the cereal box heroes - Snap Crackle and Pop. Thats Cathy on the left as Pop! Mary in the middle as Crackle! and on the right, that's me as Snap!

And finally, closing out our Halloween fashion show, the lovely me, in my own rendition of the infamous "picnic dress" worn by Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With The Wind.

There's my Halloween repertoire, what's YOUR favorite costume?  And make sure you visit all of the other Fun Monday participants to check out their rogues gallery!

Autumn

As autumn closes in, I can already feel the impending chill of winter.  

It is as if we are suspended for a moment, while autumn exhales a long sigh of submission, at the same time winter is inhaling its first eager, icy breath. Skies turn grey, leaves turn brown, and people turn inward. In this instant, poised between light and dark, between abundance and death, transformation is all around us.

 

Last night, my husband and I attended a memorial service for a vivacious 17-year old girl, who died suddenly this week of a brain aneurysm. She was the daughter of dear friends, but also a theatre kid, so she might as well have been ours. As we took our seats among the 1,000 others gathered there, the shock and raw grief was palpable, as was the regret for lost chances and missed opportunities. It brought into stark clarity the need to live in the moment as much as possible. But as we listened to the stories told by friends, and teachers, and songs sung by cast-mates, we began to take what comfort we could in their common message, best summed up by her principal, who wished he would have said sooner, “Thank you. You made me a better person than I truly am.” In her short time among us, this bright and lively spirit, transformed us all.

Autumn is change; a closing, a shift. It is a kind of acceptance of the passage of time, of our own mortality, which does not necessarily herald the end, but merely a part of a never ending cycle. Life never really stands still, and we never know when that last warm day will be, or when that last hug is truly the last. So how do we cope with the whims of fate and the relentless advance of time? Live in the moment. Seize the day. Make the most of now. There are simple moments every day to enjoy while they last. In time, another transformation will take place, the sun will shine, the birds will return, the leaves will grow again, and the cycle of life will go on.

Charli pays tribute with a song from "Hairspray"

"There's a cry

In the distance

It's a voice

That comes from deep within

There's a cry

Asking why

I pray the answer's up ahead

yeah

'Cause I know where I've been"

The pink in this picture is inspired by Beverly at How Sweet The Sound's Pink Saturday

Bra-Vada!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and everywhere there are benefits and fundraisers.  Here in the FM all month long, teams and individuals can be found raising money and awareness by collecting old BRAs and of course money for our local FUNdraiser

BRAs of every size shape and color are strung together to create a BRA Garland that is draped across the front and sides of the Hotel Donaldson during the week of October 23rd in support of breast cancer 
awareness month.

Last night, a group of BRAve and BRAssy broads gathered for a BRAnd new kind of party we called BRA-VADA.

Our BRAinchild was to use all of the spare beads, BRAcelets and BRAid we had lying around to make sure the BRAs we donated could be seen among the thousands in the BRA garland.
There was a lot of BRAgging, some BRAndishing of hot glue guns, but luckily no BRAwls broke out.

The end result was amazing! 

Some were demure and almost wearable.

Some were fabulous.

Some BRAzen,  

We weren't afraid to BRAnch out, and try new things. 

In fact we had so much fun we're going to make this an annual event!
BRAce yourself!

 BRAvo!

The pink in these pictures is inspired by Beverly at How Sweet The Sound's Pink Saturday
The shameless self promotion is inspired by Mrs. G at Derfwad Manor's Showboat Saturday