DIY Olaf Costume

If you're anything like me, you have probably waited until the last minute to figure out Halloween costumes for your children. You would have thought since this is Charlotte's first Halloween, I would have had her costume figured out months ago...that couldn't be more wrong! Last week a quick panic came over me when I realized I hadn't even thought about a Halloween costume and it was in just two weeks!

After a good Pinterest session, I decided on Olaf. Since Frozen is so hot right now (see what I did there?!), I decided to ride that train while I can, because I'm sure by this time next year, no one will even know that lovable snowman's name.

In an effort to not break the bank on a costume she will only wear for an hour or so, I decided I would try my hand at making it. After all, she isn't going to remember this Halloween and dressing her up is for pure selfish reasons on my part so the simpler the better. My only stipulation was to make sure it was cute enough for pictures! 

What you'll need:

Tulle

White ribbon

White short sleeve onsie

Embroidery machine (optional)

Black fabric (additional fabric if you are making Olaf's face by hand)

Glue

Scissors

Black tights

Black long sleeve shirt

Making the skirt was my first step. I didn't bother doing a full tutorial on this, since there are already 1,000 of them out there. Here is the one I used for the tutu. This was super easy and doesn't require a sewing machine or any sewing skill so don't be afraid!

The next step was to make the onsie. I chose to do a short sleeve one because I wanted a black one sleeve shirt underneath so she had twig arms just like Olaf! I found an embroidery file that was an applique of Olaf's face, so I simply made the shirt that way. If you don't have an embroidery machine, his face is simple enough to make on your own. I would either hand draw his face directly on the onsie or cut out pieces of fabric and glue them on. 

Now for the final touches! Simply add black tights, black fabric circles to the tutu and your black long sleeve shirt, and that's all there is to it! I'm so proud that the only money I spent on this costume was to purchase the embroidery file for the shirt. Everything else I managed to have from leftover projects or were part of Charlotte's existing wardrobe. 

The only thing left is a head piece of some sort. I know Olaf doesn't wear a hat, but I was thinking about maybe a basic white bow with some pipe cleaners coming out the top like his hair. Let me know if you have a better idea. I would love to hear about it!

Minnie's Bow Headband

I wish I could say I was this creative and came up with this idea on my own, however, that would be a lie. Amanda over at Dixie Delights shared this adorable DIY last month and as soon as I saw it, I just had to try it out for myself! Imagine all the possibilities!

To start, you just need a set of Minnie Mouse ears (I went with the classic ones you can get in the parks), some elastic, alligator clips and any bow you want. This project takes no skill or time so dust off those mouse ears before your next trip to Disney!

First you want to carefully cut off the original bow that came on your ears. Don't worry though because you will be able to have the classic Minnie look again by using this same bow whenever you like. Now you need to glue your elastic to the headband where the bow once was. You'll want to glue on the underside so the top can be where your new bows will attach.

Now that your elastic is secured to the headband, go ahead and make your bows using your favorite fabric. For mine. I used Lilly and Star Wars (perfect for Star Wars the Weekend) fabric, but this is where you can have fun. Get creative and find fabrics that coordinate with your Disney Park outfits (what, you don't have a separate wardrobe for your Disney trips?). You can even find holiday themed fabrics if you're planning on being in Disney for Halloween, Christmas or New Years.

Once you've settled on a bow, or four, simply take your alligator clip and slide it under the center piece of the bow at the bottom. Normally you would attach your alligator clip to the backside of the bow, but for this project you want it on the bottom.

And there you have it! Slide it in to the elastic and now your bows are interchangeable! Make sure you put an alligator clip on the original bow as well so you can still wear them the classic way! Below are all the ones I've made so far. I've decided that I need to make bigger bows, but I didn't have any big enough pieces of scrap fabric, so for now these will do, but be prepared to see some real obnoxious ones!

I now have ears for every outfit and occasion! I seriously can't contain my excitement. Imagine all the different Minnie ears I'm going to have on my next trip in December! What do you think? If you have a trip coming up, will you do this for you and your family?

Disney Inspired Jamberry Nails

I kept hearing a lot about Jamberry Nails so I thought it was time to see what the big deal was about. I perused their website and thought the patterns were cute, but nothing to write home about (a lot of them just weren't my style and I had a hard time imagining all 10 of my nails with an intricate pattern). That is until I did a little googling and stumbled across Disney inspired Jamberry nails! I found a consultant via Pinterest that had all sorts of custom designs that I could totally see myself rocking during a Disney trip. I HAD to give these a try!

After exchanging a few emails with the consultant, I had placed my first order! Even though she lives across the country, within a few days they were in my mailbox. I quickly saw that I could easily get two manicures and two pedicures out of the one sheet....totally worth it!

Now the hard part, figuring out how to apply these things. I wanted to practice so when it was time to do them for Disney, I was a seasoned veteran. I will admit, the first go at it was a HUGE learning experience and didn't even last 24 hours before I peeled them off. The second time, I did some research and watched a few videos online to master the technique. I'm still no pro, but I'm definitely getting better.

I found the key was in the prep. Make sure to push down your cuticles, clean your nails with an alcohol pad and file the tops of your nails to make them rough which will help the adhesive adhere better. That last step is super important and one that isn't advertised.

I chose not to heat the wraps before placing them on my nail as I saw that you can omit this step via Jamberry's tips and tricks video. I also learned from my first experience that fitting them to your nail is super important and you should always chose the wrap that is slightly smaller over the wrap that is slightly too big. The reason being is that you don't want the wrap to touch your skin at all as this breaks up the adhesive and makes it more likely to lift up.

Once you place them on your fingers, you will want to press down firmly and make sure you have no wrinkles or bubbles. Using the cuticle pusher is handy during this step. Then I heat each nail wrap and pressed firmly again. I waited until they were cool before I began trimming. Now that they are adhered and trimmed, I went over them again with the heat to ensure a tight bond. Now all that's left is to file them down to smooth out the tips.

Overall I found these to be a refreshing change from the standard nail polish routine, but just be prepared for a learning curve if you've never done them before. I must say, I LOVE all the options you can get including designing your own via the Nail Art Studio! 

What do you think? Will you give Jamberry a try?

DIY Disney Painted Toms

I've seen custom painted Disney Toms floating around on Etsy for a few years now and it wasn't until I saw Dixie Delights post on how to do them yourself, that I decided to take a stab at them. After all, I draw Mickey and Minnie heads during meetings everyday, why can't I custom paint my own Toms?

To be clear, I didn't have the guts to paint a fresh new pair of Toms; what if they turned out horrible?! I couldn't stand the thought of ruining a $50 pair of shoes. So off to Walmart I went to buy some bo bo shoes. They only cost $9 and Target wanted $20 for their fake Toms, um no thanks!

What you'll need:

Toms or look alike Toms

Paint brushes - variety of sizes

Fabric craft paint - I didn't end up using the yellow and red glitter

Pencil

Pattern/stencil if you are not going to draw freehand

Black Sharpie

Mod Podge (not pictured)

Once I had decided on how I wanted them to look, I went ahead and sketched out the images I wanted. If you don't trust yourself to draw, then print and cut out the silhouettes so you can trace them.

Using a fine tipped paint brush, I outlined the edges in the black paint and then used a larger brush to fill in the ears. I did the same thing for the red. Once dry, I went over everything again to make sure I had it all nice and even.

Next, I used a fine tipped brush again to do Mickey's white buttons and Minnie's bow dots. Once everything was mostly dry, I went over the edges with a black Sharpie to clean up the lines a bit

All that's left is to cover your seal your image with Mod Podge. I used the dishwasher Mod Podge that I had from another craft and decided it would probably be best because it is water soluble and if you've been to Disney, you know it rains almost everyday in Florida. This way they will be protected.

I did not have high expectations for the finished product (hence me buying fake Toms) but am really happy with how they turned out! An hour later, it was the best $17 I've spent in a long time.

The Perfect Dress - WIWW

When going through my pictures from past "What I Wore Wednesday's", I realized that I seem to always be in some form of red, white and blue. I swear I wear plenty of other colors! Needless to say, I think it's time to challenge myself and see how long I can go without a patriotic themed outfit!

Since this week draws an end to my favorite color scheme, it's only fitting that I share an outfit that means something. While in Disney last week, my husband saw this dress and immediately knew I had to have it, so he brought it home for me as a nice little surprise. What makes this dress Disney you ask? Look in the bottom corner and you will spy a little Minnie Mouse. I know, nerd alert, but I can't help it, I'm a sucker for Disney merchandise!

Besides being in my favorite color scheme and featuring my favorite mouse, this dress has another amazing element....bows in the back! Seriously?!

I think it's safe to say that this dress incorporates ALL of my favorite things: Red, white and blue, stripes, bows AND Minnie Mouse!

What are some of your fashion must haves? Do you have a particular color scheme or patterns that seem to constantly draw you in?

Linking up with Lindsey for WIWW