A Beauty and The Beast Halloween

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I raised my freak flag pretty high again this year as we just released our annual family Halloween costume theme....Beauty and the Beast.

As you know, we go all out over here for Halloween. It started four years ago with Toy Story

 Next came Dr. Seuss

then Willy Wonka

Alice in Wonderland

and this year's....

Here's the details---all costumes except for the Belle dress were assembled/hot glued/sewed from scratch or existing clothing items. Since I do not sew (but plan to learn) I hit up the local childrens consigment shops where I can inexpensively turn a nothing into a something. Take for example, Chance's beast coat--it was originally a size 10 girls blue blazer, that we cut and trimmed and bedazzled it up to look like just like the beast.

The Cogsworth costume was made from foam with wood looking material glued to it! I added felt, gold paper and gold paint to the bottom.  It's amazing what can be done without actually sewing. I made the top of the clock out of foam and felt and glued it to a brown sweatshirt he wore underneath.

The Mrs. Potts costume is originally an "adult baby costume" that I also used for my Violet Boureguarde costume. We used a bunch of stuffing and a king flat sheet and some felt to make the look of the teapot.

Babette's costume used to be a girls black dress that we turned into a long black skirt. We stitched and glued on the feather boas and ostrich feathers to the bottom of the skirt. A simple black turtleneck and lace apron completed the look. Her "handle" was made from foam and the same wood material as Cogsworth and then hot glued to a headband.

Lumier outfit was all spray painted gold. The candlesticks were made from Oatmeal boxes, spray painted white with foam adhesive to represent wax. His headpiece was made from foam and white material. Please know that it was never my intention for his hands to be seen. I thought the suit coat would cover his hands. It wasn't until I saw the pictures on the computer that I realized his hands were exposed. Ugh.

While I look forward to the years when our themes can be wild and crazy, I think I'll always cherish these magical childhood years when my kids are still young and so full of imagination.

This is what Halloween is all about.  

Here's the video from our photo shoot:

Narciso Halloween Photo Shoot from Gina Narciso on Vimeo.



If you have any costume questions please leave a comment or send me an email.

Happy Halloween!

Polar Bear Week

Did you know that a polar bear's fur isn't actually white but more translucent and reflective?  Did you know they have black skin underneath their fur? Yep, totally true.

Another great animal week has come and gone but what's left is some pretty great memories. We met with Erin, one of the bear zookeepers at Brookfield Zoo and she took the time to teach us about how special these bears are. Hudson, one of the male polar bears, smelled her and recognized her voice almost immediately and came right over to the window. It took our breath away to see his massiveness up close. Our visit ended with an amazing splash in the pool that I'm grateful I captured.  It was the most rewarding zoo visit to date. Thank you Erin for taking the time and for spreading the love for these beautiful animals.

I agree with Chance, it was magical.

Love Letters

"Jeez Mom, you really need to brush your teeth" said Mia suspiciously. For a brief moment I was a little offended until I saw that teeny-tiny twinkle in her eye that tells me she's up to something. That twinkle, so instantly recognizable. It's a certain look in their eyes, a curl of their lips and a dodged eye focus that tells me there's a surprise or a trick hiding for me somewhere. It really is one of my favorite parent/child interactions because I'll test the waters to see just how far fetched they'll let their fib go. These kids of mine can get really creative. Bella's getting better these days at perfecting her poker face and Mia's fib face is just precious but Chance is A DEAD GIVEAWAY since he can't get through the fib without giggling. He's made my bed for the past few mornings and will pee his pants with laughter as he tries to think of ways to get me back into my room. (Which, btw, I make my bed every morning when I get up but he likes to un-make it--then make it again. Lovely.)

But back to my bad breath.

"Really Mom, eeewwww." She actually waved the so-called bad breath away from her nose for a dramatic effect. "You should DEFINITELY go brush your teeth right now."

Pretending I was really embarrassed by my heinous breath I ran to the bathroom to brush my teeth and sure enough, there it was.

This girl has SO much love in her heart. Every single day she'll make a letter, or a card, or a note that melts my heart and makes me love her even more than I already do.

And here's some more from this week alone...

This one below came with two wild flowers taped to the sides--as if the words byoutfloo and amasing weren't gift enough already.

The truth is, one day soon, someone else will be on the other end of her notes and it'll be a lot harder for me than I'll ever let on.

Until then, she's all mine.






I love you Mama Mia!
xoxo