Happy Halloween!

We had a pretty fun weekend. It started on Friday as I had the honor of costuming my goddaughter, Maria. She was one of many volunteers set to help with the Hastings Community Halloween Party. Youth First and some other Hastings organizations coordinate the party each year. It's a pretty cool event that I support by donating costumes.

After picking up Martha Stewart's Halloween magazine at the airport a couple of Sundays ago, I was completely inspired with adapting a couple of her costume designs. I sent Maria a postcard from South Carolina telling her to call me if she wanted to collaborate on a costume idea. She got back to me on the Wednesday before Halloween. We met on Thursday to see if she was game and I had the right stuff. She's a great sport, isn't put off by my last-minute, harebrained ideas, and agreed to show up at 3 o'clock Friday to be transformed into a widowed bride.

I put her into some of my vintage costume pieces that I don't typically rent to teenagers - she is the exception to the rule. We rigged up Miss Debbie's wedding hat and veil to look a little ghoulish. I just happened to have a dried bouquet of long-stemmed yellow roses hanging on the wall. On the first pass through the hankie box I emerged with a petite, yellow hankie, trimmed in black lace, to complement the black and ivory ribbons for dressing the bouquet.

Costume complete.

Now for the finishing touch. Make-up.

I used Martha's doily stenciling method. It worked very well. Maria's skin tone helped - more contrast than your average scandihoovian kid from Minnesota. Her shiny, black hair hung in natural, curly ringlets, framing her face perfectly. We finished it off with some simple yet elegant jewelry. Beautiful, wistful, and spooky - all at the same time.
THANK YOU FOR PLAYING DRESS-UP, MARIA!!

We put together some other fun ones for ourselves and our customers. I'm delighted that the female cone head costume got to go out for the night. That one originated with my father and step-mother in Galena, Illinois, several years ago.

Arthur and his buddies went for the Three Musketeers. They look sharp and are pretty comfortable. Arthur's friend, Marisol, let us dress her as a Lady Pirate. I love it when we can give that costume to someone who wears it well. She looked fantastic. We added a vampire (more make-up fun for me!) and a fox to their merry band and wished them well as they headed off for First Avenue in Minneapolis where they saw many awesome costumes, among other strange things.

Mary and I used a cheerleader costume and my son's freshman year football jersey and socks to create our own version of Zombieland with a Hastings High School, Todd Field sort of touch. We had a good time, even if the bar party scene in Hastings was pretty lame last night. Oh well.

Barb created a one-footed Zombie, a al Larry the Cable Guy style. Her Jello molds of brains and a heart were truly disgusting. Sorry I have no photo for that one!

Beth participated in a creative collaboration to simulate Martha Stewart's spooky equestrian. Between the two of us and some fun playing with make-up, we did pretty well. I love her basting brush riding crop!

We missed having Peggy with us. We called her, left messages, and even went to her house. It was dark and no one answered the door. Very spooky. Hope the Zombies didn't get her!