klutz in high heels: diy

So you all know I had a Halloween Party Saturday night. I apologize for the crazy amount of instagram uploads...what can I say, I was really excited to share pictures! Most of these the majority of you have seen, but if you are not following me on instagram, here are some below!

Let's just take a moment to look at how perfectly that tank top blends into my body. Where the hell did my tan go? If it isn't obvious, I clearly hibernate from September through June. Isn't Rachel's Minnie costume perfect? Her mom MADE IT (the skirt and mouse ears). I think I need to hit up her crafting skills to get a pair of ears prior to my trip in November! Do people actually wear the mouse ears around the parks all day long?!?

First time ever wearing false eyelashes. I actually put them on myself. Holy moly they are amazing! But I don't know how people wear these everyday?? These were from Target, ELF brand, and only ONE DOLLAR. Wow, my teeth are looking pretty white! Must be that new toothpaste regimen that blogger sucked me into.

This photo comes along with the caption, "Do something mermaidy!" Really?!?! They wanted me to do this in a picture, but I settled for pretend fins on my ottoman.

I'm honestly so so thrilled with the outcome of my DIY costume. This is by far my best work. I didn't know if I'd look silly without fins, but those $3.00 leggings from Target were perfect. I couldn't have imagined this costume any better than this. Well, I should have had Sebastian on my other side, but I didn't feel like digging through my Christmas ornaments to find him (I have the Sebastian ornament from McDonald's from the 90s). Isn't that Flounder SO adorable!!?!? AHH I LOVE THIS COSTUME!. My wig was a big pain in my ass. It was too big for my head and kept slipping backwards, which is why my bangs look so odd in my "mermaidy" photo. Ah whatever. It was an $11 dollar wig. Who cares!

And bad blogger of me, I didn't take one single photo of my decor. Maybe I'll have to take some later on because I had some cute things out!

Ghost Meringues Recipe

Verdict on these: You need an icing bag and you need an icing tip. Ziploc and a hole at the bottom doesn't cut it. Also, 1 cup sugar to 4 egg whites = TOO SWEET. Either make it 1/2 cup sugar, or add more egg whites. Even though they don't look like those from the recipe, they still look adorable!

The party turned out to be a real success. Everyone had a good time, and that is all I was really hoping would happen. I kept referring it as a "gathering" because let's be real, I'm not one for parties too much anyway! We played Guesstures, Disney Scene It!, and Apples to Apples. It was a quarter to one by the time everyone left! I actually wasn't even tired. But I'll tell you, I had a wicked hangover the next morning. The sign of a great night.

I've been waiting to share my tutorial (if you can even call it that) until my Halloween Party had passed so I could show you the Before (what you need), During (how to make it) and after (all dressed up) pictures...but I'm really anxious to share it so I'll just show the after pictures on Monday! Read on below to see what my Halloween Costume is and how I made it. I hope the finished product turns out how I want it to when I put it all on :)

Every year (okay so the past three years) I've been invited to some kind of Halloween extravaganza and need to wear a costume, or I wouldn't be allowed in.... rules set by my best friend Colleen! Two years ago I was a pinata (shared on Sophistifunk's blog), last year I was 50 Shades of Grey. I will be the first to admit that I found these ideas from Pinterest and I did not come up with them on my own. It's hard figuring out Halloween costumes... I never really was one for dressing up, but with the demand of having to have a costume, I kind of just dealt with it. I refuse to purchase a costume from a store. Back in the 80's and 90's when I was wearing them, it was a different story. They were inexpensive, and somewhat high-quality. Nowadays, you go to Target looking for a Skeleton Costume and you get a piece of shit fabric that is not only see-through, but makes you worry if it will rip and you'll have your buns exposed. Not to mention, the screen print on some of this fabric is complete crap. Seriously though, I went to Target and found a YOUTH skeleton COSTUME (so it should be more affordable vs adult) and I opened it up to be literally shocked. Just complete crap quality. Ever since I was a young one and saw the Karate Kid, I've wanted this costume so badly:

Buttttt, if you get the legitimate authentic (and what I hope is good quality) version of it, it will cost you anywhere from $50-$85 bones. hehehe pun intended. But it's borderline a boy costume (okay it is) and just not really that cool and creative.

So anyway, let's move on to my costume. I thought it would be fitting to be a Disney Princess since my trip is less than ONE MONTH AWAY OMG. But let me back track for a minute, I originally had pinned a "Bubble Gum Machine" costume, to my SECRET board. Rachel comes over one weekend and we ran out to the store and I told her "oh I'm so excited, I got the main part for my costume in Forever 21." She replied, "Oh yeah? What did you buy there?" I said, "A red skirt and nude tank top." She quickly responded, "Um, what are you being?" And right then and there, I knew it. We had the same costume in mind. I told her a gumball machine and she literally jumped out of the car, we both started our high pitch screaming and yelling "oh my god! no way! you too! I pinned this on my secret board! no! I did too! look!" and yup, right there is a sign that we are best friends. She had ordered her skirt from Amazon and since I bought in the store, I knew I could easily exchange mine for something else. In came Disney trip, and I then remembered that Forever 21 had a Teal Skirt. I went back and that's just what I got. So here's the tutorial:

DIY Ariel Costume (Modified Version aka no fins)

Teal or Green Skirt (Forever 21 has for $5.90)
Seashell Bra (here)
Nude Colored Tank Top (Forever 21 $1.80) (unless you are okay wearing just shells!!)
Red Wig (here)
Purple Paint (Michael's under $1.00)
Purple Glitter (here or in craft store)
Two Shades of Teal Ribbon (preferably sparkley) (here and similar here but with sparkle)
Modgepodge
Glue Gun
Optional: Teal leggings (i'm always cold so I wore a pair from Target for $3.00 on clearance)

1. Heat up your glue gun

2. Start painting your seashell bra purple, Let Dry

3. While glue gun heating up and seashells drying, start cutting ribbon 3 inches each piece. I used two spools of the 1st lighter color, and 1 (larger) spool of the darker. (approximately 65 dark pieces and roughly the same for the lighter pieces). {This is based on my size, XS/SM}

4. Start gluing each piece into a droplet form to make "scales" for your skirt. This will take a long time...but it's worth it!

5. Go back and paint a second coat of the purple paint on the seashell bra and let dry.

6. Start placing scales on skirt (do not glue yet) to get an idea of how many you will need across. (I had 12 scales across, and only did the front to avoid awkward sitting and less work)

7. Once you have the amount that you need, start hot gluing them on. Alternate each row so they are staggered. Eventually they end up lining up towards the top but that's okay! Tip: I glued the scales on from BOTTOM to TOP and glued the top row of scales on first.

8. When you are done gluing the scales, and you believe that your seashell bra's second coat of paint is dry, time to get out a brush or foam applicator and get that modge podge on. Apply liberally. Then the fun part, start shaking that glitter on! I wanted the entire thing covered so really shake it on there. Obviously you'll want to have a piece of newspaper underneath to catch the extra, and to re-use.