Happy Friday, guys! As is the annual tradition, we thought we’d share what Clara and Burger are going to be for Halloween this year, especially since I DIYed Clara’s costume for the second year in a row (without crying or cursing!) and I love how it came out. At first when we asked her what she wanted to be for Halloween she said “a lawyer!” True story. And we laughed and pictured her walking down the street with a little briefcase. Then a few days later she said “I want to be a jellyfish!” So asked her a few questions like “what color jellyfish do you want to be?” and that’s when she came out with her full request: “I want to be a pink jellyfish… and I don’t want to be a regular jellyfish, I want to be A FAIRY QUEEN OF THE JELLYFISH!” So here’s where we ended up.
I just decked out a clear umbrella with some pink tissue paper, fabric ribbon, and that thinner plastic ribbon that you can curl with a scissors. And then John added some battery powered cold-to-the-touch LEDs to make it glow (tech nerd hubby FTW). Clara could not be more smitten (this is her attempting to hug her costume). Burger, by contrast, abhors his, but we’ll get there in a second.
As for how I made it, first I hit up Sir Google to check out other jellyfish costumes (guys, there wasn’t a single Slutty Jellyfish costume, which was both comforting and surprising). As for the costumes that I did find, some were of the stuffed hat variety (like this) and others were made from umbrellas (like this), which I thought was a good choice for Clara because she could hold it and swing it around if she wanted, but not have to worry about balancing it on her head like a giant hat. So we grabbed a clear umbrella at Target.
The first step in my umbrella-to-jellyfish conversion was sticking some pink tissue paper into each of the umbrella’s panels (those metal arms held each triangle of it in place) so the entire thing wasn’t see-through. I did this because I wanted the bottom to be clear so Clara could walk and see, but thought the top would look more jellyfish-ish if it were more solid. Next I tied some long strands of thick fabric ribbon around each of the spines inside the umbrella that holds it open so those could hang down around Clara. I saw all sorts of fun tentacle ideas when I Googled (using bubble wrap, ribbon, fabric strips, etc) and loved them all, so I decided to just work with the things we already had around the house (like ribbon leftover from this tree) and see how things went.
Lastly I just cut a whole bunch of long pink lengths of curl-able plastic ribbon (the one umbrella-decorating item that I ran out and bought for $1.50 at Michaels) and tied them to each of the metal spines (I did six lengths of them hanging down on each of the eight spines). Then I dragged the edge of a scissors down them after tying each one in place to make them curly.
When Clara came home from school and saw it, oh man, I wish I had it on video. There were lots of wows and even a coveted “it’s AMAZING!” Then John added his little battery powered LEDs (fairy lights he found on amazon for $6.99) and Clara really went wild. Since it gets dark so much earlier these days we actually think they’ll come in handy. Just look at them glow in the darkest spot we could find in our house: our closet.
It’s a bit ambitious to think that Clara will hold the umbrella the whole time, but she gets to wear a little costume of her own (just a fun tulle skirt that she got for her birthday and other general fairy-slash-queen-ness) so in the event that she’s over the umbrella she’ll still have her fairy costume to go door to door in – and heck, I might just tuck a wand and a crown in my purse for added bling. Yes, I still use that word.
As for Burger, well, he’s never a fan of anything on him. Ever. This goes for all sweaters, boots, hats, and costumes. So he was not amused when he magically became a seal thanks to this costume that we found at Target. We just couldn’t resist – especially since it’s a tradition to dress him up with Clara every year (heck, we’ve been dressing him up since way before she was born). We joked that he just needed a crown and a scepter so he could be a King Seal to match Clara’s royal sea-creature status. Still kinda bummed Target didn’t carry the lobster or shark costumes they had in previous years, but he does make a pretty cute seal.
And maybe we have it all wrong. Maybe Burger loves costumes. Because he certainly seems to take immense joy in shimmying around to wriggle out of them. Wish we caught that on video too.
And this year John and I actually have a costume party to attend, so after a little “uh… what should we be?” pondering, we came up with a theme of our own. Some people say that I look like Kahleesi from Game of Thrones (and who am I to argue with the idea of dressing up like a chick who HAS DRAGONS?). So a cheap blonde wig from Target and a green dress that I already had (you might remember it from Clara’s party a few years back) became my somewhat completely ridiculous costume…
Oh and I used a strategically placed ten cent placemat from a yard sale to make a gold belt and some little shoulder things. You know. For flair.
I just snipped it in half and cut off the curved part at the bottom and used the green rope belt that came with my dress to hold that in place in the front like a big ol’ gold front plate or something. As for the shoulder things, I just cut the remaining part of the placemat in half to create little triangles that I could tuck under the straps of my dress and pin them to keep them there (forgot to get a detail shot of those for ya, but you can sort of see them peeking out from behind my wig in the full shot above). Overall, it was really easy and only ran me $9 for the wig and ten cents for the placemat.
But I might like John’s “costume” most of all (ok, it’s tied with The Fairy Queen Of All The Jellyfish) because it’s so him. Keeping with the Game of Thrones theme, I actually proposed that he be Khal Drogo (to which he responded “have you seen me?”) so then I suggested Littlefinger (hello, he’d get to sport a mustache). He went silent for a second and then said “I have a better idea.” Any guesses?
Yup, that’s his pun-tastic interpretation of Jon Snow. Since he looks nothing like the character, he figured “well, I’m already John, so I’ll just wear a wooly hat and add a big ironic snowflake to my shirt or something and poof: I’m John Snow.” Not sure if it would pass muster at Comic Con, but it cracks me up. And if nothing else, at least the background of his photo brought of touch of Winterfell to it. Yes, that’s a deer just grazing about ten yards behind him.
As for how he made his shirt, it’s just white duct tape on a blue t-shirt (so he can peel it off and still wear the shirt the rest of the year when he’s being John Petersik).
It was pretty funny watching him place each strip of tape in the mirror… whilst wearing the shirt. I think he’s nothing if not dedicated (my version of a snowflake would have a lot fewer line segments).
We’re pretty low key about this stuff, so admittedly nothing that we made is super intricate, but we think it’ll do the trick nicely for the costume party. Now to figure out what dish we’ll bring. Ahh!
Also, if you watch Game of Thrones, this ridiculously inappropriate dubbed video of other things that match up with their lips has us walking around saying “Are you a fan of the pikachu?” and “I’m working on a gravity belt.”
Oh and the buggy pumpkins! Here they are. No, they didn’t get infested or anything, I just love unusual pumpkins and Clara loves bugs, so she helped me turn one into a spider and the other one into a caterpillar. Here’s how they started out (we got them here because they looked so bug-like, which spawned this paint-job idea).
I loved them as-is (yes, I truly adore oddly shaped pumpkins just as they are) but I couldn’t resist having some fun with Clara and some paint. So here they are after a laugh-filled little painting sesh with the bean:
She painted the spider with some craft paint (I just told her to go to town on the top and we left the bottom orange since we thought that would make it look more leggy and creepy – just like Clara likes ’em). Meanwhile I added a little dot for an eye on the caterpillar and swiped my paint brush around it to quickly make some rough little wrinkles, like the sections of a caterpillar. When they dried, we added some little painted on eyes to Clara’s spider (she loved the idea of four of them since I showed her a picture online of a real spider with four eyes) and we called them good.
We still have to grab some pumpkins to carve (there’s a field trip to a pumpkin patch with Clara early next week so we’ve been holding out for that) but one thing’s for sure. There will be some last minute pumpkin seeds baking at our house (mmm, my favorite). What are you guys doing with pumpkins and costumes? Let’s hear it.
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Psst- For anyone who wants to walk down memory lane and check out C & B’s costumes for the last few years, here’s the post about Jesse & Slinky Dog (my first attempt at homemade costumes).
And here’s the dynamic duo as a monkey & banana.
And here’s their very first Halloween together as a hot dog & hamburger.
Jess @ Operation Skinny Jeans says
I think every time I was GoT that she looks just like you! I love the costume :D Have fun at your halloween party!
Soffia says
I adore that little Jellyfish, cutest ever! But when I first saw your picture I was sure it was a family costume, and you were a mermaid :)
Oh well, silly me! You guys all look great!
Kelsey says
Wow, you really do look like the actress who plays Daenerys! Who knew that all you needed was a blonde wig to be the Mother of Dragons? ;) Just in case it becomes relevant, “Khaleesi” is an honorific title, like “Lady” or “Queen.” Also some people think Dany and Jon Snow should/will end up together, so you picked a great couples costume! #booknerd
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, thanks Kelsey! I’m so bad at spelling Daenerys (Deanarys?) that I stick with Khaleesi ;)
xo
s
deanna says
I got a lobster costume for my little pooch a few weeks ago at Home Goods.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, so sad we missed it!
xo
s
Brianne says
SO OBSESSED WITH THE KHALEESI COSTUME!!! MADE MY DAY!!
Bonnie says
One year I made a litterbox cake – lined a brand new litterbox, put a sheet cake in it, covered with chocolate frosting followed by graham cracker crumbs, then artfully shaped some tootsie rolls on top. It looked sooo gross!
BTW, I adore the jellyfish costume!!!! The lights are a fabulous touch.
YoungHouseLove says
The litterbox cake sounds hilarious (and delicious).
xo
s
Robin says
I’m not a “Thrones” fan so I had to click on the Khaleesi link to see who you were talking about.
HOLY COW, you really do look like her! You could be sisters!
Julie says
You are seriously the best mom ever. I love that you indulge and take her up on all of her creative ideas (costumes and birthday parties), and make it happen. Making childhood dreams come true, one costume or party at a time.
Gwyn says
So fun/cute/awesome!
John, in his costume, reminds me of Jack Frost from “The Rise of The Guardians”!
Beks says
That is the most brilliant idea ever. So cute! And Clara and Burger make great partners in crime. It’ll be interesting to see if you do anymore things with Baby P added to the mix next year.
That Jellyfish costume makes me want kids now. :)
CrayolaJW says
Oh.my.gosh. I love it!!!!!
Jen says
So cute! I love the fairy queen of all jellyfish! haha I am going to halloween party too and bringing a “graveyard trifle.” Pretty much “dirt” (if you’ve heard of that) but spookier. Chocolate cake, whipped cream, chocolate pudding – layered. With crumbled oreos for “dirt” on top, with gummy worms and making gravestones out of Milano cookies & piping RIP on them. Maybe tossing some cheap plastic bones. Wanted to put a small toy skeleton in there to but couldn’t find one. Super easy, (except for cake-baking – unless you just buy a cake or even brownies). Fun and Clara can help! Just an idea!
YoungHouseLove says
That sounds delicious. As a kid, dirt cake was my favorite!!
xo
s
kat says
Ha! I’m gonna be a pregnant Khaleesi too – same outfit, but a very different interpretation ;) I made my belt out of hot glue :)
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo! Club Khaleesi! I’d love to see a pic.
xo
s
Courtney says
We’re going as Jon Snow and the Wildling (Ygritte) for Halloween! I got a fur coat from the thrift store intending to destroy it for the costume…until I found out it’s real mink – worth at least $2,000! (although, for the record I don’t support real fur) I changed our plan to only modifying it a bit, but we’re still really excited. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Woah!
xo
s
Karyn says
I LOOOOOVE the jellyfish and totally agree with Clara that it’s AMAZING! Our son is going to be one of the Gator Boys. Camo shorts, a plain tshirt that I cut out a Gator Boy logo for, bandana for his head, sunglasses, and the only thing I bought was a 3.5 foot long alligator stuffed animal that he will put over his shoulders. I also made a gator tooth necklace out of string and paper to complete the look. Our 6 month old puppy will also be an alligator. $7.99 at Homegoods! Sold! Happy Halloween!
YoungHouseLove says
That sounds really cute!
xo
s
KC says
Always love seeing your costume creations! My 2 young girls are going as Mary Had a Little Lamb…older girl as Mary and younger girl as her little lamb.
YoungHouseLove says
I love that!
xo
s
Nichole K says
I agree you need some “real” dragons in addition to the belly dragons. At least a stuffed animal or two! I love how creative you guys are!
I sort of want to be a jelly fish at our costume party now instead of a lumberjack-and-jill. (My husband has a huge beard right now…)
Sherri says
Oh my, what clever costumes. Clara makes such a perfect jellyfish. What an inspired mind she has to think outside the box. And then for you to create the costume of her fantasy is just magic, and in the spirit of Halloween. Hey, Miss Glamorous, you rock your costume, especially with your baby bump. Jon Snow is also cool, and Burger is such a good sport hanging out on the door mat. The video cracked me up too, so it was a fun post to start off my weekend!!
Nicole says
Love the GoT costumes! “You know nothing John Snow!”
Angie Lee says
Thank you so much for the Bad lip reading video. I haven’t laughed that hard all week and really needed a laugh today (short night, long week). Now I’m looking at more vids so there goes my productivity!
Angie Lee says
I was laughing so hard I forgot to comment on the costumes. I love them all but the Octopus is so awesome! Clara sure has some great/creative parents! My sons are all store bought (Savers) costumes again this year: 6 year old is a race car driver, 3 year old is Tigger and the 7 month old is a puppy. I think they’re all adorable and the two oldest boys are over the moon about their outfits. I can’t get my 3 year old past the fact that Halloween is still nearly a week away. We might do the Zoo Boo trick-or-treating this weekend to hold him over until the real Halloween. Have fun at your party.
Ashley S says
Love it!
Christine G says
I absolutely LOVE Clara’s umbrella jellyfish!! The fairy lights take it to a whole new level that is also wonderfully functional for collecting candy in the dark. Now I want to make my own! ^_^
Your Khalessi outfit is wonderful! If you don’t have any stuffed/toy dragons to accessorize, use 3 small oval stones and say they are the dragon eggs. Lacking time to create a new costume to feature my own baby bump, I think I’ll be re-featuring my Katniss costume from last year since I put so much effort into making all the accessories. I love Halloween and Fall, but it just sneaks up on you!
ashley @ sunnysideshlee.com says
omg amazing!! Those lights are totally awesome!!
Sarah Murphy says
Love the homemade costumes! They are so much better than the store-bought ones in my opinion. Except for the seal for Burger. Target has the best baby and pet costumes. I’m working on a swiss army knife costume for my swiss mountain dog currently. I’m fairly certain he’ll eat it. I guess it’s good I enjoy the process.
Deb says
I watched Medieval Land Fun Time World for the first time last week (at work- big mistake because I was literally guffawing) – seriously funny stuff! We are HUGE GoT fans :) And you really do look like Daenerys. I’m not a huge “dress up for Halloween” person so John’s costume is more my style :)
tara says
Favorite costume for a little kid ever :) I hope my baby girl (she’s only 8 months old right now) wants to be a fairy queen jellyfish one year bc I definitely want to make that for her :) You guys look great too – especially that baby bump of yours Sherry!! It’s crazy to see how much Clara has grown in the last year…she is such a big kid now!
Ally says
I absolutely love everything about this post. Everyone is looking fab this Halloween!
Looby's says
AMAZING jellyfish costume! And so practical too. Jon Snow cracked me up… Maybe add a black curly wig?!!! :D
Brie says
You’re just a crow John Snow! Great costume. And you do look like Kahleesi!!!
Wrenaria says
Okay, that video is kind of hilarious. And your costumes are very fun. You guys are so creative. :)
My costume approach this year was lazy. I got myself a japanese kigurumi (essentially oversized animal PJs), so I’m going foxy this year. Like so: http://a.tgcdn.net/images/products/additional/large/ec93_japanese_kigurumi_cosplay_pajamas_fox.jpg
Haven’t decided what I’m going to force the cats into yet.
YoungHouseLove says
So much fun!
xo
s
Lisa says
Oh my gosh, I love all the costumes! Sherry, I thought you were a mermaid, but I’ve also never seen Game of Thrones so that may be why.
My husband and I won’t be dressing up this year (boo!) but our little girl is going to be a peacock. I was lazy about it though, a quick little trip to the mall and $40 later she had a costume.
Our dog on the other hand, I’m still trying to figure out. She’s been a lobster for the past 3 years and HATES it, but I love it so she may just have to wear it again :) Boston Terrier + Lobster Costume = Hilariousness (and yes that’s a real word)
Happy Friday!
Lisa
http://www.fabulousfarmlife.blogspot.com
Emily says
My first thought was mermaid too
[email protected] says
The first thing that came to my mind when I saw your costume Sherry, was “Real Housewife of Richmond.” I don’t think they have a show in Richmond, but that costume definitely fits in with all those housewives. All fancy, sophisticated, and all. Just add some diamonds. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hahahahaha! That’s hilarious! I always joke with Katie and Roo that we should do Real Housewives of Blogging. We each have ridiculous intro statements like “if you can’t stand the heat, get off the internet” – it’s terrible but also makes us laugh for days.
xo
s
Jessica says
Ha ha, no slutty jellyfish made me laugh so much! I love Clara’s costume. And yes it’s sad / interesting how many girl costumes get slut-tified.
Staci @ My Friend Staci says
Ten cent place mat? That’s a chilewich which retails for like $15 each! Haha! Oh it pains me that you cut it up. :P
Love your outfits, and Clara’s is so ingenious!
YoungHouseLove says
No way! There were a bunch of them! I think I got 7 for 70 cents! I was thinking of using them for stencils to spray something… maybe I’ll save some to actually use!
xo
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GreenInOC says
Dare I say Clara is the best Jellyfish-Fairy-Princess-Queen-Of-All-The-Water, ever?
YoungHouseLove says
Haha!
xo
s
Laurie says
I love the twisted up pumpkins too. One year I was picking one out at the grocery store and it had a big black spot with little bumps all over it. A nice lady pointed it out to me to help me avoid it but I just said, “I LOVE the funny looking pumpkins! This one is going to be a wart on a witch. It will be so scary!”
Sometimes I can’t believe I’m 46.
YoungHouseLove says
So much fun! I love the witch wart!
xo
s
Jenny says
A friend of mine went to a bar’s Halloween party as a jellyfish a few years ago (same type of costume, obvi) and actually won $1000! So…go to a bar and enter a contest like she did, and I’m sure Clara will win. :)
YoungHouseLove says
No way! That’s a lotta cheddar!
xo
s
alisa says
I love it!!!!
In true Olivia fashion, she is going for another book character. Last year was Olivia the Pig, this year she is going as Eloise. Problem is she wants baby sister to be Weenie the Pug, but when I look for pug costumes for babies all I get is baby costumes for pugs!
YoungHouseLove says
So sweet!
xo
s
GreenInOC says
When one of my nephews, an avid reader, was 12 he made himself a Pippi Longstocking costume – it was both hilarious and clever.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s amazing.
xo
s
Suzette says
The first pic of Burger in his costume is cracking me up!!!! Love it!
Debbie @ PinkTexasChick says
What great and creative costumes. Jellyfish for the win! :)
Lauren says
Love pun costumes! And GOT pun ftw! A couple years ago my husband and I went as the” I’m a Lumberjack” skit from Monty Python. I dressed as a lady lumberjack and he wore a black shirt with “OK” taped on with masking tape. Hence ” I’m a lumberjack, and I’m OK.”
YoungHouseLove says
So funny!
xo
s
Allison says
You do look like Daenerys! I had never noticed. And the woman who plays her is actually a brunette in real life, and wears a blond wig for the show, which is sort of funny. If you have a stuffed dragon, that would really round out the Mother of Dragons theme!
Love that Burger sits still in his costume too…our cat is going to be a princess this year, and I have to make sure I remember to trim her claws before trying to get the skirt on her…
YoungHouseLove says
Clara has a blue stuffed dragon somewhere, I just have to dig it up! And a princess cat = hilarious!
xo
s
haverwench says
“Some people say that I look like Kahleesi from Game of Thrones (and who am I to argue with the idea of dressing up like a chick who HAS DRAGONS?).”
OK, I sort of see the resemblance, but her name is Daenerys. Khaleesi is her title.
When I first saw John’s costume, I thought, “Is he going as the phrase ‘Winter is Coming’?”
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! John would totally be the tagline to a show. I wouldn’t put it past him…
xo
s
Jenny A. says
I think it’s funny that Clara wanted to be a lawyer. Last year my then ten-year-old wanted to be an IRS agent. My husband made him a little badge, he dressed in a suit and carried a briefcase for his candy. It was the hit of the neighborhood!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hilarious!
xo
s
Maureen says
You can’t get cuter than Queen of the Jellyfish, can you?!?! Love all your costumes!
Nikki says
I’ve been wanting to do the jellyfish thing myself for several years now (I even have the clear umbrella ready to go) just haven’t had the opportunity to dress up. Maybe this year!
I wish you had video of Clara’s reaction also! A couple of months ago you posted a video on Instagram of her looking at a bug saying things like “Wooooow. He’s weally cooool. HELLO!” so that is what I’m imaging in my head! I must confess to you, I showed it to my husband, and we must have watched it 20 times over and over, and still watch it every now and then. We catch ourselves quoting it all time. Not trying to be creepy… it just brings us so much joy! It’s the cutest! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, it was just like that! I’m so glad John caught that sweet bug video.
xo
s
Kelly says
Thanks for all you do! I read your blog every day as one of my doses of “happy”!
I also subscribe to the Happiness Project (Gretchen Rubin) quote a day and thought of you guys when this one came up:
“It is impossible to win the great prizes of life without running risks, and the greatest of all prizes are those connected with the home.”
– Theodore Roosevelt
Happy weekend!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s the best. Thanks for sharing Kelly!
xo
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Brianna says
Love Halloween!! Favorite time of year. Years ago my brother saw a toddler dressed up as a jellyfish (just like Clara-with a clear umbrella) and his parents had taught him to close the umbrella half way and open it again as he walked so it looked exactly like real jellyfish when they move! I think your added lights would make it look even cooler. Sit Clara down for a lesson and all night you can sing “Walk Like a Jellyfish” to the tune of walk like an Egyptian!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so cool!
xo
s
marbella says
Sherry Stormborn! You look beautiful! And you do look a lot like her! I hope you are going to take some little toy dragons with you!
Ash says
Costumes, puns AND a shot at The Bump!? Best Friday post ever, you guys. Totally made my day full of win and awesome – and seeing as how it’s my boyfriend’s birthday and we’re doing a weekend get-away, THAT is saying something!