As those of you who follow small + friendly (or know Jude personally) already know, he is obsessed with all things firefighter. So when I asked him what he wanted to be for Halloween, let's say I wasn't shocked. I love me a homemade costume, but I feared a whole firefighter get-up might be too much to take on. Then I remembered the magic of tape, and this little costume was born.
The jacket is actually his raincoat, turned fire jacket, with the magic of electrical tape and chrome duct tape. The coolest part is that the electrical tape comes right off without damaging the coat. All I did was apply stripes (two electrical tape strips wide) and then added the chrome over the top. (Duct tape tip: if you start the roll and then cut a notch at the thickness you want you can just pull and pull and leave all the other tape on the roll.) Then I simply tucked in the hood to get a more authentic look. Fire coat: done!
My favorite part of the outfit has got to be the pants. I used cheap vinyl tablecloth fabric (the kind with the felt backing) to make an over-sized pair of pants. They are big enough to fit over a pair of sweats and I didn't put any elastic in the waist. Instead, I sewed on red elastic as suspenders. I finished the whole look of with the help of ... more tape!
Last but not least, there where the accessories. A black fire hat was requested and when I couldn't find one, I just bought another red one and spray painted it black. Yellow duct tape provided authentic flair. (Duct tape tip #2: use parchment to make cutting duct tape shapes 100% easier.) And of course, an air tank was in order. I bought a 2 liter bottle of soda, poured it down the drain, and spray painted it silver. I fastened on two straps with, you guessed it, more tape! The boots, he had. And the t-shirt was a clearance rack score. It ended up pouring rain all evening, but that didn't slow us down. Jude had the best rainy trick or treating costume ever!
I haven't dressed up for Halloween since I graduated from The Best Halloween Party School Ever. So when Jude asked me to dress up with him, I decided to join in the fun. He thought I should be a fire hose, I suggested a fire dog instead. All I did was tape felt spots to a white sweater, make felt ears, and a little collar. The ears where just bobby pinned in and I used black eyeliner for my nose. I felt a little silly, but Jude got a big kick out of it.
It was a very Happy (very wet) Halloween!
With all the Halloween festivities enjoyed and archived, it's time to savor the fleeting moments of fall. I always find myself wishing I could hit the pause button this time of year. I just want to tell everyone and everything to slow down. Why do the leaves insist on changing so quickly? Why does it feel as though we are running head long into "The Holiday" season? I promise you this: I intend to enjoy and be thankful for what's left of November, no mention of "The Holiday" until December 1st!