Spooking about the town

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The inspiration for my Halloween costume came late one evening as I was trying on the costumes in my collection to find nothing that I felt like being or wearing for Halloween. It is nice to have a lot of ideas like a Hawaiian tourist, disco ball, square dancer but I really wanted a dance inspired costume so off to my fabric stash I went.I found this black and white fabric at an estate sale and it was just perfect for a swinging 1960s theme dress. This was a lot of fun to dance in as the primary reason for my costumes are wearing them to my aerobic dance class!

The makeup I worked with on Friday night was for Trunk or Treat with the kids and I used a black eyeliner underneath my lipstick for some Halloween depth. Monday when I went to class it was a lot of fun with a similar hairdo but not as dark on the makeup. Each year we do a group photograph to inspire us for Halloween next year. Our teacher Joan, is Carmen Miranda in the front row.

In amongst all the Halloween activities this weekend we went to the SFMOMA to meet friends from Oakland and check out the new exhibits. It was a beautiful rainy morning so after wandering a couple of galleries we had a break with some Dick Taylor Hot Chocolate crafted in Eureka – it was divine! Oh, and I have an inside hint for coat check – there is one on the 2nd Floor where you get your tickets and that is where you find the red bathroom (see the pic above) – the line is not as long when you want to take off!

For lunch in San Francisco, we went to Lemonade and my vegetarian friend and I enjoyed a yummy artichoke and provolone toasted sandwich and I shared a grasshopper pie (mint with chocolate cookie crumbs) with Mr. Ash for dessert. It is lovely to check out the area of SOMA and Lemonade was the perfect place for a family friendly meal. Everyone was happy and it has a seasonal menu as well – now that is the business.

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Man, look who hijacked my camera when I was not looking – Mack and Ash!

For Halloween day after school, we went to the farm to do the weekly chicken chores as we were in the car a lot and listening to my favorite radio station KDFC – the classical music station of the Bay Area was playing Halloween themed music all day, check out the playlist here. It got us into the mood for a very long evening ahead of us for the start of the week – whew!

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Trick or Treating after the chicken chores we met with Missy’s school friends in the Bubb neighborhood and wandered a street or two there before heading over to see another friend in the Sylvan Park neighborhood and checked out their dragon sculpture – the kids had a super time but after their sugar high were very tired by the time they went to bed.

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When I was shopping in the morning I loved the makeup of one of the Whole Foods employees who I regularly chat with. She is from Mexico and we were talking about Day of the Dead which is on November 1st. I loved her makeup and I was getting some hints on how to achieve this stunning design which took her 3 hours. Halloween and its festivities are one of my favorite times of the year and I will have to start thinking of my costume for next year – maybe a crazy cat lady!

A piece a Week – A Fascinator and a Corset ready for Maker Faire

We do not get much of an opportunity to get dressed up these days – living the life of a mama in utilitarian though interesting clothing. So to me an event like the Maker Faire is time to get dressed up! I am volunteering at Swap O Rama Rama this Saturday for half the day and I thought it would be good for the would be sewers to be inspired by an upcycled outfit. Alabama Stitch Book takes all the credit for the corset as it is a pattern in the book for a reverse applique project. This matches the skirt I made a couple of weeks ago using the same repurposed tee shirt fabric from FabMo. Checking out the weather it will be a bit cool on the weekend so I am adding a shirt underneath with the scarf and brooch in the pic. Should be a fun, yet practical outfit to wear for the day! 
The fascinator was from a tutorial I found on Pinterest using a mascarpone container. The tutorial I found uses a cup so that sat higher on the head. I like how this came out it is a cross between a small bowler and an air hostess all jazzed up! 
Ready to get dressed up for the weekend

Stitching detail on the front of the corset

The accessories for the neck the scarf and brooch from repurposed silk samples

The front

The back – machine sewn as I ran out of time on my sewing day which was mothers day!

A piece a Week – The Halloween Costume

Halloween my favorite time of the year! No for the candy but for the fun of getting to dress up to go trick or treating with the kids! Yes the kids love it too and both of my kiddos loved getting into their outfits for Halloween. One at the very last minute – thank goodness for a fabric stash and a sewing machine 🙂 
The flapper dress made from FabMo fabric collected over time

Elven Warrior tunic – made from donated wool fabric and FabMo scraps

I took my camera out to take some pictures but darkness came all too quickly and it was very tricky to get some decent shots without a flash! I like the spookiness and light in a picture that has been hand held in the dark but I know I have to deal with camera shake without a tripod. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the night when I went out with my black cat trick or treating…

Watching Pharrrell’s ‘Happy’ on the projected screen – very cool!

Dancing with the Jack O Lantern light

Silhouettes down an alleyway – look out for Maleficent

Black Cat dancing away! 

Oh and here is my last minute attempt at carving a sugar pie pumpkin. I thought all along you have to carve out the big ones but this guy is quite small and came out very well! It is an owl if you cannot tell…. I sponged it with a white acrylic acrylic paint for an interesting effect. Well it was on a tutorial I found on Pinterest! I threw in a LED light and you can see a video of it here at my tumblr blog – spooky!!

Sitting with a couple of delicata squash