Yesterday it was leaf crowns, today it is a candy corn crown. Maya decided to be a candy corn princess for Halloween and so I made her this crown based on her design. Nice to have a Mummy to sew your designs right? I was lucky like this too, putting my Mother to work to make my visions come to life. Maya very much enjoys designing her costumes – you might recall her Rainbow costume drawing from last year. This year I have had to put little effort towards their costumes as my Mother bought the the girls a heap of Halloween things in June (my sweet Mother loves Halloween!) and so Maya has a purchased candy corn dress. It was nice not to have to do to much to get their outfits ready…just a few unique handmade finishing touches.

I was brain storming last night and came up with the candy corn necklace idea…likely from years of making cranberry popcorn garlands. To thread the candy I used a heavy weight sewing thread and a fine needle. It was trickier than I anticipated and ended up having to heat the needle with a lighter to push it through the candy without cracking it. This worked, but was tedious. I sewed ribbon ties on either side of the threaded candy so that it was comfortable to wear. I plan to make her a corn candy collecting bag too…and then on to accessorizing Elle, who shall be Queen Cat this year.

Hallowe’en…the eve when the veil between the spirit world and life as we know it is at its thinnest. The night when you are most likely to see the walking dead, the ghoulish and the wicked…or in our case some really cute kids dressed up in adorable costumes!

With thanks to my Mother for helping out this year, we had a Rainbow & Bee. As you may recall, Maya designed her costume a month or so ago. When Mum saw her design she decided to help Maya’s vision by sending her rainbow leg warmers and arm warmers…and that crazy wig! I had made Maya a rainbow crown and wrist band ribbons, but she opted not to wear the crown and went for Grandma’s wig instead. I will add also for all you out there that are wondering…no, I did not make Maya’s cape – I bought it from a Waldorf inspired store in Byron when we were there last a little over two years ago.

Grandma also sent Elle a Bee costume, which was a great help as I was running out of time to make something for her. To keep warm, Elle wore a black velvet cape that I made – but she decides to take it off so she could have her wings on instead.

With the snow storm reeking such havoc, the neighbouring cities postponed trick or treating until Friday – we however decided that if done during day light and with Adults it would be fine in our street. There are so many children in our block, that with just the neighbourhood children the street was bustling with costumed kids collecting candy. Our Children had more than enough lollies and quite honestly having a low key Halloween was good for their teeth! Our Halloween candy jar is full to the brim, and at one piece a day will last us quite a while…

We have had a weekend unlike any other, and there is much to tell, and so I will start at the beginning of the weekend, which for us is Friday night. Friday night we visited the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens for the Garden Aglow. The Gardens are a two minute walk from our new house, and so after dinner the Girls and I walked over for quick look. Nina had mentioned this event a couple of times and we did not really know what to expect, and it turned out to be a lovely outing. There were hundreds of hand carved and decorated pumpkins – jack-o-lanterns of great creative diversity. Some were carved by local students, some by the garden Volunteers, and some by the general public. Entry was free, which is always nice, especially when it is near bed time and we do not want to stay long. Food and beverages were available to purchase. There was live entertainment, a hay bale maze, and a hot air balloon that was being inflated by a giant fan. We were able to go inside the balloon, which was really cool as it was largely orange and so it was like being inside a giant pumpkin!

Garden Aglow is for one evening only each year around Halloween, from 6-9pm. We arrived at 6:30pm and there was a large crowd already in the gardens. We walked around until 7pm and like clock work Elle became tired, so we soon made our way back home again. It is a great family event, definitely a thing we will do it again next year.

This morning Maya and I sat down and had a good talk about what she might like to be for Halloween. We have been throwing around ideas of a family theme, but the reality is Halloween comes around quickly and we do not want to spend a lot of money on buying specific outfits, and so we need to work with what we have. With the contents of our dress up box in mind, Maya decided she is going to be a rainbow. At first she was thinking rainbow fairy, or rainbow princess, but I suggested we drop the (much over used) fairy princess theme, and just be a rainbow! Maya liked this idea and said “I can have a crown that has sun and rain on it!”. I loved hearing her ideas, and thought that she should do a drawing of her costume. Maya set to work designing her rainbow costume, and this is what she came up with. Rainbow has been an ongoing theme in our lives, and she has gotten much wear out of her rainbow tutu that she first wore for a Ballet Recital, and then wore for her Rainbow Sparkle Birthday Party. In addition to the rainbow tutu I will make her some fun rainbow accessories, based on her design. 5 weeks until Halloween – I had better get started!

Sadly we missed out on Halloween and did not get to dress up, so I suggested to Maya that she put on her Midnight Fairy costume anyway, and we go in search of a haunted house. This idea appealed to Elle too and so out the door we headed, looking for the spookiest looking house in our neighbourhood. With many of the big old homes in disrepair, it does not take much for the imagination to run wild…One mansion in particular on Albemarle is amazing. A Gothic revival plantation house that is so huge, and so old and falling to bits, it has to have ghosts! I just love the windows that are like spider webs. Maya enjoyed casting spells with her magic wand…and I enjoyed seeing her twirl about in her costume! Hours of sewing complete: the tulle glitter skirt and a velvet caplet lined with silk butterfly brocade, pinned with my Great-Grandmothers antique rose brooch. Such sumptuous fabrics made the costume so elegant and detailed…worth all the effort for my little Girl…it really suited Maya. Next year Elle Belle will get a special homemade outfit too…I had better start sewing in June!