DIY Toddler Girl Ghost Costume

I saw this idea on Pinterest last year and knew I wanted to do it for Hadley's costume this year. This will be her third Halloween and the third time I've made her costume. I prefer to make them instead of buy them because I can make it to actually fit her, and there are way more DIY costume options than there are store-bought costumes. Plus, it usually ends up being WAY cheaper to just buy the supplies to make it! I think I spent a total of less than $15 to make her entire costume this year. Can't beat that!

How to make a tutu:

The first thing you'll want to do is measure your child's waist. Hadley's is about 18.5 inches. Using 3/4 inch elastic, cut a piece that is about 2 inches smaller than the waist size (so 16.5 inches, in my case). This is because the elastic will stretch out as you tie on the strips of tulle. Sew the ends of the elastic together. It doesn't have to be pretty because no one will see it.

The next thing you will want to do is cut 20 inch long strips of tulle from a roll. Rolls of tulle can be found in the wedding section at Hobby Lobby. With a 40% off coupon I think I paid around $5 for a 100 foot roll. Don't worry if the ends are cut perfectly straight. You won't be able to tell when it's all finished. 

Fold the strip in half and slip it under the elastic. It's better to do the non-folded end pointing toward the inside of the circle. This keeps the elastic from getting too twisted. 

Loop the tulle over the elastic to form a knot. Then pull to tighten the knot. 

You will continue to knot strips of tulle around the elastic until the entire elastic is covered. 

How to make a ghost shirt:

I bought a plain white shirt for around $5 and some black iron-on transfer paper for around $2. 

Decide what shapes you want to use for the eyes and mouth. There are tons of examples on Pinterest and Etsy. I decided to stick with simple shapes just because they would be easier to cut out. I traced my shapes onto the paper side of the transfer paper.

Decide where you want to place the shapes on the shirt and then just follow the directions on the package.

All finished! I plan to put Hadley in some white leggings and a white hair bow. I think it's going to be adorable on her!

Long time, no blog...

The past couple of weeks have been both chaotic and uneventful. Crazy busy for me, but nothing earth shattering. 

1. Taking care of my furry child. Rocky has been to the vet 4 times in the past month but I think we finally have things under control (hopefully). He's already lost a pound and a half on his new diet (he was 22.6 pounds, now 21.1). I'm hoping the weight loss takes care of some of his other issues.

2. Taking care of human child. It all started with side effects from her flu shot, which got better, but then the temperature outside dropped about 40 degrees in 1 day, so her allergies are all messed up. Runny nose, coughing, not sleeping well (I'm reminded why we did Babywise...this getting up 3 times a night thing is for the birds). My main concern is of course her levels, since being sick can cause them to go up. She is still eating well and drinking her formula so I'm hoping the effects of the sickness won't be too terrible. 

3. Enjoying the cooler weather (minus the allergies that accompany it) and lots of yummy crockpot soups! Tonight is chili night. Yummmm.

4. Making some fun Halloween crafts with Hadley! I'm glad she's to the age where she actually kind of enjoys this stuff now. 

5. Making Hadley's Halloween costume. Here's a sneak peek. I am going to attempt to do a full tutorial so stay tuned.

6. The hubby got another promotion at work! I am super proud of him and all of his hard work. 

So that just about sums it up! I can't believe October is almost over. It'll be Christmas before we know it. 

Today

Today I am angry.

Today I am emotionally exhausted.

Today I hate PKU.

The vast majority of the time, I am positive about our PKU journey. I am so thankful that I have a perfect, healthy, intelligent, happy child. Things could be SO MUCH WORSE.

This morning I watched my happy girl shake with terror as 4 people tried to hold her down so we could get blood. I watched the tech stick her twice, DIGGING around in the vein both times. Still, she would not bleed. This means we waited an hour in a germy lab and my husband missed half a day of work for NOTHING. This also means we have to drive to a different lab almost an hour away again next week to do the process all over again.

What we go through is minor in comparison to what a lot of other kids and parents go through every single day. I recognize this. I feel for those families. Right now, though, I hurt for us. I hurt for my child. I hate this.