Mad Haute

Every November, when Target has their costumes at 75-90% off, I pick up a few for my kids. These have worked beautifully in the past for the Halloween Parties, Trunk or Treats, Storybook Parades at school, and countless other opportunities my kids have had to dress up prior to the actual day of Halloween.  This is not only super fun for my daughter, but preserves her “real” costume until Oct. 31.

Last year was no different.  I picked up three adorable costumes at $3 each and thought my daughter was set for this holiday.  Boy, was I wrong!!

We are in a whole new world up here in Virginia.  We weren’t invited to any pre-Halloween costume parties and her school doesn’t allow them to come to school in costume.  Lo and behold, her school DID decide to try Trunk or Treat last Friday night, and since she knew she wouldn’t get to show off her costume to her friends, I allowed my daughter to wear her “real” costume to the event.

So let’s talk about this “real” costume.  Mommy has been very busy, so I assumed my ever considerate daughter would pick one of the three costumes hanging in her closet for the last 11.5 months—and she would have—had I not shown her a picture of an adorable Queen of Hearts costume on Pinterest.  My kid is a mini-me in every way.  Her wheels started turning, and even though we went to the fabric store intending to make her the Queen of Hearts, we came out with purple, black, and green tulle, some pink and black tights and The Mad Hatter on the brain. 

What we created was Mad Haute….

I made her skirt using 9 yards of tulle, elastic and a simple tie-on method.  Click here for a tutorial. I love how it looks torn and industrial…dark and moody.  I added some tulle to a mini hat hair clip we found at Pier 1.

Next I made the floppy bow tie, tying in the colors of her tights.  I safety pinned that into a heather-gray long sleeve top to continue that industrial look.

I cut the fingers off of some simple winter gloves we’ve had forever, and I dug up an old vest I’ve had since my hipster days.  JK, I was never a hipster, but I did rock the mini vest back in 2006ish.

I tied her hair in two twisty knots, and attempted to recreate Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter make-up, to no avail.  We ended up just using lots of eyeshadow, mascara, eyeliner and lipstick to finish off the dark, Tim Burton-esque look of this costume.

I have to say, I LOVE the way it came out!!  What do you think? 

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Two Year Anniversary HUGE Giveaway!!

This is a very special week here as I am celebrating AquaSeventy6’s TWO year anniversary!  AquaSeventy6 would not be what it is without all of you, so as a special thanks, I am hosting an AMAZING giveaway!

Ten of my wonderful fellow handcrafters and bloggers have joined in on the fun and have offered up some unbelievable prizes totaling almost $300!!

To make this giveaway even more special, I will divide the prizes up among 3 winners, so that you have an even greater chance of scoring something special!

Here is what you can win:

Prize Package #1 ($103 value)

Two custom throw pillow covers by yours truly! These have been my biggest seller this season,and now you can have your very own set!

Adorable Pocket Wristlet by Tween Queen Designs –  Handmade Handbags, Accessories, and more.  Made for Tweens by a Tween…and her mom!
Mommy and Me Apron Set by Stitched by Jones.  Autumn is a former AquaSeventy6 blogger and designer.  She continues to write and design lovely things on her blog Stitched by Jones!

Prize Package #2 ($87 value)

Custom Designed Skirt by kaiya designs.  Marcy designs everything from kid’s wear to mommy wear, including layette, accessories and home goods.
Spiced Apple and Salted Caramel Candle by Seventh Avenue Apothecary. Seventh Avenue Apothecary is a family owned & operated company pouring small batches of candles in Tampa, FL.  Their signature scents are reminiscent of the historical, cultural and culinary legacy of Ybor City and their own Cuban and Italian heritage.
Handmade Tree Domino Pendant with Necklace by Sweet Whimsy.  Sweet Whimsy is the way one stay at home mom shares her love of art, crafting and jewelry with the world. Jan creates most of her pieces using upcycled game tiles and adorns them with beautiful images. Love and care is in every item created.
$10 Shop Credit to Rustic Living. Ashley has an adorable shop filled with rustic inspired pillows, handbags and home goods.

Prize Package #3 ($106 value)

Handstamped and Personalized Sterling Silver Washer and Heart Necklace by R&E Avenue,  Jasmine makes a wide array of beautiful and original handstamped jewelry and accessories. 
Black Raspberry Vanilla Candle by Simply Vintage Candles.  Kara and Kathy are a mother-daughter team who are passionate about life, family, friends and their thriving business.  Their hand-poured soy candles are decorated with beautiful early-to-mid-century labels and prints and come in a variety of amazing scents.
Stylish Wristlet by Thirty-One is offered courtesy of Amy Saumell.  Amy uses her Thirty-One business to help in her community with fundraising efforts and also help empower women. The company is based on Proverbs 31, which talks of the virtuous women, with celebrating, encouraging and rewarding others.
XL Ad Space at Ma Nouvelle Mode.  Natalia and Christie encourage, motivate and inspire women of all walks of life to discover {or rediscover} their own fabulous panache.  They want to see women build the confidence to embrace who they are through the modes of fashion, beauty, home décor, travel and other creative passions.

Now that you have learned a little more about the prizes and the lovely ladies providing them, use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter for your chance to win one of the THREE amazing packages above!  Good luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Rules:
Winners will be notified by email.  Winners have 48 hours to respond to the email in order to accept prizes.  Prizes may be forfeited and a new winner chosen if a) the winner does not respond to the email within 48 hours, b) the winner has not “liked” the Facebook page(s) owned by the shop/blog(s) offering the winning prize package (as applicable).

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