Homemade Halloween

Cole here -
Smash asks Squirt "What do you want to be for Halloween?"

Squirt says - "A Blue Whale"

Mommy says - Groan....

You might imagine I would love to make my little squirt an beautiful homemade costume - usually you would be right! But my hesitancy starts with our experience last year... Squirt wanted to be big bird - I dove in - creating, loving it, looking at Martha, Sesame and pouring hours & love into this costume (ROOKIE MOM MISTAKE). I even made hats for Smashy & I to match. The only element of the five-part costume I could get on Squirt - the bright pink bird legs with marabou feather rings!

Yep - he is a boy and he officially went as "bird legs"

Thus began the Blue Whale challenge - none are commercially made, he wouldn't go for a killer whale costume (informing me that those are what kill real whales - smart I know).

I committed I would make a modular costume. All the big elements (mouth, tail, flippers) had to be removable - so no sadness and we all have a great experience on all Hallows Eve.

I decided all of the costume would be build around a sweatshirt, and jeans & a blue shirt would be the base.

I used fabric from my stash and drew out paper patterns for the spout, flippers & tail. I just free-handed the mouth and eyes. He loves it - win! He has it on - win! It cost a total of $5 - WIN!

Show & Tell - Prayer Flags

Secret of Kells - Prayer Flag Project

I have long been inspired by Tibetian Prayer Flags. Tibetian's believe the wind carries the intentions of the writing & imagery on the flags out into the world for the benefit of all living beings. I wanted to create a set that wound these beliefs, my Christian beliefs and the beauty of illuminations, all into one project that will hang both at my church on Easter Sunday & at my home over the door frame for summer.

I started with researching the colors of the flags and thier meanings- then I made a map and found biblical verses & book of common prayer writings to add to each flag.

Materials -

• I made paper-fabric (toutorial to come),



• then fused a layer of ciffon over the top.



• I backed each flag in hand-painted fabric



• with a layer of fast2fuse inbetween.



• finally I hand-stiched buttons & scraps to make them hang.

They are unique, heartfelt & I love them. So the Kells blog is done. But my friend already pointed out that a lot of my stuff is starting to have a Kells-ish look. I believe in all we take in becomes an opportunity to shuffle it up and create something new with it.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you walk along the road, when you are going to bed and when you wake. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorposts of your home and on you gates. Deuteronomy 6:5-9