Easter Basket Costume

My sister had an Easter themed party last Friday and I decided to go as an Easter basket!

I made the basket skirt by cutting strips of fabric and ironing over the edges. I sewed the vertical strips to the top horizontal strip and then got to weaving. I sewed another horizontal strip to the bottom and then had a long conversation with my sister about closures. In the end we decided against a zip or velcro and realised I could just attach the two sides and put elastic in the top strip to make it fit.

Once on, some of the horizontal strips started to drop and bunch up so I tried to sew across the weaving but this would have been easier before I sewed the sides together. Oh well, I'll know for the next time I need to make a basket skirt.

I attached some straps - basket handles - which cross over at the back, and fastened a fabric bow to the front. Then I stuffed some paper eggs in the front to complete the look.

What do you think? Much better than putting on some ears and a cotton wool ball and calling yourself a bunny, right?

Explorer

I just wanted to share one last thing from camp.

Every year we have a theme and this year's was 'Explorers'.

A tradition that's started over the last few years is to dress up for one dinner based on the theme.

 

So I dressed up as Internet Explorer.

I bought a plain white t-shirt from a charity shop and used printable transfer paper to put the IE logo on.

I even made a cursor necklace to complete the look. That was just a cut out piece of laminated paper which I outlined with Sharpie.

Someone else actually had the same idea but theirs was just the logo drawn on to a t-shirt.

Amateurs. 

I don't have many photos of other people's outfits - I was too busy eating! - but I've got this one of a snow explorer, complete with tennis racket shoes.

And we're a fancy camp.

Our dinner was accompanied by some live classical music.

This Week I...

 On Thursday evening I modelled in a 1970s themed photoshoot for the Arts Centre.

In November we're having a weekend festival celebrating the 70s and 80s, so leading up to that we're doing a lot of smaller projects around that theme.

It was a lot of fun.

We had girls from the local college come and do our hair and make-up.
(I've very quickly learned to not bother to try and hide my braces in photos.)

And we dressed up in 70s clothing.

I wore one of my Mum's old dresses.

You can see more about it here.

I roped two of my friends into modelling too and this is what they were wearing.

So much fabric!

I can't wait to see the professional photos.

Also this week I...

*Did a lot of photocopying and stapling at work. Standard intern behaviour.

*Had a girls night with chocolate and The Lucky One.

*Went to the cinema with my sister to see Ruby Sparks.

*Baked some 'thank-you' cookies for my friends for helping out with the photoshoot. Chocolate chip of course!

What did you guys get up to?

When I Grow Up

On Monday to celebrate handing in our dissertations (yessss!) there was a 'What I Want To Be When I Grow Up' themed party at the SU bar.

Since I go to a university that specialises in art there was a danger that everyone would just turn up as an artist.

But people really got imaginative.

The winner of the best dressed award was a scuba diver. 

I went as a country singer, which was really an excuse to wear this lovely vintage dress.

My friends went as Mrs Motivator, the President of America and Miss World.

The night was also a fine art fundraiser as we need money for our degree show publication.

This meant there was a raffle and I won a voucher for Prim, a vintage shop here in Norwich.

Exciting times.

Bonus photo; reading up about my favourite country stars before we went out.

So what do you want to be when you're older?

Halloween

Halloween was on Monday and I went as an impaled girl!

I think my costume was pretty awesome if I do say so myself.

And it cost me all of £1.30 and that was for the t-shirt from a charity shop.

The pole was a cardboard tube that I painted silver and put a belt through one end which was hidden under my t-shirt. Sneaky.

A little drippy mouth blood, black eyes and messy hair and it's creepy time!

My friend Natalie went as a scary doll, Lucy was Lady Gaga and Ryan was a scarecrow.

We went to our SU bar and I'm pleased to say the pole held up to all the dancing.

Did you dress up for Halloween?

Do you prefer a creepy costume or dressing up as a character?

Vintage dress up

My Mum recently dug out some of her old (but would now be considered vintage) dresses.

So naturally my sister and I tried them.

They fit wonderfully! 

The yellow dress I'm wearing was the bridesmaids dress my Mum wore for her sister's wedding.

Here's my Mum at 18 wearing the dress my sister has on above. She made it herself.

My Mum was around 16 in this picture (and off to a barn dance which explains the hat) and here I am wearing the same dress. Age 21 but the same size!

Notice the matching hairband which inspired the ones I made last week.

Have any of you parents held on to any of their old clothes for you to try on? 

Votes for Women!

This past weekend was the Letchworth Arts Centre's festival.

Last year the theme was World War 2/1940s and I got to dress up and walk in a fashion show.

This year the theme was 'Who Do You Think You Are?' and I got to dress up as a suffragette with my fellow volunteers.

Photo courtesy of Scarlett.

We even got to ride in a horse drawn carriage!

The Arts Centre had their own stall selling things made by local artists, including my donuts! (Still available on my Etsy)

There were loads of other attractions including sheep shearing, fairground rides, many musicians, and a coconut shy, which I decorated the coconuts for.

It was a really fun weekend and we all deserve a good rest after it. 

You can see more photos on the heritage website here.

50s vs 60s

It was another dress-up night at the SU last week. The theme; Culture Clash 50s vs 60s.

I'm 50s, Natalie and Lucy are 60s.

There were mini dresses, poodle skirts, beehives and Twiggy lashes.

There was even a guy dressed as Andy Warhol. It is an art school after all.

All aboard the party bus!

Here's some loveliness from around the web inspired by the eras:

This sweet painting from Etsy seller Purrr.

Gossip Gossip's record bags are pretty funky.

I love this vintage 60s mini dress from Silverfish Vintage. So pretty!