DIY Halloween Costume!

So this Halloween I dropped the ball a little bit and put off deciding on Halloween costumes. Usually I like to come up with a couple costume, but I know hubby just does it to make me happy so I decided on my own this year... [Violet] Incredible! Yes, the Disney Character! And I didn't want to search for a shirt or buy a whole costume anywhere.

 You will need:

-Red t-shirt (I prefer fitted)

-printed logo

-White, yellow, orange, and black Acrylic or fabric paint

-Paint brushes

-Sewing pins

-Sewing Tracing wheel

 

 I wouldn't recommend the brushes above. I didn't want to spend more on brushes just for this and I got what I paid for :(

 

First, I found a logo from Google Images and printed it in grayscale. No need to waste ink. Cut around the logo and pin it on your shirt. Make sure it is centered.

 

(Sorry for the blurry photo) Use the tracing wheel to mark the edge of the logo and where the different color sections start. Press hard enough to see the marks on the shirt.

 

Look closely and you can see the markings on the shirt.

 

Start painting! I used a small brush the stay within the lines of the logo. 

 

The paint brushes left a splotchy cover. I went over it with a foam brush for much better coverage.

 

I used a small foam brush for touch-ups.

 

 

Voila! I think it is pretty good!

The whole costume includes red tights, black shorts, the shirt and black face make-up for the mask.

Hope you get inspired by this just in time for Halloween!

Quick Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars

So I found this recipe a couple days ago and it sounds pretty good. I like most pumpkin things and since it is officially October, I am taking advantage of making them without people thinking I am a freak.

Anyways, I did some math with the measurements in her recipe. (The average cups in the oz of brownie mix and the average cups in the oz of pumpkin) I found out the it is 1 parts pumpkin to 1 1/3 parts brownie mix.

So in my cupboard I happen to have a baggie of partial cake mix and a partial can of pumpkin in my fridge. I am that person!  So I whipped together some pumpkin chocolate chip bars today!

(I apologize for the mixed types of photos. I took the first with my phone, then my sister called and I used my computer for the rest)

 

I started out with 1 cup of pumpkin (not positive is pumpkin pie mix would work, but it should)

 

Add 1 1/3 cups of yellow cake mix. I did a heaping 1/3 cup (the actual ratio was 1:1.3333)

 

Mix, mix mix, until the cake mix is incorporated.

 

 

Just for fun I added a dash of cinnamon, cloves and ginger. I also added some chocolate chips. Eyeball it to your liking. I just emptied the little bit in the bottom of the bag. 

 

Grease a bread pan and put the dough in.

 

 

Spread it out as best you can, it will be thick and hard to spread. Bake @ 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. A knife will come out MOSTLY clean. You want it to be a tiny bit doughy. Let sit for 5 minutes in pan. 

 

Cut and enjoy! I love the little extra that the mini chocolate chips give it. It doesn't take anything like yellow cake, but a good 'lighter' pumpkin taste! Hubby liked them and he's not huge on pumpkin.

You can make the proportions greater based off my ratio or do as Cookies and Cups did and use a box of cake mix for a can of pumpkin. I just liked being able to use the random amounts in my pantry. Enjoy!

Map Wall Art

A few of my friends have been really irritated that I posted about a new project but hadn't shared any details. Well loyal readers, here is that project!

As some of you already know, I am a military wife. I have always loved the artwork on Pinterest with a 'home' state or different states you have called home. This is a perfect way for us to display the places we have lived and loved!

Now, I do use a lot of Photoshop [Elements], but I think most of it can be done in Paint if you want to try your own! I am just very familiar with PS so it is my go-to for any editing. I am going to walk you through the whole process.

 

I started out with the regular school colored state maps. I originally was going a whole different way with this and was going to keep the colored map part.

 I used an eraser tool and a magnetic lasso tool to take the background from around both maps. Then I made a black border around the edge of each map with the paintbrush tool.

 

I was going to make the maps black on white, but then I remembered that our walls are cream colored and I wanted to reverse the colors to make them stand out more.  The hearts are a Font For Peas Font, Ellie Bellie. (Available for free at Kevin & Amanda) And the hearts are placed in the two cities David and I have lived in together. Found the quote from a google search. Love it! So fitting for us as a military family!

 

Once I got the prints how I liked them, I ordered them from Mpix.com. I highly recommend them for photos! The shipping is quick and if you sign up for emails, they have deals all the time!

I got them in 12x12 because those were the sizes of my canvases at home. I trimmed about 1/8 inch off each side.  Now grab some wax paper, a brush and your Mod Podge!

 Place your photo face down on the wax paper and cover the back with a thin layer of Mod Podge. (The The Sassy Pepper did this with photos and placed Mod Podge on the canvas to dry first.) I didn't do this step.

 

Use a towel to smooth out the canvas. I also flipped it over since the canvas isn't supported in the middle. Let dry for 20 minutes. When it has dried, carefully brush a thin layer of Mod Podge over the photo.

 

 Be sure to keep the Mod Podge thin and even over the photo. Let dry 20 minutes. I also did a second coat because my first wasn't quite even and you could tell.

Now again, originally I planned on leaving the edges white, but it didn't look finished at all. I used an acrylic black paint and foam brush to paint the edges of my photo canvases.

 This is not where I will keep them (I took down my other canvases so I could hang these for the photo) I love these and especially the quote. With moving from our home state and possible deployments, this quote hits it right on the head! <3

Enjoy!