He could have gone as The Cat in The Hat, which was last year’s costume, however a fur costume in 90+ degree weather simply will not work. Then there was the option to use one of the several pretend play outfits that are in the closet but let’s be honest. This was an opportunity for Mama to be crafty and I just can’t pass up the chance to get artsy!
After some brainstorming and discussion we agreed on a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. This is typically a costume that I would steer my child away from as I feel it lacks originality but I decided to let him be the little boy he is and have fun with it. It was super simple to pull together.
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| "Logz, I'm trying to take your picture. Logz, can you stand still for a minute? No, seriously, I'm trying to take a picture of the costume. Logz? Ok, maybe a different pose? Thanks bud. Love you." |
A Green Turtle Outfit:
I found green shorts and a green shirt in my son’s closet.
The mask:
I chose to use a template found on the Betty Crocker website. There are a number of templates online or you can free hand your own.
The shell:
I used a piece of felt in a gold tone to make a shell for his belly, used a marker to add some definition to the shell and attached it to the front of the shirt. I baste stitched it, but Velcro or safety pins would also work for temporary attachment.
For the back shell, I headed to the dollar store and looked for something in the cooking and serving section to use a shell. A popular option for the shell is a disposable roasting pan, however it seemed too large for my son. I spotted a serving platter and a serving dish that seemed like they would work for us, grabbed them both and headed home to let my son choose which one he liked best.
We agreed that the hard plastic dish was the best choice and got to work painting it (which took all of three minutes). We set it in front of a fan on the floor and it took about five minutes to dry. Up to this point everything was going so smoothly. Then this happened.
