Old Hallow's Eve

This year Halloween came a little early, our family hosted a wonderous Halloween celebration on the eve of October 25th. I didn't get the ideal photo of Ava in her costume, but it was a rush, rush situation as Chris came home from work and I tended to people in and out of the hair and makeup chair, ending with Chris at Home Depot 10 minutes before we left, to get rivets for his mask...The need for a flash in the dark conditions left me with less than desirable photos, forgive me!

Ahh, my "leave it until the last minute" husband and I can clack horns. I am a "do it as far in advance as possible" type and he is the opposite...I guess opposites attract. Getting ready for this party tested that theory though!

I was impressed with his creation, he sculpted the mask from clay, made an Ultra-Cal mold and then cast it in fiberglass, before hand trimming and painting it.

He applied a black mesh to the insides of the eyes for added mystery...

I sewed the suit, after much deliberation and several trips to the fabric store over the color of the fur... "We are doing this once and we are doing it right!" was the quote from my husband. He struggles with perfectionism a bit sometimes...

I would like to never work with faux fur fabric again, especially in the creation of a full body suit and hood for a 6'3" man. Fuzzy, sheddy, whole house needed dusting.

We arrived at the "cemetery" to my father in law in full regalia, ushering folks into the backyard circus tent for the party. Some haunts met us along the way-some too gruesome to show!

My Dad and my sister arrived, bedecked in some Halloween finery. I think my sister's lacrosse socks really complete her pumpkin ensemble. Ava couldn't contain herself over the sight of her Auntie Poopkins as a pumpkin-2 of her favorite things in one!!

Anyone still wondering what became of that sheep hair?!?

Behold, we fashioned it into headpieces and a cape for a white witch, from the Chronicles of Narnia. My sister-in-law did a great job with the rest of her costume and she really looked the part-the dark contact lenses never fail to disturb!

Well here is Ava's first Halloween suit: a tiny little garden Gnome! She was so cute with those ears and cheeks. Just a little fleece tunic and hat I whipped up from my stash, some buttons, ric rac and a pair of leggings.

Ava ended up on my back in, you guessed it, the backpack, festooned with burlap and all of my garden implements-you know because I was a garden Gnome as well, and what good is a garden Gnome without her watering can, trowel and tiny rake?!?

Ava carried her little pumpkin flashlight her dad gave her, all night. She wouldn't put it down. It illuminated her little face in a bewitching way.

We didn't stay too long, we had to get this little Elf to bed, but we enjoyed seeing every one's costumes, a bit of light dancing and the sour-sweet wind that started howling as the night wore on...A nice preview to the real Halloween.

Ava carried her little flashlight all the way home in her car seat, illuminating the back seat with warm light and the sound of her astonished coos.