Minnie Mouse, aka Princess Annelise

Well, I finished my daughter's Halloween costume about 10 days before Oct 31, but never got around to taking pictures of her in it. I'm blaming it all on hot weather, then a mosquito epidemic, then cold (Houston's version) weather, trips to the zoo, housecleaning, and life in general. Our Fall Festival was last night at church, and that's where I finally got some pics of Annelise in her costume. But first, here's a look at the Minnie Mouse dress NOT on the wiggly, energetic toddler.

The pattern I used is Simplicity 2989 (from their inspired by Project Runway line). It has lots of sleeve, neck, and skirt options. This was the only toddler dress pattern I could find with a collar. All the fabric and the heart applique are from JoAnn's. I could have bought a Minnie dress online for $30-40, but I made this one for maybe $15 total (and didn't pay shipping!). I wanted to use a shiny fabric, but didn't find any in pink with polka dots, so I used cotton instead. The upside is I can wash it with no worries.

 I modeled this dress after the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse version of Minnie, who always wears pink. That's my daughter's favorite show, so it was an easy choice. Minnie's medallion on the show is an oval, but all I could find that was similar enough was this heart. Just as cute, I think!

The underskirt has 6 inches of gathered tulle, which makes the skirt stand out a bit.

And what does Annelise look like in her costume? Here she is at our church's fall festival.

 Not too sure about the whole affair. Also, the whole way over in the car, she insisted she was Princess Ah-na-neese (her pronunciation) and not Minnie Mouse!

 

Hey, why did you put these on my head?

A rare smile! I think she was more excited about the zebra and giraffe behind her (Noah's Ark theme, you know).

Am I done with these now? (And she was!)

And this year I joined in the costume fun - pretty sure this is my first Halloween costume since I was in junior high! I got the idea yesterday around 2:30 pm from the Creating Keepsakes magazine staff. They all had beauty queen names and posted pics on facebook. One pregnant lady had Miss Conception for her sash, and I knew the shoe (er, sash) fit! So I went through my craft stash and whipped up my own version. I think the kids just thought I was weird, but the adults seemed to enjoy the joke.

Now that Halloween is over and it's November, I guess it's time for Christmas crafting. I still have to finish Annelise's Christmas stocking (which I started when I was pregnant with her in 2009). This is her 3rd Christmas, and the pressure is on to finish. I would also like to make a new tree skirt this year. And I have exactly one month to finish planning her 2nd birthday party and decorate her new "big girl" room. I could go on about things I have to do/want to make, but I'm going to stop there. Gotta get busy crafting!!!

Happy crafting to you,

Julie