Handmade Halloween Costumes

Meet the knitting fairy, with a wave of her wand she can pick up dropped stitches and rejuvenate wonky sweaters. Just for fun I was brainstorming ideas for Halloween costumes and this was one of them. I like the idea of a costume revolved around handmade. Truthfully though, I probably won't make this. Unless I have some party to go to, I'll probably stick with my tried and true Little Red Riding Hood costume. But if I was going to go all out, this is what I'd do:


Now this is a costume that will win you first place at a Halloween party. M.A.C. artist Karin Stone created this real life Roy Lichtenstein comic character.

Via Charmed




This is another costume I love, "low resolution". But if I were to make this, I'd make the squares smaller. I'd also draw squares on a light colored dress to keep the pixelation theme going. I actually suggested this costume to my husband this year and he thought I was completely out of my mind. Honestly, if he thought this was weird, he should have seen me with the ball of yarn wrapped around my head yesterday. Purely for costume R & D (research and development) of course.

Via Make



What crafty person can't resist the tomato pincushion costume? Pure awesomeness, right?

via My Paper Crane




And here's something for the kids, a paper doll costume. What's great about this costume is how easy and inexpensive it is to make. This would also make a great family themed costume. Everyone could be paper dolls.

Via Dollar Store Crafts





So, what fabulous costumes are you guys making this year?

Craft: Kirigami Fall Decorations

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Simmered Kabocha Recipe

Today is officially the first day of fall. So to kick off the season, I would like to share one of my favorite recipes with you, simmered Kabocha (pumpkin). I found the recipe in one of my favorite cook books, "The Joy of Japanese Cooking" by Kuwako Takahashi. Ever since I discovered the recipe, it has become a staple in our kitchen menu. Perhaps it will be one of yours too.

Simmered Kabocha
Recipe from The Joy of Japanese Cooking

Ingredients:
1 1/2lbs Kabocha (pumpkin) - pictured above
1 1/2 cup dashi - you can make it from scratch with bonito flakes but I like to use 1/2 cup Yamaki Mentsuyu (pictured above) with 1 cup water. If you really wanted to, you could replace the dashi with chicken broth.
3 T Mirin (rice wine)
1-2 T Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 T Soy Sauce

Cut kabocha into small pieces (about 1" x 1 1/2"). Round edges of skin with a peeler. You can eat the skin of a kabocha so you don't have to peel all of it off. Rounding the edges is more for aesthetics.

Place kabocha skin side down in a large pot. Mix rest of ingredients together and pour into pot.

Cover with lid and bring to boil.

Turn heat down and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes. Cook until tender. Make sure kabocha does not get mushy.

Turn off heat and let the kabocha soak up the dashi. You can serve this dish hot or at room temperature. Often I like to make it for bentos as a side dish.

Enjoy!

Handmade is Beautiful

The other day I was shopping at the mall and I overheard a woman say, “I wouldn’t wear anything that looks like I made it” (referring to a chunky knit sweater). The comment kind of stopped me in my tracks. What did that mean? Did she say that because anything she made wouldn’t look good? Did she say it because she finds more value in mass produced products? Sadly, I suspect the latter. There’s this view that handmade equals ugly, too poor to buy clothes, cheap, fill in the blank_________.

Now, as for me I have a very strong opposing opinion. I’ll be honest and say that I'm biased since I like to make things. But here’s the thing, when I look at something handmade I see a one of a kind item that no one else has. I see an item that is far superior in craftsmanship. I see an item that someone put a lot of care, thought, love and time into. I see an item that is beautiful, expensive, and rare. So YES, I'll proudly wear something handmade any day!

Giveaway: Bread Cell Phone Charm

I've always been curious about these faux breads that I've seen online. So, you could imagine my delight when I stumbled upon one at my favorite store. As soon as I saw it I knew just what to do with it, host a giveaway! One lucky reader will win this faux bread cell phone charm. It looks just like a miniature bread, it's squishy and even smells like bread!

To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment telling me your favorite kind of pastry. One entry per household. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you win. The last day to enter the contest is Monday, September 20, 2010. I'll announce the winner Tuesday on this post and email them. If I do not hear back from the winner after two weeks, I will choose a new winner. International friends welcome :)

Congratulations to Peggy who is the winner of the giveaway! Peggy's favorite pastry is red bean paste bun!

Contest Closed