If you’re anything like me then this is the time of year you start
Crafty as I may have become in the last year, when it comes to costumes I will just wave my white flag now. Let's be honest. Very few people can pull off a homemade costume that looks great and won't fall apart the second your child decides to you know, be a child? I am not one of those people.
Over the last few years I've noticed a trend. All of the really cute and well made costumes seem to be those puffy plush ones that are SO SO cute but totally inappropriate for those of us who live in warm climates. In New York you never know what you're going to get on Halloween. It could be a blizzard, rain or unseasonably warm weather. In San Diego you pretty much know that it's going to be warm during the day while small children are almost certainly having their Halloween parade and cooler once the sun starts to set and trick-or-treating commences.
Therefore, this year I was on a mission to find a costume that was original (There were four, that's right FOUR Ariel mermaids in Kayla's class last year) incredibly cute, well made and weather adaptable. So when the Chasing Fireflies catalog landed in my mailbox I was psyched and surprised to see just how many adorable costumes they had that met my criteria. Like this bubble bath costume which falls under that omigosh-that's-so-clever category. Or this gumball machine costume which any child would go nuts over.
But I knew exactly where my little girl's heart would point and that was to this cotton candy costume. Kayla begs for cotton candy wherever we go. And probably because I always stamp that request DENIED it seems to be everywhere. The only thing better than eating cotton candy to a 4 year old is actually being cotton candy...and getting your crazy mom to "eat" all of the bites you pretend to pull off of yourself and serve up to her.
What I love about this costume is you can easily add a layer underneath without detracting from the cuteness of it. While it's a dress-style costume it's still pretty easy to walk around in. As you can see, Kayla decided to run around in it and was able to maneuver just fine. Plus, unlike many cocktail dresses I've tried, this costume passes the "works sitting down" test. The tulle overlay is sparkly and billows, but not too puffy that it gets in the way of your kid being a kid.
But I knew exactly where my little girl's heart would point and that was to this cotton candy costume. Kayla begs for cotton candy wherever we go. And probably because I always stamp that request DENIED it seems to be everywhere. The only thing better than eating cotton candy to a 4 year old is actually being cotton candy...and getting your crazy mom to "eat" all of the bites you pretend to pull off of yourself and serve up to her.
What I love about this costume is you can easily add a layer underneath without detracting from the cuteness of it. While it's a dress-style costume it's still pretty easy to walk around in. As you can see, Kayla decided to run around in it and was able to maneuver just fine. Plus, unlike many cocktail dresses I've tried, this costume passes the "works sitting down" test. The tulle overlay is sparkly and billows, but not too puffy that it gets in the way of your kid being a kid.
Oh, and I adore the accessories you can choose to add. A matching treat bag always a necessity when it comes to Halloween. And I'd be lying if I said this one was getting anything less than a workout. Kayla wants to use it to carry all of her little action figures and small toys around the house. I would like to see the straps made more plush and comfortable in the future, but it gets a 10 for coordination, cuteness and ability to hold a good amount of (but not too much) candy. My trick-or-treating rule is when the bag gets full we go home. So this one is just right for Kayla to feel like she got the full experience without being dragged around the entire neighborhood five times. Did I mention we live on a mountain?
Personally, I always feel a teensy bit sad when Halloween is over and it's time to put the decorations and costumes away. While searching Chasing Fireflies for accessories to go with Kaylas cotton candy costume I saw these candy cane fairy wings and thought they were the perfect unexpected add on. I mean, the only thing that could possibly be better than rocking a cotton candy getup is transforming into a cotton candy fairy, right? I don't doubt that these wings will stay with us for quite some time and make multiple appearances around the holidays!
