Handmade Haolloween-DIY Purple Minion

I love that my kids love to dress up for Halloween. I like fun, original & unique costumes so I am all about creating our own!
This year we have one Purple Minion and the other doesn't have a name, you'll just have to see the picture.

So first our little purple minion, from Despicable me 2. I just love those movies!

He loves his costume! 

Here is how I made it:

You will need

1 round tall laundry hamper

1 1/2 yards purple fleece

batting

black fabric 1 yard is plenty

white foam core for teeth

something round ( we used a large tape case from frog tape and cut out the center)

silver spray paint Rustoleum 2 x coverage Metallic

purple fur 

large plastic bowl that fits on the top of basket

A purple shirt

Black gloves

black pants

Cut the holes in the basket for arms first, then eye, then mouth.

Attach the bowl to the bottom of the basket to make the top round. (this is the head) I used duct tape. 

Cover the basket with batting, I used hot glue, it worked great!

Cover the basket again with purple fleece. Leave 2-4 inches at the bottom and glue to the inside, leave enough at the top to cover the head. 

Now you'll need to cut an X in each of the opening, cut just to the edge of the plastic and fold in, glue in place. This gives all the openings a nice soft cover, the plastic is kind of sharp once cut. 

Next make the goggle. 

I cut the bottom of the frog tape case off. Added glue dots along the outside edge, just for looks and spray paint the entire thing metallic silver. I used rustoleum 2 x coverage. 

I them attached the mask to a strip of fabric, 3" wide x 47" long ( whatever the diameter of your basket + 4 inches to attach to the goggle)

Glue all the way around the body and finish by gluing the end to the inside of the goggle. 

The Mouth: Add a piece of black fabric to the inside of the mouth. I cut jagged little teeth from foam core and glued in place. 

The Overalls: I made 2 straps 2" wide and long enough to go over the shoulders and down the back of the body. I sewed with white thread for a nice contrast and used a twin needle to make them look "real". I then cut the front bib, sewed the edges and added a pocket. You dont need them to be perfect! These little minions are a crazy little mess! 

I had some metal buckles from a tote bag that I used on the straps and then sewed the straps on the bib using buttons. The glue the bib to the front of the body. Slowing glue the strap on following it up and over the shoulder and down the back, cris crossing in the center. 

I let the bib hang down below the bottom, he will wear black pants with it and it looks just like overalls! 

That hair!! Well I could not find purple fur, but what I did find was this furry monster gift bag at Target! I simply cut off the strings & eyes and removed the inside paper lining. Glue the bottom edges together and glue to the top of the head. 

THAT'S IT! You now have a purple minion! 

I hope this is easy to follow! I should have taken more step by step photos. 

Now my other son, I have no name, we got this idea from a friend who saw it on pinterest.

This is so creepy, it completely freaks me out when he walks! 

Here's a video!

My boys are just loving thier costumes this year! And ya know, so am I! 

Have a wonderful halloween, I hope you all get some great treats!

Memo center tutoral!

Holy cow! My second post in 3 days!! As I was packing up orders Sunday sitting on the floor in a mess of labels, tape boxes and tissue paper I decided that I needed to make a shipping area in my room! I had the space for it, I just need to organize a bit more! In my process I decided to make a memo center. I always have my orders laying around in a pile. So I gathered my thoughts, got some wood and went to work!
I started with a plain piece of scrap wood from the garage, 25" long. I painted it and let dry.

 I then added some label holders that I had and hooks for my clipboard. I pre drill the hole 7" in on each end, then they easily screw in. Just make sure to make the hole slightly smaller than the screw so it doesn't slip out!

 Next I added cork, just for small items like receipts, coupons, memos etc! I bought cork tiles, cut them to the right side and glued them in place. I also added some cute decorative tacks that I found at Target!

Last I placed 2 eyelets in the top, one on each end about 1" in and used twine to hang it up! 

Now its time to hang it up! I had the perfect place right below a framed picture my youngest drew for me for mothers day!

I also moved some things in my cabinet to store boxes and hung a heavy duty curtain rod to store my tissue paper on, its great buying in bulk, as long as you have a place to keep it! :) 

 Everything I need to ship packages is now at my finger tips! My back will be so happy!

I covered this cute little clipboard too, its my weekly list. I always write this out on paper, that gets buried in burlap. 

Its so great when a plan comes together and my total cost, $5.00. I used almost all stuff I already had on hand! 

Now-back to filling orders! 

Thanks for stopping by!

I love custom orders!

Sorry I have been gone for so long! I made some burlap pumpkins this year and well, they took me by surprise and have been selling like crazy! So thank you to all of my wonderful customers who have been keeping me so busy! Its been so much fun!

The thing I love most about having a shop on ETSY is the special orders I get from customers! I work with the nicest people! These special orders often inspire me to make new things or just gives me a better idea for what I was already doing! I thought I would share some of my most recent special orders!

This customer has a child with a Halloween birthday, so she asked for a banner with Happy BOOday! I just love this!! It will be so great at her party! 

Another recent request was for a tree skirt! I had made the snowman one, but never thought to add moose! Perfect for that log cabin or a cozy woodsy feeling home!

I have so much fun making these special orders! So if you are looking for something specific, I am your girl! 

I can not believe its already time for tree skirts and stockings! I made a new design today with the help of my little buddy!

I love that yesterday he was outside bow hunting and today he learned how to make ruffles! We made a lot of them! I made this ombre red ruffle skirt, thinking about making one in greys and one in blues. I struggled taking the pics of this one, the two reds at the top are quite different, but no matter what I did, they look very similar in the picture. 

With tree skirt making in full swing, it wont be long before I need to put up one of the trees, an artificial one of course! But I need it for my pictures! I will try to blog more, I'm going to shoot for once a week! So I will see you all soon! Thank you for stopping by!!