Halloween 2021 - Indiana Aliens

Hello and Happy Halloween!

I've neglected this space for awhile because I've been so busy working. But now I have a little more time since my job has come to an end. I wanted to share the photos from our last few Halloweens, as is our tradition. 

Steven and I got married in October, and we like to celebrate our anniversary with homemade Halloween costumes. We just celebrated our 11th anniversary in 2023, but these photos are a throwback to 2021. Our costumes are a homage to our favorite action heroes, respectively. India Jones and Ellen Ripely. We based these off of Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Aliens.

Halloween 2021: 90s Party

Steven and I were invited to a 90s-themed Halloween Party. We were Daria, from "Daria" and Max Goof from "A Goofy Movie."

Our costumes were partly from our wardrobes, partly thrifted, and Steven's ears and gloves were a last-minute diy from things we already had. Steven's costume won a prize that evening. 

There were no Halloween parties last year, and this year still feels like everything has changed. But it was really great to spend some times with friends after such a long time.

⋆ bloglovin | pinterest | instagram | art shop | flickr | tumblr ⋆

Halloween 2020 - Cybersix and Lucas Amato

Happy Halloween! I hope you find fun ways to celebrate today despite the pandemic.

Since parties and in-person hangouts are pretty much out, we put more effort into our costumes this year. It's the one time a year we give ourselves an excuse to cosplay. (But do we need an excuse? Maybe it should be a year-round hobby)!

It was Steven's idea to be Cybersix and Lucas Amato this year. Cybersix (1999) is my favorite animated series, but I was hesitant because I wasn't sure I could make a superhero costume---or wear one. I decided I could wear black jeans and a fitted top instead of a full spandex (or leather) suit. Also, I wanted to be Adrian Seidelman, Cybersix's literature teacher alter-ego, too. I had the most fun with this costume, as I've always wanted to incorporate my own glasses into a Halloween costume. Besides, there's something precious about the belt with suspenders. Adrian is trying his best to be human.

We tried to be eco-friendly as much as possible this year---my cape is made from an old nightgown and a thrifted curtain panel. Everything was second-hand (except for the black hairspray), and we recycled pieces from our old costumes. My trench coat was part of our Anastasia costumes from Halloween 2018, where I did my best to make a thrift store trench coat look like a winter coat. For this project I needed to reverse the alterations and make it look like a trench coat again, which was definitely more difficult! Steven's shirt was also repurposed from 2018. The braces I'm wearing as Adrian were from Steven's Over the Garden Wall costume. The hat is composed of two old hats cut apart and stitched together. I needed the crown from one hat and the wide brim from the other. 

I was concerned that Steven's costume wasn't elaborate enough, but he was enthusiastic about it, and I think he looks fantastic. His vintage trench coat was a lucky find on eBay, as was his tie. Lucas Amato is such a warm and interesting character, and I love that---like Steven---he's a public school teacher. We had a lot of fun this year, and I would love to find an opportunity to wear these costumes again. The trench coats, shirts, and trousers are going into our regular wardrobes after Halloween is over. 

I recommend giving Cybersix a watch---there are only 13 episodes, but each one is beautifully animated and voice-acted. Not an ad, but Discotek Media produced a good DVD release.

Have a spooky and safe Halloween - and don't forget to vote, U.S. friends!

Although he lives a few hours away, Jupiter still makes a great Data-7

⋆ bloglovin | pinterest | instagram | art shop | flickr ⋆

Halloween 2019: Fallen Kingdom

This year's Halloween costumes were inspired by Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018).

Steven really wanted to do Jurassic World this year, and I liked the costumes from Fallen Kingdom - they were already really close to our every-day style. We bought Steven's vest on eBay, and everything else came from Goodwill, Thredup, and our own closets. Last year's costumes were really complex, so I wanted to scale things back this year. I didn't have to do any sewing for these, and I think that's a first! The hair was easy too - except in the humidity I couldn't get my curly hair anywhere near as straight as Bryce's. 

When we mentioned our Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom idea to my sister, Corrie, she saw her chance to get the cozy, inflatable animal costume she always wanted. Unfortunately, she was almost steamed alive because Halloween night turned out to be strangely warm and humid. Her costume was a huge hit during the festivities, though. 🦕🦖

⋆ bloglovin | pinterest | instagram | art shop | flickr ⋆

Halloween 2018: Anastasia

"Princesses don't marry kitchen boys."

This post is so late, but our last few weeks have been terribly busy!

We decided to celebrate Halloween with some Don Bluth 90s nostagia in our Anastasia costumes. This was a most challenging costume duo yet. I'm not sure how many packets of Rit dye I used! At least the costume pieces were all second-hand, with the exception of Steven's hat. His trousers were the same from his 2015 Shaggy costume - I just de-bell bottomed them. His vest was cut and sewn from an old dress shirt.

I really loved the 1997 movie Anastasia as a kid. It was so beautiful and sparked a real interest in the history behind the animated fantasy-version. I think the style of the film subtly influenced my aesthetic and fashion choices throughout my life. (The boots and cap I'm wearing here are an every day part of my wardrobe). Steven encouraged me to create these costumes for our 6th Halloween together, and I'm so glad he did.

⋆ bloglovin | tumblr | twitter | pinterest | instagram | art shop ⋆

Anna and Steve's All Hallows Eve 2017

When we were invited to a horror-themed Halloween party, Steven knew right away he wanted to be Ghostface from the Scream Movies. It took me a bit longer to settle on Lydia Deetz from Beetlejuice, but the fact that she shoots Nikon settled it for me. Steven is a big fan of horror movies, while I prefer suspense or horror with a large side of comedy or romance. I only saw Beetlejuice for the first time last year, and instantly fell in love with it's uniqueness. Steven ordered his costume from Amazon, and I gathered all the bits of my costume from various thrift stores. 

The Nikon L35AF2 was a find I picked up for $2. This 80s plastic brick has a good lens and a reputation for sharp photos, so I've been attempting to shot some film for the first time in a few years. The Handbook for the Recently Deceased was created by painting an old book and decoupaging a printout on the front.

We both had a great time at the party and enjoyed array of creative costumes that night. Everyone from Voldemort to Chuckie was there. Tomorrow night we plan to stay home, watch a movie - maybe Beetlejuice again - and hand out candy to trick-or-treaters. I hope you have a Happy and Festive Halloween!

⋆ bloglovin | tumblr | twitter | pinterest | instagram ⋆