DEERific DIY Halloween Costume

DEERific DIY Halloween Costume
Yet another Halloween has come and gone!
 I’ve always loved Halloween and going all out with costumes–this year was no exception! I typically like creating my own costumes opposed to buying them from a costume store.For this costume in particular I bought the deer onesie (which can be used again) The rest was all made by hand! You don’t have to spend a fortune to have a great costume, just an open mind and lots of creativity! I hope you enjoy!

DIY Deer Halloween Costume:

To create a look similar to this one you can start with finding something to wear that is all brown. In my case, I lucked out and came across the perfect outfit. Because I started shopping around early for my costume, I was able to get a great deal on it, and that way I didn’t have to make the biggest part of this costume. I found my onesie at Bluenotes and got it on sale for $25.00! It’s almost next to impossible to find a costume for that cheap at a costume store these days! It was actually a Rudolph onesie that came with a hood complete with antlers and ears. I didn’t particularly like the hood and knew I was going to be making antlers of my own so I cut the whole hood right off. I saved the antlers and ears so I could use them somewhere else for my costume.

How-to recreate this look:

IMG_3723
Rudolph Reindeer Onesie, Bluenotes, $25.00

Start off with finding a top and bottom that are a similar shade of brown. If you aren’t able to find a onesie similar to mine, try matching brown tights, pants or a skirt to a long sleeve shirt. This onesie also came with pockets (as if it already couldn’t get any better!) I always make my costumes so I cheated a little bit here since the onesie I bought– but I wouldn’t be able to make something for that price.

Once I removed the hood, it was time to start the antlers! You could always go to the costume store and buy antlers, but I wanted to create ones that looked  more realistic than store-bought one. I used aluminium foil to create the shape and size that I wanted. Once I was happy with those I began making the paper mâché mix that I would use to cover the antlers with. I hadn’t made this mixture in years, but it’s as simple as 1 part flour to two parts water mixed in a large bowl. I then ripped newspaper into long and thin strips. Next, dunk the strips into the mix remembering to run your finger down the strip to remove excess paper mâché. Begin placing it on the aluminum foil antlers making sure to mould it to the shape you had originally created. I did about two coats of this until it was smooth and no aluminum foil was left showing. You can dip your finger in the mixture and place it onto the placed newspaper so that the pieces stay nice and smooth (makes for easier painting.) When they are fully complete, place them on a drying rack before beginning to paint. I did these the night before and waited until the morning to paint them.

 

IMG_3552 IMG_3553

 

I decided to paint the antlers three different colours to get the look I wanted. I used a beige colour first,and painted two thin coats over the entire thing. I then used a light brown and white until they started looking realistic. I placed this to the side and let them dry as I worked on the headband that they would eventually go on.

IMG_3724

I made my own ears out of light brown felt that I cut into large shaped ears (deers have big ears!) My mom sewed them onto the headband along with the fuzzy ears from the hood placing them inside the ones I made. This ended up working out great because the inside of the ears matched perfectly with the tummy. She then stiched these onto the headband and I painted the headband in the same beige colour previously used.. You can use any headband you want as long as it’s about half an inch or more thick. Don’t use a plastic headband as you will find it hard to attach the antlers to this. I made mine so big they were pretty heavy, I ended up having to get my dad to drill them right into the headband (crazy, I know!) After letting the antlers dry completely my dad bolted the antlers into the headband so they wouldn’t fall over or spin. I was extremely happy with how they turned out and it really made the costume come to life!

The final product

 IMG_3725 IMG_3726

While my dad was working away on attaching the antlers I cut out some dots that I wanted to stick on the back of the onesie to make the spots. I bought an 8 1/2 X 11 inch sheet of felt from Fabricland (on sale for $1.00.) What was great about this felt was that it was sticky at the back so once I had cut out all the dots all I had to do was peal back the sticker and place them on the onesie. I opted for two different sizes of dots and started at the top of the onesie and went right down to the tail. Using the leftover material from one of the antlers on the hoodie my mom cut that off and sewed that onto the tail (I had to have the classic white fluffy deer tail.)

       IMG_3695

Now that the costume was complete it was time to start the fun part– the make-up! I had Googled, pinned, and watched YouTube videos on how others created the deer makeup. I found one that I really liked and her tutorial was really simple to follow. I have provided this video tutorial below. I didn’t make a video of me doing the makeup but I did take progress pictures throughout!

 

IMG_3608
START OFF WITH A CLEAN SLATE. I used a little bit of mascara on the top lash and that’s it! I curled my hair with a curling wand and then pulled it back from my face while doing my makeup.

 ↓

IMG_3609
Using white face pain ($1.50 from Dollarama)– use a makeup brush to outline around your eyes. I went just above my eyebrows and just below my eyes.I had to do a couple of coats before it was the white enough (careful not to make it too white)

IMG_3610
Next, using bronzer, or light brown face paint (or a combo of the two–that’s what I did,) with another makeup brush, fill in around the white covering your entire forehead and stopping at the bottom of your cheekbones.

IMG_3611
Before starting the dots. Take a small eyeshadow brush and use a medium shade of brown to contour your cheekbones. You can then blend this with the brush you used for the bronzer. To make the white dots I used the same white face paint as I did for the base and applied it with a Q-tip. This is why you don’t want to make the base too white otherwise the dots won’t show up clearly.

IMG_3614
Using the same eyshadow brush/colour you used for the contour begin to fill in your eyebrows with the same colour. Next, using black eyeliner start at your brow and run two lines down to the bottom of your nose. Fill in the bottom of your nose, I also ran some of the eyeliner into my eyebrows so it all blended nicely. I found it easiest to use a gel eyeliner with a very tin-tip brush to get precise lines.

IMG_3616
Using your black eyeliner again make exaggerated cat eyes on the top and bottom. I wanted to make large deer eyes so I extended my lower lash line a lot and added false eyelashes to the bottom and top lash! I went back in and added some white eyeshadow on the top and lower lids. VOILA- There you have it!

The final touches… I parted my hair down the center and did two one-inch thick french braids at the side. I completed the look with painting old faux-pearls bright red and dipped them in red sparkles to make them look like berries!

OH DEER…

IMG_3673  IMG_3705

Time to get back to the drawing board for next year’s costume!

Mini Ice-Cream Cone Cupcakes & Cake-Pops (Baby Shower Edition)

Mini Ice-Cream Cone Cupcakes & Cake-Pops (Baby Shower Edition)

Baking ,the colour pink, parties, and babies…these are just a few of my favourite things! When all of these happened in one day for a baby shower you can imagine how happy I was!

I’ll start off with how I made the mini ice-cream cone cupcakes followed by the cake-pops and end off with my outfit of choice for the baby shower!

Mini Ice-Cream Cone Cupcakes

This was the first time I’ve ever tried these out. They sure had the possibility of being disastrous, but thankfully it didn’t go down that route! For how cute these turned out you would think they would be hard to make but they are surprisingly really simple (major plus!)

IMG_3420

 Step 1: Gather your materials!

IMG_3405   IMG_3416

These are all the items you’ll need (it’s that simple!)

  • 1 box of the cake-mix of your choice
  • 1 container of icing of your choice
  • A box of ice-cream cones– any size or shape you wish to use is fine (I used mini ones that were pointed at the base)
  • Sprinkles, candies, gum-balls,nuts, etc (I went for bright pink gum balls as a “cherry on top” for mine)
  • Piping bag/icing decorating tips (I got this box which includes 8 bags and 4 different types from Dollarama)– this way you can get that signature ice-cream swirl!

Depending on how you want to personalize our cones you can opt for any type of boxed cake-mix, icing, sprinkles (I got two containers filled with all different types of sprinkles from Dollarama), candies, and size/shape of the cones. I went for a classic looking ice-cream cone! The only thing I would change when I make these again is to use flat bottomed cones as the pointed ends made cooking the cake-mix somewhat tricky! Other than that, I was happy at how simple they were to make and didn’t take long at all!

Step 2: Arrange Cones In Cupcake/Muffin Pan

If you go with the pointed cones you will have to cover your pan with aluminum foil first and then poke holes in it so the cones can be inserted and stand straight up. This will prevent them from tipping over while the bake. Otherwise, place your flat-bottom comes directly into one of the circles of the pan. As you can see pictured below my cones are now sitting securely in the pan ready to be filled then baked!

IMG_3408    IMG_3409

Step 3: Fill cones with batter

                            IMG_3406   IMG_3412

I got this squeeze bottle from Homesense and it’s been perfect for making cupcakes, and even pancakes with no mess! It’s easy to fill as the top and bottom both come off, which makes for quick and easy cleaning of the bottle! Using this I filled the cones about 3/4 of the way full. Caution: Don’t overfill your cones or the cake will spew out over the top. It’s not the end of the world if that does happen to you. A couple of mine at the start did that but I just trimmed away any excess once the cake was cooledOnce you’ve filled the cone give it a light tap on your counter space (this allows for the batter to make it’s way all the way to the bottom.) If you take a look at the picture above you will see a cone cut open with the cooked cake reaching right down the very tip of the cone, this is exactly what you want! . IMPORTANT: IMMEDIATELY after your cones come out of the oven use a toothpick and poke a small whole to allow steam out (if you miss this step you will end up with soggy cones!)

Step 4: Assemble your stand/display

While you patiently wait for your cones to cool down you can get your stand or display ready. Because I went with the pointed bottomed cones I had to create something that would hold them upright. I used the top of a shoebox and wrapped it in some cute pink wrapping paper. Once that was done I poked small holes in the shoebox big enough that the cones stayed put. If you use flat bottom cones you can display your finished product any way you’d like!

IMG_3422Step 5: Decorate your cones!

This was my favourite part! Like I previously mentioned you can ice/decorate your cones any way you like as well as top it with anything (be creative!) I used one of the decorating tips to get the swirled icing and used multicoloured sprinkles and topped it off with a pink gum ball in keeping with the pink baby shower theme!

IMG_3425

These ice-cream cones were a huge hit among those both young and old! I really enjoyed making them and will make them again in the future! 🙂

“Baby”Cake-Pops:

Anyone who has every made cake-pops before or attempted to make them knows they are a ton of work! The end product is really remarkable and it’s worth it to see people’s expressions on special occasions such as these! Sorry I don’t have pictures of every step! Next time I make these I will be sure to do so (I’m a visual learner so I know it helps to see what’s going on.)

Step 1: Gather your materials! 

IMG_3379

What you will need:

  • 1 box of boxed cake mix (any kind)
  • 1 container of the icing of your choice
  • 1-2 bags of Wilton Candy Melts (can be bought at Michaels) or in bulk from the Bulk Barn
  • Lollipop sticks (Can also be found at Michaels and Bulk Barn)
  • Sprinkles, nuts, etc however you want to decorate your pops!
  • Also included in the photo is Wilton markers (edible)– these were perfect for drawing the faces on the baby cake-pops!

Step 1: Bake cake

Follow the instructions listed on the back of the cake mix. Don’t worry if the cake isn’t perfect when it comes out, you will be crumbling it to smithereens anyways! Just make sure it is cooked all the way through!

Step 2: Let cake cool

Once the cake is taken out of the oven give it time to cool COMPLETELY. You can remove it from the baking pan to let some of the steam out.

Step 3: Crumble cake

It seems like shame to crumble a perfectly good cake after it’s just come out of the oven but it’s exactly what is needed to start to cake-pop process. The easiest way to go about this is to cut your cake into two sections (if you are using a rectangular cake-pan.) Pick these two pieces up and rub them together, you will notice that the cake will begin crumbling into very fine pieces. Do this in a large bowl and once it is completely crumbled run a fork through it to make sure there aren’t any large chunks remaining.

Step 4: Add icing

This is where it is imperative that you let your cake cool completely before continuing. Once that is done, take your container of icing and add about half of it to your large bowl of crumbled cake. Mix these two ingredients in well. You should now be left with a sticky consistency with no loose crumbs. If it is still too dry you can always add more icing, start with less and add more in as you go.

Step 5: Roll into balls

Once your mixture is the right consistency you can now grab about a tablespoon sized helping of the cake and icing mix and begin rolling it into a ball. It will take a little bit for it to stick well. Ensure that it is as round as you can get it and that there are no holes and the cake/icing is stuck together well. Avoid making the balls too large or you will find that they fall off the stick when you go to dip it in the chocolate. You can then lay all of the completed balls out onto wax paper and insert them in the fridge or freezer for 5-10 minutes while you melt your candy melts.

Step 6: Melt candy melts

In a microwave-safe container or on a double-broiler melt your candy melts until they are a nice runny consistency. DO NOT overcook these chocolates or they will become too hard and not usable.

Step 7: Insert lollipop sticks

Once your candy melts are ready you can take your first lollipop stick and dip one end of it into this mixture (about an inch deep.) Tap off any extra and then insert the coated end of the stick into the ball. It is easiest if you insert it with the ball staying flat on the wax paper. Remember not to push the lollipop stick in too far or it will break through the top of the cake-pop and fall off the stick! Complete this step for all remaining balls.


                                       IMG_3413 IMG_3414

Step 8: Place back in fridge/freezer

To ensure that the stick is going to be securely on the ball you can place them back in the fridge or freezer for a couple of minutes!

Step 9: Dip cake-pops in candy melts

This is the most tedious part of the whole process and can become very frustration. Once you get the hang of it, each and every time you make these you will get better at this step. With the lollipop stick now on the ball you can dunk it into a tall glass. Place it all the way in the liquid as far down as it goes but don’t force it as they are very delicate. Also do not swirl the stick around in the candy melts as this will loosen up the stick and may cause it to separate from the ball. Carefully take the now coated ball out of the melts and gently tap off any excess chocolate. Don’t tap too hard or your ball will fall right off the stick (I’ve had that happen far too many times, or I loose a ball from not dunking it properly)

Step 10: Decorate

You can decorate your cake pops any way you please. Remember to work fast if you are using things such as sprinkles as it will only stick while the melts are still wet! To make “baby” cake-pops like the ones I did, stick a small cupcake wrapper on the back of the cake pop as it is still wet. I used the edible markers to draw on the face and tied some pink ribbon in a bow (they actually ended up looking like arms coincidently.)

IMG_3430

Step 11: Set aside to dry

The candy melts do dry fairly quickly but just to be overly cautious I usually place my finished cake-pops on a stand to allow them to continue drying. This will ensure that they have a smooth polished finish!

Step 12: Presentation

Pack them up, wrap them up or stick them in a container! I used a flower arrangement that already had oasis in it. I like to use oasis as the cake pops stick into it perfectly and hold really well. It’s an unpleasant green colour so I just covered mine with pink tissue paper and then poked the lollipop sticks right through it. These make great gifts, why not show off all your hard work and deliver some to your friends and family? You can get really creative with how you decorate them and they are also raved about at any party I bring them to!

IMG_3429 IMG_3431

The two finished products presented together…  

IMG_3440

OOTD:

Last but not least…my outfit for the shower! In keeping with the theme, I opted for cheetah print with a hint of pink!

Outfit Details:

  • Black/Pink 3/4 sleeve cheetah print shift dress with black trim/back zipper (Winners)
  • Black Blazer with faux-leather sleeves (H & M)
  • Black Michael Kors Fulton Flats (Macy’s)– I went for comfort since I knew I would be on my feet walking around all day!
  • Baby pink statement necklace (Boutique in New York City)– Kept it simple because of the loud patterned dress
  • Black sheer stockings– not necessary but it was freezing so I went with them!
  • Assorted Tiffany & Co bracelets and Pandora Rings– These are my staple pieces of jewellery that I wear on a day-to-day basis and when I’m going out!

IMG_3488 IMG_3489

IMG_3490                     IMG_3491

IMG_3485

The Apple Of My Eye

The Apple Of My Eye

With the warm temperatures already on the way out I figured there was no better time to go apple-picking than the present! And what would apple-picking be without a white tee, jean-short overalls and converse? A comfy and fun way to go out apple picking and to kick off the fall season!

IMG_2917
White Tee with sheer neckline/side panels (Express, $9.99), Jean Short Overalls (Winners, $24.99) Ray-ban Aviators (Green/black lens/ gold frame (Winners, $99.99)
10711086_10154679658095414_4758847976706381678_n
Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star (Soft-Moc, $44.00) On sale with additional 10% discount for email sign-up.

10696238_10154679654305414_6543772742517798868_n

 

 

With a full bag of hand-picked applesI will be trying out a new recipe. PIE-POPS (think cake pops but instead of the typical cake/chocolate recipe it will be apple filling inside a pastry. Can’t wait to try them out for Thanksgiving dinner up at at the cottage this weekend!

N-Y-SEE

N-Y-SEE

How could my very first post NOT be about fashion and NYC, the perfect pair! When my boyfriend and I were plannining our vacation, the decision between New York City and Chicago was quickly decided. Of course my boyfriend is WELL aware of my shopping habits but I’m not sure he knew exactly what he was getting into when he was taking me to one of the fashion capitals of the world! I’m glad he’s such a good sport and not only put up with all the shopping but also helped hold all my bags (and there were A LOT!) I don’t know what I was more excited for. Going to my favourite city in the world or picking out all the outfits I would be wearing during the trip! Needless to say, 5 days in New York obviously required a large suitcase. Luckily the weather was absolutely perfect (high of 30 degrees every day!) This certainly helped in outfit choices as I was able to make use of all my summer tanks, shorts, and dresses! This trip just so happened to run over the Labour Day weekend. This meant LOTS and LOTS of white and my favourite summer picks that I wouldn’t get to wear for much longer. I’m going to do this sort of differently. I am going to provide an itinerary of my trip which will not only include my daily outfits but also where I wore each of them! New York is a beautiful place and if you haven’t been I recommend you go. If you have been before well then guaranteed you share the same obsession that I have. It only takes one trip to New York City to fall absolutely in love with it’s inherent energy and have you never wanting to love. Each day there is something new to do and it makes you want to get up and do a million things during the day and stay up all night!

Day 1: There is NO way I could resist wearing this shirt on my flight to Laguardia Airport. Perfect, or what?! I paired this tank with plain jeans short (not pictured) from Forever 21 with a plain black button-up cardigan (also from Forever 21). It’s always nice to wear layers when you’re flying, especially since I always find it quite chilly onboard airplanes. Needless to say, once I got to the airport the sweater quickly came off as it was a scorcher out there! I brought with me my classic Ray-Ban aviators, green lens with gold frame. I also wore my most comfortable pair of shoes my black and white Nike Free-Runs. After walking for hours our first day there I was SO glad I brought runners!

NYC TRIP <3
NY CITY Tank Top- (Winners,$14.99)
IMG_2256
Sunglasses: Blue Ray-ban aviators (Winners, $99.99), LOVE printed daisy tank top (Forever 21, $18.00), Lace shorts (Bluenotes, $15.00 *ZARA KNOCK-OFFS for a fraction of the price!!!)

Day 1 and we had already seen so much! The shirt says it all in just four simple letters (LOVE.) Almost immediately after arriving we went to the Top Of the Rock (Rockefeller Center)– the most breathtaking views of New York (a definite must!) We also paid an extra $10.00 and got two professional photos taken which we had emailed to us so we didn’t have to pay an extra $15.00 to print them. At night we got passes to go up the Empire State building. I’m not sure if it was because of the cool temperatures, strong wind at the top and the extremely long wait to get in but I much preferred my experience at Top Of the Rock. I’m glad it was something I could check off my list and seeing New York all light up at night from the Empire State definitely had some beautiful views I’ll give it that.

IMG_2272
New York isn’t a city, it’s a world!

cropped-img_22602.jpg

Day 2: Oh Central Park… There is so much do! We decided to rent bikes from a coupon that we found on Travelzoo.com. If you haven’t paid this site a visit before I HIGHLY recommend it. It’s similar to Groupon and Wag Jag. We rented two bikes and got water bottles and snacks for two hours for around $40.00 total. It was an amazing way to see Central Park, since it’s massive we were able to cover a lot of ground! Once our self-guided bike tour was up we walked over to a small Italian restaurant to pick up our picnic basket for lunch. Once again we used Travelzoo.com and found a coupon for a luxe 4-course Italian Picnic ($39.00 for two of us, regular $90.) The restaurant was called Pappardella and was a very inviting place with a nice neighbourhood feel. The service was great and the food was even better! It was a great way to cap off our visit to Central Park! You can’t go wrong with Italian food (ever!) Of course we wrapped up our day walking around 5th Avenue (every girl’s dream!!!) And while I am a self-proclaimed bargain hunter –I must admit I splurged this day. Well..I shouldn’t exactly say I did, my boyfriend bought me a Tiffany’s Bracelet for our 3 year anniversary. There’s something about the memory of it coming from New York that makes it all the more special!

IMG_2433
Striped workout tank (Winners, $16.99), Underarmour workout shorts (Winners, $19.00)

IMG_2489

IMG_2472

IMG_2496
Dinner @STK Rooftop. Amazing restaurant with a great view! Reservations made on OpenTable. Dinner around $40-50 each (well worth it, the food was amazing!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yellow cab, gypsy cab, dollar cab, holla back!

IMG_2521
Dress (Zara, ON SALE!!! $19.99) Got so many compliments on it!

Day 3: CANAL STREET (Bargain-lover’s Heaven!) It can be quite overwhelming with all the crowd’s and people approaching you left right and center asking if you want purses, watches, perfume, etc. The best way to approach this sort of shopping is to come with a couple of things in mind before hand. Before going I was hoping to find some really nice statement necklaces for really cheap (I knew this was my place to go). WARNING: be careful of the imitations that you buy. Some are really cheap quality and will quickly far apart. With that said, you get what you pay for and if you pay $40.00 for something that costs $400.00 in the store regularly, then you kind of know what you’re in for. I can see how people can quickly get caught up in these deals, but be careful on what you are buying and shop around at a couple of places first to try and find the best bang for your buck! My negotiation skills were in high force that day!

 

MANHATTAN BY SAIL:  Once again Travelzoo was a God sent for this trip! We found a great sailboat tour that toured around the Hudson River for 90 minutes. It was a much better way to get a view of Manhattan on the water without being squished on a water taxi. Turns out they could make a Caesar (or at least something like it– a spicy Bloody Mary) Every Canadian knows what I was thinking! Ground Zero-9/11 Memorial: A few years back I had visited this site with my parents while it was still under construction. Seeing what stands there now, and the overwhelming amount of love you could feel in the love was an incredibly humbling experience. Brooklyn Bridge: This was my first time visiting the Brooklyn Bridge and it was definitely worth the walk and crowded boardwalk.

IMG_2595
Long live the World-Trade xoxo

IMG_2526                                           IMG_2527 IMG_2539                        IMG_2584                         IMG_2603  

No Sleep Till Brooklyn…

IMG_2670
New York Brooklyn T-Shirt (Winners, $12,99), Mauve shorts (Suzy Shier, $10.00)

Having our hotel (The Millennium Hotel on Broadway) right in Times Square was perfect! We where right in the heart of it all and had lots to see very close by. We walked mostly everywhere from our hotel or hopped on the subway located right in Times Square. I would definitely stay in this location again (not to mention lots of shopping open until 2am. MASSIVE 4 storey Forever 21, by 1 am I was like a zombie walking around trying on clothes!

IMG_2653
Rainbow-Print cheetah tank top (Marshalls,$20.00)

IMG_2650

IMG_2693
NY Yankees Baseball Cap (Marshalls,$9.99)

GOODBYE NEW YORK, UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN (AND WE WILL!)

IMG_2698
View of the New York Skyline from my seat inside the plane on the runway heading back home 🙁