Last Halloween we were invited to a dress up party. Normally, this would have thrilled me. I love Halloween, but I was still in that new mom tailspin. Yes, my son was born in June, but some of us take a little longer to recover than others. Like, say a decade… Don’t judge, lest ye be judged – etc. and so on.

A week before the party, I started to make big plans. I was going to create costumes for the whole family using a glue gun and whatever I could find in our closets. The night before the party I had managed to find my hot glue gun… and some glue. Luckily, I was able to throw together a rather spectacular Bride of Frankenstein costume for my teen-aged daughter using an old wedding dress and lace curtains from Ikea (I always have a pair of these curtains on hand – cheap and pretty and great for crafts.) One down. I tossed my husband a crazy puffy wig and told him to find his suit and a pair of glasses for I had decided he would be Phil Spector. As you can imagine, he was thrilled. Another down.

Now, the baby… What to do with the baby? I looked out my window and inspiration struck. The boy would go as a pile of leaves! Brilliant! Armed with a flashlight (because it was now 10:00 PM) and a plastic bag, I went outside and started gathering the brightest, least-dead leaves I could find. Ignoring my disapproving neighbours, children and husband I set to work gluing leaves to a red sleeper and a baby hat. It took forever. Really, FOREVER. But, many hours later, while everyone slept, I attached the last leaf. And here is the final result:

Missing a few leaves, but still mostly intact after 2 hours of partying

COME ON! How awesome is this?  Sure, he ate a few leaves and technically this costume is a fire hazard, but all in all I think he looked marvellous. It’s amazing what you can pull out of your back…yard at the last minute.

Helpful tips

• Use a sleeper & baby hat that you don’t mind sacrificing for the holiday. You won’t be able to use them again once they’re covered in hot glue and dying leaves.
• Keep the finished suit outside until you’re ready to put it on. This keeps it “fresh”.
• Don’t put your baby down in or around a big pile of leaves…