Bear Tattoo Tights #Review #TattooLeggings

     Here at my house, we love dress-up.  I think we have more dress-up clothes than we do regular dresses.  And we have five girls in the house, so we have a lot of dresses.  That picture above... that shows maybe a quarter of our dresses.  I'm thinking more like a sixth.  And we have that many costumes.  We have one for each kid from each Halloween, roughly, plus extras we've grabbed along the way and been given over the years.  We don't often purge our costume pieces.

     You know who doesn't have many costumes?  Me.  I had a witch one that I think has been tossed out and I have my pirate wench one.  That's it.  Makes me sad.  I just got a little accessory that is kind of like dress-up though, so I'm expanding.  This wouldn't necessarily be for the kind of dress up you do with kids.  But I did get some cute tights for maybe an adult Goldilocks costume.  Wanna see?

      It's got bears on it!  Get it?  Of course you do, tell me that wouldn't be perfect!  They are tattoo tights from Babe Mall Inc and I just thought they were the cutest thing.  Babe Mall Inc has a whole selection of them, from cats to lace to skylines, even a couple with the eiffel tower.

     They're intended for size XXS to M, but I'm an XL and managed to squeeze it on.  I'd say that one should probably follow size recommendations on this.  Not that I look awful, I don't, but they are tighter than should be.  See the poor bear's head all stretched?  Yeah, not quite the cute look I'd go for.  No fear though because my treadmill comes in February.  Come June, I'll look just fine in them.  But just a head's up, it only comes in the one size.

     The black part of it is super shimmery and very black.  It's so pretty.  You can't really see through it at all.  The skin colored area is slightly darker than my skin, but I'm pretty pale.  I don't think anyone would notice that it was dark.  On other people it was too light.

     Where the top connects to the bottom, it's a little weird I think.  There is a clear seam in the middle of the bear's forehead.  The black nylon and the black paint don't mesh super well.  Not that the hues don't match, but the texture and such doesn't.  Also, the top part of the tights do not expand as well as the bottom, so if you have heavier thighs, they will be harder to squeeze on than you might be thinking.  Just a little personal experience for you *wink*

     I think these would make great addition to a grown-up dress-up chest, either for adult time with the husband or for costume parties, or some other fun time.  To learn more, check out Babe Mall Inc on Amazon.

Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Black Baby Girls Tutu from SBParts #Review #BabyTutu

          One of my favorite things to do as a parent is to take my kids on Photo Shoots.  I've had so much fun over the years doing shoots for birthdays, start of school, start of Summer, and other times of the year just for fun.  Some of my favorite props have been planters, headbands, and tutus.  We had quite a bit of fun after I made a set of tutus for the older three.  I bought tights and cut leggings from them and we used leotards we'd been given.

     The pictures came out great and the girls loved dressing up all fancy.  I have a photo of each of my girls in a tutu, it's kind of a little tradition I had.  So tutus kind o hold a little place in my heart now.  That's why when I got this Black Girls Tutu from SBParts, I was pretty excited about it.  It's a simple black tutu, but the way that it's made gives it a really cute shape I think.  Check it out:

     Doesn't it look dainty?  It's meant to be for babies 0-12 months.  I thought it looked a touch big for that age.  Baby Bee is five.  She's about the size of a 3 1/2 - 4 year old and this fit her well.  I would suggest this tutu for ages 2-4.  The length is also I think a bit long for a 1 year old.  It could likely fit my 11 year old, who wears a size 9 though, so it's flexible.

     The tutu has a pretty satin-like waist band with an elastic band inside.  It also has three separate layers of tulle.   There's a lot of pretty scrunching on the waist, but it tapers out to being pretty smooth at the bottom.   There is no real design at the bottom, it's straight across the whole thing.

     When Baby Bee stands up, the tutu tends to fall flat across the front of her legs and stick out more in the back.  I LOVE that look, I think it's so sweet.  It reminds me a bit of Audrey Hepburn, the way it's shaped.  All she needs is the big sunglasses.
     Overall, I like this tutu, I think it's a pretty cute little prop/costume piece.  What do you think?
     To learn more, check out SBParts on Amazon.

Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

#CowboyHat Dress Up Accessory #Review

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     Halloween is coming!  You probably knew that already.  Are you excited?  I'm excited.  Last year, we did Trunk or Treat at the kids' school and had so  much fun!  It;s not even my thing, I'm a hermit sometimes.  But it was fun and I'm really debating having one this year.  To be able to dress up and play pretend with your kids and not be weird doing it is awesome.

     If we do Trunk or Treat this year, it's going to be an American themes trunk.  Maybe we'll call it Old Glory or something.  I did start getting decorations so that if I decide to hop in last minute, it won't be a big budget breaker.  And I was thinking for costumes, we could go with Cowgirls and Cowboys.  Cause the American West is definitely pretty American.  Originally I was going to do a pirate themed trunk, but decorations were scarce.  So red, white, and blue it is.  I know it will be pretty darn easy to come up with that.  And the floor of my van will be blue denim, which seems pretty fitting.

     Cowboy and cowgirl hats actually seem harder to find this time of year than they are regularly, maybe that's because trick-or-treaters search them out.  We actually looked all over Walmart the other day and found nothing.  But luckily we did get a hold of a Cowboy Hat and Sheriff's Badge Bundle from Express Novelties Online.  It's a child's sized black hat with chin ties and a silver colored small metal badge with a safety pin in the back.

      What I loved most from the whole kit was that the badge was actual metal and felt like a real badge.  It isn't a cheapie plastic one with a clip that you can only place in certain areas.  This is rugged with a safety pin that can let you place it anywhere.  You can put it on a ribbon around the hat or onto a bandanna.

     The hat is pretty nice for being a dress-up children's hat.  As you can see in the photos, there was some crinklish areas that look like creases.  They aren't creases, more like bubbles in line form.  That was the only flaw.  It holds it's shape well and is a nice black material that fur and hair don't stick to overly well.

     Although Boog looks pretty happy in these shots, he ended up not being a super big fan of the hat, which is a shame, since it;s his Halloween Costume.  It's also strange because he LOVES hats.  But I don't think it's anything to do with the hat itself, but maybe just the style of hat... boy's not a fan.  The girls are though, they love it.

      So, to be perfectly honest... if this were at a costume store and I saw it, would I buy it?  I honestly don't know because of the wrinkly looking bit, it might turn me away.  It's perfectly fine structure-wise and looks fine from a distance and will be fine on Halloween in the dark or for most dress-up purposes.  It may very well be just this one hat with that defect.  But since I do own it, I am definitely going to use it and I like it a lot.  So I guess if you're going to go out and buy a hat, this one is about as good as any other for the price.  What do you think?  What costumes are you looking to buy this year?
     To learn more, check out Express Novelties Online on Amazon.
     





Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Anytime Costumes Wicked Wench #Pirate Costume #Review

     Each year as Halloween gets closer and closer, I start to panic a little.  The idea of keeping track of all my kids in that type of environment and the thought of keeping track of all the costume pieces for the weeks leading up to it, then getting everyone dressed and out the door in orderly fashion... it stresses me out. I like simple.  I used to go all out and hand make all the costumes, but now I just want easy.

     So last year and again this year, I'm going to go with pre-made costumes.  I bought Boog a store made one, which of course didn't fit and certainly won't fit over warm clothes, so I'm returning it for another.  But min fits.  It fits soooo well.  It's the Wicked Wench costume from Anytime Costumes.  It's a plus sized pirate inspired women's dress.

     I was actually quite surprised by the quality of the costume.  Though it isn't handmade quality, it's far better than the junk you get at the mass market stores, like Walmart.  The first thing that I noticed about it was the quality.  I expected it to be cheap, honestly.  Though, this isn't the first time that I have gotten a costume form Anytime Costumes, so I'm not sure why I expected that.

     When I took it out of the package, I first noticed the bodice, it has a lovely textured fabric where the eyelets are.  It looks great and gives the feeling almost like it's a real dress, not just a costume.  The fabric below that is a soft velvety material that opens to reveal the skit beneath.  The skirt itself is shorter in the front and longer in the back. 

     The bust area and the inside of the bodice is an off-white, creamy color and is really nice  The scrunch on the bust area prevents too much cleavage from showing, while still being sexy.  Also something that adds some femininity, is the lacy sleeves that have slits on the ends and do not cover the shoulders.  Honestly, they were a touch on the scratchy side, so if you are hypersensitive to certain textures and such, this won't be something that you like on it's own.

     The costume has a zipper that covers the whole back area, down to the skirt.  I honestly didn't even need to use it, it was easy enough to just slip over my head.   Obviously, I'm gonna need some boots or boot shoe covers and a hat to complete the look.  Anytime Costumes carries that type of stuff and carries quite a large assortment at that.  I couldn't believe how many different styles of knee high boots and pirate hats that they had.

     Also, a note: I'm a pretty short girl.  So if you are looking at the above photo and thinking, 'Geesh, that looks a bit long!'  It's only because I'm so short.  I'm 5 even, if that.  But I love the way it looks, and I think you would too.  I'm very happy with it and it will stay in my collection of a very select few keeper-costumes.
     Do you go out for Halloween?  Do you dress up?
     To learn more, check out Anytime Costumes on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Amazon.


Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

#BlackDerbyHat from Funny Party Hats #Review

     Today is PunkyButt's birthday and she has decided to spend all day wearing her "birthday mask" and dress.  Her dress is different than the one pictured because she got a new dress after we took the picture that was better for her purpose.  But the point is, she has dressed herself up for the day.  She may have just started a new tradition.  She has always been like that though.  She;s eccentric and she loves costumes.  All my kids love costumes.

     Even Boogie likes to dress up, mostly in the form of hats, glasses, and shoes.  He's a lot like the Punk that way.  That's why I always try to keep dress-up items on hand.  I'm not great at organizing them, but I like to have them.  So when I saw the black derby hat from Funny Party Hats, I was excited to try it out.  I knew Boogie would love it and he does.

     The hat is made of black felt and has a ribbon around the middle that can be left as is or can hold a decoration, such as a feather.  We found that unlike many other costume hats, this hat holds it's shape very well.  It is soft, but sturdy.

     Although it is a bit loose on the younger kids, it doesn't slip because it is made of felt and not smooth plastic.  It fits adults well and also older kids.  And adult with a large head might find that it fits tight.  Generally speaking, it did fit okay on everyone that tried it on, so it should work well for whatever size person it's being used on.

     We were pretty impressed with the quality of the hat and we are very happy with it.  I have kids that can be pretty rough on things and this hat has been kicking around for a couple weeks without any harm coming to it, so I would say that it's pretty durable.  We will have it for quite some time.
     What's your favorite kind of hat?
     To learn more, check out Funny Party Hats on Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, or their website.


Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

5 Inch Black Felt #TopHat #Review

     A friend of ours recently gave us some zucchini.  They are fairly large and I was super excited to get them.  Of course the first think that I thought to do with them was zucchini bread.  That would give us breakfast for several days.  And as I drove home, I felt the phone in my back pocket and took it out so it wouldn't bother me.  I was so happy to finally have a phone that I can use to record on.  And then it hit me.  The Little Red Hen!  SHE made bread!  How awesome would it be to do a play about our zucchini and how no one wants to help Streaker make the bread!?

     I'm still working on it, I'm slow to action, but I still want to do it.  We've changed the story up quite a bit.  In our story, no one will help Streaker to wash and cut the zucchini, wash the bread pans, make the bread mix, or help cook it.  The bread ends up getting burnt so that no one can enjoy it.  When the kids who didn't help see how sad Streaker is about it, they get together and each finally do their part to try to save the day.  The bread comes out just right and they all get to have some because they learned to work as a team and put others before themselves.

     But anyways, we've been thinking about costumes.  We don't really want the kids to come across as kids in the play, because what kid asks other kids to help them bake bread?  A cool kid, but not any of mine!  So we're going to use our new Top Hat from Funny Party Hats to make Punky look like a banker who is just too busy to help because "time is money".  She will also have a bow tie and suit jacket of course, but the hat will really finish off the look.

     When I got the hat in the mail, I was really surprised at how well it was made.  We've gotten costume hats before and within the first hour, it had a crease in it or a tear or it crackled when it was moved.  We haven't had very good experiences.  But this hat isn't like that.  It's made of felt and is thick and holds it's shape well.

     It has a nice smooth ribbon stapled to the middle of it that can be used as is or as a holder for a decorative clip, flower, etc.   We will be clipping a pretty hair piece to it because Streaker will be playing the part of a lady.

     The inside of the hat fits very well.  It's a nice fit on me and a looser fit in the kids without it falling in front of their face.  Even the baby wears it without it falling off him every other thing.  I think it could fit snugly on my husband, who has a larger head than I do.  So it's a very versatile hat that way and we could use it for everyone in our family for either plays or for Halloween.  This would make a great prop for a banker costume or a magician, maybe as the Mad Hatter with a few small add-ons.  We're very glad to have it in our arsenal of dress-up equipment.  And it will definitely come in handy when we do our play.
     When's the last time you were in a play?
     To learn more, check out Funny Party Hats on Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, or their website.


Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.