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Halloween

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This weekend I had some much needed down time. Last week was insane at work and I couldn’t seem to get a moment to work on anything blog related much less see my kiddos. In the midst of the errand running and general hanging out with the family that I did, I also got to spend a couple of hours prepping for Halloween. Our comic book themed Halloween party is starting to come together! (Now that my Felicity Smoak costume is complete I’m moving on to party decorations.)

My week/weekend in snapshots:

I had to add in this photo because it is just too fun. Our work had our yearly conference this year in which I take a big part in putting together. We always go ALL OUT with our theme and this year’s theme was Rock and Roll. I pretty much want purple hair and a tattoo sleeve now.

Punk Rock and Roll Costume - A Well Crafted Party

 

The party prep has involved cutting up a lot of old comic books I found while thrifting. We used the comic books to decorate tags, cups, juices, and more.

Comic Book Party Prep - A Well Crafted Party

 

The biggest project I tackled this weekend was creating LARGE paintings of comic characters. I utilized a projector to help guide the paintings. I first drew the outline and then painted in the large sections of color and then finished the details. My son even got in on the painting!

 

Comic Book Party Prep - A Well Crafted Party

Comic Book Party Prep - A Well Crafted Party

Comic Book Party Prep - A Well Crafted Party

Comic Book Party Prep - A Well Crafted Party

 

I got a lot done this weekend, but I still have lots more to do to be ready for this next weekend.

 

Are you ready for Halloween? If so, what are you planning on doing for the holiday?

 

 

This Halloween DIY post is sponsored by Deseret Industries. Portland’s Deseret Industries Thrift Store and Donation Center is located on SE 82nd Street six days-a-week. I created my Felicity Smoak costume out of materials from my closet, the craft store, and items thrifted from Deseret Industries. All opinions are my own. To learn more about my posting policies regarding sponsored posts please visit my policies page. As always, thank you for reading more about the companies that help support this blog. 

Can you believe that Halloween is just around the corner? I feel like the month has flown by and suddenly the holidays are here! Over the past eight years my husband and I have hosted a Halloween party. Some years the parties are more elaborate than others, but it is always one of my favorite parties to plan each and every year. This year’s theme is Comic Books and I’m having a blast coming up with decoration and costume ideas for the party. I’ll be sharing several projects between now and Halloween. So, check back for all the comic book party ideas which will work for Halloween parties or really any comic book themed event year-round.

I knew I wanted to be Felicity Smoak for this year’s comic book Halloween party. I basically live in a pony tail and glasses and am always glued to my screen so I pretty much fit the bill. My husband is going to go as the Green Arrow. My oldest son is going as The Flash. My youngest as Roy Harper/Arsenal/Red Arrow. Our little cast of comic book characters required a hodge podge of different items to create our looks. The Flash costume (affiliate link) was affordable and easy to find via Amazon but, the rest of the costumes I created using a combination of purchases from Amazon, the craft store, my closet, and our local Deseret Industries thrift store.

Halloween Prep - Cell shading my comic book themed costume

My visit to Deseret Industries Thrift Store in Portland was fruitful! I have been surprised in the past at how expensive thrifting in Portland is (being trendy and all) but at Deseret Industries I was happy to see the pricing be more in line with what thrift stores in my past have been like. I was able to get several comic books, comic-book themed masks, and clothing items to use for costumes all for less than $50. In my haul I grabbed a couple of business attire type items to see which would work the best for the Felicity Smoak costume.

I love thrifting for costume elements. However, if I hadn’t gone in looking to MAKE my costumes I would have been fine to find a pretty wide selection of Halloween gear. There were several racks of Halloween costumes and accessories in the store.

DIY Felicity Smoak Costume

 

Attire: I ended up working with the blue shirt (looks purple above due to poor lighting as I worked on my costume at midnight!) and black pencil skirt to create the look. I then used a black paint marker to cel shade the shirt so it looked more like a drawing.

Tips for Cel Shading a shirt: In order to cel shade the shirt I first ironed out all the wrinkles. I then went through and outlined all of the seams in the shirt. This gives a good general outline that you would see in any comic. The hard part, of course, is creating the shadows that you would see when someone wears the shirt. I looked pretty hilarious as I was wearing the shirt and shading in the natural creases as I was wearing it! Once it was all said and done however I was pleased with the results!

 

DIY Felicity Smoak Costume

 

Accessories: I paired it with a handmade name badge utilizing a comic book picture of Felicity Smoak and an old lanyard and badge holder I had from a previous work conference. I finished off my look with a blonde wig put in a pony tail and a tablet.

 

DIY Felicity Smoak Costume - A Well Crafted Party

 

Makeup: I wear business attire most days and didn’t want to just wear my hair in a pony tail and have on pink lipstick. It wouldn’t really get across the idea that I was the Felicity Smoak comic book character. So, I continued my fun with cel shading and did comic book inspired makeup. I shaded in my eyebrows and the edges of my face. I also created the comic book dot look with white paint. (Check out this tutorial for tips on creating this Felicity Smoak make-up look!)

 

DIY Felicity Smoak Costume

 

The kiddo and I had so much fun taking photos dressed up for Halloween. I can’t wait to break out the costume again for our Halloween party and see it all combined with other members of our little comic book crew!

 

DIY Felicity Smoak Costume - A Well Crafted Party DIY Felicity Smoak Costume - A Well Crafted Party DIY Felicity Smoak Costume - A Well Crafted Party

 

What are you wearing for Halloween this year? There is still time to pick up last minute items!

 

About Desert Industries: Deseret Industries is a national non-profit thrift store that provides employment, sponsors refugees and offers vocational and professional training for its associates. The stores collect inventory from individual local donations, enabling associates to process and recycle that inventory to fit others’ needs — a circular strategy of service and learning that benefits the entire community. For more information, visit www.deseretindustries.org

 

Check out other Halloween Posts from A Well Crafted Party here!

Free Vampire Portraits from A Well Crafted Party

It is almost Halloween… can you believe it? I’ve been prepping for our annual Halloween party and have been so swamped with preparations that I haven’t really had the opportunity to sit down in front of my computer for any extended period of time. If you are feeling just as swamped as I am then you might need a few last minute Halloween decoration ideas! Hey, you may even appreciate getting some for free.

Using vintage images, I created a few Vampire Portraits that you can print off and put in frames around your home. How do I know what a vampire looks like in a portrait? Well that is easy! Vampires don’t show up in mirrors or film of course. These vampires sit in front of the camera to produce eery images of people without descernable bodies.

Free Vampire Portraits from A Well Crafted Party Free Vampire Portraits from A Well Crafted Party

Vampire Portrait Free Printables

Directions:

  1. Download the image of your choice (see below)
  2. Print – You can print these off on your home computer and cut out or you can print at any photo processing source.
  3. Frame!

Downloads:

  1. Male Vampire 1
  2. Male Vampire 2
  3. Woman Vampire 1
  4. Woman Vampire 2

Vintage Portrait of a Lady via Tony Alter’s Flickr the rest are Public Domain images via Wikipedia