I was inspired by an old armoire that's been taking up space in River's room since we moved in. I've always thought it would make a great dress-up closet, so I decide this year my big Christmas gift to the kids would be to outfit it for them.
Starting in November, I scoured used clothing stores for costumes, accessories, and clothes I could easily convert into costumes. Since we're leaving for Vegas tonight (and I can't really carry a closet in my luggage), I had an early deadline.
My first find at an antique store was a fantastic vintage hat and a pair of gloves (the hat is wrapped in tulle and is just the kind of thing I would have loved as a girl). I took a child's skirt and added some straps to make a fancy dress.
The tutu's were a yard sale steal ($1 for both!) from last summer.
Another fancy dress and a fairy cape I made from an adult skirt.
I found the knight costume at the Garment District and cobbled together two different pieces from the Salvation Army to make a martial arts outfit.
Blue from Blues Clues also came from the Salvation Army, and the turtle was River's Halloween costume from 3 years ago complete with homemade shell.
Two capes made from adult skirts.
Magician/Evil Villain and Super Hero.
And a last minute Fairy costume from the Garment District, which needed a little work around the seams.
And that's it! In all I think it cost maybe $30 and I'm sure it's a present that will get use for years to come. I know River will probably lean toward the hero costumes and Lila (once she's older) toward the girly ones. But I love that there are options and if River wanted to be a fairy and Lila a knight I would be delighted!
We gave the kids their big presents last night, so I'll have some reaction shots to show you.
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