This will be a different makeover post and I wanted to share for REDnesday at Sue Loves Cherries Blog! ! My Sunday School class had a costume party a few weeks ago, and I LOVE dressing up! I challenged myself to make my costume with bits and fluff I already had. I put my thinking cap on and settled on the characters from one of my very favorite books of all time... Redeeming Love , by Christian author, Francine Rivers. It is one of the most romantic books I have ever read and is a love story to top all love stories. Based on the book of Hosea in the Bible, but this romance is set in 1850's America. I have bought this book and passed it on again and again. I even asked my future son-in-law to read it before he married my daughter. He did!!! (I get no credit for mentioning this book, I would just love for you to read it too and it goes with my craft story.)
So, I began assembling my costume for my interpretation of Angel using what I had at home. My 11 year-old daughter decided to "help" clean up my camera and deleted all my pictures of how I made the costume. She couldn't understand why I would want to keep pictures of glue, scissors, cake rounds and such. ugghhh. So I will show you the finished product. I enjoyed my night of fun wearing my costume and have now listed it in my Etsy Shop for someone else to enjoy.
I had a dress from Cato's (5.99) that hung in my closet forever and combined it with a very vintage Goodwill red petticoat (3.99) that I have stashed for years. Then, I just kept adding to it. I had the purse in my closet too. I thought it looked like it went with the ensemble, but I've never really been a saloon girl, so who knows? This is the first time I've linked up to Apron Thrift Girl's
I layered with a red lace camisole from my lingerie drawer and a beaded shawl that's been around forever and I never could figure out what to wear with it. Now I know! Old vintage red buttons and trims gave the teal and black lace overdress a scallopy effect over the petticoat.
The cameo necklace was pulled from my jewelry box and the hat was so much fun to make. I started with a cardboard cake round and covered it with some extra fabric from the dress, and then added roses from a recent bridesmaid boquet, some Dollar Store tea-stained birds, some feathery boa stuff, and all of it just hot glued to the round and then hot glued to a lace covered headband.
I made a bustle by sewing on layers of netting and fabric and ribbon to a big ol' wide elastic and then I just cinched it to the size I needed. I hot glued roses to the bustle too. A vintage, or in this case, a Dollar General Store brooch cinched the elastic bustle and holds it together. Easy peasy...just took some time.
Closeup of the hat:
We had such a good time at the party. I carried a copy of the book and sure enough found someone who hadn't read it and got to give it away. Perhaps some are surprised at a Sunday School teacher going dressed up as a prostitute/saloon girl, but it was a blessing to be able to share the story of Angel and Michael, her husband, who chose to love her unconditionally and stood by her as God changed her life. It is a beautiful story of God's unconditional redemptive love for us and I would love for you to read this book! I won't even ask you to write a book report!
Much love to my husband, Bob...who is my Michael Hosea with his unconditional love. He looks so serious and gruff here, but he is as sweet as pumpkin pie...most of the time. :)
Linking up with:
Life as Lori at Get Your Craft on Thursday!
Colorado Lady for Vintage Thingie Thursday!
The Shabby Chic Cottage and Transformation Thursday!
Great costume ideas here: Costume Link Party at Mad in Crafts and also to:
and Apron Thrift Girl's Make and Share.