Halloween! Create the Perfect Chucky Costume for your Toddler

Pulling off a great Halloween costume can be a challenge but I promise this one is inexpensive, practical and a guaranteed hit!  But most importantly, this costume does not take a lot of time to perfect the look. This is perfect for the moms who don't have time to hand sew and dye fabrics to perfection. This is not a project that will stress you out, trust me.

You only need a few key items to pull off the Chucky look and the great thing about this costume is that you don't need the exact costume the murderous doll wore in order to nail the look. Ever since the 90's a set of overalls, a striped shirt, crazy orange hair, and scars equal a killer Chucky costume.

I searched the web (mostly Pintrest), to get ideas on how to pull off the look. Here is what I came up with.

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Click here for step by step instructions! 

The makeup sensei you need in your life NOW

The other day a good friend of mine posted a status on facebook, reminiscing about college nightlife and fun times getting ready with our girls before bar hopping. This quickly turned into an epic thread filled with throwback pictures of our younger selves, eyelids smothered in gaudy eyeshadow, ungroomed brows, foundation that didn't match and outfits that were questionable, to say the least.

As I looked at these pictures I came to realize that my current makeup skills, although still modest, have come leaps and bounds from my college days. During the past few months, I have kicked up the intensity on my journey to master make-up. An instrumental influence in this journey is none other than Youtube's Jackie Aina.

Formerly known as PumpkinPie05, Jackie has been doing makeup tutorials for almost 10 years now! I remember following her under her former YouTube name and, I have to be honest, I didn't like her makeup looks! I think it was the eyeshadow... there was a lot of it... everywhere. Even she has since admitted that some of her old looks were a little.... wild but honestly, my distaste had more to do with my extreme introverted, shy personality and low self-confidence back then.

My Favorite Family Halloween Costume ideas

Halloween has always been my top 3 favorite days of the year. The haunted houses, pumpkin patches, scary movies and costumes just warm my heart. October definitely softens the blow the harsh Chicago winters the directly follow the fall. Now that I have a husband and child I'm even more hype to celebrate! It took me a long time and a lot of searching to choose our costumes (of course we are all dressing up) and in that time I saw a lot of costumes for families that I love.
Here are my favorites and possibly your next choice for Halloween!

Family Halloween Costume Ideas

1. The Flinstones - cute DIY for smaller families (1 or 2 children)
This was the runner-up behind the costumes we ultimately went with this year. I love this id

image Source: Mandi Johnson via Babble

ea because it can work for couples with one boy or girl child. If you have a daughter, you all can dress up as the Flinstones: Fred + Wilma + Pebbles. If you have a son, you all can be the Rubbles: Barney + Betty + Bam Bam. I also love the fact that the adult costumes can be bought online at pretty much any costume store or easily made yourself. Hello DIY! 
The only downside is that if you want a little Pebbles or Bam Bam costume you will either have to pay around $40 bucks to have it shipped to you from Etsy or Amazon or you'll have to make it yourself. These aren't sold on websites like Party City or Spirit Halloween. 
This is a great idea for those of us who live in warmer climates or if you plan to do your Halloween partying indoors. Otherwise, invest in tights and fleshcolored long sleeves for your little ones. 

DIY Halloween Care package

My over the top, Halloween inspired college care package was inspired by none other than Pintrest and my strange love of all things Halloween. If you have a college kid who would love a spooky surprise you should give this DIY a try!

The Box
The project was inexpensive and easy to put together. I reused a box I already had and decorated it with print-outs, Halloween scrapbook paper and faux spider webs from Jo-Ann Fabric store but don't limit yourself! You could paint, use glitter and much much more! Another cool idea would be to decorate the box with images and sayings from the recipient's favorite scary movie. 

Bye-Bye Wedding Day Emergencies!

There is a little rumor going around that weddings are stressful... Well, I'm sorry to break the news to you, but this is an understatement. The planning of a wedding is an emotional roller coaster, full of dips, turns, and surprises, sometimes unpleasant ones. This mega theme park of a roller coaster ride ends by tenaciously pulling you, your future spouse and wedding party up a steep track and dropping you down the other side, i.e. your actual wedding day.
There will be so much to do and think about that day that you would be doing yourself a huge favor by doing as much preparation as possible and being prepared for small mishaps. This is where a wedding emergency kit comes in handy. Before my wedding day arrived I tasked my maid of honor with the duty of putting together a few supplies we may need on the big day.
A wedding day emergency kit is not something I invented. This is a really popular idea that I actually discovered on Pintrest. In case you aren't familiar, a wedding emergency kit includes all of the supplies you need in case of an unexpected accident on your wedding day, mainly concerning your dress/ personal needs. It can't help you if the DJ isn't on time!

Bridal Emergency Kit by Ray

An emergency kit is a great DIY project you can do yourself but in the event that you don't have time for that you can purchase a pre-made kit. Enter the Bridal Emergency kit by photographer Ray Alvarez. This kit is sold online for $19.99 and includes a wide array of products you may need on your wedding day in the event of an emergency.