stranger things

DIY HALLOWEEN COSTUME – BABY HOPPER, STRANGER THINGS

You already know my love for Hopper… and his shirt. If the MUG wasn’t enough, I just HAD to get Joshie a toddler version of the shirt. The problem? No one makes them! What, are we living in the Upside Down? I got Jeffrey the grownup version HERE, but had to paint a shirt for Joshie. It was easier than I thought, and only took maybe 2 hours and that was to let the paint dry.

 

To be honest, Joshie is more of a Dustin (DUSTIN DIY HERE with my middle one Max!) but this had to be done. If you’re more of an Elle, you can make ELEVEN’S EGGO WAFFLE PURSE DIY HERE.

 

 

WHAT YOU NEED:

Fabric paint: pink, green, white (see below for color suggestions)

* Paint brushes – 1 thick for the bigger areas of dark pink and green, 1 thin for the accents in light pink and light green

Black fabric marker or Sharpie

Mustache or face paint

White toddler button down shirt (or would be soooo cute as a collared onesie!)

* Jeans

* Brown belt

 

MIX YOUR PAINT:

START PAINTING:

At first you can unbutton the shirt and lay it flat, but eventually you’ll want to put it on a hanger while it dries. You can add detail on it that way if you’re impatient like I am!

It’s not a perfect match, but it doesn’t need to be. The less precise you are, the better it looks in my opinion. Just be confident in what you’re doing, and it’ll magically just work out. Or at least that’s what works in my brain!

I tried to stick on the hairy mustache, but Joshie was NOT having it. I had to draw it on with face paint instead.

Toddler Hopper to the rescue! Happy Halloween!

xo

-L

ALL DIY HALLOWEEN COSTUMES FOR LITTLES!

Thought we’d put all of our DIY Halloween costumes for littles in one place!
Click the names below for the links. Happy Halloween!!

DIY HALLOWEEN – ELEVEN’S EGGO WAFFLE PURSE, STRANGER THINGS

Who’s dressing up as Eleven for Halloween? Well you’ll need an Eggo waffle purse to complete the look. Obviously. 
This purse actually works!! You can open and close it- probably just put the essentials in there since it’s not too sturdy. It’s easy to make and will be the talk of your party! Don’t forget the bloody nose. 
WHAT YOU NEED:
– 2 empty Eggo waffle boxes
– scissors / exacto knife
– hole punch
– double stick tape
– clear packing tape
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. eat all the waffles.
2. using double stick tape, secure the side of the box that you opened to get the waffles out.
3. cut the top off of the first box. You can leave a little border around it but you don’t need to.
4. cut all of the sides off of the second box. Keep the sides to reinforce the purse even more.
5. you have 4 flaps now. Line the insides of the BOTTOM and BACK flaps only with double stick tape. Make sure to leave the top two flaps without tape since that’s where the purse will open. I made that mistake if you can’t tell by the torn cardboard!
6. stick the second box to the first using the tape. Bottom to bottom, back to back. Again the top two flaps should remain tape-free.
7. reinforce the flap of the second box to the first box with clear packing tape. For extra security and some shine, you can line the whole inside flap with tape.
8. For the chain…since your hole punch probably isn’t strong enough to punch a hole through three layers, you’ll need to go one layer at a time. Punch a hole on each side of the box about an inch down from the top. Depending on size of the chain attachments, you may have to make a couple slits on either side of the hole like I did, but you can’t really see it. Using double stick tape, attach the extra sides from the second box on top of the first box sides to make it sturdier. Line up your hole punch and punch a hole through the new side. Put clear packing tape on the inside of the box sides and punch a hole through that. Now you should have three layers (two box layers and one tape layer) all lined up. 
9. Now you can thread your purse chain through and attach it to itself. You can adjust the chain strap at this point. Link to purchase the chain strap is below. This one is actually from clutch I own!
10. reinforce any or all sides on the inside of the box with clear tape if you want it to be really sturdy.
11. attach the velcro to the opening.
12. be the chicest Eleven at your Halloween party!
Please tag us on instagram @loveandlion in your costume photos!! We would love to see what you come up with!
xo

DIY HALLOWEEN COSTUME FOR LITTLES – DUSTIN, STRANGER THINGS

Dustin, the most endearing character on Stranger Things!! As soon as he came on the screen I was like… bam. Halloween costume. If I had a girl you KNOW she would have been dressed up as Barb. Ummm anyone have a baby I can borrow?
My almost 3 year old, Max, kind of exudes Dustin’s personality. Silly, funny even when he doesn’t mean to be, totally into farts and chocolate pudding and thinking both are awesome… plus the curly hair! If only I had let it grow longer the past couple months! But hey, can’t plan everything.
Everything is linked at the bottom, but the key pieces here are the hat and shirt. 
The hat is from Sweetgrly Designs and actually comes with the A.V. Club button! How nice is that? Love this Etsy shop! Lots of Stranger Things buttons, 70’s/80’s/90’s trading cards. She sent me a Back-to-the-Future card which I obviously love (see Ari’s Marty McFly costume here). Just tons of retro fun! The hat is adult size but fits Max just fine on the tightest setting.
The shirt is from Tattaaboo, retro clothing for all ages! They shipped super fast, so plenty of time for your Halloween costume. They come in adult sizes in case you want to adapt this for yourself!
I couldn’t find the exact jacket, so I layered a plaid shirt on top of this JACKET which is on sale now! I think any pants and sneaks would work. The tooth paint was the best part hahahaha! I’m still giggling about how it turned out, and I can’t believe it, but Max totally laid still while I painted it on there. It just brushes right off when you’re done. Add a backpack and flashlight, and you’re all set! Now to teach him some of Dustin’s famous quotes….
“She’s our friend, and she’s crazy!”
“Mike! I found the chocolate pudding!”
“Why are you keeping this curiosity door locked?”
“I told you a million times, my teeth are coming in. It’s called cleidocranial dysplasia.”
PS….Truth be told, Max will be trick-or-treating as a Ninja Turtle 🙂
LINKS:
More Halloween costumes for littles HERE and HERE
xo
-L