How to: Make your own Bunsen and Beaker

Thanks to everyone for their great comments on our costumes this year! It's definitely been a great Halloween season thus far and I can't wait to make another homemade costume for next year.

In the meantime, in case you're wondering how we put these together - here's a quick DIY rundown in case you want to get in touch with your own inner Muppet before this weekend's festivities.

Beaker:
(Instructions translated from meep meep language)


Supplies:
(Head mask)
- 24" tall piece of foam that is long enough to be circled around your head like a cylinder and meet itself on the other side (found this at Jo-Ann Fabric)
- Needle and thread
- 1 yard of flesh colored fabric
- 1 large styrofoam ball
- 2 smaller styrofoam balls (identical)
- Blash mesh fabric (about 12"x12")
- Orange felt (large enough to cover the large styrofoam ball)
- Glue gun
- Black sharpie
- Scissors
- X-acto knife
- Orange tissue paper (found at Party City)


(Body)
- Tie
- Dress shirt
- Slacks
- Furry gloves
- Lab Coat (found at Party City)

Instructions:
1. Begin to make your head mask by sewing the tall piece of foam into a cylinder. I just did a loose stitch all the way up (so the mask can give and take a little when you slide it on and off but it's still snug.)
2. Once your foam is sewed into a cylinder, slide the mask on, stitched side facing the back/center of your head and have a friend help you mark the eye holes on the mask with a sharpie.
3. Slide the mask off and draw the beaker mouth shape around the eye holes (ensuring you'll be able to see through the mask!)
4. Carefully, slice the shape out of the foam using an x-acto knife (the foam should cut cleanly and quickly).
5. Using a glue gun, cover the cylinder in the flesh fabric. It helps to have a friend hold the fabric taught and to roll it the mask over the fabric to secure it. Tuck the extra fabric at the top into the cylinder and secure with hot glue.
6. Carefully, cut the fabric away that covers the mouth hole. Carefully hot glue the fabric beneath the mask to it makes a clean seam around the mouth.
7. Cut the black mesh to fit behind the mouth and secure it with hot glue. If you can't see through it yet, don't worry - you can slice holes in it to see better and no one will be able to tell.
8. For the nose, cover the large styrofoam with orange fleece (using hot glue). When it's covered, secure it with hot glue above Beaker's mouth area.
9. For the eyes, use a sharpie to add the eyeballs to the smaller styrofoam balls. Secure the eyes with hot glue directly above his nose.
10. For the hair, cut a zig zag pattern into layers of tissue paper and affix using hot glue at various lengths.
11. Complete your outfit with the body materials and you're ready to meep meep meep!


Bunsen Honeydew:


Supplies:
(Head mask)
- One bouncy ball (Target)
- Sponge brush
- Regular brush
- Modge podge with a little bit of water mixed in
- Citron green paint (Michael's)
- Stiffened black felt (two pieces)
- Scissors
- X-acto knife
- White paper torn into small pieces (at least 30 pages)
- Black mesh fabric (12" x 12" or less)
- Playdoh ($1 at 99-cent store)
- 1 large bowl covered with plastic wrap
- 1 shallow dish covered with plastic wrap


(Body)
- Tie
- Dress shirt
- Black vest
- Lab coat (Party City)
- Green gloves (Target for $1)



Directions:
1. Begin by setting the bouncy ball on a bowl covered in plastic wrap. The plastic wrap will hold the ball in place for you.
2. Mix modge podge with a bit of water in the shallow dish covered in plastic wrap. Dip pieces of torn white paper (both sides) into the modge podge, slide it against the side of the dish to drain excess, and place on ball. Cover the entire ball with pieces and make sure to get at least two layers of paper on it. Let dry.
3. Once dry, use play dough to shape Bunsen's nose and ears. Cover all the new pieces with modge podge and allow to dry.
4. When dry, paint the entire mask with green paint. Let dry.
5. Cut glasses frames and glasses sides from the black stiffened felt. (It helps to fold the felt in half to cut even frames, then stick it under something heavy to make it lay flat again). Attach to mask using a hot glue gun.
6. Slice into the ball and let all the air out
7. Draw the shape of Bunsen's mouth then, using an x-acto knife, carefully cut through the paper mache and make sure not to cave in the mask itself.
8. Similar to the Beaker mask, attach black mesh to the inside of the mouth with a hot glue gun.
9. Pair with your body materials and you're ready for the lab!


Happy costume making all!

You can do this!

Meep meep meep... meep! The Reveal

Dun dun dun... introducing - straight from Muppet Labs - 

Bunsen Honeydew and his loyal assistant Beaker!

As you know, I'm a giant Muppet nut and I actually got this idea for a couples costume shortly after last Halloween. It's completely hand-made (aside from the lab coats - thanks Party City). I had a very understanding roommate and very supportive boyfriend to help this costume come to reality. 

See? He's so understanding.

We went to our first Halloween party this past weekend and followed it up by going to a California institution - In N Out! Needless to saying, going as Beaker to In N Out is definitely one of the most fun experience I've ever had out here - definitely the most fun I've ever had in a fast food joint. 

I'll post a DIY post later this week on how you too can get in touch with your inner Muppet by making these costumes with simple stuff - foam, paper mache, paint, etc. Stay tuned and til then - happy costume prepping to you and early Happy Halloween!

Linking up to the DIY Show Off!
Click here to check out the Halloween Link Party

Halloween Costume reveal.. tomorrow!!

Gus and I have already had numerous adventures in this year's COUPLES Halloween costumes! For that reason, I'll do the big reveal TOMORROW! Stop by to see Halloween 2010 awesomeness.

For now, here's another sneaky preview pic!

A Halloween Cardboard Cemetery

I hardly ever stop my car to take a second look at something I've driven past. Last week, I simply had to after driving through a local neighborhood and spotting a home with some terrific Halloween DIY-ingenuity.


Here's a simple project that most anyone can afford - cardboard, black and grey paint, and scissors/box cutters - which can yield surprisingly witty and awesome results. The instructions are pretty self explanatory ;-)

The Creative Cardboard Cemetery

bury your favorite fictional (or non-ficitonal) characters on your lawn in time for Halloween

Halloween Costume 2010 - Sneak Peek

This year, I'm tempted to do more than one sneak peek of my homemade halloween costume(s). Here's a quick look at the early stages of this year's beauty. Stay tuned to the blog for more hints...

Here's last year's costume if you want to see:

How to make an Up! Flying House Costume

Hello apple pie, Goodbye gluten

As you have probably noted by now, I'm trying to do a lot of gluten-free cooking and baking as my sweetheart has developed an allergy to gluten (i.e. wheat) so all delicious things made with wheat flour are off the table. I'm starting to get relatively good at making meals but the big challenge with gluten-free cooking is getting things to taste "chewy." Gluten basically provides that in things like bread, cake, muffins, and it's pretty hard to replicate if you haven't practiced and aren't using the right ingredients.


Gus and I recently got a major yen for apple pie and I decided I was up for the challenge. So we googled, and huzzah, made a delicious gluten-free Apple Pie with a crust that tasted like a sugar cookie!


I urge you to make this, even if you and wheat are BFF. You'll love it.




Awesome Gluten-free Apple Pie with Crumb Topping
adapted from food.com

Ingredients

Pastry Crust Makes Two Crusts

• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour ( Bob's Red Mills All Purpose Gluten Free Flour, Avail at Kroger & online)
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum ( Bob's Red Mills)
• 8 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
• 1 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon gluten-free vanilla extract ( Available online at the Gluten Free Pantry)

Apple Filling

• 4 medium apples, peeled, cored and very thinly sliced. Use mildly sweet to tart very crisp apple ( such as Granny Smith, Braeburn, Cortlands)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pumpkin pie spice (or nutmeg)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Crumble Topping

• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup gluten-free flour ( See above)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice)

Directions 

***Pastry Crust Instructions***.

1. In a mixing bowl stir together the flour, xanthan gum and cornstarch.
2. Then add the sugar, butter, egg and vanilla and mix until combined.
3. Remove dough from bowl and knead and fold on a surface dusted with GF flour until well well combined.
4. Divide into two pieces and wrap in plastic wrap, place one in the refrigerator to chill and place the other in the freezer for later use.
5. --Go ahead and make Apple Filling while the Pastry Crust is chilling.
6. After approx 20 minutes, remove dough from refrigerator and roll into a ball.
7. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out on a lightly GF floured surface until it is the thickness of a normal pie crust.
8. Place crust in a 9 inch glass pie dish that is lightly sprayed with non stick spray.
9. Using a fork poke a bunch of holes in the sides and bottom of the crust.

***Apple Filling Instructions***.

1. In a large bowl mix apples, sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt.
2. Set aside and let the juices mix.

***Crumble Topping Instructions***.

1. In small bowl mix together brown sugar, GF flour and cinnamon.
2. Next mix in the chilled butter and cut it in with a fork or other tool until you have a course crumbly mixture.

***Assembling your Pie***.

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Spoon apples into your pie crust, mounding in the middle and pouring the sugary juices over top.
3. Sprinkle your Crumble Topping all over the top (use it all).
4. Use tin foil to cover edges of crust as it will burn easily.
5. Bake for approximately 35 minutes, topping will be lightly browned and filling will be bubbly.
6. Let cool for at least an hour before serving. 

Spotted: A Nursery with Style

I was giving a friend advice recently about where to find great baby info on the web and realize that I oddly knew of a ton of sites to send her in the direction of - ohdeedoh.com, younghouselove.com, etc. Where did I, 25 year-old with no babies aside from her Pook-a-Looz of Kermit and Fozzie, become a semi-expert on some things? Strange the things that blogging will teach you.


Today, I'm happy to show off a great nursery makeover on the blog. These photos are from my friend Erin's nursery. We met in my old position for Disney Feature Animation. Without further adieu, her nursery for her gorgeous baby Alice is below. Hope you enjoy- I was totally inspired!!


For more info on Erin's incredible giraffe-inspired transformation, head over to her blog - Growing up Senge.

love the simplicity of the name art. totally gorgeous.