Dress up days

I'm a bit late with this post I know, World Book Day was last week, but it got me thinking about all the outfits I seem to have to put together. I've said before I'm not a very crafty person (not in the sticking and glueing sense of the word anyway!) but I have tried hard when the children have come home needing a costume for book day/valentine party/nativity play/themed party 

- usually at short notice.

I can have some great ideas but assembling said costume leaves me lacking a little something!

World book days in past years have seen me put together Mr Bump (only required a lot of bandages), a Twit, a pirate (complete with parrot stitched to the shoulder - thank you McDonald Happy Meal toys!) and many more.






Nativity plays have seen me staple a child into a shepherd outfit, with obligatory tea towel, a Victorian maid (prompting teacher to send a message home that she may be able to find something more suitable!) and a gymnast (in the nativity??!)






I have created a King & Queen of Hearts (with jam tarts) and cupid (son dressed in a sheet, too embarrassed to go to school!) for a Valentine disco.


















We made a lion costume and strongman for a circus themed party - both boys stapled into costumes again!

But I feel we surpassed ourselves for this years World Book Day costume -

can you tell what it is yet?? (In a Rolf Harris stylee voice)

note the photo copied bank notes - this is illegal apparently!



No it's not The Little Gingerbread Man, nor a Gingerbread Zombie as some of the reception children shouted as they ran away screaming!

She wouldn't wear the balaclava that came with it (thank you ebay)

as she thought it looked scary -

hmmm only slightly less scary than the face paint!!

Guess again....

 

She is in fact Alan Taylor of course! Alan Taylor the biscuit billionaire from the Mister Gum books by Andy Stanton. And she was very happy that very-best-friend-George went as Mr Gum!
We're reading one of the books at the moment and son number 2 enjoyed it a couple of years ago too. It always makes me giggle as we had a slightly flashy Insurance salesman

called Alan Taylor some years ago.

The photo also puts me in mind of this character from The League of Gentlemen

All this talk of dressing up reminded me of a fancy dress outfit I hired many years ago, I went to the hire shop unsure what to get; it was the mid 1980's and I was sporting some big curly red hair at the time. The shop owner said he had the perfect costume for me; he knew it was the one for me when I walked through the door apparently. I was flattered when he held up the white and green "wench" dress, I quite liked it. But who is the character, who did I remind him of I asked. "Moll Flanders" he replied, "she was an old trollop...."


A vision in green satin, with matching eye shadow!

But Friday is Red Nose Day so it's dress up again at Primary School, luckily it's pirates and fairy day; Little Miss with her aversion to all things pink and glittery is going as a pirate (luckily we still have the costume) and her very-best-friend-George is going as a fairy!