Guest Post! Felt Mask Round-Up with Jenny from The Southern Institute of Arts & Crafts

We're continuing the Handmade Halloween Costume series today with Jenny from The Southern Institute of Arts and Crafts. Halloween is two weeks from today, and at this point a lot of you are thinking about scrapping the whole idea of making something handmade. Well hang on! Don't run off to Party City just yet! This week and next we'll be presenting a few ideas for your last-minute handmade costumes. Jenny is here to kick it off with some fabulous felt masks to inspire you:

Hi everyone, it's Jenny from The Southern Institute.  I have a confession to make.  I had intended to provide you all with an easy tutorial for a fairy skirt, wings, and headband.  Here's the problem: I brought some pretty sheer blue and pink fabric from the store only to find, once I got it home, that I had no idea how to sew with it!  There goes that idea.

Plan B... 

The felt mask trend has not gone unnoticed by me.  Or maybe it's not really a trend.  Maybe I'm just loving felt masks these days.  Felt masks can be so much fun!  First off, they are cheap to make.  Secondly, you can make them as simple or as elaborate as you please... they always look cute as can be on the wearer.

Case in point:  My boys.

These are about as simple as they come, but they get a whole lot of use and have been the centerpiece of many hours of imaginative play.

Felt masks are perfect for a handmade Halloween costume.  Pick a mask that you love and start to build an outfit around it, maybe made of felt!

How about this pretty little owl from Pretty Little Things?

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I can see pairing this mask with a long sleeved white t-shirt, covered with light and dark pink felt feathers.  Add a flouncy pink and white tutu and you've got yourself an adorable halloween costume!

This Pirate mask from Sew Love The Day is amazing!

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Pick up a long sleeved men's t-shirt from the store, or better yet the Goodwill, cut off the cuffs, shred the sleeves, and wrap a black sash around his little waist.  A pair of black sweatpants cut off at the shins and chunky boots would complete that outfit.  Oh, and a cardboard sword, of course.

Here are some more masks for inspiration.  

How would you build outfits around these?

Beard                                                                                         Mustaches

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Thanks so much for having my today, Marigold!  

I wish everyone a happy, fun-filled, and safe Halloween!

Awesome, right? Simple and cute. You can do this! Handmade doesn't have to be insanely elaborate and time consuming. Thanks for the inspiration, Jenny! Remember to visit Jenny's blog, The Southern Institute of Arts and Crafts where she hosts a weekly Creative Me Monday link party. She's also a nominee in the Babble Top 50 Mom Craft Blogs and you should pop over and give her your vote (you can vote for more than one blog, so if you happen to see any *other* blogs on there, say, 5 or 10 ranks lower than Jenny's, you can always vote for that blog, too ;) 

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