making of the halloween costume, stage 1

most of you know that i like to make my own costumes for halloween (see post from November 4, 2009)

my sewing skills are rudimentary at best, and i don't have a lot of craft supplies just laying around. but my ideas are usually pretty kick-ass and i'm very resourceful.  nevermind that my mom's a champion costumer and seamstress - i only ask her to help when it's absolutely essential...or just really convenient. unfortunately i'm also very frugal and don't like to spend too much on materials, which can be the kiss of death for a do-it-yourself project. it's not like i can't afford to drop some bills at michael's craft store and the home depot, but i get way more satisfaction out of creating something using repurposed materials that i can acquire very cheaply.  

last year i spent way too much money. the result was totally cool, and i even won a contest sponsored by my hair salon (bob steele at post riverside) and got a $100 gift card so it kinda evened out.  so to avoid unnecessary expenses i'm starting this year's project many weeks in advance. hopefully i have ample time to cruise the thrift stores for materials and borrow stuff from coworkers.

i will admit that my plan for this years costume is ambitious.  obviously i'm not gonna tell you what i'm going to be, but it involves the foam that you see below:

i scored this at a goodwill store.  it was originally an exercise mat. all i did was cut the plastic sheath off to reveal the prize inside.  i didn't know how expensive foam sheeting would be at a fabric store - figured it had to be *much* more than the $4 mat i bought - so i stopped by a fabric store on the way home, just to satisfy my curiosity. when i saw the price per yard i did a celebratory dance in the aisle and quickly left the store.

next phase: cardboard and spraypaint