Our grand-girl, Zoe, told me she wanted to be Cleopatra for Halloween and asked if I’d help her make a costume.

We talked about what she wanted it to look like: a long white dress with a “collar” out of something with gold or silver threads plus a headband “crown,” and a belt.

I knew we could make the dress out of a sheet and I immediately thought about doing the collar and crown from this apron (for a queen who wanted to look like she cooked but never set foot in the kitchen?) that I’d inherited from an aunt. The fabric, a very lightweight brocade, is shot through with lurex threads that makes it shine like a star!

We might have chosen to make the dress by draping and cutting, but I’ve been wanting to teach Zoe to make her own clothes and sew from a pattern so the  $4 I spent on this project went to purchase one.

From there, Zoe pinned and cut the pattern, sewed the straight seams and ironed. (I sewed the curves. Too much ripping discourages a newbie.)

Once the dress was done we moved on to the collar. I used the facing from the dress as a template for the part that sits near the neck and measured out to each shoulder then added this measurement to the facing. The apron fabric is scratchy so I lined the collar with a piece of silk that I had stored in my sewing closet for 20 years or more! Added one snap to the back and voila!

For the belt, we gathered some gold fabric at the back. folded it in and sewed it down, then added two snaps to close it. Next we cut the original waistband and ties from the “apron” and folded this piece over the belt for an added no-sew decoration.

Next up—the crown. I had some stiff buckram-like material and used that to form a head band and the diamond. Once it was sized to fit Zoe’s head, we glued fabric to the front of each piece, then glued the two pieces together and added a couple of small stitches so the diamond couldn’t fall off.

In reference pictures, there seemed to be decorated braids at the front of Cleopatra’s hair, but I didn’t have any beads in appropriate colors. When I found some black beaded trim, it added just the right touch.

Finally, we decided she needed some jewelry that at least looked like it was worthy of a queen if not as quite as costly.

I dug out some gold paper candy wrappers from my crafting stash, and made a chunky ring and bracelet simply by molding the paper into the form we wanted. The charm for the necklace is a circular shell covered in the same paper.

The outfit was complete at a cost of $4 for the pattern. We used items that would normally have been tossed. Zoe launched her sewing career and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to teach her and see her joy in learning as well as wearing our creation.

The project took about a day to complete so there’s still time if you’d like to make one for your trick-or-treater.

Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson are mother and daughter and authors of  Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family, and founders of Green Halloween®.

We thought that in addition to reminding you to check out www.GreenHalloween for ideas, we’d pass on some tips from our fellow green bloggers.

1. From green blogger and independent crafter Becky Striepe, comes an idea for a simple Halloween scrap banner. And if you’re into banners, here’s a paper one we created last year.

2. Do you read Healthy Home magazine? If not, you should. You can get awesome ideas for all things healthy and green, like this BPA-free pumpkin puree that’s easier than pie to make.

3. Lots of parents today are opting out of masks and choosing face paints instead. But these can contain chemicals that you don’t want on your children’s skin. What to do? Make your own! You can check out our recipe here, and for more ideas, check out this article on Greenwala by Danika Carter, or this one from Diane MacEachern at Big Green Purse.

4. Great tips on avoiding GMO sugar this Halloween from My Healthy Green Family.

5. Emily Roach at Random Recycling loves roasting pumpkins seeds. Here’s her recipe.

6. From Robbie Schneider at Going Green Mama, what to do with that mammoth Halloween stash.

7. The Smart Mama, Jennifer Taggart, suggests using tee tree oil to keep your carved Jack-o-lantern from molding. And Danika Carter, from Your Organic Life says adding those little silica gel packets works well too.

8. And finally, Tamara Rubin, writing for DrGreene.com, explains how to avoid exposing your kids to lead during Halloween festivities.

What’s your favorite eco-friendly Halloween tip?

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Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson are mother and daughter and authors of  Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family, and founders of Green Halloween®.

By Wendy

School is over and it’s time for some good old summer fun! You want to make sure the kids are not spending too much time in front of the tv and doing something that will keep them active and entertained. Here are 4 fun eco-friendly activities you can do outside with the kids’ right in your backyard.

Start a Garden- not only will you be teaching your kids how to grow their own food; you’ll also be able to teach them about where some of the food they eat every day really comes from. The easiest way to start is with an herb garden. It’s very easy to start your own herb garden. All you need is some dirt, seeds, water, and some sunlight. First day morning, I got a new lawn sweeper and we started to clean and prepare the lot to plant herbs with the children.

Water Fights- water fights are such a great way for the kids to stay active and cool on those hot summer days. Squirt bottles are great to give the kids since you’ll most likely have some around the house so there’s no need to buy plastic water guns that usually only get used a few times a year or water balloons.

Create Your Own Sandbox- a cheap and easy way to bring the beach right to your backyard. You can create your own sandbox with just a few bags of sand, a big container to keep the sand contained in, and a few toys. The kids will love having a sandbox right in the backyard.

Make your Own Bird Feeder- help kids gain an appreciation for nature and the wildlife right in their backyard with this inexpensive and fun project for the kids to create this summer. You’ll be surprised that you can make one with items you already have around the house.

So whether you’re creating a garden with your children for the very first time or having an old fashioned water fight, there are definitely lots of eco-friendly ways to keep your kids active and entertained this summer.

What are some of your eco-friendly activities for the kids this summer?

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Wendy Yu is a digital marketing professional living in New York City. When she’s not using the power of social media to share ideas on how to be more environmentally friendly, she is exploring the city, trying local foods, and learning more about how she can reduce her carbon footprint.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Green Halloween® or our partners.

I’m sure before you Discover more at My Fitness Hub for fitness exercises you start with reading magazines and happen to make a pile of it somewhere in your drawer. For your knowledge, Fitness Magazines are not just a great read: They can be reused over and over in several fun ways!

This New Year, why not kill two birds with one stone.  Keep your resolution for going green, getting the body you’ve always dreamed of or taking holiday weight off with fat burning pills, and organizing your paperwork, your life, and your home all at once.  You can start with that stack of fitness and health magazines that have been sitting in a pile and collecting an array of dust.  This month, check back every Wednesday to tackle one project at a time.

This Week:  Get in shape while reducing, reusing, and recycling!

Step One:  Magazine Subscription Insert Cards

Use subscription insert cards to blot lipstick! Keep stacks in your make-up organizer for ready use.

 

Step Two:  Donate Magazines

When finished with old magazines, pass them on to friends, family, or even your local doctor’s office to keep the ideas going and to inspire another.

Step Three:  Create a Fitness Scrapbook

When I’m completely finished with my fitness magazines I cut out the moves, ideas, inspiring words, and recipes into a personal fitness scrapbook.  I bought a journal for $5.00 at my local Big Lots, took a glue stick, scissors, stickers, and gems to create my work-out scrapbook on the cheap.

My personal work-out scrapbook that I bought for a mere $5.00

 

Recycle old fitness magazines by cutting out moves and recipes then using a glue stick to place them where you like then get ready to shape-up!

 

Old magazine clips have a wealth of routines, moves, and recipes!

Creating your own personal scrapbook gives you time to research and reset your brain for easing into a fitness routine for the New Year!

Step Four:  Use Tear-Out Cards!

Take tear out cards and mix n’match by using a hole puncher and place them on a ring for quick and simple work-outs!

Step Five:  Cut and Paste low-cal Recipes on Index Cards

Be sure to buy an index card box too with a variety of colors then cut and paste your favorite healthy recipes.  Use a label divider to keep your recipes stored in order such as, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and smoothies.

Magazine subscription cards also make great bookmarks for the avid reader!

Blogger Laurali Star can be found on her blog, Charming Laurali Star, and on her site, The Damsel in the Attic, where she sells handmade and vintage clothing and accessories.  Another fab way to help reduce, reuse, and recycle!  Check it out!

Green Halloween® is a nationwide non-profit initiative started by mother-daughter team Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell. In 2010, Green Halloween became a program of EcoMom® Alliance and has events in cities across the U.S.