You probably think I am a huge fan of Halloween costumes. Most people do anyway. I’m not. Maybe if my kids let me pick their costumes and I could be creative with it…maybe then I’d enjoy it. However, I have 2 boys that are very particular about costumes. It is pointless for me to even offer suggestions. It is just not a battle worth fighting for me. So this year they wanted to be Obi-Wan Kenobi & Luke Skywalker.
Sadly at some point my kids decided I have the ability to create whatever they dream up. I don’t. They end up with really handmade looking stuff, but they seem to be thrilled so I’m good. I am not a big fan of dressing up. Just isn’t me. However, we went to a party where I thought all the adults and children were supposed to wear costumes so I let the boys decide on what the rest of the family should be.
Before we headed to the party I wanted to get a few pictures…here is the setting we chose for our Star Wars shoot:
The picture of Yoda & Darth Vader made the older boys so mad…which made me want to do it all the more.
Evidently I am breaking all kinds of Star Wars codes by letting Darth Vader hold Yoda.
Notes to self:
1. When dressing your daughter as Yoda throw a bow on Yoda’s head so people don’t tell you how cute your little boy is
2. Be prepared for people to think you are all peasants…and Yoda is an Elf Peasant.
3. Text before attending a party to make sure adults are wearing costumes, otherwise you will walk around all night with yarn buns on your head feeling ridiculous.
4. It doens’t matter that R2D2 doesn’t technically have arms to hold a gun…he will want a gun. Let him have it.
5. Don’t worry about your lack of sewing skills…kids have imaginations far greater than anything you can or cannot sew.
6. Stand back and enjoy your older boys as they transform into Jedi knights…and based on your husband’s love of his Darth Vader mask, know that boys never outgrow the thrill of being a warrior
If you are wondering about how I made the costumes, I don’t have tutorials but here are a few pointers:
Yoda: I dyed a old white t-shirt and beanie. I created ears by cutting the tshirt into 4 triangles. There is a couple of layers of felt inside the ears. The ear layers are sewn together and then sewn onto the hat. The shoe coverings are just scraps of the dyed white tshirt cut to shape and stitched a little up the back to easily slip on. The jacket is part of the boy’s Indiana Jones costume, turned inside out.
Jedi Knights: I used this tutorial and $4.00 bed sheets from Walmart
R2D2: Large white long sleeve t-shirt and beanie….free hand drawing with sharpies. It would have been a lot cuter to make some kind of cardboard thing for him to wear, but he would have never worn it.
Darth Vader: borrowed costume
Princess Leia: I bought a $3 nightgown and silver purse from Goodwill. I cut off the bottom of the nightgown to make a belt and I also sewed a piece to the top of the dress to cover up blue flow
***
Though I am making a jab about the lack of costumes at the party…we had a great time. The hostess had all kinds of thought out, cute details…it looked straight out of a magazine. Thanks M.
***
thankfully I have another year before they sceme up their next costumes…maybe FireCracker will get to be a girl next year…
Gevay - Awesome job! So fun. My boys loved looking at your pictures. You are a great mom for making your boy’s costume dreams a reality. They will be wearing these for a long time!
tasha roe - So much fun!! LOve that everyone was dressed together.
I tried to talk miss ella into dressing as Leia. I even used the angle that she was a princess! no go. She wanted to be Tinkerbell. She’s 2 and so girly.
Great pics too!
annie - they turned out great and homemade costumes are the BEST!
allison - those costumes were AWESOME! The Leia wig is my favorite!
Danielle - ummm seriously DYING over this!!
l o v e
emily anderson - i swear we house the same brain. this is, of course, exactly what my big boys wanted to do…but the only exception was that milo wanted to be chewbaca. i couldn’t make a chewbaca costume, nor did i want to try, because milo always changes his mind…and sure enough, come halloween night, he decided last minute that he only wanted to be batman. so, we nixed the star wars idea, about a week ago, cause milo couldn’t get his act together. lol. love your costumes!
Cara @ Mischief and laughs - We did DIY Star wars costumes this year too.
Obi-Wan (old), for my 5yo- Brown never used blanket with a slit cut in it for a head. Put over a brown hoodie, and tied with a tan belt.
Yoda, for 3yo – green hooded shirt, with pieces of green felt sewn on the sides for ears. Green facepaint, although we forgot that for trick or treat. Cover with a big piece of tan fabric with a slit cut out for his head, tie with a brown belt.
Leia, for 7 month old baby girl with no hair – dress in white onesie and white pants. Took white headband and hot glued yarn buns to the side. When it was cold we added a brown beanie.
Me: R2D2 – cut a head hole and arm holes in a pop-up laundry basket with a round shape (it had a hole in it anyway) cover with old t-shirt with marker stuff on it. Put a big silver mixing bowl on head with construction paper buttons taped to it. Bowl will fall off 3000 times.
Darth Vader for hubby. We had a costume from years past, but he wouldn’t wear it. Poo on him.
Total cost: $2 for yarn, $1 for felt. Oh, and $32 for new lightsabers, because the old ones didn’t REALLY kill people and just weren’t good enough for my 5yo. Ha ha!
Kristine - i think you just won the “coolest family of the year award!”
Danielle - Wow! That is awesome! Even if you were not supposed to dress up with the kids it made for awesome pictures!
andy - you guys are awesome
love the ideas and the pics
too too cute
Janelle Vano - AWESOME JOB!!! And I don’t think you need to worry about standing out at a Halloween party…because you looked like the COOLEST parents EVER
Kristin - so cute. I love how you make something really simple look spectacular. Your Leia buns – WOW! Great inspiration! (And Firecracker is the sweetest Yoda I have ever seen.)
Susannah - Wow… These costumes are great! I love that you made them. I saw tons of Star Wars costumes this weekend, and these look just as good as the expensive ones! And your photos are amazing, as usual. I’ve linked your website to my blog because you are my FAVORITE photographer!
http://www.uvinyl.blogspot.com
Shannon{photos by shannon} - These look great! You did an awesome job!!
ashlee - i laughed until i cried! you guys are amazing:)
amanda torres - The costumes are great. Too funny about the party!
anne c - hilarious! I love it! all the costumes turned out great and yall are the cutest star wars family I have ever seen!
Lindsay - Oh my goodness that made me laugh! Your family is so awesome!
Kirra Sue - Pretty suuuuure this is the cutest thing ever! I love it all. Especially you breaking the Star Wars codes and letting Darth hold Yoda. Too, too perfect. The last picture is my favorite- FireCracker looking at you is precious.
Jane - LOVE the costumes! They’re great. And most importantly, the kids look like they loved wearing them.
Julie A. - Note #2 made me laugh so hard I almost spit coffee out all over the MacBook! This will be my kids favorite thing today. You’re one cool mom!
Mariah - Fan-flippin-tastic Ashley!
Reidunn - Amazing job Ashley! Both on the costume making and photo taking. You have made the cutest Yoda and R2D2 I’ve ever seen.
Brenda - Loved your photo shoot location – SO creative – you made me smile this morning!!
Libby - this is just amazing! i LOOOOVE your creativity. wow!
Heather - best looking yoda ever. and the rest of you looked pretty fantastic too.
great job!
Jen - Great shoot location. Love the costumes!
Misty - I think you did great! and as for firecracker being called a boy, last night my little girl was a pirate and we made her wagon into her ship so her “flag” had a skull and cross bones with a pink bow on them and she still got called a boy, a lot lol
Beth - Handmade is so much more fun then prepackaged!! Their costumes were unique and the comments that you got (even if they thought you were peasents) are priceless. I think Halloween should focus on being creative. Great job!! Oh, I am a huge Star Wars geek and my son was an Ewok (teddy bear/ monkey/ cute girl)!
susie whyte - that is stinkin’ hilarious! chris was killin’ me with levitation powers. i expect to see photos of the kids(at least the boys) in these outfits at home…about 85 more times this year.
i know i’d wear it everyday. hahahahaha.
kacy - I had the same problem with my 14 month old. SHE was an elephant with a pink ribbon on her tail…yet 2/3′s of people told me what a cute little boy I had. The next day I was sure to put a little pony tail right at the top of her head!
tammy - So glad to see I wasn’t the only mom being bossed around making Star Wars costumes! Mine were a Clone Trooper (oh yeah and some specific one…Legion something…) and Jango Fett. I learned a lot, and iron on adhesive was my friend!
Krista Lund - these are wonderful! love that they are hand made and your family rocked the heck out of them! little yoda is irresistible!!
RachelC - I had no idea you and Chris dressed up! That’s AWESOME!!! I love your serious faces as Princess Lea — and your bun hat. Luke Skywalker is so tough…..tell him I said he is definitely the toughest Luke Skywalker I have ever seen! AND — great picture of Oldest Brother looking through that cone/wire thing. Neat effects! Oh, and Elf Yoda is super cute. I don’t care what anybody says. AND — I love that Obi wouldn’t go to his class without his hat. He wanted his costume complete to show all his friends. He was so proud of his Obi costume….so should you. Finally — the only dressed up adults at the party? That sounds like something off of mean girls.
cheree - AWESOME themed costumes for your whole family!!!
Katie - That is the cutest Yoda I’ve ever seen!! Ya’ll look great!
danielle - you guys, your family is awesome! i bow down to you
suzy - this is amazing.
ah-maze-ing.
Sarah Z - I absolutely adore your blog. This post made me smile and laugh out loud. Thank you
Aja - I love these costumes!! Ohmygosh, you guys all look great! How fun for your kiddos!
Seamingly Sarah - I would’ve totally gotten the star wars costumes! They are not peasants. My husband was Joe Dirt and I was pregnant and barefoot in the kitchen (we hosted the halloween party here, so I just stayed in the kitchen – the pregnant part we started about 5 months ago!). And my daughter was a princess. I sewed a dress for her, but without the crown and some more fluffs and frills she just looked like she was wearing a dress. Maybe someday I can get the family into some sort of theme? Maybe not.
Dawn - Yoda is soooo cute – boy or girl!
joy frameworks - Love it! You all look adorable and I love that their handmade! I’m going to give the Jedi costume a whirl ~ my son will dress up as a jedi all year long!
Gina (Gina Hickman Photography) - Loved your post and all the fantastic (as usual) photos! I think it’s so cool that you all dressed up together! Seriously laughed out loud reading your “Notes to Self”!!!!
Great Job
Jaime - The costumes ALONG WITH THE PHOTO SHOOT = Success! Love it!
Candice @ ChiaSeedMe - Amazing costumes! I think they’re absolutely adorable. And I love the photo shoot location – so creative:)
Heather - oh those costumes are sooo cute!! we went out last night all dressed in costumes too. even though not many adults did, we enjoyed it!! i bet your boys will always remember yall dressing up with them.
Suzy Sholar :) - Thanks for sharing… the important thing is that everyone had fun! Photos (as always) are wonderful!
giozi - I don’t know what to say. Fantastic. I’m going to share it
meg duerksen - awesome.
they will always remember that!
Carrie Rosalind - Oh my gosh, those are SO cute! What a fun idea! Glad that you had a good Halloween!
Yolanda - I love the handmade feel of these costumes. I am crazy for family costumes. And….that shot (!!!) of Obi Wan through the rusted rebar…unbelievable. Your creative skills are…I don’t have words. But I am definitely inspired.
Megan - This is adorable!! Love all of the costumes, and LOVE the beard
Lisa - This post has made my day!(I am a huge SW fan)All the best costumes are home-made- that shows real effort and look at how happy everyone is!! Much fun. You all look ace!
Blessings.
jennie - How can you dislike costumes when you are so amazing at them!? I can’t get over how much I love these! It makes me want to go back in time and change our lame costumes to much cooler ones! I love this!
Sissel Byington - If there ever is an award for the most clever and “macgyverish” mom around- I hope it is HUGE and GOLDEN and will be able to sit proudly on your mantel because you will win it HANDS DOWN! Love love LOVE your blog!!
patti - so awesome! I love it! now I’m going to be thinking about what our family can be next year.
Tara S. - your pictures are amazing! i love the fact that the entire family got in on the boys’ theme. you looked great!
mel - just awesome!!!
mer - hee hee! love this – especially the notes to self!
Leanne - those are the best star wars costumes ever! I love the buns on yours and that is the cutest yoda ever!
lifeologia - I’m loving this!
You guys were awesome.
love your ‘notes to self’ – laughed out loud on that one
Ruth - Ashley, after this post I may have to stop reading your blog altogether. Knowing that this is the result of your half-hearted effort makes me feel so woefully inadequate, I’m almost embarrassed to admit that my kids wore last year’s costumes (both slightly ripped, which I repaired at the last minute while they were wearing them.) Seriously, the costumes are awesome! Nice job.
katie - Star Wars costumes were a must this year for families full of boys. We did DIY Star Wars, too. (And being the lone female, I went as Leia as well.)
I blogged mine at:
http://everydaykatie.blogspot.com/2010/11/httpwwwbloggercomimgblankgif.html
candace - My husband is going to flip when he sees this. It will probably make him want to have 4 kids so we can do this someday. Great job! Homemade costumes are the BEST!
Cindy - Love your Star Wars scallywags! Especially yoda!
Jolie - I laughed so hard at your photos (mostly because I could just feel the fun emanating off you guys in waves!)…and now I’m trying to think whether my 2 4 year olds (or *4 and a quarter, mama!* as my daughter insists!) are ready to watch the original star wars….and I have a little hankering to make some yarn buns for around here!!!
Pamela M - This is so out of this world….Awesome, awesome, awesome.
You take beautiful pictures!
jessica h - made me laugh! maybe this should be your family christmas card photo?
bridget - your yoda is THE CUTEST!
M for Short - As if Yoda weren’t wee enough. Your mini-yoda is TOO cute; but I also love Obi Wan’s beard. ANd if no one else at the party thought you were cool, the kids definitely thought you were cool, and you know that won’t last for long. You will cherish that night for years and years to come.
tamara - so cute!!! wonderful job on all
Alba - Fist of all let me laugh about it :3.Text before attending …”
awesome job! and you still complaint about your lack of sewing skills? all you look fantastic!
caro - very good customes, and lovely pictures.
ANy miner?
Regards from Chile
Tammy Kay - I love these Ashley. My boys looked at these pictures forever last night! They looked at the one with Darth Vader holding Yoda and said “thats not right!” LOL.
Annamarie - Everyone looks awesome! What a creative mind you have (well, that’s no surprise, we have all seen what you are capable of dreaming up). Who cares if none of the other adults were dressed up, think of the great fun & memories you are giving your kids.
alamama - OH MY GOODNESS!!!! Yoda is the cutest! You never cease to amaze!
Tiffany - Aw man you guys really nailed it! Awesome job Mom.
emily - as i was looking at this, my 3 year old walked by and said, “darth vader holding yoda?! how can that be?!!!” so, i guess you are breaking some sort of unspoken star wars code…
Trinity - So I was CRACKING up the WHOLE time I was reading this post!!! I am just dying imagining you walking into the party being the only adults dressed up! That is SOOOO funny!!! At least you had the right party…my aunt and uncle went to a party, started talking to someone, then looked around and realized they didn’t know anyone there. They were at the wrong house! Their party was 2 doors down.!!! Love it that you have so much fun with your kids…so many great memories for them to build on.
emily - oh that is the cutest thing. Love your notes to self. Go figure, my boys were obi-ONE and DARK-vader this year too.
Patricia Teo - this is SO great!!!!!
~abi~ - this post is exactly why i love your blog so much!!!
Farmgirl Susan - Oh my gosh, these photos are priceless! As somebody who grew up with the original Star Wars movies, I just LOVE your costumes – and the whole idea of being a Star Wars family for Halloween. Too much fun. What a perfect backdrop for the photo shoot! And your notes had me laughing out loud – especially #1 and #2. I just discovered your blog and am so glad I did. Can’t wait to read more. In the meantime, thanks for the laughs!
Irene - Oh, my word!!! even without sewing skills, that Princess Leia costume is out of this world!
you children look fantastic as well.
twirling betty - That is, without doubt, one of the funniest things I have ever seen. HILARIOUS. And Yoda is almost illegally cute.
Felicity - This was THE most delightful and fun blog post that I’ve seen in a long, long time!
I’ve discovered you because Naomi included you in a bloggy mystery tour under the heading ‘Adoring This’ and I can see why she does!
Thank you for the giggles,
Felicity x
Lisa - This is super cute! I wish I could talk my hubs into doing it. But then they would probably make me be Vader! HA!
Star Wars « Tied Up With String - [...] her brillance?) has 3 boys. Therefore Star Wars is a big hit in her house. For Halloween, she made DIY Star Wars Costumes for the whole family. If you like Star Wars, you owe it to yourself to click that link and see the [...]
Erin - You know you spend a lot of time on someone’s blog when you see a picture of an adorable baby girl in a yoda costume on Pinterest and think, “is that fire cracker?”
Belle Bébés - Family in fancy dress - [...] go wrong with Star Wars. As this pic taken by Ashley Ann [...]
Elizabeth Jung - CUTE CUTE CUTE~~~~~~
you are amazing person.
I can’t stop loveing you and your family
Miss you all~~
inspired start to the new year « House Maven - [...] And oh my, if my kids saw these diy Star Wars costumes…! [...]
moving day {#1} « dream - [...] the eye roll… on that note: i’m pretty sure one day this is going to be my family: go HERE…and i’m going to love [...]
Cassie Ilten - “Look handmade” are you kidding me? Those are freakin’ amazing. You did good!
Danyelle - I forgot all about you all dressing up like characters from Star Wars until I was searching ideas on pinterest and saw Firecracker Yoda. Adorable!
Group Costume Ideas {couple costume ideas} - [...] 8: Star Wars [...]
Right Start Blog | Family Halloween Costume Ideas - [...] Star Wars {Source: Ashley Ann Photography} [...]
14 Awesome Halloween Family Theme Costume Ideas - [...] DIY Star Wars Costumes ~ These Star Wars costumes are seriously amazing! It’s a perfect theme for a large family. [...]
Top 5 Family Halloween Costumes - [...] ashleyannphotography.com via Epic on [...]
Susie - elf peasant. awesome.
50+ Easy No Sew Costumes for Halloween - No Twiddle Twaddle - [...] World.) If you love those Star Wars costumes, you should also check out these adorable costumes by Ashley Ann Photography. They look like they involve a little sewing, so technically they don’t count for this list [...]
Disfraces caseros para toda la familia | Fiestas infantiles y cumpleaños de niños - [...] Los personajes de La Guerra de las Galaxias ya son un clásico, que sigue atrayendo a los peques. No te pierdas este enlace: Ashley Ann. [...]
Aleksandra - After study a few of the weblog posts in your website now, and I actually like your method of blogging. I bookmarked it to my bookmark website record and might be checking again soon. Pls check out my website as nicely and let me know what you think.
muscle x - I have read some good stuff here. Definitely worth bookmarking for revisiting. I wonder how so much attempt you set to create one of these great informative website.
heel pain tampa - Do you have a spam problem on this website; I also am a blogger, and I was wanting to know your situation; many of us have created some nice practices and we are looking to swap strategies with other folks, why not shoot me an email if interested.
plantar fasciitis Memphis - I am really enjoying the theme/design of your site. Do you ever run into any web browser compatibility issues? A few of my blog visitors have complained about my website not operating correctly in Explorer but looks great in Chrome. Do you have any suggestions to help fix this problem?
plantar fasciitis Memphis - Woah! I’m really loving the template/theme of this blog. It’s simple, yet effective. A lot of times it’s difficult to get that “perfect balance” between superb usability and visual appeal. I must say you have done a fantastic job with this. Also, the blog loads extremely quick for me on Chrome. Superb Blog!