Odds Are...

I decided to break from my traditional school posts to share a bit of fun I had yesterday. (I hope you don't mind...)

With the invitation for a costume ND gamewatch party lingering in the air, it was now or never to throw together a costume.

But what to do?

I had limited time...and limited resources. (The countdown was about 5 hours, and I had just gotten back from Target.)

I don't know why, but I thought that maybe - just maybe - I could make Katniss Everdeen (from the ever popular Hunger Games trilogy) work. I had the pants, shirt, and boots. I could borrow the jacket from my roommate. I could (probably) braid my hair. I could make my face and arms look grungy/dirty.

But what about her famous arrows? Hmm...

A quick Google search for "easy Katniss Everdeen costumes" yielded a brilliant idea - use a mailing tube from the post office. Ready, set, go! Only one problem - the tube available for purchase was white. (Otherwise, it was perfect, even though I didn't have a bow.)

Back to my apartment - I had a brown marker. I thought I could make it happen. And, after some quick coloring, the tube looked pretty good. I put clear packaging tape up and down the whole tube so the marker wouldn't run. It gave it a somewhat shiny quality, but I figured it was better to be safe than sorry. Then, it was time to figure out how to make a sling so I could carry/wear it. I wasn't about to let this challenge beat me either - I decided to use hair ties, knotting 5 together to create a sufficient length before attaching them to both ends of the tube. The arrows were relatively easy to make too - just wrap/twist some aluminum foil around itself and leave the butt of the arrow flat.

Check it out -->

I needed a mockingjay pin - I mean, Katniss has to wear one. Time to put my artistic skills to the test: I got some copy paper, ripped it small enough to tape around a button I had in my room, and then found a picture of the pin online. I sketched it first, then colored the pin part yellow and filled in the rest black so it would look like my jacket coming through.

This also surprised me by how well it came out (and how relatively easy it was too!) -->

Now, put it together and what do you got? -->

Katniss Everdeen! (And a satisfied Halloween gamewatch go-er)

Too bad we don't get to dress up for school. I feel like this would be a hit, especially with the middle school. Rats.

I must admit, it was pretty fun to think outside of the box to get this costume together. (And the gamewatch turned out to be a lot of fun too - especially since the ND Fighting Irish won!) I guess I can't ever have an excuse for not having a Halloween costume again because I can probably come up with something, right?

May the odds be ever in your favor for a Happy Halloween this week!