A custom Disney Sleeping Beauty Prince Philip costume

My husband was a sweetheart and was actually willing to dress up for the Disney costume party. I didn't want to push my luck so I needed to choose a pair of characters that I liked but would have a very simple costume for him.  For instance, he couldn't be Beast and wear a mask all night... or worse Hercules and have to wear a toga!  No, I was going to need to incorporate regular clothes like jeans to ensure he wouldn't be too uncomfortable... and be more likely to dress up for our next costume party ;)

So we decided to be Rose and Philip from Sleeping Beauty during their first meeting in the forest.  Both characters were very casual during that scene yet memorable too.  I found a small picture online as my inspiration and started hunting for patterns that I could alter to be the perfect costumes.

I needed to keep it simple for Philip's costume.  I started off with the basics including jeans and a long sleeve colored black shirt.  Then I made a tan tunic and pulled it all together with perfect accessories!

Homemade Onion Rings

I love surprising my husband with yummy food. When I asked if he wanted onion rings he looked at me a little hesitantly and said he'd never had homemade onion rings before.  I had to remind him that I had made them for him when we were dating. I guess it wasn't all that remarkable the first time so I wanted to include him in making them so he would remember them this time.

The ingredients are simple but the process takes a a lot of space and time to cook everything... but its all worth it! They go great with burgers. We made turkey burgers with Everything Thin Bagels and even put some onion rings in the burgers. Super yummy!

INGREDIENTS

Onions
2-3 cups flour
4 eggs or 2 Egg Beaters cartons
3-4 cups Breadcrumbs
3 Tbsp Italian Seasonings
Salt & Pepper
4-6 cups of oil

Disney Costume Party: Minnie Mouse Apron Costume

Costume parties are great fun, but sometimes as a hostess it can be a bit bothersome trying serve food in a costume.

So for Jeanine's costume for her other daughter's 20th Disney birthday celebration, I made a polka dotted pink and white apron. The apron is one of our standard patterns with a bib and skirt.  I added an ruffle to the bottom to make it a bit more whimsical. Instead of our usually ribbon ties, I created fabric ties for the side and a neck loop.  We finished off the costume with a cute Minnie Mouse headband from Disney.com.

Interested in getting your own apron costume? We're selling this exact apron and ears online or you can contact me for a special order.

Disney Costume Party: Birthday Celebration!

Creative Tradition's Jenn and Jeanine

I've been mentioning on Facebook that our current projects were costumes for a Disney Birthday Celebration for the baby of the family.  She's been our Princess since she was born and wanted to really celebrate it for her 20th birthday.  She's been wanting a dress-up party (did I mention she is 20?) for the past several years but kept getting it pushed off due to sibling weddings and babies being born.  

The costumes, and the party, were a great success!  In total we assembled 6 costumes, 4 of which were designed and sewn within three weeks.  I'll be breaking down the costumes over the next few blog posts and share how you can make your own costumes using the same patterns

Creative Tradition Costumes
The Princess in a custom Cinderella ball gown.
The Hostess, Creative Tradition's own seamstress Jeanine Bass,  in a custom Minnie Mouse apron.
The Photographer (as a Tourist) in an eclectic collection of Disney wear and camera equipment.
The Party Planner, me, in a custom peasant Rose dress from Sleeping Beauty.
The Party Decorator, my husband, in a custom Prince Philip ensemble.
"I-don't-have-a-costume" Party-goer in a previously created kimono.

March 2011 Craft Day: Parfaits

Every month or so we host a Craft Day for our friends to get together to talk and craft. At the last Craft Day I served simple yet delicious parfaits. They are great for parties because they are simple to prepare, don't make much of a mess, and look great when you're trying to show off to guests.

Parfaits look best in multiple layers of fruit, yogurt, fruit and sprinkled with granola served in glass bowls, like Pier1's mini trifle bowls.

Parfaits

INGREDIENTS

Plain or Vanilla low-fat Yogurt
Low-fat Granola
Basket of Strawberries
Basket of Blueberries
Basket of Blackberries

INSTRUCTIONS

Wash all berries.
Cut off strawberry tops.
Cut strawberries into smaller than bite size pieces.
I turn them upside down, with their stem side down, cut in half long ways, then cut 3-5 slices on each side.
Mix all berries together.
Serve berries, granola, and yogurt in individual bows.
Provide bowls for guests to construct their own parfaits.

Pasta Meal: Bachelor vs Newlywed

While we were dating, my husband would make his 'famous' meat sauce pasta. After a few times having it I helped make it even more delicious and healthy. Both versions of this recipe are quick, delicious and can impress your girlfriend, family, and friends.

This is also a great recipe to get started experimenting in the kitchen. The ingredients aren't too daunting and the instructions aren't complicated.

The Original Bachelor Recipe 

Serves 4.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound ground beef
1 box of angel hair pasta
4 cups Prego marinara sauce

INSTRUCTIONS

Follow the same instructions as the Newlywed Recipe, just skip all the vegetables!

The Newlywed Recipe
Serves 6. Pasta serving size 2 cups (513g): 574 kCal, 15g fat, 73g carbs, 37g protein, 80mg cholesterol, 1419mg sodium. Slice of Garlic Bread using french bread: 194 kCal, 15g Fat, 2g carbs, 13g protein, 29mg cholesterol, 611mg sodium. Calculated at MyNetDiary.com based on ingredients. Information will differ based on your brand choices.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound ground turkey
1 box of whole wheat pasta
4 cups Prego marinara sauce
1 onion, diced
3 gloves of garlic, sliced or chopped
1 can diced tomatoes (Hunt's No Salt Added)
1/2 bunch fresh parsley, coarsely chopped (or substitute with 3 Tbl dried parsley)
3 Tbl Italian seasonings

Giveaway for Jenn's Birthday

It's my birthday this month! As a present to all the Creative Tradition fans out there we'll be giving away one of our Heirloom half aprons!

To enter the giveaway you will need to leave a comment on this post by Monday, March 14th and share one of your favorite birthday memories.

If you want to increase your chances, become a fan of the Creative Tradition Facebook page and leave a message on our Wall.

We have several Heirloom half aprons available that aren't yet for sale on Etsy... so when you leave a comment, also include your favorite color out of pink, red, blue, green, brown or orange.  That way if you win we'll send you a Half Apron in that color.

Here are some more photos of the aprons we currently have for sale on Etsy:
Pink Scroll Heirloom half apron
Blue Porcelain Heirloom half apron
Autumn Garden Heirloom half apron