"Elementary, My Dear Watson"

For months Ben had been telling me he wanted to be The Last Airbender for Halloween.  We purchased a women's suit we thought would work when we were in Utah this summer and Ben kept looking on line to decide how to paint a blue arrow on his head.  He was even trying to convince me to let him shave his head.  Then, out of the blue a few weeks ago he became suddenly obsessed with Sherlock Holmes.  He found our copy of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories and we began reading them as our nightly bedtime story.  When we finished "A Study in Scarlet" Ben was hooked.  He declared that while The Last Airbender was still "way cool", he wanted to be Sherlock Holmes this Halloween.

Cue me, trembling and anxious as I googled "how to make a classic Sherlock Holmes cape-let".  There are various tutorials on line.  Martha Stuart has a lovely rendition and even a doggie version, but all required yards of houndstooth fabric and more time than I was willing to donate.  I still had to figure out a white ninja, and a lady bug, folks.

It came together better than expected.  I altered a woman's suit coat I got at the thrift store for $3.25.  We took in the side seams and arms.  Then, BONUS, the coat came with a skirt.  I cut that baby in half and sewed it around the shoulders and voila!  A cape-let was born.  I caved and ordered the hat on line because it came with the pipe for $4.99.  We already had the magnifying glass and scarf.

One of our favorite songs is by Paul Spring.  He sings, "One was skinny, one was chubby, but they were the best of buddies... Sherlock Holmes and Watson, they were detectives."  All Ben had to do was remind Dean of the song and the next thing I knew he was asking me to "pick up a cane, a vest, a bowler hat, and oh, a pocket watch, because Watson would have had a pocket watch", while I was out and about.  Dean has serious faith in my thrifting abilities.  We cut it close but after visiting every thrift store in town and calling in a few favors we had ourselves a Watson costume.  Bowler hat, $3.99 pocket watch, borrowed, vest, $2.50 cane $5.00.

                         

 A Sherlock and a Watson for less than $20.   I'm convinced Dean will wear any costume that lets him pretend to have facial hair.