oh my goodness...those costumes are absolutely beautiful. the best i've seen, for sure. can't wait to read about the process of making them!
Amazing! Please do share your hard work!
Totally cool, you guys!! What a wonderful job. The kids look great. So much better than the store bought ones mine are off to school in today and tomorrow. I love these type of projects and look forward to seeing the process. As far as your few nieghbors, been there done that in the 80's. That was a fun time to trick or treat in the 'D'. 2 House per block made for a long night and little reward. Do what everyone else does, load up the kids in the van take a thermos of coffee and head up Gratiot North of 8 mile and fill a pillow case!
Have a fun and safe night Guys!
These are astounding!
Yes, amazing, amazing costumes. Please post your DIY as I'm just amazed as how they were done. Not that I could ever have the talent to reproduce what you have done!
These are maybe the best kids halloween costumes I've ever seen....and my brother and i always won the best costume contests as kids (my mom is a home ec teacher).
Have fun!
OMG! Loves, loves, loves.
Absolutely fabulous, they are going to have so much fun in those. Beautiful Job!!!
Absolutely AMAZING!!!! Wow, I'm blown away! Well done.
Wow. Now those are Halloween costumes.
Those are AMAZING!!! Great job
Amazing!
These are the best Halloween costumes I've ever seen. How many feathers are still floating around your house?
Amazing! What a great memory for your kids.
Delurking just to say fab job on the costumes (my kiddo is a green dragon but no creative skills, so store bought)! Have been following your posts. Used to live in Detroit (SW on Hubbard) now in Brooklyn, of Dutch origin. Parent, activist. All reasons to follow your blog! My ft work is in labor (I used to be w the Labor Notes crew, founded and based in Detroit) and I loved your security guard post recently. Thanks for that.
Not show offy! I was hoping a Woodcraft post would show us the process. 
These costumes are incredible! I am bowled over. Outstanding work, Wood.
These need to go in some sort of handmade Halloween costume hall of fame.
Holy shit, those are incredible. Once again, you've put me to shame with my crappy consignment-store Cinderella dress for Mazzy. Can't wait to see more pics.
Best handmade costumes EVER. Incredible job. Imma let you finish, but the griffin does look pretty bird-esqe.
I've never commented before, but I love your stuff and these AMAZING costumes were enough to pull me out of 'lurker' mode. Seriously. Brava.
These are beautiful, such lucky kids. Is there a pattern or did you just make something up? How did you do the feathers? Or will this type of information come in the next post?
I've always wondered who'd take up where my mom left off on making the best kids' Halloween costumes on Earth. Of course it's Wood! Sword pulled straight outta that stone!
OMG. AMAZING. Cannot wait to see the Woodcraft for this one.
Wow! These are fabulous! Wood continually amazes me with her creativity. I can sew, but I can only follow instructions. To see the work of someone who really creates is such pleasure!
It was my year, so I actually made these (with lots of help from Wood)! God, I'm like a puppy rubbing his ears against your virtual fingers, aren't I?
Phenomenal!! Also - that is a pile of feathers! Love it! Can't wait to see the Woodcraft post!
Those are amazing costumes. Creative and so personalized for your kids. Having just finished a pair of fairy wings (coathangers, duct tape, pantyhose, glue and glitter -- yes, they ARE fabulous) last night I encourage you to bask in our attention and share every construction detail.
Holy shit, you MADE THESE? No way. These are amazing!
I'm feeling even worse about my Old Navy off-the-rack costumes...
These are friggin' unbelievable.
Please flaunt them. They are something mighty to be proud of.
Good Lord, what are you going to do for Halloween 2010?!
I have never, never seen costumes like these. (Outside of a Broadway show based on a Disney movie.) They are simply breathtaking... fanciful and clever. And really, amidst the skeletons, princesses, and football players, how fabulous is it to contribute a Pegasus and a Griffen to the mix? Raising the bar. Raising the bar.
Best Gryphon and Pegasus costumes EVER.
Griffin/Griffioen! This makes it even better.
Amazing costumes! Fantastic.
Wow!
Wonderful costumes!
For my part, a total stranger who found you through a tweet, I'm proud enough on your behalf that I'll be retweeting.
You are absolutely correct that a few "oh how cute" comments just will not cut it for costumes of this caliber. Flaunt them.
I realize how inappropriate it is to use profanity in reference to children's attire, but HOLY FUCKING SHIT THAT IS GODDAMN FANTASTIC.
I've never seen a Pegasus or a Griffin in the wild--it's very exciting you managed to capture some photos. I expected they would be larger and not nearly so cute.
They're stunning costumes. So much hard work!
As I read and scrolled down, MARVELLING at those incredible costumes, I was thinking "I desperately need these for my kids for next year! Wonder where they're from...silly, they MUST have had them custom-made or have an in with a costume designer, NO store would carry something as cool as that." And then to find out they are homemade? Whoa!! Great work!
Wow. Those costumes are amazing!
How??? Seriously, so fantastic! You're kids are super cute too!
i LOVE LOVE LOVE them! and i can tell how long they must have taken just by the level of complexity and craftsmanship (that pegasus head! the feathers!).
way to go team!
sam
so freaking cool!!
Those costumes are truly magical and amazing. Your kids are so lucky. I love your blog and both parents' perspectives. I thought I was super-crafty but alack a day!
I cheated this year and went with store bought costumes for the boys (a lion hand-me-down and a tiger Value Village find). I hate store bought costumes, so I am bringing shame upon my home for being a hypocrite.
These costumes are AMAZING. And I LOVE that they are mythological. I just know they'll be wearing them throughout the year acting out Greek and their own mythologies. Perfect.
I know I'm a snob. . but I've always felt that Halloween costumes could only be homemade. ( Just like birthday cakes!) And there's nothing like the look on the kid's face when she puts it on for the first time! Congrats on some of the best costumes EVER. And here's hoping for a dry halloween night. Not sure about you - but I am worrying today about what is going to happen to our own feathered costuem in the rain. .
unbelievable!
Those costumes are nothing short of amazing. I think the time invested in them *with* your children is something that makes it even more special. You have two of the cutest kids I have ever seen and I've seen quite a few!
AWESOME!!!!!!
Holy CRAP.
"Amazing" is really the only word for these costumes, and also for your parenting of these fortunate mythical creatures.
AWESOME.
Whoa. That is freakin' awesome.
Beautiful! Amazing! My kids are sooo, so jealous. (Especially my youngest, who was dying to be Pegasus. I lack the skills to make that happen. She's still bitter.) They really are jaw-droppingly awesome. If your little ones were our neighbors, I would've emptied out the candy bowl for them.
Nice, nice, nice! And one more: !.
Awesome costumes!
The pegasus is just plain beautiful. Stunning, really. But something about that grey-tan-fuzziness of the griffin just totally captivates me. I can't believe it only took you guys four nights to make these. It's truly wonderful work.
And I thought I couldn't love anything more than the robot from 2007. But these? They are the essence of childhood. Truly.
Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! These costumes are AMAZING! Fabulous! Wow, you did an unbelievable job Wood. What a neat Mama you are!
Oops! The comment above is from me!
I was just remembering the mermaid and Neptune last night, when I was duck taping the final bits of a snow trooper mask to the inside of a bike helmet, thinking "I wonder how that Sweet Juniper family is gonna kick my ass again this year in costume making?" Those are some amazing costumes. I could almost feel her excitement racing around in that thing.
Incredible! The fact that you made them is inspirational.
The pictures are beautiful with the backdrop of the city. I sometimes wonder if your kids will one day look at all these pictures, like the ones at Belle Isle, and actually think the Detroit of their childhood didn't include the elements that are not so clean and pretty. And when I think about that I ask myself, "Were things really as they appeared in pictures of my parents and grandparents?" Were those dresses and suits only worn rarely, like days when they went all out with the camera?" Also, my daughter was a white peagasus when she was 4. The thing looked just like yours in form, except it was from Costco so it was not as utterly amazing. And the children played make-believe with it as long as they could still squeeze into it! That was the same year my son, at the time 3, was an airplane (arms were the wings) that my husband made. Beautiful work - a labor of love!
i feel so inadequate.
The costumery; the writing...
Props to you both.
Wow! Wood totally outdid herself...incredible!
I am BLOWN AWAY. Blown friggin' away. My daughter yearns to be Juniper's robot from two years ago. But this may set her in a completely new direction. It's AMAZING!!! You people just rock. I love it.
Loved the costumes and am inspired to make some feather creations for my grandchildren. Not halloween you say? who cares, they will play with them anyway. so...where did you get the feather boas? I've googled and haven't found anywhere they are as cheap as yours.
admiringly
Joan in Fair oaks
I am so humbled. My homemade princess leia costume bows to your superior costuming skills. Just yesterday, I drove by a cemetery in the center of our town and thought, Hey, tomorrow, I'll get to see the Sweet Juniper costumes.
And here they are.
Delightful! Well done, Wood. You're this working mom's crafting inspiration.
Whoops, just read the other posts and realized kudos should also go to Jim!
I think Halloween is the exact holiday to put that much effort in. I'm very impressed that you catered to her love of mythology instead of copping out for an easier costume. What fantastic memories you are making for your kids.
Ingenious. Puts my stuffed krill to shame.
Love the costumes, but that picture of Wendell? Dude. That's just wrong...
you've stepped in the wet concrete of their hearts and left your prints all over their souls. they will NEVER forget and there are things of mythic proportions in their their futures as they learn to create and live in their creations. brought back the most glorious memories of my kids and their inventions that were as real as anything Disney could pretend.
Jim, I hope you and Wood really understand what you're giving your kids when you do things like this for them. They are going to grow up believing (and rightfully so) that their imaginations are infinite and that resourcefulness will help them get everything they need and want. What a gift!
I also like the note you added at the end about how you don't want anyone to feel ashamed of their own store-bought Halloween costumes. You didn't *have* to post that, but it's really nice to have someone recognize that there is no such thing as a perfect parent. That we all have different priorities and it's easy for bloggers' lives to look perfect, when we don't see "backstage". That no-one should be comparing themselves to others.
I think you've done a wonderful job. This is going to sound very strange, coming from a stranger (forgive me), but I'm proud of you. I'm proud to have people like you in my generation.
My parents and I were quite impressed by the costumes, even though Pegasus was a little wary of our sidewalk.
Hope the evening was as fun for you as it was for me hearing you remind her about Pegasus having fought the Chimera. (Which was, for reference, one of the best things ever.)
Stupendous costumes - You made my après Halloween! I was sitting around all sad and dejected, as (for the 2nd year running) I had *no* trick-or-treaters at my house. I loved Halloween when I was young and love it more now, just seeing the kids and their make-believe. I wish I lived in your neighborhood. Beautiful, beautiful work & lovely children.
All I can say is Holy Crap. Seriously, ho-ly CRAP.
Sorry... but this comment is not so much about the AMAZING! costumes as it is about your blog in general.
It too is AMAZING... and in an effort to get more people to find out about your site. I am passing along ( If you want to accept of course) the Honest Scrap Award. I received it from another blogger who liked my blog.
either way.. You are funny as hell.. and SMART.. Rare.. so Rare.
Instructions for passing this along are on my site.
Best Wishes from a fellow Michigan resident.
Beautiful. So whimsical and fun. I also want to say thanks for the addendum. There is only so much time and energy in a day, and I appreciate you giving us the chance to be jealous and admiring while retaining a bit of smugness over the fact that our children might have eaten a few veggies in the past week, and even a home cooked meal or two. Mighty generous of you.
Absolutely took my breath away. I don't know what else to say... Fantastic.
AMAZING, JOB, WOOD. You're my hero.
amazing. so incredibly cool.
Fabulous costumes! We are the same way in our family, a tradition that passed down from my mother to me, and now to my 17-year-old daughter who sews her own elaborate costumes. It's just the best holiday, period. I LOVE these. Awesome work.
Fan-freaking-tastic! I'm inspired...
I love these costumes. You guys are so cool.
Wow. Best costumes ever. Original and well executed. If you can part with them, they would probably go for a small fortune on etsy.
Feral Detroit!
http://www.city-journal.org/2009...al-
detroit.html
late to the party, but OMG---those are some first class awesome costumes. My kids never wore a store bought costume either, but mine were nowhere near as gorgeous and yours. Kudos.
Show-offy notwithstanding -- those costumes deserve laud and admiration.
Pure awesome.
You guys are SO FREAKIN AMAZING> those costumes are unbelievably FANTASTIC. I just can't get over it. You are both incredibly creative and talented and resourceful. I love all the re-use and repurposing of costumes past. A few years ago, I raved to my husband about Juniper's robot costume that lit up, but this far surpasses...
Dear...god...those are so incredible I'm speechless. You should come to the Ann Arbor Costume Parade next year before Halloween - college yuppies like us love literary references!
And thanks for throwing me the bone by mentioning the cracker. 
as a connoisseur of home-made halloween costumes (none of my three kids have ever worn a store-bought costume) all I can say is w.o.w. simply magical.
And I love the photos. Your children are beautiful.
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