If you have been reading my blog for a few years now, then you know that I love Halloween and coming up with fun costumes. Halloween is especially fun now that I have a toddler to dress up. I was really stumped for ideas this year, so I went searching to Value Village for some inspiration.

I usually go there searching for costumes, props and more. I love how they have such a huge Halloween section, even just a few days ago when I went there was tons of stuff left. They have equally huge sections of brand new costumes for all ages and second hand costumes. Including make-up, accessories and decorations.

I went searching in the kids section and found some gems, that just needed a few little touches. Lets start with the most time consuming costume (but not even that bad) Raggedy Ann Doll.

My Mom let me play with her Raggedy Ann Doll when I was younger, so as soon as I saw this little dress I immediately thought of it. All it needed was a few extra touches. I went searching for red yarn for the wig, and found a huge bag of it for less then $5. I actually always get my yarn for crafts from Value Village, brand new yarn for such a good deal. 

 I took the yarn and ended up hot glueing it onto an old beanie of Emery's to create the wig. This was the time consuming part, it took about an hour. The glue does make the beanie super stiff, so in order to get it onto her head I had to cut slits on either side of the beanie. I thought braids would be fun, so I just created two big braids and tied them with some blue yarn. I already had white tights and black shoes for her so that was easy. 

I had some blue ribbon laying around so I tied it around her waist into a big bow for a fun touch. Now I was worried about doing her makeup since she has never had her face painted before. She was actually really into it! Taking it off was another story, haha! I just used some red lipstick of mine for the nose and cheeks and a black eyeliner pencil for the freckles and lashes. FYI I used a baby wipe with coconut oil to get it off, it worked pretty well!

For some reason Emery has been obsessed with Minnie Mouse lately, so this costume was perfect. As soon as I saw this little polka dot dress, I knew it was perfect for Minnie. This costume was a little  bit easier because I already had these Minnie Mouse ears from Disney World at home. I did see lots of Mickey and Minnie Mouse ears at Value Village, as well as cat ones. You could also create some by using an old head band and some black felt. 

This make-up was a little bit easier, all she needed was a little nose and whiskers. 

Minnie Mouse in action! She loved twirling in this dress! I used the same tights and shoes as the Raggedy Ann costume which was a bonus.

Not really sure why she thought this Pumpkin would be tasty? Haha!

As soon as I saw this poodle costume, I knew Emery would love it. She absolutely loves dogs! This is the easiest costume by far, all I had to do was zip her up in it! If you follow me on Instagram and watch my stories, you will seem Em has pretty much been wearing this non-stop since we got it, haha!

This will most likely be the one she wears Trick-or-Treating since we live in Canada and it will mostly likely snow, haha! It's a great costume for layering, so she can stay nice and warm.

Emery is really into dressing up these days so for Christmas we are going to make her a little wardrobe with dress up clothes. I will be keeping these to put in it. I also grabbed a few princess dresses & a hat for less then $10 to add. I would highly recommend checking out the costumes for your toddlers dress up bin!

Which costume was your favourite? I'm obviously biased and think she looks adorable in all of them! Hahaha! Also please tell me what your dressing up as! 

<3 Kastles

*Costumes c/o Value Village*

A number of years ago, I really wanted to go to a Pumpkin Patch to pick out some pumpkins. I mean obviously all the other bloggers were doing it, so I had to get in on the action (this is me poking fun at myself in case you didn't realize).

Living in Edmonton meant my options were rather limited, ok maybe just the one option really. So Aaron and I drove north of the city to Prairie Gardens & Adventure Farm. Shortly after arriving we came to realize that the place was awesome but would make so much more sense to come with kids. Fast forward a few years later and we did just that. Here is little write up about what I thought along with a million photos, so prepare yourself for a little toddler spam. 

We went on a sunday afternoon, which I am going to guess is one of their busier times. There parking lot was full, so they had an overflow lot in a field down the road. Thankfully they have a school bus for shuttling us over to the main section, plus a trailer for the strollers. Let me tell you, riding the school bus might have been Emery's favourite thing. I mean we have only been singing "The Wheels on the Bus" for last year and half, so to ride a real school bus was pretty exciting.

When you first enter the main area, they have little stand of fresh produce for sale. Everything looked so delicious and beautiful. When you come in to your left, they have a stand where you can sift for gold. We thought Emery was too young for it, but they did have these fun sand tables with some Bob Cat diggers in them. Emery probably would have played with it all day if we didn't convince her to wander around.

She could not get over the pumpkins. Every chance she got, she was playing with the pumpkins. She kept picking out pumpkins for Aaron and I. It was very sweet.

This was a little theatre were they have story time, which we sadly missed. Em did love running around in it though.

So many pumpkins, such little time. I ended up picking a grey pumpkin. You can see it over on my Instagram. The pumpkins range in price, from $1 and up. They have a huge selection and variety. It's amazing to see all the different kinds.

At the overflow parking lot, they have a corn maze as well as a pumpkin patch. So we spent the last part of our day wondering around the Pumpkin Patch. Emery loved running around pretending to eat each pumpkin.

It was a really fun day and we made some fun family memories. The admission is a little on the pricey side for a one time visit. I think in the spring we will look at getting an Annual Pass, as it is almost the same price as two adult admissions plus you can use it from Easter till December. 

A Few Tips:

-It is stroller friendly but we also have BOB stroller which is a little more heavy duty then some ( I wouldn't bring a tiny stroller, as it would probably get stuck in the mud)

-They do have a food concession with Pumpkin Pie & other treats (we brought a picnic, as you might know with a toddler you always need snacks on hand)

-It's probably a bit funner to go here with a toddler as opposed to a baby, we almost went last year but I think she wouldn't have been able to enjoy it very much

-Dress in layers, wear boots or shoes you don't care if they get muddy

-It is north of the city, so it takes about 30-40 mins to get to depending on where you live, so plan nap time & meals accordingly. We thought she might sleep in the car but she didn't so she was a little grumpy at first.

Let me know if you have any questions at all! It might be a cooler now since it snowed, and they might have the pumpkins inside. I would just check their Facebook page or twitter for more up to date info.

<3 Kastles

*FYI- this isn't sponsored at all, I just wanted to share with you all the fun we had!*

I'm excited to share with you all my last fall look with Anthropologie. You may have noticed one fall trend that has some of you stepping back in time, and that would be velvet. Whether you already rocked this trend in the 90's or not, it's already back with a vengeance. It seems to be everywhere, and I'm not complaining. 

Seriously the details on this wrap are crazy beautiful. Anthropologie always has the most gorgeous wraps and ponchos. This one is also super pretty and perfect for fall!

If the wrap and velvet is a little too much for you, I would pair this dress with a simple jean jacket or even a leather one for a simpler look. 

If you want to try out this trend but are a little apprehensive, maybe start on the smaller side with a pair of velvet shoes or a clutch. Even this cute velvet swing tee with a pair of ripped jeans would be a   easy & fun pairing.

So you have to let me know if you give velvet a chance!

I've created a slideshow below of my favourite velvet pieces from Anthropologie as well.

Shop the Post:

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Anthropologie Crinkled Velvet Tunic

Anthropologie Janetta Wrap

Anthropologie Seashell Necklace

DV for Target Booties

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