I am both horrified and embarrassed to admit this, but it's mid-summer and Halloween is the furthest thing from my mind.
I haven't planned props or pondered pumpkins in weeks. Even the 100-days-til-Halloween milestone has passed nearly unnoticed.
Why?
Because every spare moment of my time has been consumed by the creation of the Tusken Raider costumes for Hal-con. This has proven to be a far more time-consuming project than I had anticipated back in the cold dark days of winter when, inspired by my son's heart-warming agreement to participate in Halcon if we wore a group costume that covered his face, I committed myself to throwing together four quick Tusken Raider costumes. How much effort could it take?
I'm glad I didn't wait until September to begin.
The speed, or lack thereof, with which the project is progressing is at least partly my fault. My fault for relying on a needle and thread instead of glue, despite my non-existent sewing skills. My fault for improvising, rather than precisely following one of the many Tusken Raider instructional websites. My fault for attempting to re-purpose pieces of household clutter as costume parts, which leaves me absolutely giddy when it succeeds.
But there is a light - an orange flickering light - on the horizon.
I believe I have completed enough of the costumes now to slow down. Take a short break. Turn a fraction of my attention to other things. Like Halloween, perhaps. And I know that any day now the first of the Halloween magazines will begin appearing, which always excite and inspire me. Even the cheesy ones.