Dress-Ups for the Photo Booth

 

CLOTHES MAKE A STATEMENT.

COSTUMES TELL A STORY.

journal entry:

Our family gathering is over for this year but the dress-up fun remains in photographs. Thrifted over many months, everything was goofy, bright and funky. Our grandchildren spent hours choosing their clothes, embellishing, prancing around and looking in the mirror. If you want to see unexpected personalities  give children dress-ups.

 

 

These children didn’t need a bit of help changing their personalities with their clothes.

Maybe they were revealing their personalities?

The pink boa was in high demand and I can see why.

Grandpa assembled the PVC Pipe Frame he built a few years ago. I added new shower curtains for a better choice of backgrounds. The frame Grandpa made can hold six shower curtains at a time by putting one hook through each hole of each of the six curtains. Each person can choose a different background and throw the curtains in front over the top or bring a curtain to the front again from the back.

Most of the grandchildren took their choice of backgrounds very seriously.

I could quickly see that I had been clueless by not including dinosaurs and GI Joe.

I am certain that Picmonkey was created for just such photographs as these.

I am having a ball adding funky touches to many of the photographs.

I remain amazed at how creative even the youngest child could be.

That must be a heavy arm, indeed !

It wasn’t too long before we were all conspiring to “lose” the flute

(What was I thinking?)

and to share the bracelets.

I thrifted and thrifted over many months. Grandpa gets the award for patience.

He even gave me one of those:

“I guess I have to admit that you were right about this”confessions when it was over.

I tried to find the goofiest, funkiest, craziest, silliest clothes. I found embellishments, purses, hats, scarves, jewelry and props that were  real hits with the kids.  When it was time for everyone to go home they chose some of their favorite things and I packed the rest away for next time . . . and for Halloween should anyone forget to plan a costume and panic at the last minute. Of course, that won’t help the families who live in states far away from us but they have creative mothers.

I had to laugh at some of the kids who would dress up, go away to dress up again and come back to the curtain looking just like they had in the previous photos except with a different sword or armor or necklace. I don’t know what that was all about. Sometimes I just pretended I was taking the picture because it looked just like the last 20.

Most parents used their cell phones. I simply pulled up a chair and watched the show with my actual camera in hand. My regular camera. I did see a few regular cameras during the fun.

I am the “smart” behind my camera. They are the “smart” behind their phones. I think.

The model above is using a skirt for a collar and a shirt for a hat.

Works for me.

 Who would have thought of that ?

The shower curtain is a $3.99 close-out from Ross and is pretty funky.

All this little guy wanted was a sword and an army hat. He got both. Oh. And, the owls for his background.

Yes.

Some of the grown-ups did join in. Some were semi-party poopers and I am glad that no one turned an ankle wearing their dress-up shoes. TAGS had a $1 shoe day and that is where I got all of the dress-up shoes.  A couple of the little girls even took a pair or two home with them “for later”.

Many of the children wanted their pictures taken with their cousins or siblings. We did that, too.

Oh, I loved watching their creativity and listening to their giggles.

GIVE EVERYONE A HAND !

-Grandma-