Halloween

I don't think I ever posted the Bear cub's first Halloween costume on the blog. He was almost 4 months old at his first Halloween and couldn't yet sit up on his own so he was the perfect milk-drunk garden gnome:

I crocheted his beard and hat. My friend Heather knitted the cute little sweater. We have this old decaying tree stump in the backyard as the perfect placement for our little gnome. While making the beard all of the loose ends (before being woven back in) looked like whiskers of a catfish and we thought, "Next year he should be a catfish!" and Mike could be an Okie Noodler. (If you haven't seen the documentary on Okie Noodling, I highly recommend it.) But as time went by he was growing fast and it would be hard for Mike to lift him one handed (as the Noodler would a catfish.) So I strayed from that costume idea when I saw this image:
                                                

I was smitten. I knew I could turn Stan Bear into a plump, poisonous mushroom. An Amanita...or Stanmanita. So here is what I came up with: 

This is him half-dressed and unhappy. He wasn't into having a hat on his head...at first anyways.

Here is a better shot of the entire outfit. He is happier now because he is playing with a bowl full of candy.

Wild Mushroom.

Not the best pictures in the world but it was fun following him around like the paparazzi. I've already started brainstorming next Halloween's costume. 

Cat image from: www.bettyconfidential.com