Sophia already had a black turtleneck, leggings and black gloves, so all I needed were a few items to spice it up.  Sophia and I made a trip to Joann’s Fabrics and grabbed the following items totaling just over $10:

• ½ yard of black faux fur $2.99 (priced half off….bonus!)
• Black furry kitty ears $5.99
• A spool of black thread $1.99
• A Kit Kat bar for the ride home $0.75

Monday night I dusted off the old sewing machine, yes I literally had to wipe it down from sitting in the basement for four years, and decided to give it a whirl.  First, I cut out a big piece of faux fur and sewed it on the front of the turtleneck to resemble a furry tummy.  That was the easy part.  The challenge was the long furry tail.  I realized that while dreaming of the Kit Kat bar while shopping at Joann’s, I forgot to grab the cotton batting to fill the tail.  So I dug around my cupboard until I found the next best thing…..napkins?  Sophia helped me wad them up, but I didn’t have anything to push them down into the fabric tube I’d sewn.  Hmmm….what about her “horse head on a stick?”  This got some laughs out of my daughter, but it worked!

Although I haven’t let her wear it yet for fear it might fall apart, Sophia loves her semi-homemade kitty costume.  She’s excited to show it off to her friends at preschool and the neighborhood this weekend.  In the end, I not only saved money, but had fun spending quality time with my daughter and  creating a masterpiece we’re both proud of.