How to Pull Together a DIY Dog Costume for the popular children's musical 'Arf': A Canine Musical Of Kindness, Courage, And Calamity

Dalmatian Dog Costume

Howdy, friends! Today's blog post is a little different than the normal topics you see on the little 'ol blog. While I am a full-time portrait artist, I also dwell in the suburbs and have a mom life, too. When I'm not photographing precious cherub newborns, I am trying to balance it all from working, being a wife, mommy, and also staying on top of school-related tasks for my eldest, Emma.

Well, it's pretty darn tough sometimes.

I'll write something on the calendar and think, "It'll get done today." But then life happens. Groceries need to be purchased; laundry needs to be folded, there is an emergency with one of the kiddos, or a flat tire - believe me: it happens more often than you'd think.

My kiddos are 8, 3, 2, and 3 months old so as you can imagine things are a little spirited with the Tiny Tribe of Wild Women & Cheif Jack, as we like to call the kiddos, ha! Four children are an absolute blessing, but in full transparency, it's also a lot of work, though very rewarding.

Full disclosure: sometimes I look around the room and realize I'm the only adult present. I am responsible for keeping everyone alive. And at the end of the day, everyone is alive and breathing, and I admit I'm happy with this. I'm not particularly crafty. I cannot sew. I don't have any fancy t-shirt making equipment and I don't often do well on Pinterest projects.

However: I have a superpower. I'm part Mom and part Amazon Prime Goddess.

My main rule in life: If you cannot find it on Amazon, do you even really need it? HA!

When Emma pranced into my office, delighted to explain she's part of the school musical and needed a costume I sort of gulped out of fear, cause you know I'm not really one to sew costumes or have those talents. After all: we all have our own things we excel at and quite frankly, using Amazon Prime is my talent, HA! No shame at all.

For Emma's school musical, her sweet teacher chose Arf! A Canine Musical of Kindness, Courage, and Calamity. The premise features several dogs of all shapes, sizes, breeds, and talents of their own. Emma chose to be a dalmatian.

The musical, by John Jacobson and John Higgins, the premise is super cute.

"Doggie Town is a-buzz with excitement! Judges from the famous Wurstchester Dog Show are coming to spot new talent, and everyone is busy rehearsing for the big show. General German Shepherd is drilling on proper etiquette and discipline, the singing Dalmatians are connecting the dots, the Boxers are toning and getting in shape. But why is Rover the mutt so sad? Join the huskies, poodles, pointers and more as they help Rover discover his special talent!

Young performers in the primary grades will have their night to shine in this entertaining 20-minute musical featuring five original songs in a variety of musical styles, clever rhyming dialog easily adaptable to casts of varying sizes, simple movement and production tips to help stage a successful performance, even when time is limited."

Well, I started with Pinterest Arf Costume Inspiration to gather a few ideas.

Everything on Pinterest, however, required a good bit of sewing and planning. I already admitted this is not my forte and I'd probably make a mess of it, dissapoint my child, and then still have to create something new.

Afterward, I used my Amazon Prime superpowers to find a dog costume and select 2-day-shipping..like a mom boss. Here's where the DIY part comes in. I paired the dog costume parts, such as the tail, bowtie, and headband with a white tutu and spotted black and white t-shirt. Grandma even found some adorable dog socks to make Emma super proud! We styled her hair with pigtails, too!

The moral? It's okay to give yourself a little bit of grace. It's okay to embrace your own talents and skills. It's okay to not be the "cookie cutter" perfect Mom. And if you *are* that Mom, it's okay to know that your skills are totally respected, too! ;-)

Here's what we came up with!