DIY Up costume and house - book cart races!

I would be remiss if I didn’t share today’s post with you. I don’t share a ton of school related content here on the blog, but I’m particularly proud of how this project turned out. Last year, the school celebrated National Library Week by holding a cart race between the teachers. Each class decorated a cart, dressed in costume, and raced each other in the pavillion. The students enjoyed it, so we decided to bring it back for a second year of fun!

I went through a ton of different ideas before settling on the concept for my cart: Up! We decided to turn the cart into a replica of the Up house, balloons and all! Thankfully, the process wasn’t extremely complicated and didn’t require a ton of supplies.

To start, we bought three pieces of foam core poster board at the dollar store to construct the roof top to place on the cart. I put Justin to work on this task, and he created a great structure for me. We took measurements of the cart to ensure the roof would sit firmly on top, then he cut and glued pieces together to create this beauty!

He even constructed a chimney, and reinforced the center of it with another small piece of foam core board (which ended up serving as a great place to tie my balloons).

When the structure was complete, it was time to place it on my cart and begin decorating! I was lucky enough to have a die cutting roller at my disposal (hey – I work at a school after all), and there was a scallop shaped piece available. I cut strips of different colors to serve as the shingles for the roof.

It took me a bit of time, but I applied them carefully with tacky glue, alternating the colors as I went along. After this was completed, the house was really starting to come together!

Next, I covered the sides of the cart with light blue poster board, then used scraps of brown paper (left over from my roof scallops/shingles) to create window panes. Purple card stock was used for the door, and I cut long strips of green paper into a fringe to make the grass trim around the bottom. My handy dandy die cutting machine came in handy once again for the flowers sticking out of the grass as well!

All I needed to finish the house was a bunch of balloons, which I procured on the day of the race. When it came to my costume, I didn’t have to go far to find pieces for a “Russell” inspired outfit. Justin happens to be an Eagle Scout, so I snagged a few of his old Boy Scout items – his sash, a neckerchief, belt, etc. I added a backpack, a stuffed golden retriever, and pulled my hair back to finish the look. I think it turned out quite well!