Alice in Wonderland ~ Making Ellie's Alice Costume + Spinach with warm Mustard Bacon Dressing Recipe

Ellie's all time favorite book is Alice in Wonderland and so it was exciting when she decided to be Alice for Halloween this year. After all, she is the perfect age and has the perfect look to really rock Alice. I think the Alice and Mad Hatter costumes I made this year are the best costumes I have made. I am so very pleased and I think they are, too.

It was a journey to make it. Ellie found a vintage (or at least vintage style) party dress that she loved, and I found one of those super cheap, yucky material costumes that was a Alice dress. We bought both of them and I deconstructed them. I used the yucky costume as a pattern as I could see how it fit and I got it for about $2, much cheaper than buying a pattern. The party dress was about $5. I love the silk crepe material, but I was worried that it would not yield the right sized pieces of fabric. In the end, I was able to piece bits together and make what I needed.

We used hook and eyes to secure the back and I pre-fastened the shoulder straps on the apron. The frilly slip under the dress belongs to my mother. I think she wore it in the 1950's. I think it must feel very swishy to wear the dress.

If you want to see how I made the Mad Hatter costume, you can find it here.
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This was a nice compliment to chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy.

Spinach Salad with Warm Mustard and Bacon Dressing
via: AllRecipes.com

1 (10 ounce) bag baby spinach leaves
4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
4 strips crisply cooked bacon, crumbled
10 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded
1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large shallot, minced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1/3 cup honey
2 strips crisply cooked bacon, crumbled
salt and pepper to taste

Place spinach into a large serving bowl, top with hard-cooked eggs, mushrooms, 4 crumbled strips of bacon, Swiss cheese, and almonds.
Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Stir in shallots and garlic, and cook until softened and translucent, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, and 2 crumbled strips of bacon; season to taste with salt and pepper, then cook until hot.
Pour hot dressing over spinach and toss to coat.