Mr. Boy loves costumes and hats to wear while he’s pretending. Recently he’s been very interested in playing mail carrier, so I thought it would be fun to create a costume for him and add a handmade touch to his birthday gifts this year. The end result isn’t as elaborate as the bagpiper costume I created for last Halloween, but it’s not bad:

I checked local thrift stores for old clothing that would fit the bill, but came back empty-handed. Instead, I found this suit on clearance at Kohl’s for about $11. I bought a larger size than he wears right now so he can wear it over clothes, and because it just looks cuter that way.
 

I purchased a plain baseball cap at a craft store, along with two American flag patches and some red, white and blue ribbon that was on sale after July 4th. I also repurposed an old pair of jeans and an old belt to create the mail bag.

Since it’s summer, I cut off the trousers to make shorts, and converted the shirt to short sleeves. I sewed one flag patch to a shirt sleeve and glue-gunned the other patch to the hat. I affixed squares of velcro underneath each button on the shirt so it’s easy for Mr. Boy to put on and take off himself. I cut a portion from a leg of the old jeans and sewed the sides to create the mail bag. I sewed the ribbon along the bottom of the flap. I fastened the belt buckle and then cut the belt in half, sewing each end to the bag–it looks realistic, and it’s adjustable!

The costume complemented one of his birthday gifts, the Stamp & Sort Mailbox from Melissa & Doug. I adore this toy. It looks very much like a real mailbox and has sturdy wood construction. It comes with several pieces of mail (also wood), with wood stamps that affix to the mail with velcro. Slots of various sizes allow the mail to drop into the mailbox, which has a padded interior bottom. A big wooden key unlocks the door so the mail can be removed.

Mr. Boy loves looking like a real mail carrier (or postman, as he says)!