Okay, so I had this idea for a costume party, right? The theme was “heroes,” and I thought, hey, Olympic medalists are pretty heroic. Plus, it seemed like something I could actually pull off without spending a ton of money or needing crazy skills. So, I decided to give it a shot and make my own Olympic medalist getup.
Getting Started – The Plan
First thing, I needed a base outfit. I figured a simple tracksuit would work best. You know, something sporty looking. I dug through my closet and actually found an old navy blue sweatsuit – jackpot! Saved me a trip to the store right there. Then, the most important part: the medal. Gotta have a gold medal, obviously. I thought about what I could use. Cardboard? Nah, too flimsy. Then I remembered I had some craft foam sheets left over from another project. Perfect. Gold paint, of course, and some kind of ribbon.
Gathering the Bits and Pieces
So, I had the sweatsuit. I checked my craft box. Found the foam, check. Found some acrylic gold paint, check. Ribbon… hmm, didn’t have a thick, medal-worthy ribbon. I did have some red, white, and blue ribbon scraps though. Thought maybe I could stitch them together? Seemed like too much work. I ended up just grabbing a wide piece of dark blue ribbon from a local craft store the next day. Cheap enough. I also picked up some white fabric tape while I was there, thinking I could add stripes to the sweatsuit to make it look more “official”.
Putting It All Together
Alright, construction time. This was the fun part.
- The Sweatsuit: I laid out the navy blue sweatsuit. Took that white fabric tape and carefully ran it down the sides of the pants and the sleeves of the jacket. Didn’t want to sew anything, tape seemed easier. It stuck pretty well, actually. Looked instantly more athletic. I thought about adding “USA” or something, but decided against it. Keep it simple.
- The Medal: This needed a bit more effort. I took a circular object, I think it was a small lid, and traced a circle onto the craft foam. Cut it out with scissors. It looked okay, but a bit plain. I then tried to carve a “1” into it using a craft knife. Didn’t look great, kinda messy. So, plan B: I just painted the whole foam circle gold. Put on a couple of coats to make it really shiny. Let that dry completely.
- Attaching the Ribbon: Once the gold paint was dry (took longer than I thought!), I needed to attach the ribbon. I cut a long piece of the blue ribbon. Tried gluing it to the back of the foam medal first, but it felt like it might peel off. So, I ended up cutting two small slits near the top edge of the foam circle with the craft knife and threading the ribbon through there. Tied a knot at the back of the medal to secure it. Much sturdier.
The Final Look
Okay, moment of truth. I put on the sweatsuit with the new stripes. Looked pretty decent, felt comfy. Then I put the “gold medal” around my neck. Honestly? It looked surprisingly good for a quick DIY job! The foam medal hung nicely, the gold paint caught the light. It wasn’t super fancy, but it definitely got the message across. I rummaged around and found an old sporty headband too, put that on. Perfect finishing touch.
Overall, I was pretty happy with how it turned out. It took maybe an afternoon, used mostly stuff I already had, and it fit the party theme. Plus, it was comfortable, which is always a win for a costume. Didn’t win any costume prizes, but hey, I felt like a champ. Mission accomplished.
