Here’s how this went down:
- Delia does this adorable dog thing where she rolls around on her back flinging all four of her legs all around and making this snorfling pant-snort that we call “schmawzling” and so one of Delia’s nicknames is “Schmawz.”
- Approx Feb 23 Delia was really having a nice long schmawz sesh on the bed and I said to her in that puppy-talk voice, “What are you doin’ in there Schmawzalotl?”
- On Feb 26, @Redheadedblonde posted an awesome axolotl rock birthday cake she made for her son.
- Sometime not long after, I got the notion that Delia might need an axolotl disguise so I started looking at pictures online. It turns out the a black axolotl is a real thing and also the most common morph of axolotls!
It’s made with some inexpensive black felt and hot pink polar fleece - both from stash. I cut the fringe-y bits with pinking sheers to give them an extra frilly look. There is also a small piece of caulk backer rod in each one to stuff them, but keep them lightweight. That is also from stash! Then they’re all sewn to a felt strip, that I folded to create a sleeve that slips over her collar. Delia will only wear a disquise or costume if we trick her into thinking it’s a collar or jacket. It also helps if I’m holding treats while trying to get her to model, but it doesn’t help much for getting her to model.
I realize there are some slight Demogorgon vibes going on, but luckily this is just a fun April Fool’s costume and she’s super laid back/doesn’t have access to a mirror.
Fun Fact: Mudpuppies and axolotls are both salamanders that have those fancy external gills.