Creativity Runs in the Family

When Nell Turley came home one autumn day, she told her mother, , that she wanted to be a snail for Halloween.

Richards' reaction? "I think it was, 'Let me see if I can do that,'" she told Redondo Beach Patch.

One spray-painted shell constructed of leftover foam, a crocheted set of antennae and some silver duct tape later, Nell's costume was born.

"It was very kid friendly … she could take [the shell] off and be a slug," Richards said.

That snail costume was chosen at the beginning of the month as a with Heidi Klum. As part of the prize, the winner and nine other finalists were given $1,031 for a charity of their choice.

Richards and Nell, now 11 years old, chose to support Shane's Inspiration, an organization that builds accessible playgrounds across Southern California. Nell's older brother Jake is disabled, and the family runs the charity's 5K each year, Richards said.

"It's something Nell and her brother can do together," she explained.

Though Jake "just isn't interested" in dressing up for Halloween, it's one of the creative mother-daughter pair's favorite holidays. With a little help from Nell, Richards makes most of her daughter's costumes, ranging from an owl to Mozart to Little Red Riding Hood (complete with a cape made from a Gap fleece sweatshirt) to a Scottish bagpiper with semi-working bagpipes.

The bagpiper costume "was basically making a costume for the recorder," said Nell.

Richards also creates her own costumes, of which she posts photos on Flickr. At an October "trashion show" to show off recycled fashions at the Mar Vista Farmer's Market, she wore a suffragette costume made from bedsheets. She also crocheted her own coral reef costume. 

The North Redondo Beach pair's creativity isn't limited to Halloween costumes. Along with grandmother Connie Richards, Penny Richards and Nell won the family category at the in August on the .

Additionally, Nell is very musical. She can play the guitar, drums, the recorder, flute and the piano, her mother said.

Still, fashion is a sort of passion for both mother and daughter. They regularly watch Project Runway together, and they're both fans of Klum.

That, in fact, was Nell's favorite part of making the finals in Patch's contest.

"I can't believe Heidi Klum saw me!" she exclaimed.