The ABC's of Halloween "SHOP at home FIRST" Ideas
My oldest in her first Halloween costume (I think she's a cross between a bird and a cat LOL). The yarn coat was included amongst 8 boxes of clothes I purchased at a garage sale for $15.00 when she was born. We added some yellow sweat pants, a hat, and a few whiskers and she was ready to hit the street with dad. After 5 houses they came home - happy and excited about the "huge" haul. Too much fun! Today she is old enough to drive. (Eeks how did that happen so fast!!) - Cindy |
"R is for Run to the Library and get out the Family Fun Magazine's past Halloween issues
S is for "steal" the quick, easy ideas make your costumes with stuff you have around the house
T is for take Cindy's advice shop at home with those ideas gleaned from the magazine ......make your costumes with stuff you have around the house." - a Cindy's Porch reader
Around the end of August a few hints of black and orange start showing up on the store shelves. Once back to school is over, then LOOK OUT! Here comes the creepy, the cute, the plastic, the furry, the gory, the fairy-like, and the expensive of Halloween. Yes, the "Made in China" Halloween clutter has hit the store shelves (and usually right at the entrance way). Decorations, costumes, dish towels, huge things to put outside, smaller things to put inside - no room is immune to what can be added for Halloween. CHA CHING! CHA CHING!
There are even orange and black plastic tubs that you can BUY to store all this clutter in! YIKES!
Let's try something new, something less expensive, something more fun, and something more creative. SHOP at home FIRST for Halloween. With the exception of the treats that you hand out at the door, can you get through the ENTIRE Halloween season without spending a dime? Can you create decorations from home? Can you create costumes from home? Can you DO instead of BUY?
Let your kids "SHOP" in your craft stash, the costume bucket, the kitchen, the shed, the garage, dad's closet, and the laundry room. Can they find something to pull together this year's costume? If they know what they want to be, use Google to see what the costume could look like, then create it yourself at home. Keep things simple, you don't want to spend weeks sewing and gluing! Our kids are encouraged to DO their own, leaving me the job of taking their picture when it's done (huge grin!)
Our incredible readers have given us some fantastic tips to share with you. Thank-you so much for sending them!
Cindy
Hi Cindy
I enjoy your web site your a big help to me. But the reason I write is to say my 8 year old daughter Kellie as joined your team. I asked her what she like to dress up like this year for halloween. She tells me Mom I'll shop at home first. She goes into her room and after a while comes out as jungle girl. She had her chetah fur (fake of course) over her shoulders and her monkeys (mom & baby that velcore togather) She had the mom hanging around her neck and the baby hook to her walking staff.(Which already as feathers and beads tied to it.) she so cute. So her out fit cost nothing this year once again. Shop home first.
Tree:)
|
- A is for angel you make from putting one of daddy's big white tshirts on, and stretching a pair of white pantyhose over a hanger made into wing shapes. A halo can be made out of aluminum foil(recycle it afterwards!HA)
- B is for Bear. What we are doing for our little girl this year. We have a really large stuffed bear that had seen better days. So I cut it open, pulled out all the stuffing, put a zipper up the back, cut off the feet so she could put her feet through, and cut off the head - turned it into a hat. Really cute and all it cost was a zipper.
- B is for the black garbage bag to wear as an M&M bag. Just wear it
and add the M&M symbol with white paper.
- B is for the eight leftover purple Balloons from my daughter's birthday
party that we used to make a "grape" costume last year.
- B is for the old black nylons I saved during the year. For Halloween, we stuffed three pairs with old rags. My son wore black jeans and a black sweatshirt. Then we pinned the stuffed nylons to the back of his sweatshirt. On the front we used some scrap material to sew eyes and a mouth. He was a wicked looking spider and loved his costume.
- C is for Cardboard (robot, A friend one went as a table - complete with place settings, table cloth and food.)
- Last year I made my 2-year-old daughter's cowboy costume. It was pretty cool. I did have to buy a bandana and a belt (thrift store!), but the fabric for the chaps I had, the hat, shirt, boots and jeans were a regular part of her wardrobe, and I bartered for the "Pony Express" belt buckle. And we made good use of the costume - we went to the Zoos, a library celebration, my mother-in-law's neighborhood, and our neighborhood. So, I felt like it was worth the effort and few dollars that went into it.
- C is for the Captain’s jacket I made for my son out of a woman’s large black wool blazer jacket I found for 2 bucks at Goodwill. I washed it in hot water and dried it in a hot dryer so that it shrank nicely. I raided my button jar and added lots of gold buttons down the front and on the cuffs, hot glued gold ribbon around the cuffs, created medals out of bits of metal and buttons and whip stitched them onto the breast pocket, and added lines of gold upholstery gimp along the shoulder seams (captains braid?) and a loop around one shoulder seam like my old scouting uniform. Because the jacket was still a bit large the first year, I added some snaps down the front inside so he could snap it shut, and the two rows of gold buttons marched down the front. Sam added a captain’s hat he bought as a souvenir when we sailed across Lake Michigan on a car ferry during the summer and black jeans he already had. A fake moustache added the finishing touch to his Captain’s uniform. Sam loved it so much, he wore it three years in a row!
- C is for cat--wear a grey sweatsuit and paint whiskers on child's face.
You can buy sweats and sweat shirts in solid colors to go as just about anything, then use the sweats afterwards for winter clothes.White can be bunnies,cats,sheep,name it. Green for frogs,alligators,etc. Brown for horses or dogs,etc. Just paint the face with simple wiskers and any other characteristics that make them look like a cutie little animal.
Peace, - Ohio
- C is for Cell phone. My neighbors daughter used a big box from a shipment they received and painted it silver with the number pad in black. It was really cute.
- C is for cheesecloth left over from mom's jellymaking. Makes great ghosts and other decorations. Just use spray starch or other stiffener.
Paula
- C- is for instant coffee granules that can be applied to skin using
vasaline for an instant "beard" for a pirate-zombie-ect....
- Dress up Clothes: When we were growing up in the 70s and 80s, we came up with our costumes based on what we had - which included a barrel of dress-up clothes and 60s garb from my mom. Instead of saying "this is what I want, go buy it," we had fun getting creative with what was on hand! (Note from Cindy: we have a "costume bucket" in our basement - filled with things handed down from closets or picked up at garage sales. Our kids ALWAYS go shopping in here first for their annual costumes!)
- D is for Dad's Clothes: When my boys were little, I made their Halloween costume from old clothes. I had some of the best looking hobos, hippies, and OLD men....they loved wearing their daddy's old clothes.
- Egg Cartons - not sure what they can be turned into, but my son was excited when he saw I had saved a few - he is turning them into something!
- E is for elephant…..if you have an old slinky cover it with gray material (or an old clean gray sock!) for the trunk. Save a piece of cloth to tie around the head to keep it on. For the ears use thin wire it the shape of circles and attach to an old headband, cover with gray cloth or more old clean gray socks or cut out circles from construction paper. Let child wear a gray sweat suit, a borrowed one that is to big can be slightly stuffed for a fuller elephant! Stuff with tee shirts ot a few towels, don’t pack them because you want them to look a bit lose and saggy.
- F is for Foil (robot)
- F is for fairy princess or princess or bride.....My old wedding dress had punch stain that the cleaners couldn't remove. No reason to hang on to longer than the 7 years I already did. I cut the dress down to size for my 6 year old daughter. Made a wand out of old baton( I hung on to for some reason) Wraped it in aluminum foil, And Princess she was!!!!
- F is for feather duster combined with black balloons to make a great tarantula spider costume. Use pipe cleaners or wire hangers that are straightened out to form 8 legs, I stuffed old black stockings with newspaper and then stuck the feathers on top of it. The black balloons go around the child's body and I glued the smaller feathers on top of the balloons.
- G is for Ghost. The old, yet reliable,white sheet with eyes cut out.
- H is for hobo....when my was son was 5 he was the cutest hobo. Old jeans holes in the knees if too short even better. Clothes line for belt and his Uncles old red flannel shirt. Grandpa's old hat.
- (And another one!) H is for Hobo. This is a simple Halloween costume. All you need are some old clothes....the more worn, the better. Cut the pants "too short". An over-sized shirt with a rope belt tied at the waist. Mismatch socks. Tie a bandana to a stick....if the child (or adult) is mature enough to carry it without getting in trouble. : ) For trick-or-treating carry a pillowcase for your candy. My aunts dressed me as a hobo when I was a kid and wiped my jaw line and chin with petroleum jelly and put dry coffee grounds in it for my "5 o'clock shadow".....great effect.....just make sure NOT to use it on someone with sensitive skin or very small kids.
- Last yea my son went as Harry Potter. He dressed as he usually does for
school, then added a cape that we had from the Dracula years, a pair of
old glasses of mine with the lenses popped out, a wooden chopstick from
the kitchen for a wand, and the scar drawn on with an eyebrow pencil. We
copied an emblem for Griffendor off the Net, cut it out and taped it to
his cape.
- I-"I got a rock." My favorite costume of my son's that he came up with: Charlie Brown's ghost costume from "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown". All you need to do is cut out a bunch of eye holes all over an old sheet.
- J is for the "Judge Judy" costume my youngest made last year using an
old judges robe, a lacy shirt, and a red wig (from my childhood costume
bucket) that she found in the basement. Didn't cost a dime!
- K is for the Kitty costume I made my son when he was 3. He wore an inexpensive black sweatshirt and sweatpants, a pair of stretchy black knit gloves, and a pair of dad’s black crew socks pulled up over his shoes and socks and up over his pant cuffs. I made a little felt cap with ties and whip stitched little black felt ears onto the top. I hot glued little pink felt pieces in the ears and on the palms of his gloves (toe pads). You could also buy a cheap knit black cap at the dollar store or Goodwill and tack on felt ears. I made a felt tube, stuffed it with batting, and pinned it on Sam’s rear end for a tail. I used some stick make-up (those little makeup sticks that come out at Halloween) and made little black whiskers on his cheeks, and pink for his nose. Very cute and inexpensive, and no face mask to worry about seeing through. Plus, he wore the sweat outfit as pajamas for the winter! - Vesper, WI
- K is for Kite. Take two 2x2 pieces of wood and tie them in the center so they form a cross. Drape the wood with some fabric to create the kite shape and then cut a hole in one of the top corners (for your head). Some ribbon attached to the end of the kite for a finishing touch.
- L is for Lipton Tea bag (or T is for Tea Bag, whichever)
Take a black garbage bag and cut holes for the head and arms. Draw the Lipton (or whatever) logo and color it on a small, square sheet of paper or card stock paper and attach it to the neck of the bag with a white string. My oldest (now 14) wore this a few years ago and everyone got a kick out of it.
- L is for Luke & Leia -
For the kid's (dd5/ds2) Halloween costumes last year, I made Princess Leia & Luke Skywalker costumes.Using:
3 adult sized white t-shirts (small, lol, the kids are small)
3 skeins of red-ish brown yarn
I used 2 tshirt for Luke, cut it down to fit, pleated the back of the neck and tied on with a belt made from another tshirt.
I used 2 of the shirts for Leia - I sewed up the sleeves and the neck became the waist of the skirt, and attached the cut off part (from Luke's shirt) to the back of the neck, making the hood & top of Leia's dress. The belt for Leia was a strip cut and hemmed from one of the white tshirts.
Ran a piece of the yarn through 2 of the skeins and tied them up (the buns) made a wig by wrapping the 3rd skein around a piece of cardboard and then sewing it down the center on my sewing machine (use a strip of ribbon to hold the yarn together/stitch on). Tie the 'buns' to the looped sides of the 'wig' and there you've got it.
My dh had bought 2 light sabers at another event so they both had those, too!
- L is for lipstick - the bright red kind from mom's cosmetic bag. Use to make big red cheeks for a dolly costume, raggedy ann or andy costume.
|
- M is for Mr. Rogers, the costume we made by shopping in grandpa's closet! No clutter afterwards--give it right back to grandpa! Free
- M is for "motorcycle guy" the year before he had a red "vinyl or plastic" cap with ear flaps. I don't remember where we got it,but he loved it and wore it every where. All he wanted that year was his" motorcycle guy cap"
- M is for the milk jugs used to make a skeleton (instructions on our
home page)
- O is for old lady--little kid wears mom's dress stuffed here and there for effects.
- O-Old work clothes that the kids, or bigger kids, can use, and layer may I add, for a hobo costume. This is great if you are in a cooler climate, because you are not covering up their costume, you are adding to it!!!
Blessings to you,
Ronnie
- O is for my husband's ugly Orange sweatshirt that we turned into a pumpkin costume for my daughter. I basted some yellow squares on the front for the eyes, nose, and mouth. And we found an old green knitted hat to wear as the "top".
- P is for princess-she wore her first communion dress.Free
- p is for paper plate pumpkin that the kids can make with you! Just paint a few paper plates orange and then let dry. Once dry glue black construction paper smiles, eyes and nose. Add a brown paper stem and tape to your windows.
- P is for the plastic bags used to make a HUGE lawn halloween spider
(I've got the instructions on our home page - Cindy)
- P is for pillowcase that can be used to collect the candy (better than buying a plastic pumpkin!)
- Q is fro Queen: My daughter has a play crown for her head. One of my old "dinning out" dresses, and a lot of costume jewelry will turn any girl into a Queen. Don't forget the wand - the handle of an old broom or mop with a paper star attached to the top works wonders.
- (Another one!) I just noticed that 'Q" had nothing so I thought I would mention a queen. For the crown, we used cardboard and tinfoil with some sparkly gems we had from some other crafts. The dress was a Christmas dress. Becky
- R is for Rock Star:
Last year my son was a rock star! I made his costume just basically by using iron on paper and die. Here is the run down from head to toe:
We spiked my son’s hair in a mo-hawk
Because it gets a little chilly here I used die to make a white turtleneck flesh colored and then printed some pictures of tattoos on the iron transfer paper and gave my little boy a bunch of tattoos (he loved this shirt and wore it even after Halloween). Over his tattoo turtleneck he wore a T-shirt that said Rock Star (just a hint for those who couldn’t figure out his costume) that I bought somewhere for $9.99
A friend of mine had a large dog collar that she never used…in the store it was $25.00 but she let me have it since it was too big for her dog anyway. We used that as a belt (since they don’t make studded belts for toddlers).
He wore some old raggedy (not too raggedy) jeans and some van slip-ons that he already had.
- R-"Road Kill Cafe". A theme for the porch. No, not a bunch of poor dead animals! Set up a "buffet" with grusome offerings, such as "brains" (cauliflower covered in ketchup, set on a platter), "hand sandwiches" (stuffed gloves nestled between hamburger buns), etc.You'd be surprised how many kids would turn down candy for a chance to eat cauliflower! Dearborn Hts. MI
- For R it could be red riding hood which we found to be a very easy costume to do. We used a dress (her older sisters to make it a little longer), a basket that I use for almost all holidays and for a red cape--an old red cloth tablecloth. The table cloth did not work with my table anymore so I just cut it up to make the cape.
- S is for Shadow. Years ago I went to a party where I attached myself to one person and became their shadow the entire night. I wore black stockings, socks, boots, a black shirt and a black cap on my head. I also covered my skin in black halloween paint so I literally looked like someone's shadow.
- S is for Scarecrow. Just use old clothes, roll up the jeans, add some suspenders. I found some old yellow material that I tucked into the sleeves for "straw" and an old hat that was the perfect finishing touch.
- We went as two bars of Safeguard Soap. I was complexion size. He was bath size! All I did was find two cardboard boxes that fit our bodies. They were free from the local Sears store.I sprayed them white and wrote the name of the soap on the boxes in colorful markers mimicking the logo.Cut a hole for your head and neck, allow one seam on the side or in the back to get in and out. You can either hinge it with a press-on hook & eye or just tape it. For fun we each carried a bottle of bubbles and blew them out . I wore white tights and he white pants. We won the costume contest that year! Years later I made the same costume for my son. Cheap & inventive. - in Wisconsin
- T is for tissue. Use an old delivery box and paint it in a fun print. Then stencil the word Kleenex on the side. Use some large tissue sheets to put into a slot cut along the side so it looks like you have tissues coming out of the box.
- T is for tinman. I made my son a tinman costume when he was four or five. He's in medical school now. Take a pair of grey sweats that he might own, or at thrift store. Take a large funnel and cover with alumumium foil use a nail to put a hole at the bottom on each side and put elastic through holes and tie on back. Cover a box that you cut arm and neck holes in with foil or even silver duct tape It was really cheap and he won a prize at a party Pam
- U is for ... Uniforms.
Football, baseball, soccer, karate and cheerleading uniforms all make great
little kid Halloween costumes. You or someone you know probably has an old
one laying around anyway. Try Freecycle or a thrift store (or used sports
equipment store) for the extra finishing touches (helmet, pads, pompoms).
Pam.
- U is for Unicorn. Take some stock paper and turn it into a horn (glue the edges together). Attached a string to two holes punched in both sides of the horn. Use a fuzzy brown terry cloth robe with some ribbon attached down the back for the mane and tale.
- V is for Vet…..use an old t-shirt cut to become a lab/doctor’s coat (cut a strip out of the front center). Write Dr. So-So, Veterinarian over the pocket you can also draw on. Use a tool medical kit for goodies and let them carry a stuffed animal.
- W is for the WHITE SHIRT that I pulled from my husband closet. It magically transforms itself into... a nurse's costume, a lab coat or the "base" for whatever their little hearts desire!
- W is for Watch….use cardboard to create the watch dial. Use an old pair of pants to make the band. Use pieces of cloth to loosely tie the dial over the child’s chest. My idea for the band would be up and down but you could also wrap it around the body.
- W is for white sheet - used to make a togo/egyptian costume.
- X is for X-ray….take an old tee shirt and using a black marker draw a square and fill in the bones. Use an old pillow case with bones drawn on for the goodie bag.
- Y is for a Yo-Yo……look around the house for 2 circle shaped objects (the front covers of a couple of fans, bicycle tires, smaller trash can lids for example OR cut them out of cardboard) Cover with cloth, or paper or if using cardboard draw on designs. Use an old rope or cord to loosely wrap a few times around child’s body, leaving a piece several feet long (for the part that goes around the finger) to hang loose. Hold the 2 pieces together with rope or thin wire go over the shoulders and again under the arms to keep it all together.
- Z is for a Zoo map…..take an old solid color pillow case and using markers draw a zoo, add in the paths and trees, bushes or trees, concession stands, etc.. If you have small stuffed animals tack a few in various spots on your map. Draw in cages with animals in them. If you have material laying around with animals on it you can cut them out and use those to fill cages.
- Z is for Zebra……use an old t shirt and cover it with black stripes, use make up for the same affect on the face….or if you have an old white sweat suit add black stripes to it….a black suit might work if you did it like for tie dying and dipped in bleach but haven’t tied that yet.
|
Remember - DO within!
|
