Halloween is just around the corner, and if you're like me you are almost as excited as your kids.  I love decorating the house and dreaming up cool costume ideas for each of them.  However, in the final weeks (or days!) trying to pin your kids down as far as what they want to be can be a taxing affair.   "Ok, but once you decide that's what you want to be we have to stick with....."  Two days later it's something completely different.  Aggravation and fear that they will be disappointed slowly starts to mount.  Sound familiar?? 

Out of nowhere time's running out if you want any chance of finding the costume they want AND in their size.  Not to mention at a price you can swallow!  Anyone can come up with something great if you're willing to run all over creation and throw out a ton of money, but that would NOT be me.  I have three busy kids and I'm generally cheap when it comes to the 'they're only going to wear it once' situations.  So whether you're desperate at the last minute, or you have a yearning to finally make them a homemade (or semi-homemade) costume, I've come up with a few ideas and tips to get you to dust off those creative juices and make this Halloween special and less stressful.

The Lion, Monkey, and the Kitty Cat: Painting faces goes a long way.  A pink lipstick nose and some black eyeliner whiskers can instantly transform your little one into about fifteen different animals.  Change the nose to brown, and you've just broadened your range to half the zoo. 

So with that pink nose and whiskers, throw on her black leotard and tights from ballet, stuff a black knee-high with just about anything, knot the end of it and pin it to her behind.  There's your tail.  Add a headband with two felt (you can use construction paper, too) triangles glued to it and you have the purrrfect cat!

That Little Devil: Received a gift from a friend or relative that you seriously would never consider putting on them in the light of day?  Well thank goodness they trick or treat at night!  A couple years ago my daughter was the recipient of a sparkly red top edged at the neckline and wrist with a red feathery boa material.  Yeah, not going to happen.... On the flipside, with about one yard of red metallic fabric cut jaggedly and sewn to the bottom edge of the shirt, silver glittered tights, the leg of an old pair of red tights that didn't fit her anymore (again stuffed and pinned in place), a store bought kit of a pitchfork and a red horned headband, and I had the cutest little devil in town. Cost:  less than $15.

All Bones: Have a black sweatshirt and pants that you're little guy is about to outgrow? You can have your own creepy skeleton in about an hour.  If the sweatshirt has graphics on it, turn it inside out.  With white craft paint, get to work on your bones.  Two on each arm and leg and a rib cage on the chest.  You're not an artist?  Break it down:  A bone is merely a straight line with two little circles at each end.  And the ribcage is five or six half circles with a break in the middle.  Cover your child's whole face with white makeup.   Use black around his eyes, under his cheek bones and smudge the edges into the white for a more realistic look.  If you really want to wow 'em replace the white paint with glow in the dark paint, same price and located in the same section of the craft store.  He will be in heaven!

Angels and Demons: Alter last year's costume.  You can easily turn an angel into a ghost or ghost into angel.  Take the dress, sheet, tunic or whatever your angel costume consisted of.  Remove the wings and any other pretty embellishments.  Attach strips of gauze or cheese cloth in random jagged lengths all over the old costume.  The more the better.  I found a quick hand stitch on each strip works great, but fabric glue or safety pins would also do the trick.  Paint your child's face in the same manner as you would your skeleton and voila instant ghost. 

Going in the other direction.... an angel from a ghost ensemble is just as easy.  If you're starting with more than just a basic white sheet, especially something on the creepier side, glitter hairspray (widely available this time of year) applied over the entire costume can turn ghoulish into ethereal in no time.  Don't forget to add it to her hair also.  Dig up some wings, perhaps from the butterfly of two years ago and pin them to her back.  A halo made out of gold pipe cleaners or a bent metal hanger from the dry cleaners attached to a headband will pretty much complete the look.

Character Creations: Dig through the dress up box.  Spiderman, Batman, princesses and a gladiator live in mine.  Why not?  They love to be them and it's already paid for.  Feeling a bit guilty regarding the lack of imagination and originality in one of these costumes?  Look at it this way, now you just might have time to make those spooky cookies with the kids or read them that extra Halloween story they've been begging for.  And that's half the magic.

The idea is to use what you've got and make or buy a few accessories to complete the outfit.  The great thing about this once a year event is that what you make only has to last one night and maybe a Halloween party or two.  So if the whole costume is held together with spit and a prayer, relax, it doesn't have to be washed and remember a safety pin and some fabric glue can fix almost anything. 

As for me, I'll be sneaking one more piece of the candy stash and enjoying this Halloween with a clear conscious.  I just recycled!

By Emily Loverin

Emily Loverin is our creative go-to-girl.  Her column Everything-Emily incorporates projects from fine arts to crafts and always keeps even the smallest designers in mind.  She is a Scituate native where she currently lives with her husband Marc, and their three children Addison, Charlie and Jake.  Visit EVERYTHING EMILY to learn more about her services, featuring full service interior design, planning of events, house staging, mural painting, invitations & graphic design.

Comments(1):

1. Toddlers Halloween Costumes....Homemade

   I'M WAS TOTALLY INSPIRED!!!!! JUST LOOKED AROUND THE HOUSE TRYING TO SEE THINGS THROUGH YOUR EYES, EMILY....WHAT MIGHT HAVE POSSIBILITIES ..AND WALLA....TWIN SIZE FLOWERED - ALMOST VINTAGE SHEETS - TURNED INTO TWO CLOWN OUTFITS FOR MY LITTLE TWIN TODDLERS! JUST SEWED THEM INTO SACKS WITH OPENINGS FOR HEAD, NECK, ARMS AND LEGS AND STUFFED WITH TISSUE PAPER......TIED 3 BIG BOWS FOR EACH AROUND THE NECK....HAD A YELLOW COLORED POSTER BOARD AND ROLLED TO PIECES INTO A CONE SHAPES...GLUED A SHEET STRIP FOR A BAND AT THE BASE AND TWO SILLY BOWS FOR THE POINTED TOPS. FINISHED - AND FREE TOO! TWO LITTLE TRICK AND TREATERS ARE READY TO GO! THANKS...LOVE YOUR COLUMN!

   Wednesday, October 28, 2009 kathleen