Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Halloween Creativity: Four Easy Costumes (with directions!)

The Tapper kiddos are off to school for another Halloween celebration.  I don't really enjoy the gory/scary emphasis of many at Halloween, and I definitely would not go out and buy a bunch of pre-made costumes.  Rather, I enjoy the opportunity for creativity and craftiness.  This year's costumes were particularly fun and easy. 
 
1) The Solar System (Jadon)
 
This costume is actually a hand-me-down from Ethan's 2011 Halloween.  It takes a bit of time and planning, but the results are "out of this world!"  You need a black outfit (that you don't mind transforming).  We used a pair of old black sweatpants and one of my old turtlenecks (big enough to fit over a coat for cold trick-or-treating nights!).  Then, you need some Heat'N'Bond or WonderUnder--the two-sided fabric adhesive--and some fabric scraps.  Simply, iron the adhesive to the back side of your fabric scraps, cut out the shapes of the sun and planets, peel the paper backing, arrange on the outfit, and iron again!  We labeled the objects and added a star (made with my silver and black eyeliners) on his cheek.
 
 


2) The Cat ...AKA Jaguar, Cheetah, Leopard, etc. (Abby)

Abby decided on this costume months ago!  She loves her "cheetah" pajamas.  To transform her for Halloween, we needed the pajamas (you could use any cat print outfit or go for the classic black cat look with black pants and shirt), a headband, paper, markers, yarn, and eyeliner.  For a very simple cat ear headband project, see http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/3d-paper-cat-ears.  Abby used markers to add spots to her ears.  I crocheted her tail and added her nose and whiskers.  Don't you think she's "purr-fect?!!"



3) The Quarterback (Ethan)

Here, you see Ethan's great sense of humor coming through.  This Halloween dress-up could be very simple.  You need a piece of cardboard, a pin, and a print-out of a quarter.  Ethan cut out a circle of cardboard, glued on the quarter design, and attached the pin.  One could stop there--just pin the quarter to the back of a shirt!  But, Ethan decided to sport his Brady jersey, add some under eye paint, and carry a football.  I'd say he's looking like a CHAMP!



4) Lightning (Andrew)

Andrew's original plan was to be a scuba diver, but, when he forgot to bring his mask and flippers home from his grandparents on the weekend, we needed to scramble for another idea--fast!  And what could be faster than lightning?  To make this costume, you need a black outfit, some cardboard, aluminum foil, tape, and pins.  Cut out some lightning bolts and wrap them carefully with foil.  Tape two pins on the back of each bolt, and pin them onto the shirt.  We added a headband (made from a pair of cut-up black tights that Abby had outgrown) and some lightning bolts on the cheeks (eyeliner again!).  Andrew was quite pleased with the "flashy" results!




2 comments:

Andrea said...

I'm not a fan of all the Halloween scarey stuff either. I am, however, a fan of your kids' costumes! Especially the Quarter Back!

KLT said...

cool