There is no day of the year that I want to take more pictures than Halloween. For some reason, seeing little kids in adorable costumes makes me go paparazzi on them. But I’m also not the type to buy a new full-priced costume for children who will wear it once or maybe twice—ever! We go one of two ways when planning a costume: creative or consignment.
When my oldest Sophie was one, we found a pumpkin costume for 25 cents at a garage sale. I cleaned it, paired it with striped leggings, and she was good to go. When Halloween was over, we donated it for another child to wear the next year! We got a bumblebee costume for Maggie the same way.
To create costumes, we enjoy using what we have around the house and buying or making a small accessory to complete the look. One year, we used the accessories from Sophie's toy doctor kit and paired them with a white shirt and loose white pants to make her look just like a paramedic. Last year, she dressed as a black cat. I purchased kitty ears for $5, and drew whiskers and a kitty nose using my eye makeup. She wore her black jacket, leggings and boots, and we tied a black scarf around her waist to act as a tail. She loved it so much that she suggested she wear it again this year! Her logic was impressively eco-friendly: "We have kitty ears, black leggings, a black shirt, and boots! I should be a kitty again."
Artist: Take an old white dishcloth, paint it, glue a ribbon around, and tie. Add a winter beret-type of hat (she borrowed mine!). And have them hold their paintbrush and paints. You’ve got a masterpiece!
Sailor: We looked through drawers to find navy or white or stripes anywhere in her wardrobe, and actually found this perfect dress instead to made it work. I used an old white flour sack dishtowel and cut a strip, then tied it around her neck loosely. She added white tights and red shoes, and made her sailor hat out of a white sheet of paper. She loved holding her "telescope," and looking for pirates.
Making a Halloween costume doesn't have to be a big, complicated, or expensive thing. It can be something created in ten minutes and can be so fun. If you are partial to the store-bought, be sure to plan ahead and purchase next year’s when they go on sale after Halloween!
