By J. A. Young
Before you spend a small fortune renting or purchasing a Halloween costume for you or your children, take a good look around the house and your ingenuity just might surprise you with a brilliant costume or two. The following tips can help you put together a great costume with very little expense using everyday items.
What says everyday quite like toilet paper? Every household has it and hopefully yours has a roll to spare for a mummy-in-the-making. The best part about the toilet papered mummy is that the paper can be applied over a coat if the weather proves chilly (if it's very cold, consider springing for quilted 2-ply). Simply dress your mummy and wrap - better brands will knot easier so you will have less trouble fastening your paper strands. Add a little cold cream and dark eyeliner for the face and eyes and you have an instant costume that is sure to be a hit.
A white sheet and a trip to your garden is all that is needed to put together a Mother Nature costume. October is harvest time so you will be in keeping with the season. Adorn yourself with the sheet and ornament your hair and body with sprigs of flowers. Create a crown using various small vegetables and fruit to top it off.
Creating a hobo costume is as simple as pulling out your most worn out garments and pairing them haphazardly together. Pluck a large branch from a tree and tie and old tablecloth filled with cotton batting to the end of it. Smudge your face with dirt and grime (not showering and using no deodorant is optional).
If you thought you would never wear that bridesmaid dress again, think again! Consider going as the bride of Frankenstein or a horrific prom queen. If you don’t mind ruing the dress, you might even shred it and splotch with a few ketchup or wine stains. If you are wedding Frankenstein, consider applying cold cream with a splash of green food coloring for a ghoulish facial.
All you need to be Pebbles Flintstone is some leopard skin fabric, some chunky beads and a bone for your hair. In fact, any of these ingredients will make for anyone on the Flintstones cast. Other easy-to-create cartoon characters: the Scooby-Doo kids and the Super Friends.
Using items that you have on hand is a great way to tap into you and your kids' ingenuity. Coming up with a costume forces you to make the most of what you have, and it's often a better costume than what you'd be able to buy at the store in a box!
© Doityourself.com 2006
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Are you riding the broom or giving birth 2 it?
Either way I wouldn't wear that. Sorry!