Fall is officially here – and that means trips to the pumpkin farm and corn mazes, haunted houses and hay rides – all the fun things geared around Halloween that we love to do with our kids.
This is also my favorite time of the year, I love the deep, rich colors of fall! Another reason it’s my favorite time of the year is it’s getting to be time to make a Halloween costume for my son. I think this year I’m really going to go all out – it’s probably the last year he’ll wear a costume and go out trick or treating with his friends! In the last 12 years I think I have made 7 out of 12 of his costumes.
My rules for making costumes are pretty simple:
- Recycle as much as possible and use things around the house and from the recycle bin if possible
- Don’t wait until the last minute to get started
- If I do buy supplies they have to be cheap
One year he was a wizard, I made a cape from a remnant of black velvet I found on clearance at the fabric store for a couple of dollars after the 40% off coupon and a wand from a small Styrofoam ball and dowel I borrowed from my husband’s shop.
Another year he was a handsome Knight in Shining Armor complete with armor, a sword and a helmet. The armor was made from plywood cut to shape by my father and decorated with buttons, hot glue and medallions found on clearance at the craft store and then spray painted silver. The helmet was made from a piece of toile and an army helmet. It was the cutest – he was the best knight I had ever seen, if I do say so myself!
For two years in a row he was the Headless Horseman. Probably the easiest costume I have ever made! I took a plastic pumpkin large enough to fit over his head and cut a hole in the bottom large enough for his head to fit through. Then I cut pieces of felt to fashion a collar (and also to protect his neck from the rough plastic) and hot glued them around the opening. A little black paint on his face and it looked pretty realistic! He got the most compliments on his costume those years!
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Last year my husband brought a camouflage Ghillie suit home from work for the weekend and he was a Special Forces Soldier with his BB gun – the cost: zero! That was the cheapest costume so far and the one he had the most fun with his friends with!
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a really creative and fun costume for your kids! Look around your house and garage, brainstorm with your kids and get started. Make a sketch, starting planning and searching for supplies now so you have plenty of time to shop at Goodwill and other second shops to find the supplies you’ll need.
With that said – I’ve got to get busy with the costume for this year. But before I go, I’ll leave you with this quick Halloween card I made using spooky Halloween and background stamps, embossing and some fun glitter embellishments from K & Company!
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Thanks for stopping by, I'd love to know what Fall rituals you have and if you make or buy the Halloween costumes for your kids every year.