Cheap Costumes

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There are probably many homes on your block that have some great Halloween decorations that they put up each year. If you want to get in on this, you may find that the price tag to get what you want all at once is a bit high. You do not have to spend a fortune on everything if you have a little money to spend and then some time to work on how to make your own Halloween decorations. This is something that you can do on your own, or this can be a fun activity for your children to help you out with as Halloween approaches.

There are some items that you are going to want to get no matter what type of Halloween decorations you want to make. These are basics when you make your own Halloween decorations or any other type of craft for that matter. You want to get construction paper, glue and/or glue sticks, tape, markers, crayons, pencils, stickers of all types, scissors, paints, and lettering materials whether they be stencils, stickers, or plastic. You can add anything else you think you may want to this list or you can see what your children come up with when they look at what is available.

If you want something a bit more adult when you want to make your own Halloween decorations, you can go for things like wood and glass, and the paints you would need to cover them. At times, some paints can come off of glass or wood when exposed to the weather or when they are handled too much. You can also get some type of top coat that you can use to keep your items looking nice. You may also want to get waterproofing if you know something is going to be used outside and will have to endure weather like rain, snow, and wind.

In order to make your own Halloween decorations for inside the house, you have to think about what Halloween means to you. One of the best types of decorations are the ones that seem spooky but may not outright freak someone out. You can get all types of spider webs very cheaply but they will look great. You can put this wherever you want in your home and then make or buy spiders to add to the webs of your choice. Today, you can also find web that works outside and is resistant to all kinds of weather.

If you have trouble coming up with ideas to make your own Halloween decorations, you can always go out and buy what you need. Look online for great ideas, values, and fast shipping times. Things like orange outdoor lights are great, and you can get purple as well. You may find many things more cheaply if you buy more than one, so buy something in groups if you can use all of the items they offer. You can also find some great ideas for when you want to buy or make your own Halloween decorations by visiting you local craft store a month or so before the holiday.

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My favorite holiday is coming up again and maybe it is your favorite holiday as well. Halloween is the ultimate holiday in my book; the combination of treats, spookiness, fun, costumes, and games make it a great time for everyone. But a great time for everyone can sometimes (and often does) cost a lot of money. If you can make your own Halloween costume, you can save a bundle. But many people don’t want to or are not able to make their own Halloween costume. That makes sense; it’s a lot of work and takes certain abilities that you might not have. Except, it’s never been easier to make your own Halloween costume. Here are some tips and tricks.

The easiest way to make your own Halloween costume is to consider what you have. That means rummaging deep into your old closet, preferably into stuff in storage. You do not really want to manipulate your everyday clothes. We are talking about shirts and dresses that are one day away from donating to Salvation Army. What sort of inspirations can you draw? Do you have a blazer or jacket that was awfully close to reminding people of a bellhop or cruise ship captain? A couple of embellishments, and you can make your own Halloween costume!

Ok, maybe you do not have rooms and rooms of old clothing; you keep things, use them, and then donate them. Ok. Where do you donate these items to? Secondhand stores and organizations like Salvation Army! All of sudden, you have entire stores where spending $7 might mean your entire Halloween costume. Sure, this isn’t how to “make your own” Halloween costume, per se. But this is another way to think outside the box and save some cash.

Finally, for the really creative, you can make your own Halloween costume with a simple addition or prop. A case in point: my friend made a costume a few years ago when she went as sushi. She wore a white sweatsuit with a pink t-shirt and a green backpack. She carried with her two two-by-fours. As she stood there, she looked… strange. But when she curled up into a ball on the floor and held those two-by-fours out into the air… she WAS sushi. How can you add a simple prop or create a pose that creates an entirely different look?

If you want to make your own Halloween costume, but you can’t sew, you will have to sacrifice convenience and easy solutions. Making your own costume isn’t impossible, but you can save some money and have a truly unique Halloween costume this year.

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Halloween is so much more fun for trick or treaters when your house looks enticingly scary as the kids approach. These days, even one pumpkin can run you a few bucks, so if you’re like me, you’re looking for a few ideas for cheap Halloween props that are still scary enough to give the kids a thrill. Here are just a few ideas for creepy, but cheap Halloween outfits for your house the kids can make and/or decorate themselves. You save money and they have fun.

Poster board and cardboard boxes are on my short list of cheap Halloween decorating materials. A large cardboard box can be turned into a haunted house in an afternoon. Hung from a window, your haunted house will lend a creepy feeling and inspire a little apprehension for the candy seekers. Depending on the kids ages, you may need to help cut out some ‘windows’ with a utility knife. After that’s done, let the kids loose. All you need in the way of supplies is a tube of gray acrylic paint, yellow or orange cellophane, a pack of markers in day-glow colors, a package of ’spiderwebs’ and some glitter. Cut your cardboard box to a size that fits in a front window. After the kids have painted the house, allow about 15 minutes for drying (acrylic paint dries quickly). Turn the cardboard (or poster board) over and then they can tape the cellophane to the back of the windows. Now they can use their markers to draw in the creepy details. Kids generally know what scares kids, so let them have free rein. Apply spiderwebs! When the haunted house is finished, hang it on the inside of the designated window. The cellophane will be backlit by the lights inside. Voila! Incidentally, this Halloween prop can be used again next year!

Halloween light strings are another of the reusable and cheap Halloween props. While a creepy entryway is part of the Halloween fun, you want to balance off the decorations with a bit of cuteness for the very young trick or treaters. You can light the front of your house for just a few bucks and the kids can have fun doing this task as well.

You might want to get a quantity of those fake spiderwebs. Attach them to places kids might touch, like the doorbell and porch or stair rails. Little plastic creepy crawlers should be in abundance, tucked into the spiderwebs. No glue needed. You might even offer a creepie as a ‘party favor’. As the kids are leaving with their treats, give them an added scare. �You’re welcome to take a little spider or worm home if you’d like to take one from the spiderweb patch…�

Instead of spending a lot of money on a couple of big pumpkins, pick up some of those tiny pumpkins at the supermarket. Get a few small packages of glass ‘jewels’ and let the kids create Jack o’ Lantern eyes and mouths. Group them together on a table at the doorway, or spread them along the windowsills. These cheap Halloween props can also double as Halloween ‘party favors’.

Every drugstore’s Halloween section is flush with the printed-on-cardboard skeletons, witches and vampires. Let the kids put a little spark on these cheap Halloween props, gluing on fake jewels for eyes, some glittery red blood streaks and some accent creepiness with the day-glow markers. Hang these guys from a tree branch, porch rail, or anywhere they’ll catch a breeze and flutter wickedly.

Making these cheap Halloween props heightens the fun of this single, annual scare fest. Better yet, most are reusable. Next year, the kids can add to their collection.

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If you�ve seen pictures or YouTube videos of a recent Halloween parade in Hollywood or New York City then you know that some folks go all out dressing up. These aren�t cheap Halloween costumes by any stretch of the imagination. In fact not only do some folks spend upwards of several hundred dollars for their outfits but the more industrious types also spend several months creating and crafting their costumes. If you have the budget, you can certainly compete in that league but there is nothing wrong with perfectly executed cheap Halloween costumes.

The classic stand-by idea for cheap Halloween costumes is the white sheet with two holes cut out for eyes: instant ghost. Of course you can create many variations on the cheap Halloween costumes idea. Instead of a white sheet, you could cut holes in a bright floral print and goes a more �flamboyant� ghost. You can accessorize your ghost outfit with belts, hats and wigs. And if you stick with the white sheet, you can make a statement by writing out a slogan or plastering your sheet with bumper stickers and go as the ghost of your last car.

Another cheap Halloween costumes idea is to simply slip on a sports jersey and cap and go as a fan. You could add to the costume by finding all those ballpark souvenirs you once bought like the big foam finger or pennant. And there is nothing wrong with going as a super fan by painting your face with the colors of your favorite team. Of course you would never do that in real life but for cheap Halloween costumes anything goes!

A trip to your local thrift or Goodwill store can provide an abundance of cheap Halloween costumes. While it is true that a lot of the donations for these stores are by people giving away clothes that no longer fit them there are just as many people giving away clothes because they are downright hideous! This means you�ll able to get an inexpensive version of a disco outfit or some other tacky ensemble. You could also merely mix and match outrageous prints and go as a runway fashion model. Have you seen some of those outfits?

No matter which outfit you pull together, the fact that it�s one of the cheap Halloween costumes, should be a badge of honor. Imagine coming up with something fun and clever then to be able to say it only cost you 8 bucks! You�ll be the hit of the party or parade for sure!

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