An interesting way to come up with ideas for costumes is to keep a trunk or box somewhere handy and fill it with miscellaneous items. This can help spark the imagination. For instance, load it up with old clothing, fabric of varying lengths, pantyhose, fashion accessories, artificial flowers, pipe cleaners and other craft supplies, aluminum foil, yarn, old sheets or curtains, etc. Nearly anything can be used. Instead of traditional Halloween bags for candy, use other items related to your costume and store them in the ‘imagination box.’ For example, you can implement items such as old pocketbooks, pillowcases, garbage bags, baskets, doctor’s bags, small backpacks, or even diaper bags.

Ever since my kids were old enough to participate in trick-or-treating activities, I have made their costumes. Once Halloween approaches, I begin asking them what they would like to be. Then I scour the house and our box of goodies to find whatever I might already have on hand, making a list of the items with which I need. Generally, these few items can be purchased at the local thrift shop or dollar store so there usually isn’t too much money invested in the project.

For safety reasons, I prefer to use make-up or face paint as opposed to masks. You can easily make your own out of food coloring and corn starch. This is not only safer than using masks, but it’s also cheaper, easier to apply, and comes off just as easily with mild soap and water. A simple cream can be made with one part corn starch and two parts food coloring to create the desired shade for your costume. Apply to the face with your fingers just like foundation. And with a few drops of red food coloring and a little corn syrup, you have home-made blood for those ghoulish costumes.

One year my daughter went as a witch. It isn’t as difficult as you might think to come up with creative ways of putting this outfit together. In fact, they can be as easy or difficult as you can handle. For the witch ensemble, I simply used a tattered black dress and a witch’s hat my daughter already had. I mixed up some green face paint and added a wart with an eyeliner pencil. For her hair, I used some fiery, red-orange yarn that I attached to the hat with Velcro. Add a small broom and there you go.

Another year, she was a butterfly. The butterfly was fashioned together by cutting a pair of wings out of some cardboard, which I decorated with multi-colored pieces of felt (you can also use aluminum foil and decorate with sequins, glitter, etc.). The body of the butterfly consisted of nothing more than a black sweat suit; however, a dark-colored leotard should work just as well. Wings can be attached in whatever way is easiest for you. They can be sewn onto the back of the sweatshirt or fastened with elastic bands fitted around the child’s arms. You could also try using Velcro for felt-covered wings. This not only sticks to the felt but to the shirt as well. Add an antennae headband and, if desired, some face paint. The headband can either be purchased from the dollar store for a couple bucks or put together yourself using an ordinary black headband with black pipe cleaners attached.

I transformed my son into a lively jack-in-the-box one year. This idea came about through my own childhood memories. My mother also made a lot of our costumes growing up. Aluminum foil would incredibly become a tiara, a wand, or antennas. Lacy curtains would suddenly become flowing gowns. Her creativity was amazing, and one costume in particular stood out above all others–a kitchen table. She had taken a simple cardboard box, cut out a hole in the bottom, and slipped it right over my head. After draping a tablecloth over the box, my protruding head became the centerpiece with a carefully placed ‘hat’ made from a pair of pantyhose and artificial flowers.

And from this kitchen table costume, another one was born–the jack-in-the-box. It uses the same ‘box’ concept and originality. I simply took a box, decorated it, and attached it to my son with suspenders (can use elastic as well). On one side of the box I fashioned a handle. He wore dark sweatpants and a regular long-sleeved shirt that I attached ruffles to. I painted his face to mimic that of a joker.

A few years back, my kids decided that they wanted their costumes to match. We looked around the house and soon enough found ourselves with a cowboy and an Indian. For the cowboy, my son donned a cowboy hat and boots, a western shirt, blue jeans and a denim jacket. All of which we already had. To accessorize the look, I tied (loosely) a red bandana around his neck and fastened the holster (complete with toy guns) around his waist. Once again, these were items that we already had on hand.

My daughter, of course, was the Indian. Her costume was also something we had just lying around. I took an old brown pillowcase and cut a v-neck hole in the bottom that was large enough for my daughter’s head to fit through. I then cut two more holes in either side for her arms. I hand-stitched designs around both the neck line and bottom of the ‘dress’ and with a pair of scissors, I carefully cut slits along the edges to give it a frilly look. If you don’t sew, that’s ok; you can easily use fabric paint to decorate the dress instead. To set off the dress, my daughter wore braided pigtails with a feathered headband around her forehead. The only item I purchased for this was a pair of moccasin slippers from the dollar store. To hold all their candy, my son carried a pillowcase ‘loot bag’ while my daughter used an old harvest basket lined with an orange towel.

Ever had the option of dressing up for work with the most original taking first prize? This one worked for me. Once again, I borrowed the idea from my mother, giving it my own twist–a tomato plant. For this costume, I wore a dark green leotard with green hose and slippers. I found a dark green table skirt and simply cut out holes to allow me to both slip it over my head and run my arms through. I pinned some green artificial leaves onto the leotard and table skirt along with little tomatoes made from Styrofoam balls that were painted red and topped off with green stems (you can also use tomato pin cushions found in craft stores). I finished it off with a green beret full of leaves. By the way, I took the prize.

I have found balloons to be quite useful for costumes; however, they should only be applied to those of older children or adults. Once again, safety is important and balloons tend to pop easily and small children can accidentally try to eat the balloon pieces. Balloons are inexpensive and come in a wide variety of shapes, colors, and sizes. You can create one-of-a-kind costumes with hardly any work involved. Imagine a bunch of grapes (like that from Fruit-of-the-Loom). Choose a purple sweat suit or leotard and attach purple balloons carefully with small safety pins. Add some ivy vines and top it off with a matching hat full of ivy leaves. This could also be used for other berries as well with appropriate colored sweats and balloons. For instance, you could try raspberries, strawberries, or blackberries.

Then again, why not go out as Mr. Bubble? Wear white and use some white balloons to instantaneously become soap suds. Accessorize with a scrub brush and a hat or bag made up of bath materials such as sponges and empty shampoo, bubble bath, or soap containers. When you apply balloons to any costume, however, try not to put any on the backside. This could make it difficult to sit down.

Other interesting costume ideas might include a scarecrow using denim bib overalls, a plaid or flannel shirt, rope or twine for belt, a straw hat, gloves and boots. Stuff all the pockets with straw. Turn an old sheet into a ghost. Create a hobo from some old clothes and add a hat. Paint the face with a five o’clock shadow and fashion an old hankie to a stick. What’s autumn without leaves? Use a dark-colored sweat suit (with hood) and pin silk leaves all over it. Walk around carrying a rake and gather candy in a leaf bag.

Remember, a little imagination can go a long way; and best of all, it’s free to use.

This article was written by Nikki Phipps and was sponsored by DareToScare.com and the Dare To Scare Halloween Costume Search Engine [http://www.daretoscare.com]. Reproductions of this article are encouraged but must include a live link back to [http://www.daretoscare.com]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nikki_Phipps

Halloween is the only holiday of the entire year that truly inspires the imagination of adults and kids alike by encouraging the weirdest and most eccentric Halloween costumes for the numerous Halloween parties. The more outrageous a Halloween themed party is, the better. Halloween is the one holiday that is devoted to spooky fun!

It used to be that Halloween was reserved for the kids, and their Halloween themed parties at school indulges and trick or treating at night. However, a lot more adults are now calling Halloween their favorite holiday too. But why? Well, Halloween is an excuse to dress up in scary costumes and have some fun with their friends. It has also developed into the perfect family holiday, because children and their parents are able to enjoy time together. They can have fun while carving a Jack O’Lantern out of a pumpkin, transforming the yard into a spooky haunted house complete with Halloween style graveyard, creating their own Halloween costumes, or planning a terrifically terrifying Halloween party.

Where did Halloween Originate? A Brief History of Halloween

The name, Halloween, is derived from “All Hallow’s Eve”. This is the name given in a number of European countries, including Ireland, to the night before “All Hallow’s Day”, or “All Saint’s Day” on November 1st. This evolved, over time, from “All-Hallow-Even”, to “Hallowe’en”, and finally to the spelling we recognize today of “Halloween”. The celebration of Halloween on October 31st started as an ancient Celtic celebration, known as “Samhain”, which signified the end of summer. The Celts lived in parts of Britain, and Northern France, over 2000 years ago. They believed that goblin, witches, and other dark spirits came out on Samhain, and would accompany the souls of the dead, in the form of ghosts, to visit the places where they had lived.

To ward off the dark spirits and witches, the Celts lit fires. They left food and lanterns to welcome the souls of the dead and wore masks and costumes in celebration. Nowadays, Halloween is more associated with more modern traditions such as ‘Trick or Treating’, Halloween parties, and Halloween costumes. Kids look forward to collecting their Halloween candy in countries all over the world. Halloween night os celebrated in a large number of countries with Halloween themed parties and games, imaginative Halloween costumes, delicious Halloween recipes and fantastic Halloween themed displays.

Halloween Themed Parties, Games, Crafts , Food

There is no doubt that Halloween themed parties have a magical air about them. There is such a wide selection of Halloween party themes that you can choose from that you are sure to find one that will make celebrating the holiday both spooky and fun for adults and kids alike. Some of the most popular Halloween images surrounding Halloween themed parties include bobbing for apples, caramel popcorn balls, creepy Halloween decorations, and a bowl of ghoulish green punch garnished with floating spiders and frogs. Halloween themed parties really are the perfect way of creating a Halloween night to remember.

There are so many ideas for decorations that you can adapt for your own Halloween party; including Halloween crafts and games, Halloween costumes, drinks and Halloween recipe treats. For example, some ideas for Halloween costumes for kids could include Jack O’Lanterns, black cats, werewolves, skeletons, ghosts, witches or monsters. A more adult Halloween themed party could have more of a sophisticated ‘Day of the Dead’ style, with wonderful Mexican food, or a Halloween masked ball with devilishly delicious Halloween desserts. You do not need to spend a lot of money to have a Halloween themed party. It can be as intimate as you like, and you may just want to invite a few friends over, rather than hold a huge Halloween bash.

Daryl Plaza is a regular contributor to SpookyNite.com A Halloween informational site with ideas on how you can plan your Halloweennight with costumes, games, crafts, food and decorations.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Daryl_Plaza

Step 1: Halloween Party Kickoff: Think about who the party is for – for you or your children? An adult Halloween party will be quite different from a children’s Halloween party when it comes to planning the Halloween theme of the party, Halloween decorations, Halloween recipes and beverages. Adults and older children usually love to be frightened, but that is not the same for smaller children. So when planning your event keep the ages of your guests in mind. Once you have that figured out, now it is time to pick the date, time and place of your Halloween party. And don’t forget the guest list.

Step 2: Halloween invitations: This is where you can have fun and set the mood of your unforgettable night of horror chills and thrills by sending out unique and spookily inviting Halloween party invitations. You can purchase them or make some yourself with some construction paper and some glitter markers, or how about buying some inexpensive Halloween paper eye masks and writing the words on the back. Include all the important information such as date, time, place and a request for RSVP to your Halloween party.

Step 3: Halloween party food and recipes: now the party would not be a party without a lot of great Halloween munchies. Plan a menu and write out your shopping list. Try to do as much in advance as possible, and try to pick Halloween recipes that can be made ahead and stored or frozen. And again, think of the ages of your guests – there are a lot of fun Halloween foods for both kids and adults. Here might be the place to use up some of those Halloween pumpkin guts.

Step 4:Haunted Halloween Pumpkins: plan to buy your pumpkins early to get the best selection. By selecting a variety of shapes and sizes of pumpkins, you will be able to make a variety of interesting jack-o-lanterns ghosts. And don’t forget about those miniature pumpkins, they can make great party favors or Halloween decorations also. And the day before the party, carve your pumpkins and double check you have enough candles or use small flashlights to show off their ghostly grins.

Step 5: Halloween Costumes: there is always something exciting about putting on a Halloween costume and taking on another identity. So prepare yourself and your families Halloween party costumes in advance so that you don’t have to run around in a panic trying to put something together at the last minute. It is easy to find a lot of great Halloween costume ideas that will not cost a lot of money or time.

Step 6: Halloween Party Games or Activities: Halloween games and craft activities are especially popular for younger Halloween party guests, but this does not mean that adults would not enjoy the fun of Halloween games and showing off their ghostly talents. So think about what Halloween activities your guests would be interested in and gather all the materials you need in advance. Also be sure to have some extra Halloween activities incase a game that you are expecting to take 45 minutes only lasts for 20. And do not forget the Halloween prizes, these can be easily and inexpensively assembled by a quick trip to your local novelty or dollar store or ordered online to be delivered straight to your door.

Step 7: Halloween music and sounds: there is no time then the present to start thinking about what kind of Halloween music you want at your Halloween party celebration. Are you looking for some fun party songs for dancing music, or hauntingly spooky background ghost music for a dinner party, or a collection of sing-a-longs for the kids. Also, you might want to incorporate some Halloween special effects outside with spooky horror sounds as your guests walk up to the front door. There are a lot of special music tapes or CD’s available to purchase, or if your try making one on your own – it could be almost as much fun as the Halloween party itself.

Step 8:Halloween Party Favors: party favors add an extra treat of fun to any Halloween party and are a wonderful addition as a Halloween treat for each guest or something they can take home. They do not need to be elaborate Party Favors or costly and can range from a small plastic toy to a homemade individual bundle of snack mix wrapped in Halloween decoration style.

Step 9: Halloween Decorations: decorations for your front yard and house for Halloween can be a lot of fun and again does not need to be costly. You can get a lot of great eerie Halloween effects by experimenting with some horror lighting placed around your indoor and outdoor Halloween decorations. And adding in some Halloween music or ghost sounds can make some of your Halloween decorations come to life.

Step 10: Party Guests Arrival: today is the day – Halloween party Night, and your guests are about to arrive. Have a quick look around to see if all is in order and that your house is a safe setting. Keep a porch light on so everyone sees any steps or other obstacles, and make sure all your guests have a way back home after the Halloween festivities come to an end.

Final note: Remember that your Halloween party does not need to be elaborate, the main component of a great Halloween party are a few willing participants that want to have fun, a few simple Halloween decorations and props, toss in some spooky music and ghost sounds, and definitely the Halloween food – and you will have a smashingly and howling Halloween Party. So when the party starts, enjoy yourself! It will be a spookily great time.

Daryl Plaza is the owner of spooky night.com a website with reviews and resources on Halloween recipes, costumes, music and decoration

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Daryl_Plaza

Let’s face it, not everyone can afford to spend a lot of money on elaborate Halloween costumes, especially if you’re living on a fixed income. Likewise, not everyone can afford to spend a lot of time making them either, especially those without sewing abilities. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could create your own costumes with little time or money invested? Well you can. In fact, there are numerous costume ideas that can be created yourself for next to nothing. Better still, there’s little or no sewing involved. All you need is a little imagination and some creativity, something most of us already have tucked away somewhere inside us. And if for some reason you don’t have it, I’m sure the kids do.

An interesting way to come up with ideas for costumes is to keep a trunk or box somewhere handy and fill it with miscellaneous items. This can help spark the imagination. For instance, load it up with old clothing, fabric of varying lengths, pantyhose, fashion accessories, artificial flowers, pipe cleaners and other craft supplies, aluminum foil, yarn, old sheets or curtains, etc. Nearly anything can be used. Instead of traditional Halloween bags for candy, use other items related to your costume and store them in the ‘imagination box.’ For example, you can implement items such as old pocketbooks, pillowcases, garbage bags, baskets, doctor’s bags, small backpacks, or even diaper bags.

Ever since my kids were old enough to participate in trick-or-treating activities, I have made their costumes. Once Halloween approaches, I begin asking them what they would like to be. Then I scour the house and our box of goodies to find whatever I might already have on hand, making a list of the items with which I need. Generally, these few items can be purchased at the local thrift shop or dollar store so there usually isn’t too much money invested in the project.

For safety reasons, I prefer to use make-up or face paint as opposed to masks. You can easily make your own out of food coloring and corn starch. This is not only safer than using masks, but it’s also cheaper, easier to apply, and comes off just as easily with mild soap and water. A simple cream can be made with one part corn starch and two parts food coloring to create the desired shade for your costume. Apply to the face with your fingers just like foundation. And with a few drops of red food coloring and a little corn syrup, you have home-made blood for those ghoulish costumes.

One year my daughter went as a witch. It isn’t as difficult as you might think to come up with creative ways of putting this outfit together. In fact, they can be as easy or difficult as you can handle. For the witch ensemble, I simply used a tattered black dress and a witch’s hat my daughter already had. I mixed up some green face paint and added a wart with an eyeliner pencil. For her hair, I used some fiery, red-orange yarn that I attached to the hat with Velcro. Add a small broom and there you go.

Another year, she was a butterfly. The butterfly was fashioned together by cutting a pair of wings out of some cardboard, which I decorated with multi-colored pieces of felt (you can also use aluminum foil and decorate with sequins, glitter, etc.). The body of the butterfly consisted of nothing more than a black sweat suit; however, a dark-colored leotard should work just as well. Wings can be attached in whatever way is easiest for you. They can be sewn onto the back of the sweatshirt or fastened with elastic bands fitted around the child’s arms. You could also try using Velcro for felt-covered wings. This not only sticks to the felt but to the shirt as well. Add an antennae headband and, if desired, some face paint. The headband can either be purchased from the dollar store for a couple bucks or put together yourself using an ordinary black headband with black pipe cleaners attached.

I transformed my son into a lively jack-in-the-box one year. This idea came about through my own childhood memories. My mother also made a lot of our costumes growing up. Aluminum foil would incredibly become a tiara, a wand, or antennas. Lacy curtains would suddenly become flowing gowns. Her creativity was amazing, and one costume in particular stood out above all others—a kitchen table. She had taken a simple cardboard box, cut out a hole in the bottom, and slipped it right over my head. After draping a tablecloth over the box, my protruding head became the centerpiece with a carefully placed ‘hat’ made from a pair of pantyhose and artificial flowers.

And from this kitchen table costume, another one was born—the jack-in-the-box. It uses the same ‘box’ concept and originality. I simply took a box, decorated it, and attached it to my son with suspenders (can use elastic as well). On one side of the box I fashioned a handle. He wore dark sweatpants and a regular long-sleeved shirt that I attached ruffles to. I painted his face to mimic that of a joker.

A few years back, my kids decided that they wanted their costumes to match. We looked around the house and soon enough found ourselves with a cowboy and an Indian. For the cowboy, my son donned a cowboy hat and boots, a western shirt, blue jeans and a denim jacket. All of which we already had. To accessorize the look, I tied (loosely) a red bandana around his neck and fastened the holster (complete with toy guns) around his waist. Once again, these were items that we already had on hand.

My daughter, of course, was the Indian. Her costume was also something we had just lying around. I took an old brown pillowcase and cut a v-neck hole in the bottom that was large enough for my daughter’s head to fit through. I then cut two more holes in either side for her arms. I hand-stitched designs around both the neck line and bottom of the ‘dress’ and with a pair of scissors, I carefully cut slits along the edges to give it a frilly look. If you don’t sew, that’s ok; you can easily use fabric paint to decorate the dress instead. To set off the dress, my daughter wore braided pigtails with a feathered headband around her forehead. The only item I purchased for this was a pair of moccasin slippers from the dollar store. To hold all their candy, my son carried a pillowcase ‘loot bag’ while my daughter used an old harvest basket lined with an orange towel.

Ever had the option of dressing up for work with the most original taking first prize? This one worked for me. Once again, I borrowed the idea from my mother, giving it my own twist—a tomato plant. For this costume, I wore a dark green leotard with green hose and slippers. I found a dark green table skirt and simply cut out holes to allow me to both slip it over my head and run my arms through. I pinned some green artificial leaves onto the leotard and table skirt along with little tomatoes made from Styrofoam balls that were painted red and topped off with green stems (you can also use tomato pin cushions found in craft stores). I finished it off with a green beret full of leaves. By the way, I took the prize.

I have found balloons to be quite useful for costumes; however, they should only be applied to those of older children or adults. Once again, safety is important and balloons tend to pop easily and small children can accidentally try to eat the balloon pieces. Balloons are inexpensive and come in a wide variety of shapes, colors, and sizes. You can create one-of-a-kind costumes with hardly any work involved. Imagine a bunch of grapes (like that from Fruit-of-the-Loom). Choose a purple sweat suit or leotard and attach purple balloons carefully with small safety pins. Add some ivy vines and top it off with a matching hat full of ivy leaves. This could also be used for other berries as well with appropriate colored sweats and balloons. For instance, you could try raspberries, strawberries, or blackberries.

Then again, why not go out as Mr. Bubble? Wear white and use some white balloons to instantaneously become soap suds. Accessorize with a scrub brush and a hat or bag made up of bath materials such as sponges and empty shampoo, bubble bath, or soap containers. When you apply balloons to any costume, however, try not to put any on the backside. This could make it difficult to sit down.

Other interesting costume ideas might include a scarecrow using denim bib overalls, a plaid or flannel shirt, rope or twine for belt, a straw hat, gloves and boots. Stuff all the pockets with straw. Turn an old sheet into a ghost. Create a hobo from some old clothes and add a hat. Paint the face with a five o’clock shadow and fashion an old hankie to a stick. What’s autumn without leaves? Use a dark-colored sweat suit (with hood) and pin silk leaves all over it. Walk around carrying a rake and gather candy in a leaf bag.

Remember, a little imagination can go a long way; and best of all, it’s free to use.

About the Author