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This year I needed to dress up for Halloween for two different occasions. The day of Halloween I dressed up for work and then the weekend after Halloween we were invited to a party. Needless to say, since being married I do not have extra funds lying around to spend on Halloween costumes, so I used my resources and came up with a very fun and creative idea.
The Supplies:
The day of Halloween I dressed up as a person caught in a wind storm. It isn’t the easiest costume to construct but it is inexpensive and was a hit at the office. First I went to Salvation Army one day during lunch and saw what tag color was 50% off and went directly to the scarfs. For this costume a scarf is a must to get the full wind blown look effect. The scarf was originally 60 cents, and since it was 50% off, I got it for 30 cents.
Second, I went to Goodwill on a weekend that they had 50% off of all of their clothes and since my scarf was brown I looked for a brown skirt and jacket. I got the skirt for $2.00 and the jacket was $2.25. I then went to Dollar Tree and picked up some adjustable wire. Just a side note, the wire I purchased was actually floral wire that you would put in bouquets, which was extremely flimsy and I had to double the wire up while constructing the costume. If you don’t have fake floral leafs at home, I would have gone outside and picked some up off the ground and used them.
Things you have at home that you’ll need: hot glue gun, wire cutters, safety pins (4-6), bobby pins and a headband (optional)
Constructing the Costume:
Flip the skirt inside out and with the wire measure the length you will need, should be the length of the inside seam of the skirt. Hot glue the wire near the seam of the skirt. Then hot glue another wire about 2 inches from the first wire, once you bend it in the direction of your choice it will look like the skirt has a ripple from the wind.
The jacket was kind of tricky for me to get right. I hot glued a wire starting right underneath the armpit (same side that you choose to have the wind blowing) and then mid way to the back of the jacket. I then took the other side of the jacket and safety pinned it to my shirt so that it would stay.
The scarf it probably the easiest piece. Put the scarf on and tie it comfortably around your neck and measure the length from the knot to the end of the scarf on both pieces. Then, lay the scarf on a flat surface and tied knots at the length measured previously, so you have a reference for the length of the wire. Then hot glue the wire on the inside of the scarf at both ends. After it dries then put tie it around your neck comfortably and position one end higher than the other.
I hot glued a leaf to one of my headbands as well (optional).
At the last minute I added the newspaper to my leg. I took one of my stretchy headbands (same color as my tights) and one piece of a newspaper. I wrapped the headband around my leg then took two safety pins and pinned it to the headband.
Now the hair. I did in fact put wire in my hair. I didn’t wash my hair with conditioner that morning so that it would be a bit more coarse. I teased my hair and put it in a pony tail. I added three different pieces of wire and then teased and wrapped my hair around the wire. I put attached a bobby pin to the hair and the wire to help it’s stability as well. I, then, bobby pinned the leaf to my hair and hair-sprayed my bangs to the same side as the rest of my clothes/scarf/ and hair.
Once you put everything on bend the wires in the direction that you choose and walk tall cause you just made an amazing Halloween Costume for right around $8.00 and that feels good.
The second costume was my husbands idea. I think he secretly wishes we lived in the south so he could have an accent. We were a white trash couple. The entire outfit cost about $3.80 I went to salvation army and found that fantastic shirt he is wearing, it was $.90 and the shirt I’m wearing was $.90 as well. My husband had an old pair of work pants that he ripped up a bit more. We cut the sleeves off his shirt and cut the bottom off a bit more so his belly would show. He borrowed a pair of work boots from a friend, he was also carrying around a 40oz bottle of beer that we bought. I already owned my jean jacket, jeans, and boots. I wore big hoop earrings and very dark make-up. It was a ton of fun!
My tip is: The more creative you are, the less expensive costumes will be.
Find ideas from the internet, search through the news and see who is really hitting the tabloids hard. Go to your closet and see what you have to work with and when you do have to buy something, try to spend as little as possible.
Have a blast and Happy Halloween!
This is an old Chicken feed bin. I’m not sure what kind of condition you may find this in, I haven’t ever seen one at an auction, however, I may not have recognized it either.
modernhandmedowns 