5 Ways to be Green This Halloween

Halloween can be a fantastic time of the year for both kids and adults, but with all those decorations, the costumes, candy and more, it can also mean a lot of waste. But, you can make this a green Halloween if you take these eco friendly tips into consideration and do a little forward planning.

1) Make Your Halloween Candy A Healthy Choice

By choosing your Halloween candy wisely, you’ll be helping to protect your kids’ health as well as the environment. Check out your local health food store to see what they have to offer. Opt for organic treats that aren’t full of artificial ingredients, as well as fair trade chocolate or even homemade baked treats.

5 More Homemade Halloween Costumes Ideas for Kids

Pirate Costume

One of the hottest recent movies is “Pirates of the Caribbean.” With pirates growing in popularity, well, it makes sense that your son or daughter may wish to be a pirate for Halloween. These are not only fun costumes to make, but quite easy as well. So let’s make a homemade pirate’s costume!

Here’s is what is needed: A red bandana and thick red ribbon or large red scarf; old pair of black pants and a white shirt or blouse; an eye patch; hoop earrings – preferable clip-on; black and red eyeliner; cardboard and tin foil; fake bird and wire; and black and brown masking tape.

Fray the edges of the pants and shirt. Place the red bandana on the child’s head and then tie the red ribbon or scarf around the waist. Use some black eye liner to paint the face with a mustache. Use some red eyeliner to paint a scar on the face. Put on the earrings and the eye patch.

To make a sword (every pirate needs a sword), use cardboard and cut out the shape of a sword. Cover it with tin foil. Use black masking tape for the handle.

To make the pirate’s costume authentic to the movie, you can purchase a fake bird and use wire to attach it to the pirates shoulder or sleeve. The funkier the bird, the better.

Here’s another tip: If you wish to have the pirate wear a peg leg, you can simply tape one pant leg with brown masking tape all the way down to the tip of the shoe. Keep the toe part uncovered. Or if this is not suitable for your child, you can always spray paint the leg with brown spray, simulating a wooden peg leg.

Making a pirates costume allows you to be as creative as you wish. Add sparkles to the eye patch, find an old black hat in a thrift store, or instead of a sash, have the pirate wear a belt with a large buckle. There are so many ideas one can use to make a pirate costume for Halloween extra special. Have a happy Halloween…….. Argh!

Princess Costume

If you have a young daughter, odds are she will want to dress up as a princess for Halloween. While it may be easy to just go out and purchase a costume, it can be quite expensive in the long run. Making a homemade princess costume for Halloween can be not only affordable, but fun as well.

If you have a pretty pink or white dress, this can be the basis for the outfit. White leotards and a white body suit to wear under the dress are suggested. Adding glitter to the sleeves of the body suit would also be a great idea, not to mention the body suit and leotards would keep your child warm on Halloween. Once you have these basic items, the next thing which has to be addressed is whether your daughter will wear slippers or shoes. White shoes would be appropriate, or if you can find a pair of white slippers and garnish them with glitter; this would be awesome.

Depending on which princess your daughter has chosen, that is, one of the Disney characters such as Cinderella or Snow White, or perhaps a princess she read about in a book, the right accessories will accent the entire wardrobe to create the most enchanting princess of all.

While some princesses wear capes, others wear fur wraps. Whatever is chosen, it can easily be made with fabric. For example, a white cape can be adorned with gold lace around the edges, and a gold jeweled clasp can be utilized to close the front at the neck. A wrap made of fur can be purchased at a fabric store and cut to fit your daughter’s shoulders. You can attach both ends together with either a beautiful piece of jewelry, preferably one with a clasp.

What’s a princess without a tiara? This can easily be made with wire and ribbons. There are star wires available in different colors. Simply measure the child’s head and cut a piece of star wire and form it into a circle. Use the ribbon to wrap around the base of the wire utilizing one or several color ribbons. You can add additional wire to form a three-dimensional tiara as well.

80’s Punk Rocker Costume

Ah, the 80’s. What a time that was. If you have a son or daughter or who wishes to recreate that time in the form of a Halloween costume, here are some suggestions.

The items needed are make-up, make-up, and more make-up. In addition, jeans with holes in the knees, a funky shirt, some stick-on tattoos, boots, hair gel, and thick black watches or bands for the wrists.

Obviously, it’s all about the make-up and hair. The clothes are the accessories in this case. However, the shirt worn should reflect the 80’s. A punk rock band shirt or perhaps you can make really fantastic punk shirt using your creative talents, a white shirt and drawing logos from that time, or quotes and terms used during that period.

Let’s begin with the make-up. Heavy eye-liner, worn on the eye-lids and under the eyes, red lipstick, eye shadow; the more colorful the better, mascara, and thick eyebrows just about cover the facial part of this costume.

For the hair, there are two ways to set about making a punk hairstyle. Either purchase a pink or blue punk wig or use hair gel to spike the hair. The hair can also be styled into the Mohawk or the Tina Turner look. You can even spray on some color to the tips of the spiked hair as well.

A chain belt would be cool as well. A black leather jacket, if you have one, would definitely be appropriate to wear. There are some pictures of 80's punk rockers who wore spiked chokers and wristbands. Thick bangle bracelets were in as well as large psychedelic earrings.

Gloves can also be made to reflect the era by adding studs to them. Also, if you can find a pair of wild sunglasses, they would complete the entire outfit. One more item you may wish to add. No punk rocker is complete without a guitar. If you can find a cheap guitar with a shoulder strap, this would certainly enhance the look.

Witch Costume

“I’ll get you, my pretty!” These infamous words were spoken by the wicked witch in the beloved movie “The Wizard of Oz.” If your daughter wants to be the good witch, Glenda, on Halloween, or would like to portray the wicked witch, here are some ideas on how to make either homemade costume.

Let’s begin with the good witch. Basically all you need is a white dress, white leotards, white shoes, a tiara, and a wand. Add some make-up and glitter and you have all you need to re-create Glenda.

To make the wand, you can use two straws and put one inside the other. Wrap it in gold paper and purchase star wire at your craft store, and push it through the straw. Add glitter to the star as well. To make the tiara, you can also use star wire. Take the measurement of your child’s head and then make a circle out of the star wire to fit. Add gold ribbon to cover the base of the wire.

In addition, you may wish to add a flowing gold wrap around your daughter’s shoulders. Choose sheer fabric that has gold design.

If your child chooses to be the bad witch, well there is no end to the creativity you can utilize to make this costume. Depending upon whether your child wants to portray a scary witch, in which case you will have to paint some warts on her face. You can even paint your child’s face green, just like the witch in the “Wizard of Oz.” Or if she wants to be the wicked witch with a broom, a black cape and pointy black hat will be needed. An entirely black outfit would be recommended for any bad witch to wear.

Here’s another tip: If your child wants to be a witch from the Snow White movie, she can carry a basket of apples, with one a chunk of one apple cut out.

No matter which witch your child chooses to be on Halloween, making the costume will be as much fun as going out trick or treating.

Scarecrow Costume

Making a scarecrow costume for Halloween is not only fun, but you can allow the creative juices to flow endlessly. This is one easy homemade costume to make.

You’ll need blue jeans, preferably faded; a flannel shirt - size large; a straw hat; some fabric to make patches; rope; straw and make-up.

Now that you have the necessary items, you can begin.

Match some patches using fabric, and sew them onto the jeans in no particular pattern. Dress the intended scarecrow with the flannel shirt and jeans. Use the rope as a belt. Ensure the jeans are long enough so you can cuff them.

Now comes the fun part. Take the straw and place it in the sleeves of the shirt so they stick out; stuff them into the shirt as well ensuring the straw sticks out as well. You may want your child to wear a body suit so the straw won’t become too itchy. You can stuff the jeans with straw too.

Using eyeliner, you can draw stitches around the mouth, and use some red paint to make a triangular shaped nose.

The straw hat should look worn. So scrunch it up a bit before you place it on the scarecrow’s head. Put some straw in your child’s hair, and have some sticking out of the hat as well. You may even wish to make a pointed hat using cardboard and black felt. Then you can decorate the hat however you wish.

Another idea would be to purchase a fake black bird, which resembles a crow, and attach it to your child’s shoulder using wire. Poke the wire through the flannel shirt and twist it so it remains secure.

Scarecrow costumes are so much fun to make and utilizing all of the accessories mentioned herein, your child is sure to be a hit on Halloween.

Recommended:

Would you like to quickly make creative Halloween costumes that you and your children will be proud of -- for a fraction of the price of store-bought? Susanne Myers has co-authored a book to show you how -- no sewing involved.
Visit ILoveHalloweenCostumes.com to learn more.

5 Homemade Halloween Costumes For Kids

Beautiful Butterfly

Butterflies are lovely to look at, but it is even more beautiful when your child decides to become one for Halloween. Here are some tips on how to make a homemade butterfly costume.

Before you begin this project, you may wish to take a trip to the library and check out the books on butterflies. Let your child choose one she particularly likes and follow the color scheme when making the costume.

Purchase sheer fabric in the color your child has chosen. Find fabric that has spots or designs which closely resemble a butterfly. Then cut the fabric in half. Since the body of the butterfly tends to be black, your child can wear a black turtleneck or body suit and leotards. Sew each piece of fabric down the back of the leotard and take the other ends and sew each piece to the sleeve of the turtleneck or body suit. When your child lifts her arms, the wings will show their brilliant color.

Use black eye-liner to place dots on the child’s face. Use pipe cleaners to make the antennae by taking long strips of construction paper and wrapping it around your child’s head to ensure a good fit. Attach the pipe cleaners to the construction paper with staples, then place cotton balls at the tip of each of the pipe cleaners. You can color the cotton balls with whatever color is dominant in the butterfly.

Another creative idea is to dress your child up in a warm solid color outfit, especially if it’s a cold Halloween day. Perhaps one that is similar to a jogging suit and has a stripe down the side of the pant legs. Make the wings by using cardboard to trace the design. Cut it out and then paint the wings a color that closely matches the outfit. Add glimmer or stickers to the wings as well. You can attach the wings by taking ribbon of the same color and wrapping it around the center part of the wings (where it curves inward), and then around the child. In this way, it won’t fall off the back.

Funny Clown

“Be a clown, be a clown, all the world loves a clown.” Just singing that song puts you in a happy mood, right? One of the most fun costumes to make at home for Halloween is the clown costume. It can be as wild and as imaginative as ever. Here are some suggestions.

Let your imagination run wild. Start with a white, red, or black sweat suit. Then go to town painting all different colors and shapes on it, from polka dots to triangles. With some make-up you can paint your child’s face in any way you wish. Draw triangles around the eyes, paint the nose red or find a red nose in a craft store, and use red lipstick to make a happy smile on the face of your child. If you can find an inexpensive clown wig, that would be great as well.

Another idea is to wear a menagerie of different clothing. Find an oversized shirt with loud stripes, plaid pants, and red suspenders. Add a funky oversized jacket, and you‘re good to go. For the shoes, you can find large-sized shoes that your child can fit into with his or her own shoes on.

If your child wishes to wear a hat, you can use a plain party hat and spray paint it with different colors and add polka dots to it or glimmer as well.

Here’s a tip: Add one or two balloons inside the jacket, and when your child goes trick or treating and someone asks for a trick, you child can open up the jacket and the balloons will pop out!

Oh, don’t forget the big bowtie! You can make it out of different color satin fabrics. Add a ruffled fabric to wear around the neck and you have the makings of the best clown in your neighborhood.

Not So Scary Ghost

Nothing exemplifies Halloween more than a ghost costume. It is probably the easiest to make and can be as simple or complex as you wish. Let’s take a look at two ideas for a ghost costume for Halloween.

Traditionally, one would cut out two holes in a white sheet, for the eyes, color the outer circle of the eyes black, and just wear it as is. However, this Casper the Friendly Ghost type costume would be a bit of a problem if the sheet fell off and the child couldn’t see where he or she was going. So, here is a suggestion.

Take a white sheet and cut a large enough hole so it can fit over the child’s head. Ensure that the bottom of the sheet is short enough so the child doesn’t trip over it. Since October is a cool month, wearing white pants and a white turtleneck top would be recommended. Oh, don’t forget white shoes or sneakers. Now that the costume itself is ready to go, here comes the fun part.

Use a non-chemical white powder makeup to paint the face. Use black make up and make a complete circle carefully around the eyes. The hair is next. There are two ways you can go with this. You can either purchase a white wig, or you can spray the hair with white spray. Voila! This ghost is a winner!

The second ghost costume can be made directly from the movie “A Christmas Carol.” How about dressing up as Marley? Using the same items as the first costume, the only difference is you will need a ball and chain to wrap around the costume.

You make a chain one using different colored pieces of construction paper. Cut the paper into strips, then take each strip and staple the ends together. Take another strip and put one end through the first and staple. If you decided to make the ball to go with the chain, you can take lots of newspaper and scrunch it up into a ball and spray paint it black. You can attach it to the chain with a piece of wire.

One more thing, instead of making the child’s hair completely white, you can use a shower cap with holes it in, and spray it white. This way, it will look a bit more authentic. Remember, Marley’s hair wasn’t all white. Also, Marley wasn’t too well kept, so you can make some holes in the white sheet and add a little black spray on the bottom as well.

Little Old Lady/Man

You know what’s so great about dressing up for Halloween? You can be just about anyone you want to be. Dressing up as a little old lady or little old man are no exceptions. These costumes are so easy to make. You just need the help of your parents to accessorize the look.

To dress up as a little old lady, one can utilize an old house dress, a pair of heavy knee-hi stockings, a white wig, glasses, sneakers, a really old-fashioned pocket book, and bobby pins.

Shorten the house dress to fit just below the knee. Then put on the knee-hi stockings and roll them down a bit. Sneakers or old shoes would be fine. If you can find a white wig, it would be perfect. If not, you can make the child’s hair gray using flour. The pocket book is perfect for show. The bobby pins are wonderful as you can make pin curls on your child’s head. If you have an old hat, add that to the mix as well. Finally, the eye glasses and voila, a little old lady has been made.

To dress up as a little old man, use dark pants, a dress shirt, vest, and a jacket. You’ll need a hat as well as a cane. Use flour on the hair for the graying effect. Brown shoes would be appropriate, as well as brown or black socks, depending upon the color of the suit. If you happen to have a pocket watch, you can add that accessory as well.

If you wish to add some additional accessories, you can always have the little old lady push a wagon – the kind used for grocery shopping. You may also want to have the little old man carry a newspaper under his arm as well.

Have fun creating these costumes. You certainly have enough to work with. Look at pictures of your parents or their parents. Perhaps you may want to dress up your kids in a different period such as the 30s or 40s. Either way, your entire family will have a great time.

Mummy-Mummy

Making a mummy costume for Halloween can be hilarious. However, if you want it to truly be a unique and authentic mummy costume, here are some ideas you can try.

There are several ways you can make the costume. Using strips from a white sheet and wrapping the mummy with them is one idea. You can adhere them using white medical tape. Leave the eyes, nose, and mouth uncovered, but use a light brown powder to cover the areas of skin exposed. You can use eyeliner to add under the eyes, like the Egyptians.

Another method you can use is to have your child wear a white body suit and leotards. Then add the strips of a white sheet and hold them in place with the medical tape. But if you want to add authenticity, you can cut the strips from the sheet the night before and soak them in brewed tea. This will give the entire mummy look an aged appearance. In addition, you may want to fray some of the strips so that the mummy will look quite old as well.

In addition, if you have ever seen any of the Discovery Channel programs on recent mummy finds in Egypt, you will notice that while most of the mummies are covered, there are portions of their bodies which are exposed. Well, you can take some brown magic marker and outline a few ribs, or the upper and bottom row of teeth. In addition, you can use black magic marker to give the appearance that certain body parts are missing, giving the illusion there are holes in the body.

Mummies have been around for thousands of years, and making a homemade mummy costume can be as unique and authentic to the real mummies found today. The main thing is to have a great time creating it.

Recommended:

Would you like to quickly make creative Halloween costumes that you and your children will be proud of -- for a fraction of the price of store-bought? Susanne Myers has co-authored a book to show you how -- no sewing involved. Visit ILoveHalloweenCostumes.com to learn more.

Homemade Halloween Beaded Jewelry

Dressing up in full costume on Halloween is lots of fun. But don't forget that the perfect costume isn't complete without the right accessories! Why not make some beaded jewelry to finish the look?

Beaded Halloween Jewelry for Beginners

There are plenty of simple beaded jewelry pieces that do not require a great deal of skill. You can whip these up in no time, and they can add lots of punch to your costume (or even an everyday outfit). You don't even have to go by a pattern if you don't want to. Here's what you'll need to make a simple beaded bracelet:

* Elastic thread
* Medium sized beads
* Scissors

Cut a piece of elastic about 10 inches long. Tie a knot in one end large enough to prevent the beads from falling off. Then add beads as you like, either randomly or in a pattern that you like. Once you've added enough beads to make the bracelet the right size for your wrist, tie the ends together and cut off the excess string.

You can find lots of Halloween themed beads at your local craft store or online. Bat, ghost, and skull beads are great for making fun Halloween bracelets. You can also use this technique to make beaded necklaces. Just decide how long you want your necklace to be, and use a piece of elastic that is 2 to 4 inches longer than that.

More Advanced Techniques

You can also make some nice Halloween pieces by doing bead weaving. This is often done on a loom, but it can be done by hand as well. It can produce a flat, fabric-like piece, or a three-dimensional piece. Bead weaving requires certain stitches and knots, but it's not that difficult to learn.

Bead weaving is a general term that encompasses a number of beading techniques. Some more specific types of bead weaving include beadpoint, bead embroidery, bead crochet, and needleweaving. All of these can be used to create great Halloween jewelry. Bead weaving is great for making spider earrings and pendants.

Another beading technique is wire wrapping. This involves placing beads on jewelry wire and bending the wire into decorative shapes. Certain tools are required, including a flush cutter, round nose pliers, and bent nose pliers. There are also other tools that are used to do certain techniques and to make wire wrapping easier.

Wire wrapping is great for making bracelets, earrings and pendants. You can use all sorts of fun Halloween beads to make a bold and unique piece. Why not make a matching set?

Beaded jewelry can add some splash to any Halloween costume. It's also great for wearing anywhere you want to show your Halloween spirit but can't wear a costume. You don't have to be an expert to create nice pieces. All you need is some elastic thread, beads and your imagination to get started.


Recommended: It's Almost Time For Trick Or Treat. With Our Simple & Easy Costume Ideas We'll Show You The Tricks While Your Wallet Gets The Treat

Quick and Easy Homemade Halloween Trick or Treat Bags

Before Halloween arrives, kids (and many adults) put a lot of thought into putting together the perfect Halloween costume, complete with mask or face paint, wigs, and accessories. The thought of the trick or treat bag usually comes second.

Here are some tips for making a quick and easy homemade Halloween trick or treat bag that is sure to be a hit.

* Sew up a simple trick or treat bad by using some Halloween-themed fabric. You can whip one up in no time with a sewing machine, or they can easily be sewn by hand if you don't have one.

* Find a plain, solid-colored canvas tote bag to dress up. You can decorate it to your liking by sewing or gluing on embellishments, or by using fabric paint.

* A plain brown paper shopping bag, or an inexpensive gift bag can be decorated simply with markers, crayons, paint or more elaborately with embellishments and glue. Trace a Halloween coloring page onto the bag and let your children paint or color the picture.

* Try a bucket instead of a bag. Look in the toy aisle at the store for a beach or sand box bucket. They are very easy to embellish.

* Match up your trick or treat bag and your Halloween costume. This applies not only to color, but also to the theme of the bag. If it's to go with a witch costume, for example, you could make a black cat face on it, a broom, a full moon, etc...

* To add a nice spooky touch and increase safety when trick or treating, add some glow in the dark accents. Some options include fabric paint, foam decals and stickers.

Here are 4 Halloween trick or treat bag ideas to help you get you started:

* Jack-o-lantern bag -

1 orange gift bag
Black construction paper
Glue
Cut three triangles out of black construction paper for the eyes and nose, and cut out a smiling mouth. Glue them on for a quick and whimsical trick or treat tote.

* Princess bag -

1 Pink gift bag or canvas tote bag
Stick-on or glue on gems
Glitter glue
Satin ribbon
For girls who are getting all dolled up for Halloween, a bag fit for royalty is in order. You can make one in short order by putting stick-on gems (or using a Bedazzler) on a pink canvas tote bag. Add glitter glue for accents. Use satin ribbon to make some pretty bows to stitch on.

* Spider web fabric bag -

Halloween themed spiderweb fabric
Needle and Thread
Glow in the dark paint
Glow in the dark spiders
Find some fabric with a spider web pattern to use to sew a tote bag. Paint over the web pattern with glow in the dark fabric paint, and embellish with plastic glow in the dark spiders.

* Monster bag -

Plain grocery bag or gift bag
Construction paper
Wiggley eyes
Paint or markers
Glue
Decorate a plain grocery or gift bag to look like Frankenstein, Dracula, or another favorite villain. Use construction paper, markers, googly eyes, and whatever else strikes your fancy.

All it takes is a little imagination and a few supplies to make a homemade Halloween trick or treating bag that your children (or you yourself) will love!
Recommended:

Over 90 Homemade Costumes Ideas and Instructions

Homemade Paper Mache Halloween Masks

By: Susanne Myers

Do you need a fun mask for your child to go with a great costume? Or maybe you want to start with a mask and build the rest of the costume around it. You and your child can have a lot of fun making a paper mache mask from scratch.

You’ll need just a few things to make just about any mask you can imagine. Those items include balloons, newspaper, wallpaper glue and some acrylic paint. A pair of sharp scissors comes in handy to cut out eyes and mouth. Wear old clothing, or put an apron on both you and your child. Making the mask can get a bit messy.

Cover your work area in plenty of newspaper to protect it from glue and paint. Next, cut several newspapers into strips. Blow up a balloon so it is slightly larger than your child’s head. Now dip a newspaper strip completely in the glue and stick it on the balloon. Continue doing this back and forth until you have the entire balloon covered in several layers of newspaper. Work out any wrinkles as you go along. The more layers of newspaper you have, the sturdier the mask will be.

Finally add any features specific to the mask you are making. For example, if you are making a frog mask, sculpt two ball shapes at the top of the mask that you can later paint as eyes. If you are making a cat, dog, or monkey mask, form the snout and of course don’t forget about ears. The only limit is your imagination.

Allow the mask to dry completely, preferably over night. Once it is completely hardened, start cutting into the mask to pop the balloon. Cut a large enough opening so your child can get his or her head inside the mask, then cut eye and mouth openings. For younger children, you may prefer to cut the back of the mask out completely, and, instead, wrap a piece of ribbon or yarn around the back of the head to secure the mask to allow better air-passage.

Paint the mask in a solid color and allow it to dry completely. Then add details like eyes, nose and lips in different colors. Once that coat of paint is completely dry, it is ready to wear. For a longer lasting and shiny mask, cover the mask in several layers of hodge podge before using it.

Author Resource -> Would you like to quickly make creative Halloween costumes that you and your children will be proud of -- for a fraction of the price of store-bought? Susanne Myers has co-authored a book to show you how -- no sewing involved. Visit ILoveHalloweenCostumes.com to learn more.

Article From FreeAffiliateArticles.com

Halloween Costumes You Can Make Out Of A Cardboard Box

by Halloween Costumes

Do you have a cardboard box that is large enough to fit around your child? If so, you can easily make a costume for your child for Halloween – and save a lot of money in the process.

Start by cutting a hole in the box for your child’s head. Or, if the box is smaller, then you’ll attach straps to the edges of the box when the costume is completed (like suspenders) and fit them over your child’s shoulders. Also, cut arm holes if you aren’t doing the suspender method. Then you’re ready to get started.

All of these outfits fit perfectly over leggings and a long sleeve shirt (or jacket).

Box of Cereal -
Does your child have a favorite cereal? Fruit Loops, Cheerios, Cocoa Puffs? Any box of cereal can be painted onto a cardboard box and turned into a costume.

Computer Monitor -
Spray paint the box grey. After it dries, paint a white screen on the front of the monitor. Of course, you can have fun decorating the screen with your favorite website, or print the screen from your favorite website and glue it onto the box for a more realistic look.

Robot -
Spray paint the box grey or silver. Then, after the paint dries, find a mish-mash of nuts and bolts and glue them to the box. You may also create attachments from aluminum foil, dryer vents, duct tape, or whatever you have lying around the house.

A Wrapped Gift -
Wrap the entire box in gift wrap (whatever kind you like the best) and stick a bow on your child’s head. He or she can trick-or-treat as a wrapped gift.

Invite your child to help with making his or her costume. Spending time creating these costumes together may end up being even more fun than trick-or-treating. Be sure to take lots of pictures.

Would you like to quickly make creative Halloween costumes that you and your children will be proud of -- for a fraction of the price of store-bought? Nicole Dean has co-authored a book to show you how -- no sewing involved. Visit ILoveHalloweenCostumes.com to learn more.

Article Source: http://www.freeaffiliatearticles.com/directory

Halloween Costume Ideas for Toddlers

by Halloween Costumes

Dressing up your toddler for Halloween is a lot of fun. Enjoy it while you can. Before you know it your sweet little toddler will be in kindergarten or first grade and will have developed a much stronger opinion on his or her costume choices and you’ll no longer be able to dress him in the costume of your choice. Here are a few ideas for toddler Halloween costumes to get you started. Of course there are plenty of other options out there as well. With a little creativity, the possibilities are endless.

Dwarf

Start with earth tone pants and shirt. Brown and dark greens work well. Put your child in some boots as well. Make a simple hat out of felt, similar to a witch’s hat but with a smaller brim. Finish the outfit with some gardening tools. Your little dwarf right out of “Snow White” is ready to go trick or treating.

Pumpkin

Start with a large orange sweatshirt. Cut eyes and a mouth shape out of black or yellow felt and glue them on the front of the shirt. Put the shirt on your child, fold up the sleeves, then stuff the belly and back area with newspapers or quilt batting to make it look nice and round like a pumpkin. Top it all of with a green cap. You can even cut some leaf shapes out of green felt and glue them to the top of the cap.

Sunflower

Dress your child in a green shirt and pants. For smaller children, especially those in colder climates, a one piece pajama-type outfit with feet works well. For the flower part, start with a brown hat or cap. Cut flower petal shapes out of yellow felt and glue them all around the hat. If you’d like you can cut two large leaf shapes out of green felt and glue them at the back of each of the shirt’s sleeves. A little plastic watering can makes a cute pail to carry candy in.

Would you like to quickly make creative Halloween costumes that you and your children will be proud of -- for a fraction of the price of store-bought? Susanne Myers has co-authored a book to show you how -- no sewing involved. Visit ILoveHalloweenCostumes.com to learn more.

Article Source: http://www.freeaffiliatearticles.com/directory

Halloween Costumes You Can Make at Home

Back in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, it seems like kids were satisfied with whatever Halloween costume their mother came up with the night before. In many homes, that meant you were going to be one of three things on Halloween night: a hobo, ghost, or a gypsy.

Nowadays, children are more demanding than ever when it comes to their Halloween costume. In fact, there are so many activities surrounding the Halloween holiday that some kids might wear one, two or three costumes over the four-week long Halloween season.

For trick-or-treating around the neighborhood, they may wear one costume and at the school, church or community center “Trunk or Treat” event, they may want to wear something else.

To purchase pre-made Halloween costumes is an expensive proposition regardless of how much money you have. Purchasing a costume at $20, $30 or even more when the ‘wear date’ is virtually one 24-hour period is just too pricy for most modern families. Convenience comes with a price; however, creativity goes right out the window when pre-made Halloween costumes are worn.

Families have been turning to Homemade Halloween Costumes for the past several years.

Homemade Halloween Costumes have many benefits:

- They generally cost less to make than purchasing a pre-made, pre-packaged Halloween costume.
- Making a homemade costume requires ingenuity, creativity and resourcefulness.
- Homemade Halloween costume creation is an activity where all family members can contribute.
- Homemade Halloween costumes are simply more attractive and generate a bigger “wow” factor.
- The kids are generally much more proud of wearing a homemade Halloween costume when it’s created with love and togetherness. It makes Halloween night that much more special.

Homemade Halloween costume ideas are everywhere. The first place to look is in your own home.

Do you have a white sweatshirt and white sweatpants? Make a Dalmatian, an angel or a ghost.

Do you have a brown sweatshirt and brown sweatpants? Make a white-spotted puppy dog.

Do you have green pants and a green shirt or sweatshirt? Cut some ‘petals’ from fun foam, hot glue them to an old headband and you’ve got a flower.

Do you have an old robe and old some old slippers? Add some hair rollers and a coffee mug and you’ve got a tired mom costume.

There are dozens and dozens of costumes that can be easily made at home. And don’t forget about making your child a hobo or a gypsy. It could be the most original costume you’ll see this year.

Easy Halloween Face Painting Designs

by Face Painting

With Halloween quickly approaching, face painting season is kicking into high gear. Try these easy, but immensely child-pleasing Halloween "cheek art" designs at class parties, fall festivals and homecoming carnivals.

TOOLS
Begin with good quality, water-based face paints. You can find them online or in some theatrical stores. A palette of six, good-quality face paints is priced around $12.00 and includes enough paint for 70 or more cheek art designs. Water-based face paints apply as easily as watercolors and remove cleanly with a paper towel and water.

For a small gathering of children, two or three small to medium sized paint brushes will be sufficient. A bowl of water to rinse the brushes and a roll of paper towels conclude the list of basic supplies.

GHOST
In my opinion, the simplest design to paint is that of a ghost. The basic shape of the ghost is that of a triangle. With a brush loaded with white paint, paint a loose triangle by creating a wavy line to outline the ghost. Fill in with more white paint, dot on black eyes and a smile and the ghost is complete.

CANDY CORN
Nothing is "sweeter" than a face dotted with painted candy corn. The basic shape is a pyramid, with yellow on the bottom third, orange on the middle third and white at the peak. You can create a candy corn crown by painting the candies in succession along the forehead.

JACK-O-LANTERN
To paint a jack-o-lantern, begin with a circle or oval of orange paint. When the orange paint dries, add small triangles in black paint for the eyes and nose and paint a toothy smile in black as well. Add a green stem and your jack-o-lantern is complete.

IN SUMMARY

The most important thing to remember when face painting is to have fun and keep it simple! Children aren't expecting a Picasso to be painted on their face. They simply love to celebrate the occasion and face painting is the perfect way to light up the face of any child.

JoAnne Westcott is the author of Easy Face Painting: How You Can Get Professional Results Even If You've Never Picked Up A Paintbrush. You can learn more about face painting and how to acquire the simple skills to get started by visiting ezfacepainting.com

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History of Halloween Costumes

by Halloween Costumes

Have you ever wondered where the idea of dressing up for Halloween, or the idea for Halloween in general came from? After all, it is kind of an odd tradition. Children dress up in costumes, pretending to be someone else and then “threaten” to play a trick on their neighbors, unless they receive some candy.

The tradition of Halloween goes back to an ancient Celtic custom. As far back as the 5th century B.C. Celtic tribes in Ireland believed that the spirits of the dead were allowed to come back to earth once a year on October 31st. The Celtic New Year began on November 1st and the belief was that, on the night before the border between the world of the living and that of the dead became blurred. The spirits of the dead would then be able to cross over for this one night into the world of the living.

People were afraid of what the spirits may do to them, so they started to dress up to disguise themselves. They would roam the streets in these disguises trying to fool the spirits into believing that they weren’t living beings. Of course the costumes weren’t nearly as elaborate as they are today, and were usually scary costumes. People would wear rags and smear ashes on their faces to disguise themselves and keep the spirits of the dead away.

The tradition of Halloween came to the United States in 1840, with the arrival of a group of Irish immigrants. From there it slowly evolved into our modern day version of Halloween, with kids dressing up as Dora the Explorer ™ and Power Rangers ™, pretending to be their favorite TV characters.

While the spirit of Halloween and the meaning behind it have changed over the centuries, it is still a holiday that allows us to pretend to be someone else, by dressing down in rags and blackening our face to hide it, or by wearing a fancy costume with a mask, or using face paint to disguise our appearance.

Would you like to quickly make creative Halloween costumes that you and your children will be proud of -- for a fraction of the price of store-bought? Susanne Myers has co-authored a book to show you how -- no sewing involved. Visit ILoveHalloweenCostumes.com to learn more.

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