Costume Tips

by Sherry Holetzky | More from this Blogger

09 Oct 2006 08:31 AM

Do you make costumes for your children? I have made my children's costumes many times, except for the two years that I gave birth in October. We've had everything from tigers to Teletubbies. Making costumes is fun but it can be challenging sometimes, depending on how elaborate you want to make it. As our family expanded, I began opting for quicker, easier ideas and things I could pull together rather than creating from scratch.

To get started, you may want to walk through your favorite store and take a look at the costume section. You might get inspired, and you'll also see how simple most of these costume designs are. Any supercenter should also offer similar fabrics in the craft or notions section, and you can make these costumes for a fraction of the cost. Cost counts, especially when you have lots of kids to outfit!

One example is an angel costume. My oldest daughter wanted to be an angel one year, but I really wasn't up for spending $20.00 on a flimsy white gown and a pair of wings, plus an additional $5.00 for a separate halo. At the time, I still had two others to outfit (before my youngest was born) and I could find better ways to spend $75.00.

Instead, I bought a pair of wings usually used for butterfly or fairy costumes. I bent them and shaped them a little differently, so they looked less like a butterfly. I then had my daughter wear a white dress that had been her Easter dress previously. I made a halo from wire covered with tinsel. The whole thing ended up costing about $6.00.

Another time, one of my girls wanted to be a movie star. She saw this costume with an "evening gown" and just had to have it. I bought her a formal at a thrift shop for $7.00, altered it to fit, gave her some costume jewelry, and did her hair and make up. I also grabbed a piece of faux fur fabric for about $3.00, which she used as a stole.

There are lots of other ideas that are simple, cute, and affordable, which I'll share later. And, you'll be surprised by how many compliments your costumes get when you show some creativity.

NOTE: Costume ideas are in the "wearable crafts" category of Kid's Crafts.

Learn more about Sherry Holetzky

Sherry Holetzky is a work at home mom and freelance writer. Married to her best friend, Sherry and her husband are raising their family in a quiet rural setting in the beautiful Ozark Mountains.

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