Well, I think I have officially earned the title of "Crafty."
This year, because we're on such a tight budget I decided to do a little DIY project for my girls' Halloween costumes, and by golly I think they turned out pretty cute.
If you can't tell, Baby O. was a Mermaid and Big Sister H. was a Friendly Ghost - she was sure to tell people about the "friendly" part so she didn't scare anyone. Heh, heh.
Because I wanted to be thrifty, and cost effective I looked around for the cheapest tutus and leotards that I wouldn't feel bad messing up if my project didn't work out.
After tons of research, I found the best deal and literally bought everything I needed for the "Friendly Ghost" costume, at Always Underpay* (www.alwaysunderpay.com) which is actually a dance supply and wholesale tutu site.
*Nope, I was not paid to mention this company, I found out about them all on my own and paid for all my materials independently (just in case you were wonderin', heh, heh).
Friendly Ghost
For this costume, I just paired a white long sleeve tee with a white tutu and white leggings. I hand-stitched on the eyes and mouth - cut from black felt. The stitching was easy, but time consuming, so if you want a shortcut, use a heat/bond iron on adhesive.
Here's what I bought from Always Underpay:
- Older Girl Tutu (white) - $3.75 (because I wanted it longer than the traditional toddler tutu)
- Long Sleeve Petti Top (white) - $3.95
- Toddler Kufi Caps (white) - $1.50
- Ostrich Puff (white) - $2.49
Sea Mermaid
For this costume, I used a white leotard, purchased from the company mentioned above, and used some iron on adhesive to attach the "seashells" that I cut from purple felt - for the shape think triangle with a bunch of ruffles on top. I "be-dazzled (can I use that phrase or is it copywrited? eeek!) the shells with multi-colored sequins and attached them with glitter glue. Easy, peasy.
The super cute tutu is actually from a company called Just Pretend Kids, who sent me a sample of their "Mermaid Tutu" to review on my blog awhile back.
My 15 month old is wearing the 2T/3T Mermaid Tutu and it fits just right, so if you're unsure I'd go a size up in this one. It's nothing like the tutus you can find at the dollar store that just fall apart. This tutu so far has held up to months of playtime from both my 2 and 1 year old, and seems to be made with very high quality materials. It really is quite beautiful.
My 15 month old is wearing the 2T/3T Mermaid Tutu and it fits just right, so if you're unsure I'd go a size up in this one. It's nothing like the tutus you can find at the dollar store that just fall apart. This tutu so far has held up to months of playtime from both my 2 and 1 year old, and seems to be made with very high quality materials. It really is quite beautiful.
I got so many "oohs, and ahhs" while walking the kids around the neighborhood to trick-or-treat this year. I felt pretty darn good knowing that my own time and effort had gone into their costumes, and honestly, it only took a few hours.
So, if you're unsure whether it's worth it to make your own costumes next year, I'd say go for it. I have limited time and resources as it is, so I'm not one to jump at a long and tedious project, so take it from me.....this was pretty simple.
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Well, I hope all of you had a wonderful Halloween, full of fun, surprises and treats galore this year.
p.s. I'd love to hear about your DIY creations (or not) this year for your own children's Halloween costumes. Feel free to share them below!
They look lovely! Great job on putting them together. I made costumes one year for my boys and it turned out so well. I really REALLY need to do it again.
ReplyDeleteHey Craftcherry - what did you make for your boys to wear? I'm curious to see! :-)
ReplyDelete