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Easy, original, and awesome homemade Halloween costumes for kids

  • July 8, 2010 1:57 am

Easy, original, and awesome homemade Halloween costumes for kids

On Halloween, a kid’s imagination is brightly lit with fantasies of dressing up as a pirate, a la Brad Pitt, or perhaps the loveliest little angel. This second most popular holiday of the year gives every kid a chance to fantasize and, be, for that one night a hero, cowgirl, witch, or anything that suits their fantasy.

While there are plenty of shops and discount stores you can shop for ready made costumes, there are two disadvantages to off-the-rack costumes over the homemade Halloween costumes for kids. First, if the kids are going trick or treating and your child sees every other girl in her costume, she may feel slightly deflated. Homemade Halloween costumes for kids are one of a kind. Second, making Halloween costumes is cheaper than buying.

So, what if you’re not a seamstress? No problem. In this case, get a simple ready made costume. For girls, you can embellish with feathers, sequins, beads, lace, flowers and such lavishness. For boys, fancy trims enhancing the realistic Pirate image (or super hero or Fireman), makes this costume unique. How about a scarf for his bandanna? Now, all you need is a glue gun and you’re good to go. Craft, thrift and fabric stores are great places to find these special add-ons.

Some younger kids know right off the bat who or what they want to be on Halloween. If your child can’t decide, help them through their general costume themes, such as movie or cartoon characters. You can probably make suggestions when you have a good idea whether they’d rather be funny, pretty or scary.

As kids get older, their appreciation for unusual and perhaps a tad more bizarre Halloween costumes grows. Sometimes groups of teens will decide to all wear the same costume to make a real statement as they pluck their loot from your Halloween basket. Let them decide (within your ethical values) on their costume. That and the candy is the whole fun of Halloween!

Once your child has decided on the costume, it’s time to shop. If you are an experienced seamstress, you may not even need a pattern, for, say a ghost! Attaching those neon-glow stars and planets will make your ghost highly visible and add a mysterious glow, enhancing the costume.

Whether you choose to buy or make your kids Halloween costume, be sure the fabric is fire-retardant, for safety’s sake. The most successful homemade Halloween costumes for kids are those made with the add-ons they choose, not you. Talk about original!

Perhaps the best reason in favor of homemade Halloween costumes for kids is that you get to spend some time, enjoying and indulging your kid’s fantasies.

For More Ideas Look: http://HalloweenFor.com

Jerry Oakman http://marketingpixels.com

Safe, Fun & Easy Face Painting for Halloween

  • June 22, 2010 4:34 am

FACE PAINTING YOUR LITTLE GOBLIN FOR HALLOWEEN

Boo! Did I scare you? Well I think it’s scary that it’s almost that time of year when all our little ghosts, goblins and princesses will be roaming the streets. As parents of young children we may be making choices for our kids about Halloween and trick-or-treating. One thing that remains constant from year to year is the wonderment and joy of dressing up in costume! A growing trend nationwide along with homemade costumes is the use of face paint to complete a costume. In fact some costumes can’t be done any other way. So what kind do you use? With all the recalls dealing with paint and increased

cases of allergies, which paint is really safe to use?’

Unfortunately the answer isn’t completely black and white. We humans have a varying level of sensitivity to cosmetics and chemicals; we see this in the mom who can’t wear certain moisturizers, children who can’t use bubble bath and entire offices that ban fragrances because of severe allergies.

Craft Paint
Too often well intentioned volunteers will face paint at local holiday carnivals or fairs with craft paint they have in the supply closet, duly noting that it is ‘non-toxic’. However, there seems to be a misunderstanding of the term “non-toxic.” Non-toxic only means that something will not kill you if you ingest it. (At least not right away.) This does not mean it is approved for us on the face or body. Think of it this way a jalapeno is non-toxic but you wouldn’t want to rub it on your face. Likewise a craft or acrylic paint may contain toxic chemicals such as polymers and potential carcinogens. When reactions occur they most often include painful raised blisters and itchy rashes, on rare occasions the use of craft paint

can scar some skin types and cause serious anaphylactic allergies resulting in inflammation of the airways.

Tempra Paint
Another dubious material sometimes recommended is tempra paint mixed with face lotion. And even though our children may have painted themselves once or twice at home without adverse reactions, tempra isn’t FDA approved for use on the face. Of course our concerns are justifiably heightened when we’re dealing with children who are more sensitive to toxins than adults.

Food Coloring
Other ‘recipes’ available on the internet include a variety using food coloring. Web sites promote using food coloring mixed with glycerin, flour, corn syrup or cold cream. And while most of these ingredients are ‘food safe’ there is no escaping the fact that you are applying food coloring to your child’s face — and possibly clothes, bedding and furniture. Any mother who’s made a birthday cake or two can attest to the staining power of food coloring!

While food coloring is perhaps the least toxic of this short list of coloring agents, if you suspect a rash has been caused by a substance you painted on your child, immediately wash the area with cool water and gentle soap. Be careful — occasionally harsh detergent soaps or even baby wipes can exacerbate the problem. Then try an over-the-counter Benadryl lotion. If the problem persists, consult your doctor right away. If any reaction to a product occurs it will probably happen within the first fifteen minutes. This goes for hypersensitive children who react to industry standard cosmetic-grade make up, as well as kids who have been painted with craft paint.

As a mom and a body artist I would never paint my child, or any child, with anything less than top quality professional paints you can buy from reputable online merchants or at select costume shops. A quality  list of professional water based face suppliers include: Snazaroo, Wolfe Bros., Graftobian, Fantasy World Wide, Paradise, Kryolan, Ben Nye and Fardel. Snazaroo is so confident of their product they stand behind it with a two million dollar product liability policy and an entire web site of useful FDA information. So pick a costume, design a face to go with it, then give your child that special extra touch that makes him or her stand out from the rest of the trick-or-treating crowd and be confident that you know what you’re putting on your angel is attractive AND safe!

FairyDust Faces is Northern California’s full service face and body art company specializing in Face painting, glitter and airbrush tattoos, body painting and henna body art. www.FairyDustFaces.com

Frightfully Easy, Budget-friendly Kids’ Halloween Costumes

  • May 3, 2010 7:10 pm

 

Need a quick and easy Halloween costume that doesn’t scare your budget? There are loads of clever, affordable and adorable options that anyone can make in just a matter of minutes!

Halloween is just around the corner, and you know what that means: you’ll need costumes for your kids. Halloween costume stores have some great costumes – but many also have frightful prices. If you’re on a budget – or simply prefer to use your creativity – there are plenty of easy options for making a clever, low-budget Halloween costume for your child.

Bunch of Grapes

This one is a classic! Have your child wear plain sweat pants and sweat shirt or a leotard and tights. Then just blow up purple or green balloons and stick them to the clothing with safety pins. Add a paper or cloth “stem” hat if desired. You can also use curled ribbon to make vine accents.

Sleep Walker

This is an easy one. Have your child wear pajamas, slippers and a robe. Mess up his or her hair for a bed-head look, and have them collect candy in a pillowcase.

Dirty Laundry

Use an old laundry basket, cut out the base, and then slip it over your child’s head. Attach robe belts, scarves or rope to create suspenders to hold the basket in place. For the finishing touch, put some old clothing, empty laundry soap containers, dryer sheets and clothespins to create the “laundry.”

Route 66

On a gray or black sweat suit, create a “road” with masking tape, then make road signs and attach them with tape or safety pins. Don’t forget to make cars (or use small plastic ones) to add to the road!

Smarty Pants

This costume couldn’t be easier! Start with a solid-colored sweat suit, then add rolls of Smarties candy to it with tape or safety pins, and viola! Instant “smarty pants.” Best of all, you can eat part of this costume once Halloween is over!

Lego

If your little one loves Legos, this easy costume will be a hit! Using a large cardboard box, cut openings for your child’s head and arms. Spray paint the box your favorite Lego color and allow to dry. Then use six plastic bowls (all of the same size) and glue them to the front of the box in two rows of three. Once the glue is dry, spray paint the front once again, making sure to coat the plastic bowls. Have your child wear solid colored sweat pants and pull-over sweatshirt (ideally the same color as the Lego), and you’re all set! If you really want to go all out, use a small box and string to create a hat, using the same process as for the body, but use only one plastic bowl on top of the hat.

Bag of Leaves

This costume is incredibly easy – and incredibly adorable! You’ll need a large black trash bag, artificial (or real) leaves, and solid-colored clothing. First, cut holes in the bottom and sides of trash bag for your child’s head and arms. Then tape or glue artificial or real leaves to the outside of the bag. You can also tuck some leaves into the neck hole of the trash bag, leaving some of them partially visible (artificial leaves work best for this). If you want to add more volume to the bag, stuff crumpled up newspaper inside (no one will see it), and then tape or glue the bag shut at the bottom (leaving an opening for your child’s legs).

Jelly Beans

Blow up some colorful balloons, but keep them small. These will be the jelly beans. Then, using a clear trash bag, cut holes into the bottom for your child’s legs. Once your child steps into the bag, fill the are between their body and the bag with the jelly bean balloons. Using ribbon, create suspenders to keep the bag from falling. If you think it’s necessary, attach a sign that says “Jelly Beans” to add to the front of the costume.

Chick Magnet

This is a fun costume for cute little boys! You’ll need some baby chicks for this one (just paper ones!) and some plain clothing, such as a sweat suit. Simply attach paper chicks to the clothing with tape or safety pins, and consider adding a sign that says something like, “Yeah, I’m a chick magnet!”

Lame Excuse

This costume is perfect for slightly older children. On different sticky notes, write several (lame) excuses such as ‘My dog ate my homework’, ‘My alarm didn’t go off’, ‘Cough-Cough…I think I’m getting sick’. Just be creative and come up with as many as you can. Put the sticky notes all over your shirt (you may have to use heavy tape, as well). In just a matter of minutes, your child can become a lame excuse!

With a little resourcefulness and creativity, you too, can create a low-budget Halloween costume that’s unique and entirely memorable.

 

 

Heather L. Clark is a Web researcher and writer based in Omaha, Nebraska. Check out her favorite sources for printable calendars and
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