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Costumes for kids |
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by lightbee  (January 2007) (rank 24th) |
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Kids often have reasons for costumes - fancy dress party, school play, acting out a fantasy! - but you don't need to go to all the trouble of hiring a costume. A lot of easy costumes can be made quite easily and for little cost.
A great place to
start for costumes is the local op shop, fete or garage sale. Amazing treasures can be uncovered if you look for them. Most costumes really just require you to think outside the box a little. Think about how you can create the same look as a store bought one with things you have on hand.
If you need some inspiration, these are some costumes I've made, or my Mum has made, that worked really well.
- CLOWN - Get an old bone coloured stocking and cut off the top end. This goes over your child's head to give them a bald head. Get some old wool or yarn and sew it in big loops around the edge of the stocking for clown hair. If you wanted, you could sew it all over the stocking for a full head of hair.
Next, if you can sew you can use some cheap material to make a baggy jumpsuit. Make some pompoms with wool and sew them on for buttons. If (like me!) the most sewing you do is on a button - look for some oversized baggy clothes (possibly in Dad's wardrobe!). The more loud and garish the better. Add some suspenders.
You can get facepaint or greasepaint from toy stores or novelty stores to paint a clowns face. IF you can't get facepaint, then use your make up! Put some foundation on and then add talcum power to make a white face. Put lipstick on right outside the lip line. Use eyeliner to draw a star around one eye. Maybe some eyeshadow to fill in the eye with a bit of colour. Voila! I liked to keep some cold cream or sorbolene and cotton balls on hand to take it off after.
- CARTON OF MILK - This was one of my Mum's creations and it won first prize at the Blue Light disco. Get about 6 pieces of large white cardboard. Staple or tape four of the pieces together to make a box. Tape or staple the last two pieces on top in the shape of a milk carton. Cut holes in the sides for arms and for your head. Using paints or textas, decorate the cardboard like your milk carton.
- LITTLE MISS MUFFET - If you can't get a skirt, you can make one out of crepe paper. If you're careful, it can be sewn really well. Much cheaper than material - thought of course more fragile too. Dress up in a skirt and top. Make a spider out of a large bead with 4 pipe cleaners threaded through and bent to look like a spider. Tape on a pin and pin to your top. Add a bowl and spoon (for the curds and whey).
- XENA, WARRIOR PRINCESS - For this one I borrowed my sister's plastic breastplate that she had for karate. Covered it in foil so it looked like a proper warrior breastplate. I dressed in a top and short skirt and picked up some leather off-cuts cheaply from the craft store which I hung on the skirt to make it look more warrior-like. I got a cheap plastic sword and shield from the toy store and some chrome paint from the hardware store. I spray painted the sword with chrome to make it look like metal.
