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Posts Tagged ‘homemade halloween costumes for kids’
Monday, October 26th, 2009
We made this lamb, or sheep costume, this year, with about 1,000 large cotton balls, some Elmer’s glue, and an old bunny costume that had belonged to the older children. I liked the fact that we used something with a hood, because I think the hood of cotton balls gives the costume a nice effect. The old bunny costume was a size 8, so I cut off the arms and legs first. And, the older children took turns gluing on the cotton balls, while watching cartoons, or playing board games. I think it took them about 2 to 3 hours over the course of the week to glue on all those cotton balls.
You could use a glue gun, but we simply used craft glue and Elmer’s glue. It is easier to squirt glue over a section of the undergarment, and then press the cotton balls onto the glue. Progress is slow at first, but the end result is well worth it. We then tied a few loose bells we found in our Christmas bin to a piece of pink ribbon, and tied this onto the zipper.
If you would like to purchase cotton balls, Amazon is currently selling a case of 2,000 cotton balls for under $10 (which beats the price of about $1.50 for 100 at the local drugstore).
Tags: homemade halloween costumes for kids, lamb costume, sheep costume
Posted in Costumes, Halloween | No Comments »
Friday, October 23rd, 2009
To make the mailbox costume, print this file for printables: mailbox_costume_printables.pdf
I know, everytime I pass by a real mailbox, I can’t help but laugh, thinking about this costume. Seeing a mailbox now reminds me of the costume, instead of the other way around. I have a boy, that is obsessed with mailmen, UPS men, FedEx men, DHL men, and all their respective trucks. I don’t know how this idea came to me, but I thought it would be easy enough to make a mailbox, with an old cardboard moving box, some blue paint (or blue poster board), and some great graphics. I had these graphics made for the costume. And, they are super nice, high-quality, and you can print them right here. We ended up using this costume for play for months and months after Halloween. Our five year old was very obsessed with this thing. (The costume is essentially, a box. I would not recommend it for children under 7, because it can get heavy lugging a box on one’s shoulders. )
What you’ll need:
1 or 2 old moving boxes, depending on size
Packing tape
4 pieces of blue poster board, or blue paint
1 printable file for postal box graphics: mailbox_costume_printables.pdf
What to do:
First, you need to create the shell from the cardboard boxes. I wish I had taken pictures during the process, but I did not. Start with one box, open up the ends. I taped one of the ends (4 flaps) open, to give the mailbox more height. Do the same for the opposite end, leaving one flap alone. This flap will be the front of the mailbox, that will open and close. Now, cut an extra length of cardboard to add to your box, to create the curvature at the top of the mailbox. It will all look very messy, with the random cardboard and tape, but it will all come together after the blue shell comes on. Reinforce the mailbox with tape.
Next, paint the box blue, or, tape on blue sheets of poster board (this was a shortcut I favored). And, attach the templates here to complete the mailbox.
Tags: homemade halloween costumes, homemade halloween costumes for kids, mailbox costume
Posted in Costumes, Halloween, Printables | No Comments »
Thursday, October 15th, 2009
Print this file: bird_mask_printable_template.pdf
Sometimes we just need something for the children to do on a rainy day. Here is a bird mask template. The children can print, cut out, and decorate. A fun craft for Halloween, or anytime of year.
Tags: bird mask template, homemade halloween costumes for kids, how to make a bird mask
Posted in Costumes, Crafts, Halloween, Printables | No Comments »
Wednesday, October 14th, 2009
We made this bunny costume out of a few old undershirts, blanket batting, and a few pieces of pink felt. I always think that there is something sweet and innocent with making a costume. This is a fairly easy one to make. We used a white ballet leotard shirt and pants. And, found the white cap, made by Zutano (they make basics in different colors).
What you’ll need:
2 old boy’s sleeveless undershirts, or t-shirts with arms cut off
Fabric glue, or Elmer’s glue
1 bag of blanket batting, or quilt batting, the rolled kind, not the loose stuffing (Walmart or Michael’s, around $10)
2 pieces of pink felt (around $1 for felt pieces)
1 piece of white felt
Long sleeved white shirt, white pants, and a white hat/cap
Needle and white thread, or 2 baby pins
What to do:
If you can’t tell from this image, the bunny body is very puffed. Make this part first. You are going to attach the two undershirts together, around the neck, and around the armholes, and then you will stuff it with blanket batting. You can sew the two neck holes together with needle and thread (does not need to be perfect; you can teach a 7 year old to do this). Or, you can attach the neck holes together with glue. And, you want to do the same with the armholes. If you are gluing, instead of sewing, you will want to do one side, and then the other, allowing time for each side to dry first. Now you have a piece that is open at the bottom. Stuff the shirt with batting, and then sew shut at the bottom.
Cut a piece of batting to glue onto the exterior of the puffed body. Glue onto the body. Once this is dry, cut out a circle from one piece of felt, and glue onto the piece’s front, or tummy. Now, you are ready to make the ears for the hat. Cut out two ears from the white felt, and two pieces of smaller pink ears from the pink felt. Glue the pink onto the white, like shown in the picture. Sew these bunny ears onto your white hat. Or, attach them with 2 baby pins.
Tags: bunny costume for kids, homemade halloween costumes for kids
Posted in Costumes, Crafts, Halloween | No Comments »
Friday, October 9th, 2009
A few years ago, when we were expecting our third, the older children and I really got into the Halloween spirit, and made half a dozen costumes before deciding which ones to actually use on Halloween. This is a skeleton costume we made, after being inspired by the idea (though not the price) from a Pottery Barn Kids costume that year. This is a great and fun costume for the children to make themselves. I am uploading the entire Skeleton, or Bones, file. All you or the children need to do is print them, cut them out, and pin them to black pants and a black shirt. While you may use any black pants and shirt, I highly recommend a pair of tight-fitting long underwear. I find these every year at sports stores that sell ski-wear.
What you’ll need:
Black long-sleeved shirt
Black pants
Fabric glue or preferably small baby pins (because they are not permanent)
Two sets of our skeleton printables, printed on your home computer using white paper: skeleton.pdf
What to do:
Print two copies of the skeleton file, using a black & white or color printer. Cut out the skeleton pieces, and attach to a pair of black pants and black shirt using baby pins. Attach one set onto the front of the black outfit, and another to the back. The outfit will be more durable if you print on a thick white paper stock. Since this is a paper on fabric costume, I found it best to attach the skeleton after the child has put on his/her outfit. It won’t hold up for weeks!
Tags: halloween craft ideas, halloween crafts, homemade halloween costumes for kids, kids crafts, skeleton costume, skeleton halloween costume
Posted in Costumes, Halloween | 3 Comments »
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