Really Cool Kid Costumes....

Last night my neighborhood had it's annual Halloween Bash. We saw some really good costumes. Here are some of the best ones:

A six year old dressed in a full dinosaur outfit. Not sure if it was a Barney or not, but he looked really good. Complete with a tail.

A ten year old dressed like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz complete with ruby red slippers. Very cool.

A group of ten year olds dressed as characters from the Star Wars Trilogy. Really, really, neat.

A 13 year old dressed as an Egyptian princess. Very nice.

We saw lots of pirates, goblins, and superheroes. Quite a few homemade outfits as well. Happy Halloween!!

Technorati Tags:
halloween, costume, kid, decoration, mask, party, decor, idea, horror, crafts, game, customs, recipe, toddler, child, teen, homemade, pattern, scary

Last Minute Costumes for Kids Ideas.......

Halloween is only a few day away. Are you slapping yourself on the side of your head trying to think of a costume idea? Try a theme. Superheroes or Pirates are big this year. What about a horror film character, rock stars, celebrities, even politicians? All would make good costume ideas.

Make your own costume. Put on black pants and a shirt and just add stuff to it. Gloves, jewelry, goofy shoes, a funky hat, are all great accessories. Look through your closets. Look in your kids' rooms. Pick out oddball things and sew them on you. Your outfit doesn't even have to make sense. Afterall, it's halloween. Do whatever you want. You could be a Barbie, a clown, or a prom queen. Use your imagination and remember,for halloween, anything goes.

There are plenty of ideas here. Get going and use them.

Technorati Tags:halloween, costume, kid, decoration, mask, party, decor, idea, horror, crafts, game, customs, recipe, toddler, child, teen, homemade, pattern, scary

Most Popular Costume So Far This Year....

As we get closer and closer to Halloween I've conducted my own unofficial survey of the hottest selling costume so far this year. I looked at several websites. I searched Google. I read up on the news. I checked what sales figures I could find. My conclusion?

The most popular costume for men, women, and children, is .....drum roll please....anything that has to do with pirates! Whether you're Captain Jack, a first mate, or any old pirate, this costume is hot. And the best news is, you can make a pirate costume out of old household clothes and a little makeup. Who could ask for more than that? So don't be afraid to jump on the bandwagon and dress as a pirate.
You can always add a little something to your costume to make it unique.

While you're getting ready for Halloween, take a gander at the little slide show of home halloween decorations at this site: http://myspace.com/halloweenmonster

Be sure to check out the Pie Rates of the Carrot Beings. Very clever.
Halloween is coming!!

Technorati Tags:
halloween, costume, kid, decoration, mask, party, decor, idea, horror, crafts, game, customs, recipe, toddler, child, teen, homemade, pattern, scary

Your Pets and Halloween

Halloween is coming on fast. Hope you have your costumes ready. Now what about your pet? If you go so far as to dress your pet up be sure their vision is not obstructed. Same goes for the pet's movement. Be careful of easily chewed off pieces that your pet could choke on.

When kids come to the door it may be a good idea to keep your pet in a separate room. I knew a girl who let her dog run around free in the house while she was answering the door. Before she realized it, her pet was gone, never to be seen again. True story. She's still not sure if her dog ran away, or if someone took it. Needless to say, halloween has a different meaning for her.

Finally, watch out with pets and real jack-o-lanterns, or any lighted candle for that matter. In all the excitement, it's easy for a pet to get hurt or worse, hurt someone else.

Ok. Enough of that. Time for some more halloween candy. C'ya.

Technorati Tags:halloween, costume, kid, decoration, mask, party, decor, idea, horror, crafts, game, customs, recipe, toddler, child, teen, homemade, pattern, scary

A Few More Safety Tips......

I read a couple of safety tips in the paper today for your kids and halloween. The best one, and one I forgot to mention, is to tell your kids never to enter the home of a stranger. Stay outside by the doorbell. It's also a good idea to plan and discuss the route your children will take, especially if they are going off by themselves. And, of course, only go up to well lit homes to knock on the door.

The other good one was to bring all the treats home for inspection before you let them eat anything. Be wary of anything unwrapped or unusual. The old standby holds well here. When in doubt, throw it out.

How about feeding your kids a hearty snack before they go out. This way they will be less tempted to eat as they trick or treat. This works best with younger children.

Are you getting excited! Halloween is coming!


Technorati Tags:halloween, costume, kid, decoration, mask, party, decor, idea, horror, crafts, game, customs, recipe, toddler, child, teen, homemade, pattern, scary

Homemade Makeup for Your Costume...

As I said in a previous post, it's better to have your kids wear makeup rather than a mask. It's safer and most likely, more comfortable. So just how do you use makeup? Here are a couple of ideas for you.

White as a Ghost:

Mix together white chalk with shortening from your kitchen cupboard, and apply to your child's face to give her a ghostly complexion.

Frankenstein Neck Bolts:

Paint Styrofoam packing peanuts with a black watercolor paint and stick to your child's neck with a flour and water mixture for a great neck bolt effect.

Wounds:

Mix lipstick and yellow and green eye shadow to create bruises.

For a festering wound, coat the area of the wound with baking soda, then use a spray bottle to very lightly spray with vinegar. If let dry, the bubbling sore will stay till washed off.

That should keep you busy for awhile. Your next question should be how to get this stuff off. A little baby shampoo should do it.


Technorati Tags:halloween, costume, kid, decoration, mask, party, decor, idea, horror, crafts, game, customs, recipe, toddler, child, teen, homemade, pattern, scary

More Making You Own Costumes...

I found another interesting site that gives you free instructions on how to make costumes for your kids. There is a list that you can chose from such as, an alien, an angel, or a bag of jellybeans. It also gives you an estimate on how long it will take you and how difficult the job will be. The list is pretty long, but only a few have actual pictures of the finished project. Nonetheless, if you read the ingrediants for the other projects you'll get a good idea of what the finished costume will look like. Check it out at:

http://www.dltk-holidays.com/halloween/hcost/index.asp

Once again, I am not affiliated with this site in anyway. I'm just offering it for informational purposes only. Have fun.


Technorati Tags:
halloween, costume, kid, decoration, mask, party, decor, idea, horror, crafts, game, customs, recipe, toddler, child, teen, homemade, pattern, scary

$5 Billion Spent on Halloween...

I just heard on the news today that Americans are expected to spend $5 billion on halloween this year. That's almost double what was spent last year. It works out to about $60 a person. So, let's see.

My dad and I went to a craft fair and we both bought some halloween decorations. Ok, a few dollars spent there. I already have some candy, although it seems to be disappearing. Of course, I'll have to spend more there. Things are adding up.

Finally, I have to work on a costume and possibly a couple of small gifts. Hey, wait a minute. It looks like I'll be spending more than $60! I'll have to call the news people and tell them it'll be five billion plus.

Why did I bother to add all this stuff up? I don't want to know how much I spend on halloween. Oh well, I'm doing my bit for the economy. How about you?

Technorati Tags:
halloween, costume, kid, decoration, mask, party, decor, idea, horror, crafts, game, customs, recipe, toddler, child, teen, homemade, pattern, scary

Time to Start Sending Ecards.....

I was just looking around google and found this cool place that lets you send free ecards for halloween. I took a look at some of them and they are pretty cool. I especially like the interactive ones. You can't beat the price.

I have absolutely nothing to do with this site. They say that all cards are free. I'm not sure what kind of info they ask for, but hey, it's worth a look.

http://www.123greetings.com/events/halloween/horror/
That's all for today. Got to get back to the lab. My monster is nearing completion


Technorati Tags:
halloween, costume, kid, decoration, mask, party, decor, idea, horror, crafts, game, customs, recipe, toddler, child, teen, homemade, pattern, scary

Halloween Costumes for Kids in My Neighborhood

Where I live the local community does the coolest thing for Halloween. They block off a few blocks along one street. Then they set up people in front of homes at different stations so to speak, who give out candy to kids who walk up and down the street. It's great. It's safe. Fun. Parents love it. Kids love it. The city supports it.

The amazing thing is how many people it attracts. Hundreds of kids and parents, many of whom I'm sure are from other areas of the city.

It's neat just to go and watch. It's like watching a halloween parade. You can see all kinds of cool costumes and if you're really into it, you can volunteer to help out. You need to voluteer ahead of time as they like to have a handle on who is doing what, as well as who you are.

The whole thing lasts about two or three hours with a constant stream of people coming and going. The first time I saw it I was amazed at how many people it attracted. We're all looking forward to it this year. All we need is some good weather.

Technorati Tags:
halloween, costume, kid, decoration, mask, party, decor, idea, horror, crafts, game, customs, recipe, toddler, child, teen, homemade, pattern, scary

Halloween Costumes for Really Little Kids..

Have a toddler in your house? Let the toddler join your halloween fun
with a costume. Big this year are animals. Ladybugs, butterflys,
sheep, even a rhino costume is available. If you don't like one of
those you can try a zebra or a baby gorilla. Everyone loves a baby
gorilla.

I have to tell you, the costumes I've seen or not cheap. Then again,
halloween only comes once a year and special moments last forever. So
you skip the babysitter for a night and take your toddler out yourself
for a halloween you'll never forget. Be sure to take lots of pictures
or video.

I would rather have my toddler dress up in a costume than do anything
with makeup. I wouldn't want the little one rubbing makeup with his
fingers and then putting it in his mouth. Nor am I crazy about putting
all that stuff on a toddler's skin. For me, a costume is the way to
go.

Only a few weeks left. Start planning.

Technorati Tags:
halloween, costume, kid, decoration, mask, party, decor, idea, horror, crafts, game, customs, recipe, toddler, child, teen, homemade, pattern, scary

Looking to Make Halloween Treats?

If you're looking to make some food treats for halloween check out this blog. Scroll down a little to get some recipes and other fun food stuff.

http://halloweenfoodfun.blogspot.com

Enjoy.

Your Favorite Costume...Even If You're Not a Kid....

If you had all the free time you wanted and unlimited financial resources, what costume would you wear?

For me, I would dress up in the best Frankenstein monster costume money
could buy. Then I would walk around the neighborhood in that stiff
Frankenstein walk and just grunt and growl. I think that would be the
coolest thing. If I said anything it would be something from one of
the Frankenstein movies like, 'Hmmm. Good.' Or the famous line,
'You, go. You, stay.' said as Frankenstein pulled the lever to blow up
the lab.

Of course, Frankenstein was actually the doctor's name and not the
monster's. Over the years the monster became known as Frankenstein.

My outfit would be complete if I could get someone to walk around with
me either as Dracula, or, get two people, and let them be Abbott and
Costello.

How about you? What's your costume desire?

Technorati Tags:
halloween, costume, kid, decoration, mask, party, decor, idea, horror, crafts, game, customs, recipe, toddler, child, teen, homemade, pattern, scary

Speaking of My Dad......

In my last post I mentioned my dad. Where he lives, in the northeast US, people go all out decorating for Halloween. It's as big as Christmas and getting bigger every year. It's really cool to see. Complete homes done up like spider webs, graveyards, or a mish mash of everything. I love taking a walk around there to see what everyone has done.

Some people even decorate the public sidewalk. To get by a house you may have to walk through a spiderweb, or grab your nerves as something falls through the trees right above you. You may round a corner and hear some creepy sound effects. I love it.

The fact that so many people get involved decorating just encourages more decorating. One guy I spoke to says he adds something to his yard each day, right up to Halloween. He starts October First. That's a lot of stuff!

The great thing is, there are many people just like me walking around in the evening taking in all the sights and sounds. What great community spirit. Hey, I made a joke. Halloween. Community spirit.
Ok, time to stop writing.

Technorati Tags:
halloween, costume, kid, decoration, mask, party, decor, idea, horror, crafts, game, customs, recipe, toddler, child, teen, homemade, pattern, scary

Halloween Costumes for Kids...Best

The best halloween costume I ever saw was actually worn by an adult.I was visiting my dad and took him to the local Halloween parade.Besides all the usual stuff there was this guy dressed up in a full Batman suit. He looked like he was right out of the movies.

The guy was tall and the suit made him look muscular. He would walk about 20 paces and then stop, put his hands on his hips, spread his feet a little, and just stand there with his big black cape blowing in the breeze.
The people were going wild. Everyone was chanting 'Batman! Batman!'The guy looked totally awesome, like the real thing.

I couldn't get over how the people reacted. They were snapping pictures, calling his name, screaming and going wild. The guy did virtually nothing except look the part. I guess everone pictured Batman to look like him. And there he was, in the flesh. Awesome. Even my dad liked it.

Technorati Tags:
halloween, costume, kid, decoration, mask, party, decor, idea, horror, crafts, game, customs, recipe, toddler, child, teen, homemade, pattern, scary

Home Made Halloween Costume Ideas for Kids

You want to dress up your kid for halloween but you want to keep the expense down to a minimum. What can you do? Easy. Look around the house for stuff. I used to dress up like a hobo just by wearing some of my dad's big shirts and smearing black makeup on my cheeks to look like dirt.

If your child is into sports he or she could dress up as their favorite sports star. You could sew on some fake fur, wear some oven mits and be some kind of animal. Cut up several of your favorite cereal boxes and attach the panels onto a big shirt and be a walking cereal box. Put on a suit, sunglasses, slick your hair back and you're a secret agent. Wear pants that are way too long, a t-shirt that's way too long, a baseball cap on backwards, hold something that could pass for a microphone and you're a rapper. Buy a little container of fake blood and smear it around, walk with a limp, and you're the walking dead.

Ok, maybe I'm getting carried away. As you can see, with a little imagination you can cook something up at home with very little expense.The possibilities are endless.

Technorati Tags:
halloween, costume, kid, decoration, mask, party, decor, idea, horror, crafts, game, customs, recipe, toddler, child, teen, homemade, pattern, scary

Interesting Halloween blogs....

Here are a few other blogs I found for you that are Halloween related.

1. http://www.halloweendecorating.blogspot.com Dress up your place.

2. http://www.halloween-card-ideas.blogspot.com Send some cards to your friends.

3. http://www.halloweengifts.blogspot.com What would Halloween be without some gifts.

Enjoy them!

More Safety Tips for Halloween Costumes for Kids

More Safety Tips for Halloween Costumes for Kids..

We're doing our best so far to have a safe halloween. Let's go a
little further. Check that all the halloween costumes for your kids
are flame retardant. There can be fire risks from candles and real
jack o lanterns.

How about wearing comfortable shoes. Yes, even if they don't go with
the costume. Your child will be walking around a lot and you want them
to be comfortable. You'll probably end up carrying your child's candy
bag. You don't want to have to carry your child as well.

Here's a good one. If a mask is involved, leave it home. A mask can
be hot, uncomfortable, even obstruct your vision. Who needs that?
Instead, you can mark up a child's face with makeup. Besides, that's
more fun than wearing a mask.

Finally, someone has to wear a strip of reflective tape. Either on the
back of your child's costume or on the accompanying adult. Halloween
costumes for kids need to be safe as well as fun.

Technorati Tags:
halloween, costume, kid, decoration, mask, party, decor, idea, horror, crafts, game, customs, recipe, toddler, child, teen, homemade, pattern, scary

Safey Tips for Halloween Costumes for Kids

Nothing can ruin your halloween faster than an accident while you are out trick or treating. Here are a couple of simple things to keep in mind on your halloween costume.

It's best if your kid's costume doesn't drag on the ground. Escpecially for smaller children who could easily trip and fall. Take the time to hem it if necessary.

Make sure your costume has a sturdy bag to collect all the halloween treats. Cheap bags can rip, tear, fall apart. This is immediately followed by crying. Nothing worse than seeing all that candy fall on the ground and not be able to carry it home.

If you are out at twilight or in the dark, be sure you include a flashlight with your costume. There are many small powerful flashlights that are easy to use and carry. No costume should be without one.


Technorati Tags:
halloween, costume, kid, decoration, mask, party, decor, idea, horror, crafts, game, customs, recipe, toddler, child, teen, homemade, pattern, scary

Halloween Costumes for Kids....

What are the hottest costumes for this year? For both boys and girls you can't go wrong with anything having to do with a pirate. Yes, pirates of the Caribbean are going to invade our streets very soon. Everything from a first mate to a pirate princess will be ringing your doorbell. Now, let's see...What does a pirate like to eat? I better have plenty of it on hand. Shiver me timbers.

That's not the only thing that will be roaming around. The classic superhero costume is still in vogue. Everything from superman to ninjas to power rangers is still very popular. Afterall, we can never have enough superheros.

Technorati Tags:
halloween, costume, kid, decoration, mask, party, decor, idea, horror, crafts, game, customs, recipe, toddler, child, teen, homemade, pattern, scary

I was working in the lab late one night...

Hey everybody, it's halloween time again.

Welcome to my new blog called Halloween Costumes for Kids.