FRESNO, Calif. -- A glue gun, fabric, odds and ends plus a great imagination are all Tracy Bohren needs to create a photo-worthy Halloween costume. The Clovis, Calif., resident has been making homemade costumes for years.
The former craft-store employee says inspiration is as close as your closet. She shared her ideas on how to create inexpensive costumes as clever as those priced much higher in stores.
"The best advice I can give is start early," Bohren says. "Start at home. Once you have an idea for a costume, start thinking about what you can use that you already have. You can do a lot with an old white T-shirt."
This year, inspired by an idea at the Martha Stewart Web site, marthastewart.com, Bohren is making a chicken costume for her daughter using feathers from a feather boa, a white baseball cap with red felt "comb" and yellow rubber gloves for feet. "I made my own little adjustments," she says.
Last year, the stay-at-home mom made her toddler, Katie, a King Kong outfit for less than $5.
"I used a black-hooded sweatshirt that she already had, found some black pants on sale and used a pair of old socks. With the hood up, I used rubber bands to make ears and I hand-stitched toes in the socks that I stuffed with cotton balls. The only thing ruined were the old socks. The sweatshirt and pants were usable again."
She also suggests checking out community Web sites for costumes for sale or trade.
"You can also try asking for specific items that you may need, such as leggings, wings, old sports uniforms, all things that moms will gladly swap or lend," Bohren says.
Clovis resident and day-care provider Carolynn Flores recalls making homemade costumes when her children, Brittany, Justin and Melanie, were little.
"It was a way to save money and be creative," she says. "I made Justin a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costume using a green sweat suit and felt for the shell," she says. "That was really easy. He was really excited about not having the same look as the store-bought costumes."
Flores, who enjoys decorating her home for Halloween, gets ideas from the Internet and Pack-O-Fun craft magazine.
One year, Flores made a not-so-perfect angel costume using a white cotton dress with a tilted halo. "It was a cute one," she says. "Melanie had a devil tail on the back. She really fit that costume."
Sara Kelly of Hanford, Calif., also recalls making her children, Conor and Devin, now 28 and 26, respectively, their Halloween costumes.
"It's been many years since I've had to make a Halloween costume. I recall going to thrift stores for funky old clothes and bedsheets," says Kelly, an award-winning quilter. "One year, the old clothes acquired cat's ears and a tail. A bedsheet was adorned by a red cross to become a medieval crusader."
Bohren says costumes are easier to create if they aren't tied to a specific character.
"Think race-car driver, robot, witch, princess or pirate," she says. "For teens or older kids, retro costumes for the '60s, '70s and '80s are always easy. Think hippies, punk or new wave."
Old formals or bridesmaids dresses, Bohren says, lend themselves to killer prom queens, vampire brides or beauty pageant misfits. "Lengths of fabric or old sheets are good for togas, mummies or the Statue of Liberty."
Other costume ideas can be found at www.familyfun.com, www.parents.com and www.coolest-homemade-costumes.com. Among the ideas at FamilyFun magazine is a "windy day duo" costume for a boy and girl.
All it takes is 18-gauge wire to be slid into the front of a tie to make it look like it's blowing to one side.
The same thing is done with the girl's skirt hem and scarf. Hair gel is needed to give hair a wind-blown appearance. In addition, an old umbrella can be turned inside-out, with leaves stuck using double-stick tape.
Features
Creative Halloween costumes can be made at home and cost pennies
- Features
-
-
The mother daughter trip of a lifetime
It was time for an adventure. The year of planning was our daughter Shanna’s job. I was just along for the ride. I guess my job was to stay in shape and be ready for what was to come. Fortunately, when I retired, I was determined to ...
-
Lexington Opry to perform Feb. 24
The next Lexington Opry Show will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 24 at the Les Chandler Center in Lexington....
-
It’s a matter of growing up, one step at a time
Life has a funny way of telling you to just get over it and grow up....
-
Let’s hear it for …
Norman residents Julia C. Clapper and Colleen A. Parrish were named to the Rhodes College Dean’s List for the 2011 fall semester. To qualify for the dean’s list, a student must be enrolled in at least 16 credit hours of academic work and ...
-
OSU to offers farmed whitetail deer program
The Oklahoma State University Center for Innovation and Economic Development will offer its fifth whitetail deer farming certification course. The course is a certification program on whitetail deer farming....
-
Marriages
The following marriage licenses recently were filed in Cleveland County District Court: Tracy Nicole Landolt, 24, and Cory Shaun Peters, 22 Amy Dawn Linnemann, 36, and Marcus Lee Peters, 34 Kathy Jean McMillan, 52, and Steven Roger ...
-
Divorces
The following divorces recently were granted in Cleveland County District Court: Spores, Douglass Glenn vs. Jackie Regan Commuri, Sesh vs. Yerra, Vanama Wilson, Nancy Gwin vs. David Riley Hampton, Tammy M. vs. Stephen A....
-
Mullins, Thomas named student of the month by Rotary Club
Kelsey Mullins and Victoria Thomas have been named February Students of the Month by the Norman Rotary Club. The two high school seniors attend weekly luncheon meetings with the club and are eligible to receive a scholarship in the spring....
-
School menus
Norman Elementary breakfast Monday — Strawberry parfait Tuesday — Waffles and sausage Wednesday — Cinnamon oatmeal Thursday — Egg and cheese biscuit Friday — Pancake wrap Secondary breakfast Monday — Sausage biscuit Tuesday — Waffles and ...
-
Study finds parental involvement in school makes a difference
Preliminary results from a study on Latino seventh-graders in Oklahoma support the idea that the more involved parents are in their children’s school, the better, particularly when it comes to alcohol....
- More Features Headlines
-
The mother daughter trip of a lifetime
