Handmade Halloween
Image: A Fanciful Twist
Many, if not most, of us who have dressed up for Halloween have attempted (with varying degrees of success) to make our own costumes. Be it as simple as cutting holes in a sheet and trick or treating as a ghost or something far more elaborate - i like to think of Halloween as a national craft project.
My finest hour as an amateur costumer came when I was 12 years old. Those of you of a similar age may remember the horrifying cyanide laced Tylenol murders of 1982. Being an odd and creative little boy, when I heard about these frightening events - apparently my first thought was not “Oh those poor people!” but rather “I could be a Tylenol box for Halloween.” And so I was - after spending several nights painting a large microwave oven sized box in our basement, even thinking to include a prominent Surgeon General’s warning label ‘…this product may be harmful to your health…’ I give myself props for being so topical at such a young age and even bigger kudos to my mother for allowing me to wear my creation to elementary school.
So in the spirit of DIY (and on the heels of yesterday’s uber fancy kid costumes post) I want to share a selection of impressive handmade options available through ‘mom and pop’ style Etsy shops.
The Good Rainbow Witch of the Northwest by Mama Runs With Scissors
Wooly Pirate Hats by Patouche
Toddler Owl Costume by Lollapanoplies
Pirate TuTu Costume by Abby’s TuTu Factory
Pioneer Prairie Costume by Pioneer Pieces
Royal Cape and Crown by Star Visions
Fairy Costume by Oblivion Clothing
September 24th, 2009 at 8:49 am
Hey, we are exactly the same age! Cool.
Thank you for sharing your story about the Tylenol costume–it made me oddly very happy to think of you doing that. Real Kudos to your mother for not dampening the creative flame! And I love how you refer to Halloween as a national craft project–that’s exactly what it is, and why we love it so (although, my husband claims it is because we are not usually forced to fly out-of-state to see distant relatives for this particular holiday. He has a point.)
Your blog is wonderful–the alphabet posts rocked. Thanks for doing it all!
September 24th, 2009 at 9:42 am
Sweet Life, Thanks so much for the great comment/note - made my day! And I think your husband is onto something - not having to travel for Halloween make it one of the few holdays we spend at home. =)
September 27th, 2009 at 5:16 am
thanks for the picks! these are terrific, and completely inspirational - i have an etsy shop with my eleven year old daughter (we’re total etsy-philes!) but you found some lovelies! maybe we’ll do that good witch of the northwest ?! thx, Lynn-Anne