Halloween

HRanna

I am going to a Halloween party while at Disney World next month (trick-or-treat with Mickey -- my daughters are bouncing off the walls with excitment!). Any good ideas for a costume that wan't set me back the equivalent of a car payment?

Parabeagle

We dress up here in our corporate office every year and have a potluck. Two years ago I went as Hannibal Lecter, complete with straitjacket and that muzzle thing. Whole costume only cost me $20 plus S&H. Got it at something called Halloweenmart.com (or something like that). Benefit of the straitjacket was that I couldn't do much in the way of work that day. x;-)

Sally

Something I did a few years ago here in the office--it's a little bulky but fun.
I was a basket of laundry. I took an old laundry basket, cut out the bottom and made suspenders with rope. Pinned articles of clothing to it and tied a tube sock around my pony tail. I won a prize that year.

Human Resources Manager

Here's one I think is simple, creative, and not at all cumbersome. Buy an inexpensive child's umbrella, preferably clear or a transparent color. Cut varying lengths of ribbon and tape or glue them all around the inside edge of the umbrella. Open the umbrella up, and voila --- you're a jellyfish!

rad

I saw a great one last year - buy a big bag of Smartees candy and tape them to your pants - you'll be a smarty pants!

celeste

I girl I used to work with had a great idea. She took a large clear plastic bag (we call it a gaylord liner), and sewed elastic around the neck and the bottom which was just above the knee. She wore white tights, and filled the liner with balloons of various colors. She was a bag of Jelly Beans. It was pretty cool.

HRQ

I was a jumbo-sized box of tissues;

-- Turn a TV-sized box upside down, cut out head and arm holes
-- Paint the box whatever design you like
-- In big white letters, I wrote "Puffs - New Larger Size!" on each side, drew a big "Now only 99 Cents!" on it, and drew on the bar code thingie with a black sharpie
-- Bobby pin a bunch of tissues to the top of your head, so you look like the bathroom-sized tissue box where you pull tissues from the top

I was pretty pregnant at the time - the box fit nicely over my belly, AND it was easy to put on/take off while at work. (Well, except for the tissues on my head)

Cost: about $5 for paint. I already had the box and the tissues.

I used the same concept to be a wrapped Christmas gift. My Controller dressed up as a Christmas tree and we just wandered around together. (Green bathrobe decorated with tinsel garland and ornaments.)

System

My husband and I dressed up as nerds one year and it was quite inexpensive. We just went to the local Goodwill. He got a shirt, slacks he could pull up to his chest and make them highwaters, white belt and shoes. Then we found him a pocket protector and filled it with pens. Add some old eye glasses with tape holding them together and it's perfect. For my costume, I got an out of style sleeveless dress, made sure my bra strap hung down my arm and, of course, my slip was showing. Put baby oil in my hair making it stringy and some tennis shoes (the Keds type) with some socks. Really easy to put together. Enjoy your visit to Disney World the weather is beautiful here!!

Karla

I was a double-stuffed oreo one year. Took black poster board and made two large circles (one for each side) and cut out OREO in large white paper and glued it onto each of the black circles. I put holes in the top of each circle and attached yarn so the "cookies" would hang from my shoulders. The white middle of the cookie was me all dressed in white. Be careful not to make the cookie circles too big, or you can't get through a doorway very well.

Nat

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One year I was the Queen of Hearts. Took 2 pieces of thick poster board, cut out a face, attached straps at the shoulders and drew the queen of hearts on the front. I wore a long yellow long-sleeved shirt and blue tights and white gloves. Mostly just cost me time. <$20

I have also been the fruit of the loom grapes. Took a large purple sweat shirt and pinned purple balloons all over it. Painted my face purple and sprayed green in my hair. Unfortunately, went to a bar for Halloween and came out looking like a bunch of raisins. Everyone thought it was funny to pop the balloons. <$20

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My all time favorite was dressing up like half a bride and half a groom. I took one of my dads old suits, an old shirt with tucks, an old wedding gown and cut them in half sewed them together in front, put a zipper in back, sewed each piece up for legs so that I could just step into the outfit and zip it up. Sewed a cumberbun and bowtie to shirt, slicked back one side of my hair - curled the other side. Put makeup and lipstick on one side of my face and mustache and dark eyebrow on the other. Had one brown men's dress shoe and one white lacy shoe and a bouquet of flowers. I made half a veil and wore in one side of my hair. I went to several nightclubs and won prizes all night long. I kept that outfit for several years. >$20 but worth every pennie!!!
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HAVE FUN! I LOVE HALLOWEEN. This year we are doing our house in a Harry Potter theme. We will have pumpkins and candles hanging from the porch like the halloween scene in the first Harry Potter movie.

Dutch2

Great ideas! We don't dare leave the house on Halloween night. Here in good old Fulton, MO we will average 1,000 Trick of Treaters every year, at least for the past 5 years we have. It is not all over town, just on a few select streets. We were not much into Halloween prior to moving here but by the shear numbers of kids out on the street... we are now! All of the family will be in full custumes and the house and front lawn will be decorated. We will have fishing lines running from the attic windows out to the lower tree limbs near the curb with large rubber bats, ghosts, etc. slidding down the lines and then pulled back up to wait on the next group of kids (however there is not much waiting). Now it is an evening the entire family looks forward to.
Happy Halloween to all,
Dutch2

psrcello

My spouse and I went as Drew Carey and Mimi a few years back. Spouse already wears thick glasses and is well rounded - all he had to do was buzz cut his hair. I found a gaudy flowered dress and some awful jewelry at the local Goodwill store, padded myself with pillows, and put on as much blue and white eye shadow and mascara as my face could take. I think the whole thing cost less than $20.