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Four Halloween Costumes Even You Can Make!

By Crystal Click

Still searching for the perfect costume for your child? This week Happy Woman offers four do-it-yourselfers that are sure to make junior the star of the party. Best of all, they are constructed from everyday household items. Now you can save your hard earned dollars for more important things like...yourself.

The Pink Stuff

On a Roll

Nothing says, "Happy Halloween" like a nearly empty roll of toilet paper (is there anything scarier?). To make this life size model you need enough paper grocery sacks to equal your child's height. Tape them together to make a tube, leaving the bottom half of the back seam open if you prefer not to carry your child. Tape several two sheet lengths of paper towels in a long strip to simulate those last bits of toilet paper left on the roll. Cut out holes for eyes, arm holes, and your done. For a goody container, any small trash can will be suitable. Do avoid sniggering and saying to your child, "Let's roll!" as you move from house to house.

Bag O'Kibbles

If safety is your concern, this is the ideal costume for your child. Probably our simplest choice, all you need is an empty bag of dog food. Cut out arm holes, cut across the bottom for the feet, and tape up the top of the bag so it stays on. The obvious candy bucket for this costume is a dog food dish. This is a great outfit because many layers of clothing can fit under on a chilly night. Also, with all the dogs that will be following your little party, no one would dare attack.

The Never Ending Wash Load

Who doesn't have piles of laundry sitting everywhere? The perfect costume to make if you're a tired, overly busy mom. Nothing relieves stress like taking a large serrated knife to your laundry basket. Once you've made a good size hole in the bottom of your laundry basket, make suspender-type straps with any available string, rope, or yarn. Fill the basket with carefully selected items, picked by color and pattern to enhance the ethereal beauty of your dirty socks. Or, just open you child's closet and use whatever clothing tumbles out. For the beanie, a fresh pair of pantyhose will do in a snap. One word of warning, if you are very petite and wear control top panty hose, skip the beanie for obvious reason. The hospitals see enough holiday accidents, children in the ER with purple scalps will not be seen as "amusing." An empty bottle of laundry detergent makes a great candy holder for young children. You can leave the lid on between houses to prevent spills and crying. Also, fleecing the container for chocolate is less noticeable when you appear to be "screwing the lid on".

When your children are grown, they are sure to thank you for the warm memories you will have created with your homemade Halloween (although they may want reimbursed for their therapy fees).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Crystal Click enjoys the opportunity to entertain Happy Woman readers. Share your comments with her at clickherexhappywomanmagazine.com. (Replace x with @ before sending)

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