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2009/10/30
Today, our high school students came to school dressed in great looking, creative Halloween costumes. I’m sure some were last minute Halloween costume ideas. The teens really enjoyed dressing up, and I must say they were in good taste…nothing inappropriate. In the past, there have been a few who tried to see what they could get away with. Fortunately, this year there were no last minute changes that had to be made to their Halloween costumes. Observing them today gave me ideas to share with you to help you find last minute Halloween costume ideas. Read below to find 15 easy, creative Halloween costume ideas that can be used to put together last minute costumes…
- Where’s Waldo: Red and white hat, a red and white striped shirt, black shorts, and black knee socks. Students would pass the student in the hall and call out, “I found Waldo!”
- Little Girl Beauty Contestant: Little Girl looking dress, grown up hair, lots of make up.
- Big Girl Beauty Contest Winner: Grown up girl evening attire and hair, lots of make up, trophy, and ribbon across her dress.
- Cross Country Runner: Running shorts, tank top, sweat band, running shoes, number pinned to shirt.
- Pirate Girl: Skirt, boots, blousey blouse, bandanna, big hoop earrings, eye patch, gold chains, bag of gold covered chocolate coins.
- Gypsy Girl: Black shirt, multi-chain belt draped across skirt from waist to hip, bandanna, big earrings, lots of bangle bracelets, tambourine, makeup.
- Angel Football Player: Football shirt over shoulder pads, wings attached to back, gold halo around his head, black make-up around eyes.
- Chinese Take-Out Carton: Cardboard box, metal handle, painted white, Fried Rice on the outside.
- Big, Bad Mamma: Spiked colored hair, dark eye make-up, red lipstick, and “pregnancy” padding under big shirt and jacket, jeans, boots.
- Weatherman: Dark suit with lightning bolts, rain drops, snow flakes, and sun hanging from the suit, carrying umbrella.
- Scuba Diver: Wetsuit with top hanging from waist, T-shirt, Goggles.
- Care Bear: Fleece lined sweats inside out, design on front representing the bear, headband with ears to match suit, carrying a Care Bear.
More Easy Halloween Costume ideas:
- Character in a Child’s Story: Put together a costume, carry the book with you.
- Runway Model: Put together a fashionable outfit, walk like a runway model.
- Old Hag Housewife: Wear cheap house dress, messy hair (or wig) in curlers, pipe hanging from mouth, slippers, rouge on cheeks, carry whatever you like.
- Check the other Halloween Costume posts here on NanasCorner.com and also on NanaFinds.com.
My costume? I may be a Nana who dresses like a teenager…from the back, I’ll look like a young girl, but when I turn around…surprise!….an old Nana with blacked-out teeth, wrinkles, wart on my nose….but who knows? It will be a last minute Halloween costume creation, so I might come up with something I hadn’t planned on.
Happy Halloween!
2009/10/26
I love browsing through bookstores. On my last visit, I picked up a book, The Green Year, by Jodi Helmer. I chose this book because for everyday of the year, there is a simple, inexpensive activity that will help us make important changes towards reducing our energy consumption, lower our carbon footprint, and bring us closer to sustainable living. As I complete each activity, I’ll check it off and be able to look back on what I’ve accomplished.
During the month of October, Jodi Helmer offers simple, easy green ways we can help the environment in preparation for Halloween. Here is a brief listing of those green Halloween ideas…
- Costumes – Rent, swap, buy from thrift stores, or create costumes from clothing and items you already own.
- Plan your route - Choose a safe neighborhood where you and your trick-or-treaters can walk from door-to-door instead of adding to your carbon footprint.
- Treats – Buy Halloween treats with recycable packaging such as little cardboard boxes rather than wrappers that must tossed into the trash.
- Lighting – Turn out the inside lights. Leave the porch light on, but use candlelight inside the house to present a scary mood when you open the door to trick-or-treaters.
- Pumpkin – Use your pumpkin to feed wildlife. Smash your pumpkin into chunks and spread out in the backyard or woods. The birds and squirrels will feast on the seeds and flesh. Any leftover pieces can be added to your compost pile.
Do you have Go Green for Halloween activities that you will use during your Halloween celebration with your family this year? If you do, please share your green ideas with us on NanasCorner.com!
May you and your family have a happy, safe. and green Halloween!
2009/10/25
With Halloween just a week away, are you still looking for cheap and easy Halloween costumes, especially homemade Halloween costume ideas? According to a recent survey by the National Retail Federation, the typical American shopper will spend about $10 less this Halloween compared to last year. The same survey indicates that more than 16 percent of the respondents will trim costs by making Halloween costumes rather than purchasing them. Ask Coupon Sherpa, an online forum for money saving tips, shows how to have fun without breaking the bank with its article “50 Cheap & Easy Halloween Costumes for Adults & Children.”
The feature, which is posted on the Ask Coupon Sherpa blog, offers a wide array of Halloween costume recommendations.
Here are just some of the homemade Halloween costume ideas:
Progressive Insurance’s Flo: All you need is a white shirt, white apron, name tag and a headband and you’re set to cut insurance deals for fellow party goers.
Job Seeker: Whether you’re unemployed or gainfully employed, this costume is a cinch. Dress in your favorite suit, grab a suitcase and resume and you’re set to go. Those truly unemployed might want to stock the briefcase with real resumes, just in case that perfect job prospect shows up at the party.
Backwards Man: This simple concept was popular in the 1980s and is due for a revival. Simply put your clothes on backwards, pad your front to give yourself some “back” and voila, you’re ready.
Gangster: Some may prefer the under-dressed Sopranos look, but for a traditional gangster you’ll need dress pants, a vest, fedora and toy machine gun. Considering the zero-tolerance policies at most American schools, children may prefer to nix the gun for an empty violin case.
Pile of Laundry: The perfect costume for college students! Simply pin clothes onto an old outfit or, for a more complex costume, cut the bottom out of an old laundry basket, fill it with clothes and wear it around your waist. A hat made from a washed-out Clorox bottle adds a jaunty touch. Don’t forget to toss in a few used fabric-softener sheets.
Work of Art: This couldn’t be easier: Hang a large picture frame around your neck. If you want to make it complicated, consider dressing up as a specific work of art, such as the Mona Lisa or a Van Gogh self-portrait.
50 Cents: Don’t be surprised if you’re not the only rap fan to tape two quarters to your chest.
Web site: Glasses wearers can turn themselves into a Web site by draping fake spider webs all over those eyepieces.
The Nerd: Some can go from work to Halloween parties without a change of clothes, but for non-nerds, pair high-water pants, a short-sleeved dress shirt buttoned to the top with pens in the pocket and appropriate ink stains. Take the nose and mustache off a set of Groucho glasses and you’ve completed the look.
The article even includes a recipe for fake blood (which includes Karo syrup and red food coloring among other ingredients) and instructions to create fake wounds.
Find more of the “50 Cheap and Easy Halloween Costumes” ideas on Ask Coupon Sherpa.
Do you own an iPhone or iPod Touch? You can save even more money with the Coupon Sherpa iPhone application. It allows iPhone and iPod Touch users to access in-store coupons from their mobile device and present that coupon on their mobile device to the cashiers at participating merchants. This is great if you’re like me…often forgetting to bring along your coupons.
2009/10/24
Halloween is the perfect opportunity to take creative photos of your children and grandchildren. I love using my digital camera whenever I get the chance to take digital pictures of the grandchildren (and show them off, too). With the Halloween photography tips I received from a professional photographer, this year I can attempt to capture my devil princess, pretty pumpkin, and baby Yoda this Halloween in a unique way.
An expert in children’s photography, Linda Russell of Russell Photography (www.mugsyclicks.com), offers 5 photography tips for parents to take perfect Halloween pictures to create lasting Halloween memories:
- Utilize available light: Turn off your flash and use a tripod or even the back of a chair to stabilize your camera and use a slow shutter speed to photograph your child by jack-o-lantern or candle light.
- Light your child from below: For a really “haunting” photo, have them hold a flashlight below their face pointed up. Under-lighting is sinister and very scary.
- Tell a story with your camera: Start with a “still life” that says “Halloween” (a costume box, a jack-o-lantern, an empty trick or treat bag, etc). Next, photograph your child before the transition from suburban student to blood dripping vampire. Capture the make up, the costume, the process.
- Create a portrait of them in costume as if it were real: A princess on her throne, a cowgirl in front of a barn, or a ghoul in the cemetery. Engage your child in the fantasy.
- Photograph the haul: Every child remembers the special Halloween when the mountain of candy was beyond belief. Photograph them close up using a wide angle setting. Fill the frame with candy as well as their joyful expression.
2009/10/19
Last spring I held a baby shower for my oldest daughter who was expecting a baby boy…after having two girls. I was excited to be able to decorate the baby shower with decorations, favors, and refreshments centered around a baby boy theme. Baby shower favors and decorations can add that special something to such a memorable occasion. The theme? Baseball, of course, since it was the beginning of the baseball season and we are all NY Yankees fans! Appropriately, our guests were given a blue baseball candle as their take home baby shower favor. Read below for 14 baseball themed baby shower tips…
Here are some ideas for a baseball themed baby shower:
- Make or buy sports themed invitations in the shape of a baseball or mitt…or a ticket to the sporting event baby shower.
- Make or order a cake copying the invitation. Serve baseball themed cookies on the side.
- Decorate with balloons in the same sport theme or favorite team colors.
- Hang a clothes line adding sports themed baby clothes.
- Make a centerpiece using a stuffed animal dressed in a sports t-shirt surrounded by a few sports themed toys.
- Include a floral bouquet in the team colors.
- Have guests autograph a “team” ball as a baby shower keepsake.
- Create pennants with the baby’s name (if known) or last name in the theme’s sports colors.
- Design a game around the sport – divide your guests into teams with the team with the most “runs” or “hits” wins. Use a “scoreboard” to keep track.
- For a mommy-daddy shower, have the guests play wiffle ball.
- Ideas for baby shower favors can be wiffle ball sets, baseball candles, baseball cards with the expectant couple’s photo, baseball ornaments, baseball themed toys, or engraved mini baseball bats.
- For refreshments, include “baseball” food – or set it up as a tailgate party, serving whatever the mom likes.
- For a party not at home, hold it during a minor league game in the cooler baseball weather for comfort. They have party rooms you can reserve if you don’t want to tail gate.
- Or hold the baby shower at a park so children and dads can attend, too, allowing for baseball themed shower games for all.
This would be a great idea for a baby shower that includes dad, too! He wouldn’t feel as out of place as if it were totally a delicate baby theme. Best time of the year would be between April and October…just don’t schedule it on opening day or during the World Series! If the baby is due in the winter months, you can still decorate with baseball themed baby shower favors and decorations indoors…anytime is good baseball time! Go Yankees!
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