Last year, Halloween was easy. Peanut wore Bean’s hand-me-down tinkerbell outfit. She was too young to argue. Bean wanted to be a fairy, but Peanut already had dibs on being Tink, so I whipped up a blue sparkly outfit, slapped on some wings, & told her she was the Blue Fairy. And when I say “whipped up” the costume, I mean that I didn’t measure, rushed through, and made something that would make any seamstress faint. But, I wasn’t going for fabulous durability. I was going for something cheap. And the result was that Bean liked it. Good enough for me.
This year, both girls have many opinions on what they want to be. And, right next to the playground at the mall is the big Halloween store. So, they see all of the $50 costumes and think they are just wonderful. They are pretty cool. But there is absolutely no way I’ll spend $50 on a kid’s costume. I’m too cheap for that. I don’t even want to spend $50 combined on their costumes! First they have to pick a costume, though.
One day Bean will be sure she wants to be a pirate because her buddy MeMo is going to be one. Then she wants to be Cinderella (but the existing Cinderella costume we have in the playroom — including a wig — aren’t good enough for her). Next is a fairy, a different princess, Hello Kitty, and back to a pirate. Or maybe a cowgirl. No! Hello Kitty! Or maybe a pirate. Or a princess.
Guess what she’ll end up being: Whatever I can do the easiest & cheapest.
Peanut isn’t as torn about what she wants to be for Halloween. My sweet girl looks like such a baby in last year’s photos….
A sweet, precious, fairy baby.
This year, whenever you ask her what she wants to be, she yells “A BAD GUY!” I asked her to clarify the other day and explain what a Bad Guy looks like. She thought a minute and then said, “Cookie.” This does not mean a literal cookie. Instead, she was referring to one of the items that she has named Cookie. This could be the real puppy living at Poppy & Mimi’s house, any of the stuffed puppies at home, all of her dolls at home except one, and any other inanimate object in our house.
On second thought, Bean’s costume is going to be easier.
What about you? Do you make your costumes? Buy them? Borrow them?
GeekLady
Oh, we make ours every year, and there’s a maximum budget of $20. This year is the first year GeekBaby has a real opinion – he wants to be Feathers McGraw from Wallace & Gromit’s The Wrong Trousers. But he’s also been a Viking, Link, and a Scotsman with a wee kilt.
Jayway
We actually had this conversation yesterday, well mad and I did. She said she wanted to be tinkerbell, I told her the tinkerbell costume (which she wore in 2009) was way too small and macie would probably be wearing it. She was cool with that and said “I’ll just wear my pink tutu and some wings with a white shirt.” No arguments here. That was the easiest shopping I’ve ever done.
Good luck on the sewing projects, would love to see pics later.
jenna
I usually get our costumes at Once Upon a Child. Last year Colby found a Woody costume that was a size or 2 too small, but he wouldn’t take it off… he still wears that thing around the house. I haven’t been this year yet but need to go check them out. Usually costumes run about $6 each, and since I can’t sew, it’s prolly best that this is my best option. Either that or convince my girls that they need to wear their dance leotards and put cat whiskers on them. (Maybe Peanut could be Catwoman?)