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Newsies Halloween Costume Ideas

 

Tonight I watched the Disney movie musical, “Newsies” with my girls.  Not sure why I had not seen it until now.

It was made in 1992! 1992 people!!

I have no idea why we didn’t go see it when we were in NYC a few years ago. It was all the rage. Maybe it was sold out, although I didn’t even try to get tickets.  I guess a bunch of boys in a show didn’t seem appealing.

I was wrong.

I liked Newsies for 3 reasons.

1. The songs are memorable, even the beautiful ballad, Santa Fe.

2. My theater-performer-teen mentioned

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General Girl costumes Halloween Costumes for Teens Halloween Costumes for Women Period Costume

10 Easy DIY Halloween Costumes for Teen Girls

anya groucho marx

Teenagers can be hard.  I have a teen, a tween, and one waiting in the wings.

When it comes to Halloween costumes, teens can be especially challenging.  Direct quote from my teenage daughter: “Well it’s hard to decide on a Halloween costume.  You want to dress up, but not look like you tried too hard, and you want to be cute still.  And comfy. It has to be comfy.”

So there you go.  Cute and comfy is the key to a teen girl Halloween costume.

Here are 10 easy DIY teen Halloween costume ideas that fit “cute and comfy”:

1.  80s Chick: crimped hair or high side ponytail, leggings, leather jacket, neon anything, leg warmers,  oversized sweatshirt, high tops, bangle bracelets.

2. Nerd: Center part with ponytails or braids, glasses with tape around the center (3D glasses are cheap and easy just pop the lenses out if you want), button up shirt with top button buttoned, cardigan mis-buttoned, high waisted pants with shirt tucked in or a pleated skirt,  penny loafers with knee high socks.

3.  Audrey Hepburn: Get out that LBD (Little. Black. Dress.), a strand of pearls, 60s style coif.

4.  Minion from “Despicable Me“:  Denim mini-jumper, yellow shirt, yellow tights, black boots, yellow beanie, homemade goggles.

5. Rosie the Riveter: Bandana to tie around your hair, falsies (false eyelashes), red lipstick, denim shirt with leggings.

6. Hippie: Floral maxi dress, long wavy hair, floral headband, John Lennon glasses, peace sign earrings.

7. Beauty Queen: Short formal dress, heels, glamour hair and make up, dangling rhinestone earrings, a tiara.  Don’t forget the sash and give yourself a title.

8. Rodeo Queen: Colored Jeans, a western style shirt, dangling rhinestone earrings, huge Texas style curly-frizzy hair, a cowboy hat with large tiara, a big belt buckle, cowboy boots, a sash that proclaims yourself “Rodeo Queen.”

9. Olympia/Greek Goddess: long white, cream, or gold dress or formal, gold cord belt from Christmas decorations or curtains, a braided or ivy hair wreath, gold jewelry, long wavy hair or loose braid.

10. Wednesday Addams: Black dress or black sweater with black skirt, must have the white collar on the outside, black opaque or striped tights, funky fun black shoes, center part with two hair braids, pale face, black lips.

Many of these items can be found in your closets, at a thrift store, or online if you want it shipped to your door.  For more tips on how to create and design a Halloween costume, buy my Amazon ebook here.  Follow me on Facebook for tons more ideas!

 

 

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Cosplay Dresses Family Costumes General Girl costumes Group costume Hair-Makeup-Accessories Halloween Costumes for Teens Halloween Costumes for Women Makeup Tutorials

Wednesday Addams Halloween Costume Idea

We have tickets to an upcoming production of “The Addams Family: The Broadway Musical” and we can’t wait to see it! We are musical theater fans and enjoy the soundtrack, so I am excited to see how the songs all fit in.  The Addams Family is a fun and festive group Halloween costume idea.  Wednesday Addams would also be easy to put together and looks great even going solo.  If people aren’t familiar with the Addams Family characters, you’ll still look like a creepy doll just perfect for Halloween.

Her costume is super easy: a short black dress or black sweater and skirt combo, and the must have is the white collar showing.  You probably have something in your closet that will work.  If not, take a quick trip to the thrift store or a click on the image below. And because it’s a real dress and not a cheap costume made from thin fabric, you would probably wear it again! So much better than buying a costume sold in a bag.  Pair the outfit with black opaque or striped tights and funky black shoes.

 

wednesday addams dress

 

Black gothic shoes

 

bows with skulls

Here’s a helpful tutorial for the hair and makeup:

Follow me on Facebook for more costume ideas!

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Cosplay Girl costumes Halloween Costumes Halloween Costumes for Women

Mermaid Tail for Mermaid Costume

I ran across a website that makes mermaid costumes that can be used in water for play or for totally awesome mermaid costumes on land!  They are open on the bottom so that you can walk in them, though with tiny steps. They come in many different sizes for girls, teens, and adults and different colors and fabrics.  Click here for more info; click on the above picture to purchase on Amazon.  Happy swimming!

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Disney Costumes Girl costumes Halloween Costumes Sewing Costumes

Frozen Costume Pattern

The Frozen costume pattern for Anna and Elsa costumes is now available!  There was one left at my local JoAnn store and here it is…

Frozen Costume Pattern

 

 

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Cosplay Disney Costumes General Girl costumes Halloween Costumes for Women Makeup Tutorials

Disney’s Frozen Elsa Costume and Elsa Makeup

 

My girls ran across this Elsa makeup tutorial a few days ago and I wanted to share it with all you Frozen fans! Makeup is one of the 6 magic ingredients in a creating a custom costume, so you want to be sure you have thought about the makeup design to go with your costume.  She does a great job of explaining how to do Elsa Makeup including a helpful tip on how to make your eyes pop with false eyelashes.  Who knew you could use 2 pair on each eye? Slip on an Elsa wig and a beautiful sparkling blue gown and your Elsa Halloween costume will be the big hit this year!

To learn about the other 5 magic ingredients in creating a costume, purchase my ebook, “How to Design and Create a Halloween Costume” .  Available for viewing on nearly all electronic devices with this Kindle App.

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Couples costume Family Costumes General Girl costumes Halloween Costumes Makeup Tutorials

Last Minute Homemade Halloween Costume: Skeleton Shirt and Skeleton Makeup Tutorial

The countdown to Halloween is on!  Hopefully your costumes are ready to go, or maybe they’ve even been worn already to Halloween parties over the weekend.  It seems like there are some years my kids are wearing costumes for nearly a week leading up to Halloween.

We used to attend a big family Halloween party that my brother and his family hosted the weekend before Halloween, complete with a haunted house set up in the garage.  It was LEGIT. Sadly they moved to the East coast, so no more fun family Halloween party.

We often attend a big Halloween carnival hosted at a local community center, but this year it conflicts with the Fall Carnival at our church, so we’ll attend the church party where my teenager gets to handout candy and host carnival games for the kids as they trick-or-treat among the classrooms and do a cupcake walk. Meanwhile the adults chat over a chili dinner and everyone goes home happy.

So far this year, one of my kids wore a unicorn costume to Buddy Day at karate last Friday, went to an informal Halloween party at a friend’s house as a hippie, and another daughter went as the Cat-in-the-Hat to her acting class.  These are not even their “REAL” Halloween costumes.

I digress.

In case you don’t have a costume ready and need something quick, here are two tutorials that show different methods of cutting up a t-shirt to look like a skeleton.  This would be fun to do for an individual, a couple, or a family.

The first shows a more precise method with a template, and the second video shows a much easier way.  I would cut the shirt using the freehand method from the second video, but print out the template from the first to visualize the cuts so there’s not as many as the second shirt.  It looks cool, but not as realistic as the first.  Watch them both and see which one you like. Pair up these easy-peasy skeleton shirts with black jeans and skeleton makeup. Quick, stylish, done.  This is the kind of costume every teenager wants.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MFrkYPaqj4

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General Girl costumes Halloween Costumes Refashioning Shoes

Refashioning Shoes Into Spectator Shoes

 

My daughter is going to be Cruella de Vil for Halloween this year.  She found some cool shoes at  Savers, one of my favorite local thrift stores.  She is young, but loves to wear high heels, so this chunky heel is a bit easier to walk in for her.   I refashioned these 30s style oxfords into the spectator shoes she has always wanted! So simple and easy, you just need hot glue, fabric, and trim. This is a fun way to add a pattern or color into your Halloween costume and even some bling, depending on the trim you choose.  Cruella de Vil needs dalmatian print, right?

Cruellashoes

1.  Position the edge of the fabric 1/4″ away from the opening of the shoe ( I knew I would be adding trim, so I needed just a bit of allowance), and then down to past the bottom of the shoe on the side.  It’s fine to be too long on the side because will trim it later. Start on one side of the shoe with a bit of hot glue, then move across the toe of the shoe adding hot glue along the top edge, under the fabric to secure it, until you get to the other side of the shoe at the bottom edge.  Cut around the bottom edge to trim away the excess fabric, being careful to leave some allowance.  You can trim any additional extra away as you get ready to secure the bottom edge.

photo 2

2. Unfortunately, I didn’t take pics for the next few steps.  Sorry!  After I cut away most of the excess fabric,

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Boy Costumes Couples costume Ethnic costumes Family Costumes General Girl costumes Group costume Hair Halloween Costumes Halloween Costumes for Men Makeup Theater Tutorials

How to Make a Toga Using a Bed Sheet or Curtains: A Quick Homemade Halloween Costume for Couples

A friend messaged me asking for some ideas on a toga costume for her and her new fiance. (Congrats Lauren!)

Yes, you can make a toga using a bed sheet or curtains, if they aren’t too thick. It needs to be a fabric that is lightweight like sheets, and will drape nicely. Start with a twin sheet to see how it fits, but it depends on your size and height.  You may need to experiment with the sheet size for the best results.  Fold it in half if necessary. Use safety pins to secure.  The three videos below show different methods for tying the toga, both for men and women.

Clothing: Consider what you will wear underneath the toga in case of a wardrobe malfunction or if you simply want a little more coverage.  Items that fit snug like a tank top, tube top, layering tee, bike shorts or spankies work the best so that the toga isn’t disturbed by bulky or baggy fabric underneath.

Accessories: Find gold trim or ribbon at Walmart or a craft & fabric store to form a belt for the toga. It gives a better shape to the toga by pulling it in a bit at the waist for both men and women.  Sandals or flip flops complement this look along with gold jewelry.  And don’t forget something for the hair such as gold trim wrapped around the head as the first video shows, a golden floral wreath shown in the second video, or a green leaf wreath worn by the male in the last video.

Makeup: If you really want to look like you didn’t just throw on a sheet at the last minute, then follow the second video for some tips on a makeup design to go with the toga.  This will really finish off the look and your costume will look  intentional and stylized.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4hWqIW–rQ

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Animal costumes Boy Costumes Ethnic costumes General Girl costumes Halloween Costumes Resources

Chasing Fireflies: My Favorite Halloween Costume Resource

 

I discovered this company (chasing-fireflies.com) a few years ago when my mom passed along their print catalog she had received in the mail.  My girls loved to look through the pages at all the fanciful and interesting costumes.  I was relieved that I could trust my girls with this company’s catalog of modest costumes because so many costume resources display the cutesy “adult” costumes right alongside the costumes for kids.

Wow–was I hooked! Chasing Fireflies’ costumes look incredible.  They have a 75 page catalog showing a large assortment of family friendly, age appropriate boutique costumes.  Prices range from $29.50 for an infant pirate costume to a wickedly gorgeous evil queen costume that goes from a girl’s size 6 ($98.50) up to a women’s size 24/26 for $148.50.  This may seem like an investment, but that’s exactly what it is.  These costumes are built to last well past the first Halloween party and depending on the costume, many include 2 to 6 pieces, such as a mask, cape, belt or leg warmers so you get big bang for your buck.

Though I have not purchased a costume from Chasing Fireflies it seems that they are much higher quality costumes because of the attention to detail and design.  They have trims, embellishments, and fabrics that are not available on most costumes from typical retailers.  The hems look properly folded over and finished which keeps them from shredding and running. Many of the girl costume hems are even finished off with feathers, lace, or sequin trim.  Some costumes such as the police office, knight, and firefighter include personalization.  Multiple accessories available including shoes, jewelry, or treat bags really take the costume over the top!

I ran across the following two Chasing Fireflies Videos on YouTube and though they are from a few seasons ago, it shows a sampling of their product in action.  I love the behind-the-scenes look at things, so it’s kind of fun to sneak into their photo shoots…

My Top 5 Costumes From Chasing Fireflies (though I have many favorites)