Easy Last-Minute Halloween Costume: Clark Kent

So it's two days before (or the morning of!) Halloween and your teen son decides he really ISN'T too old to go trick-or-treating again this year. What do you do?

Here is my solution for a quick and easy last-minute costume:

Presenting, Clark Kent

It's definitely not a bird nor a plane, but this Superman definitely turned the heads of some teen girls last week at our church's Trunk or Treat!

We had all the pieces at home, all I needed to buy was the superman logo tee shirt, which I picked up at my local Target.

Clark Kent wears:

• Black high top chucks (Converse One-Stars from Target):$17 on clearance
• White Dress Shirt (owned) Free
• Tie (Owned--You can get a shirt/tie combo at Walmart for $10) Free
• Dress Slacks (Owned--You can find dress slacks at Walmart for $10) Free
• Black glasses (3D movie theater glasses) Free
• Superman tee shirt (Target) $11 after Cartwheel discount
• Good looks: Priceless!

My total cost:  $28 by reusing some items he already owned...technically only spent $11, since I had bought the Chucks a few weeks ago, but these were his first time wearing them, so I added it in.  ;)

DIY Minion Halloween Costume {Ba ba ba ba-ba na-na!}

Today's costume is an easy DIY!  My daughter knew that she wanted to dress up like this character since we watched Despicable Me 2 this summer.

Presenting:

The DIY Minion

Just looking at this kid makes me want to say: BEE DOH!  BEE DOH!  BEE DOH!!

I love the way this all came out!  I used a mix of hand-me-downs, consignment and new items.  She will be wearing this on Halloween night!

This DIY Minion wears:

• Black Chucks (Converse All Star hand me downs from her brother): Free(ish) retail at about $30
• Yellow Tee Shirt (my son's old band tee): Free --these retail less than $10 new
• Thick Round Glasses (Michael's): $1
• Yellow Beanie (Amazon): $5
• Black Gloves (from an old costume): Free --you can find black gloves for about $1
• Yellow Soccer Socks (Ross): $3 (for two pair)
• Denim Overalls (cosigment shop): $3
• Yellow Buttons (Joann): $1
• Silliness--Priceless!

My total cost:  $13 with lots of reusable pieces!!

Nerdy 50s Girl {Putting a Twist on a Store Bought Halloween Costume}

As you saw in yesterday's post, I can't be happy with a store bought costume as is. We always add a little twist.  Today I present to you:

Nerdy 50's Girl:

This is another one of those costumes I picked up on clearance at Target years ago. I was so surprised when my daughter chose this costume to wear for our church's Trunk or Treat this year. The whole nerdy look was her idea, and I have to say, she rocks it!

She even swiped some of the masking tape from my DIY furniture projects to "nerdy up" her glasses!

Nerdy 50s Girl wears:

• Black Chucks (Converse All Star hand me downs from her brother) Free(ish) retail at about $30
• Nerdy glasses (old 3D movie theater glasses) Free -- also used for Hipster Dorothy
• White lace bike shorts (Target clearance) $4 -- also used for Hipster Dorothy
• Tall white socks (Target clearance) $2 -- also used for Hipster Dorothy
• 50s Girl costume (Target Clearance 2010) $3
• Potential to be the next Kristen Wiig -- Priceless!

Total cost to me: $9 (unless you count the shoes that I bought for my son in 2009 for about $30, and the hour's worth of elbow grease it took me to make them look new again!)

Hipster Dorothy Costume {an ironic DIY}

We love us some Halloween here in La Casa de Aqua Seventy6!  So much so, that my daughter will be sporting not one but THREE costumes this year.  She does have three events to attend, after all! ;)

On the morning of Halloween, she will be attending her very last Storybook Parade at school.  When she was in Kindergarten she dressed as the Cowardly Lion, so she wanted to end her elementary school costume career as another character from The Wizard of Oz...with a slight twist.

Presenting: "Hipster Dorothy"

For years I stocked up on costumes when Target marked them down to 90% off.  I picked up this Dorothy costume in 2010 for about $3.  When we moved to VA the following summer, the box containing all of our costumes accidentally ended up in storage here in FL.  When we finally returned, I thought for sure that she would have outgrown all of the costumes, but she was just able to fit into a couple!

It's hard to get an almost 11-year-old into red glittered maryjanes, so we gave this costume a little bit of a ironic twist.

Hipster Dorothy wears:

• Red Chucks (these are faux Converse I ordered through Amazon) $11 with shipping
• Ironic glasses with no lens (old 3D movie theater glasses) Free
• White lace bike shorts (Target clearance) $4
• Tall white socks (Target clearance) $2
• Basket (thrift) 50 cents
• Puppy (Gift) Free
• Hair ribbons (Joann) $1
• Dorothy costume (Target clearance 2010) $3
• Attitude (hereditary)  Priceless

Total cost: $21.50 AND the shoes, socks and bike shorts are reusable.  You will see the shorts and socks again in tomorrow's post!

Ten Minute Teen Wolf {DIY Halloween Costume}

Last Halloween, my then 12-year-old son couldn't decide whether or not he wanted to dress up for trick-or-treating.  The truth is, he WANTED to dress up, but wasn't sure if other kids his age would be, as well.

On the morning of Halloween he finally decided he wanted to dress up regardless of what the other kids were doing.  Of course, that left me little time to come up with one of my totally awesome DIY costumes. ;)  He suggested dressing as a werewolf and here is what I came up with:

I had found some fur at the fabric store earlier in the month and picked up a remnant since he had been leaning toward werewolf IF he decided to dress up.  I cut the fur into wrist-sized rectangles and sewed on a small piece of elastic to the bottom so he could easily slip his hand through.

We threw together a flannel shirt, some jeans, and I used two shades of brown eyeliner and lip liner to draw fur on his face and give him a wolf's nose and bushy eyebrows.  I added a lot of gel to spike his hair and voila:  Ten Minute Teen Wolf!

Here he his posing with his sister, the Mad Haute Mad Hatter (which is quickly becoming one of my most popular posts thanks to Pinterest!)

So what is he going to be this year?  I hope I don't find out on Halloween morning again!  ;)

Mad Haute

Every November, when Target has their costumes at 75-90% off, I pick up a few for my kids. These have worked beautifully in the past for the Halloween Parties, Trunk or Treats, Storybook Parades at school, and countless other opportunities my kids have had to dress up prior to the actual day of Halloween.  This is not only super fun for my daughter, but preserves her "real" costume until Oct. 31.

Last year was no different.  I picked up three adorable costumes at $3 each and thought my daughter was set for this holiday.  Boy, was I wrong!!

We are in a whole new world up here in Virginia.  We weren't invited to any pre-Halloween costume parties and her school doesn't allow them to come to school in costume.  Lo and behold, her school DID decide to try Trunk or Treat last Friday night, and since she knew she wouldn't get to show off her costume to her friends, I allowed my daughter to wear her "real" costume to the event.

So let's talk about this "real" costume.  Mommy has been very busy, so I assumed my ever considerate daughter would pick one of the three costumes hanging in her closet for the last 11.5 months---and she would have---had I not shown her a picture of an adorable Queen of Hearts costume on Pinterest.  My kid is a mini-me in every way.  Her wheels started turning, and even though we went to the fabric store intending to make her the Queen of Hearts, we came out with purple, black, and green tulle, some pink and black tights and The Mad Hatter on the brain. 

What we created was Mad Haute....

I made her skirt using 9 yards of tulle, elastic and a simple tie-on method.  Click here for a tutorial. I love how it looks torn and industrial...dark and moody.  I added some tulle to a mini hat hair clip we found at Pier 1.

Next I made the floppy bow tie, tying in the colors of her tights.  I safety pinned that into a heather-gray long sleeve top to continue that industrial look.

I cut the fingers off of some simple winter gloves we've had forever, and I dug up an old vest I've had since my hipster days.  JK, I was never a hipster, but I did rock the mini vest back in 2006ish.

I tied her hair in two twisty knots, and attempted to recreate Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter make-up, to no avail.  We ended up just using lots of eyeshadow, mascara, eyeliner and lipstick to finish off the dark, Tim Burton-esque look of this costume.

I have to say, I LOVE the way it came out!!  What do you think? 

 Click here to see where this and my other posts are linked

Favorite Month, Anniversary, Giveaways and More!

It's finally here!  My favorite month of the year!  Ever since I was a little girl, I have LOVED the month of October.  The weather in Tampa cooled off, my mom would make me a Halloween costume, and my elementary school had its yearly Halloween Carnival.  Those were the days.

There's another reason why I love October...it's the month that the idea of AquaSeventy6 was born.  This year, AquaSeventy6 celebrates its 2 year anniversary, and I have SO MUCH in store for you! 

First I will be holding weekly FLASH GIVEAWAYS on my Facebook page!  What is a Flash Giveaway?  Without prior notice, I will announce that a giveaway is in full swing and how long you have to enter.  FB fans have to do something simple to enter ("like" a particular update, post a comment, share the page, etc.)  The following morning, I will list everyone who has followed the rules (making sure they are a follower, of course) assign them a number, and have Random.org choose the winning entry which will be announced on my FB page.  Easy peasy!!

On the last week of October, I will be holding a HUGE giveaway...more details will be announced soon, so make sure you follow me on Facebook for the most up-to-date information.

..............

I wanted to share some items I've created in honor of my favorite month of the year...

Even though I don't normally create many holiday-specific items items, I can't help myself when it comes to Halloween!

There is more to come, so stick around! xx


 Click here to see where this and my other posts are linked

Last FFFC Feature and a Peek at Our Halloween...

Sorry that we haven't been around in a few days.  We had a fun and busy Halloween and finally got our items shipped down to South Florida for our first Holiday Show.

Last week we announced our final Fabulously Frugal Fall Fashion Challenge: The Anything Goes Challenge.

Today we are featuring the one reader who participated in EVERY SINGLE CHALLENGE!





AnhKay, rocked out every challenge using items from her closet and her Anything Goes looks were our FAVORITES!!  You can read more about AnhKay's fantastic fashion sense on Glass Slippers on a Budget and You Know You Want It!

Here's a little peek into Yvette's first Halloween in Richmond:

 Here are my kiddos showing off the trick or treat sacks I made them. Woot!  My son definitely got into the Dracula spirit with his serious expression!

Here is my candy corn witch showing off Mommy's first attempt at making a costume.  Pretty cute, if I do say so myself!

How was your Halloween?  Tell us in the comments!

Upcycled Paper Bag Cape

My 'lil guy just turned 4! He chose the theme for his party: Heroes v Villains. It was so much fun!

One of his requests was that all party goers be able to make a cape and a mask. My response? "Perfect!"

The capes were so simple and fun to make I couldn't help but share. So here you go.

Start with a paper grocery bag. Open it up completely and start cutting at the side seam.

Continue to cut across the bottom and all the way around to the other side seam.

Cut a semi-circle in the middle of the bottom flap (this is where the cape will fit around the child's neck)

Next, open the edges of the circle where they are glued together and trim the ends so they are even.

Then, gently peal off the handle and your cape is almost done.

Finally, punch holes at the sides of the neck and tie ribbon through the holes. 

Now the kids are free to decorate and get creative!

One of my favorite little crafters, hard at work!

These were so much fun and totally FREE to make. And you know us Aqua gals adore a bargain. 

Fit for a Superhero and a great Halloween craft as well!
I know what you're thinking, "I can do that." Know what? You can. And you should. Because we also discovered that if you turn it around to your front it makes an awesome adult-sized bib for eatin' lots of BBQ!

Haunted Exterior

There is something about seasonal/holiday decorating that makes me super giddy. Maybe it is the fact that I only bust this stuff out once a year. Perhaps it is the festive mood that is evoked. But no matter how you slice it, I really dig holiday decorating. I haven't quite gotten around to decorating the inside of the house...but the outside is off to a good start.

Last year I made this snake wreath. I thought it got lost in the move, but you can imagine my spooktacular glee when I discovered it this weekend! If you want to make your own, see directions at the end of this post.


My boys love to help in the house decorating! But hands down, their favorite is always the inflatable! My favorite quote of the day came from my 2 1/2 year old, Easton."Mommy, I not scared of dose ghosteses or dem pooosycats."
Happy haunting, everyone!!
Snake Wreath of Terror:
1. Weave plastic snakes (I bought mine at the Dollar Store) in and out of a grapevine wreath.2. Spray paint black (or any color you like...or not at all...or buy the glow snakes!).