How To: Fridge Frames from Cardboard Boxes

I saw an adorable frame idea on Pinterest from Leah at The Way We Are. Leah glued magnets to the back of picture frames in order to display her daughter’s artwork in an organized and beautiful way. I had several cardboard boxes in my craft stash, so I decided to repurpose them into my own fridge frames!

1. Cardboard boxes (like cereal boxes, etc)

2. Scissors

3. A pencil

4. Ruler or straight edge

5. Hot glue/hot glue gun

6. Magnets

Optional: Paint, sheet music, or other items to decorate your frames.

1. Cut out the size you would like your frames. I cut out one large one (enough to cover an average-sized paper) and two small ones (for pictures).

2. With your ruler or straight edge, draw your frame.

3.Then, cut out your frames.

4. Decorate your frames! I painted the larger frame red because our kitchen colors are red. Paint isn’t the greenest crafting supply, but there are eco-friendly options like Blick’s Green Series tempera paint. For the smaller frames, I covered one with sheet music and left the other its original white color.

5. Hot glue a magnet to the back of your frames. If you can, use old magnets like the ones I used in the How To: Paint Chip Magnets tutorial. I used two magnets on the larger frame.

Put all of your favorite fridge items in your frames and you’re done!

Personalize a large frame with your child’s name on it so they can display their artwork or good grades on the fridge. This is perfect now that children are back in school!Display chore charts like The Way We Are did.Label one frame “Grocery List” for a cool way to display your grocery list.You could even use magazine letters to label your frames!

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2012 Summit of Awesome: A Crafty Business Camp

If you’ve been following Crafting a Green World for a while, I’m sure you’ve seen us talk about The Summit of Awesome. My friend and site co-director Kelly Rand is one of the organizers, and I’ve spoken a few times on the conference’s Green Crafts panel.

This year, Hello Craft – the organization that plans the Summit of Awesome – released a brand new book on launching a crafty biz, so rather than a full-blown, multi-day event, this year’s Summit is a one day Business Camp workshop. If you run a crafty business or have been wanting to launch your hobby into a money-making venture, you should definitely check it out!

Hello Craft’s mission is to support the handmade community, and at each conference they have experts from the crafty community sharing their knowledge in talks, panels, and workshops. Here’s a video from the 2010 Summit in Portland, Oregon:

This year’s Summit of Awesome will be on Saturday, September 8 at Fab Lab DC (1418 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20002). Early bird registration is live now, so if you want to register at a discount, head on over to the Hello Craft website!

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How to Design a Funny Halloween Costume - Tips From an Expert Designer

If you are a grown up, that does not mean you cannot feel and look childish for one day. You can dress up with a mascot funny Halloween costume, to impress all the kids and all your friends alike at the party, or at the costume event.

Bees are very cute characters; children and grown-ups alike can dress up with such an outfit for the Halloween celebrations, or a costume event, a parade, or any other cheerful occasion. You can design your own costume, and accessorize it the way you like it.

If you do not want to wear a character head, which actually has see-through eyes, then you will instead wear a funny bee style makeup. First, you need to create your funny Halloween costume.

A mascot- style bee costume requires a full body fleece or plush. This should be yellow with black stripes along your belly. You can rent one, buy one, or if you are definitely very skilled, sew one yourself.

On your feet, you can wear black ankle boots if matching bee feet are not supplied with the costume. In addition, you can wear a pair of matching yellow gloves, if the costume comes without character mittens.

Now, you will need a bee style makeup to match with your funny Halloween costume. You should definitely wear a pair of expressive black false eyelashes. You can find even golden and black false eyelashes, which are specifically designed to match with a bee style Halloween costume.

On your eyelids, you can put orange and yellow toned eye shadow colors. In addition, do not forget to use a glittery color on your eyes. As a wonderful bee, you need to shine and glitter. What is very nice about these types of costumes is that both women and men can wear it. Certainly, men will not apply makeup, but only wear an antenna headband.

Now, you are basically ready to shine and sparkle in your new homemade funny Halloween costume. If you feel comfortable, you can rent costumes, which also come with a character head.

You do not have to worry, as these are specifically created for a very comfortable wear. The headpiece is usually light, and you have see-through eyes. You can take off the headpiece whenever you wish to take a break. Take a break as well from wearing the same boring costume, and dress up like a funny bee at this year's Halloween party!

When she is not out researching new costume fabrics and styles, Daniela Davis is writing about how to choose a Baby Bumblebee Costume [http://www.bumblebeecostume.info/], because a Funny Halloween Costume [http://www.bumblebeecostume.info/funny-halloween-costume/] will transform Halloween in the most exciting celebration.

How To: Junk Mail Bookmarks

I saw these adorable page corner bookmarks from Oh Crafts and had to make some of my own. I thought they would be perfect for children who are back in school or even college students. Grab your junk mail envelopes and make some of your own eco-friendly bookmarks!

1. Junk mail envelope

2. Ruler or straight edge

3. Pencil

4. Scissors

Optional: Markers, magazines, or other items to decorate your bookmark.

1. With your ruler or straight edge, mark the corner of your envelope.

2. Then, cut across the line.

3. Decorate your bookmark! On one side of mine, I colored it with markers:

On the other side, I colored it and then glued on magazine letters to form the word “read”:

If you have children, I recommend checking out Oh Crafts’ version– she made her bookmarks into cute faces! How would you decorate your bookmark? Share your ideas with us!

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Reader Question: Homemade Modeling Clay Recipe?

Reader Tyler writes:

Ive been trying to invent a good recipe for oil based modelling clay that mimics chavant nsp medium as closely as possible. There are many recipes around the internet but they tend to have petroleum or off gassing ingredients in them such as paraffin wax and motor oil. I would be curious to hear your thoughts on some good alternatives. Thanks for your help!

I was able to find a couple of recipes, but since I don’t work with proper modeling clay, it’s hard to say whether these are going to do the trick. If any of you have a modeling clay recipe that you’d like to share, let us know in the comments!

Here are the recipes I found that might be helpful:

1. Pioneer Thinking has quite a few recipes for modeling clay, but I get the feeling that these are more like play dough than professional clay.

2. EHow shows you how to make pottery clay from scratch. If you live somewhere like Georgia, where you can pretty much dig up red clay anywhere, this might be fun to try. Still, I’m not so sure that this is what Tyler was after.

I’d love to hear from the sculptors out there! Do any of these recipes sound helpful? Do you have a modeling clay recipe that you love? Help a fellow crafter out!

Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by Daniel Jaeger

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Find the Best Halloween Costume

One of the first things that you need to be doing whenever you are choosing a Halloween costume is to ensure that you decide on a theme that you want to go with. This will make it easier to begin your search because you won't be looking at anything and everything and you'll have some possible words to search on if you're shopping online. For instance, if you want to wear a scary costume, you should start looking for witches, phantoms and vampires. If you want to be something funny, you might opt for a watermelon or Pac Man costume.

There are many different themes out there, but you just want to ensure that you are choosing one that goes with your personality as well as fits within what type of Halloween costume that you want. A costume should make you look awesome and that is what you want to find.

Let's look at some of the most popular Halloween costumes for 2010. The movie Alice in Wonderland was released this year, and it has lots of characters that make for great costumes. This theme is sure to be a hit whether you choose to dress up as Alice, the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, the Red Queen or any of the other characters. With each character, there are several different costume options, ranging from extravagant to sexy to simple.

Every year, witch costumes are popular. This may sound plain, but there's a reason it remains one of the top sellers year after year. You could be a naughty sexy witch or a scary ugly witch. You could be a good witch or a bad witch. You could even combine a witch with another type of costume. What about a pirate witch or a little girl witch? Whatever you choose, make sure that it reflects the witch within you. Remember, if you are going to an adult party, sexier costumes are typically perfect and fit in well!

This brings up another good point, whenever you are choosing a Halloween costume; you want to consider where you are going. If you are going to a party where kids will be present, you might want to pick something that's not so sexy. That goes double if the kids will be right at the tween age where they want to dress sexy but their parents don't want them to!

Now that you have picked a theme, the next step is going to be looking around for costumes and ensuring that you comparison shop quite a bit. Think about whether you're only going to wear it once, or if you're going to keep it an reuse it. Face it, costumes are expensive but you do not want to break the bank to look great this holiday season.

Choosing a Halloween costume can be difficult and time consuming. If you keep these points in mind, however, you're sure to find the costume that looks great, reflects your fun-loving personality and is affordable.

If you live in Southern California, you can find costume stores in San Diego or costume stores in Orange County. If you have enough time, you should definitely consider shopping online instead.

Newborn Halloween Costumes Are a Great Way For Children and Adults to Have Fun

Newborn Halloween costumes is a great way for your newborn to have some fun and enjoy the holiday just like everyone else. Babies are people too, and believe it or not, they know what is fun and funny. With one of the most popular things about this holiday is dressing up in ridiculous and scary Halloween costumes, we do not want to leave the newborn baby out of the picture. There are many newborn Halloween costume ideas that can be created or bought in any local department store.

When it comes to finding the right newborn Halloween costume, there are many ideas that you can use to create the perfect costume that will make your newborn look great for Halloween. It is recommended that you choose the right type of costume that will be the right one for your newborns character.

There are many ideas that you can choose that would be great for showing off any type of character that you newborn may have. Such ideas might include that of a clown, teddy bear, bunny rabbit and many others that you could choose from. All of these ideas can be done easily with the use of some face paint and a little creativity with some materials.

If you do not feel that you are creative enough to design your own newborn Halloween costume for you baby, then try shopping at your local department store. Here you will find many different styles and types of Halloween costumes for the newborn that will be fun and show off their character at the same time. You can find from the funny and silly to some that are cute and beautiful.

Do not wait and let Halloween be the only time that you think of buying a newborn Halloween costume. You should start early and get the right costume for your newborn. Though the department stores only sell these costumes during the Halloween season, there are many websites that can be found on line, that specialize in these Halloween costumes.

From these websites, you can purchase Halloween costumes at any time through out the year. Here you will be able to find all different types of newborn Halloween costumes that would be best suited for your baby and most likely at a discounted price if bought out of season. So, do not let your newborn miss out on the fun. Sure maybe they can not trick-or-treat, but can still have fun with the rest of the family.

Daryl Plaza is a regular contributor to www.Spookynite.com supplying you with all the information and resources you need to know about Halloween nite

Mermaid Halloween Costume

There is a strong fascination with the mermaid, when it comes to a costume or an unusual get up for a go as you like party or a fancy dress party. For Halloween of 2009, which is just around the corner, it is the mermaid halloween costume that seems to be high up on the popularity list.

It is interesting to know how this fascination began.

The earliest reference to a mermaid, as we know of it to-day, a mythological aquatic creature with a female human head and torso and the tail of an aquatic animal such as a fish, dolphin or seal, can be found in the story of Atargatis.

In the year 1000 BC, Atargatis, a goddess, loved a mortal shepherd and in the process killed him.

Filled with remorse and ashamed of her act she plunged herself into a lake to take the form of a fish. Unfortunately, the waters of the lake could not conceal her mesmerizing beauty, so she took the form of a mermaid, human above the waist, fish below.

There are many cultures around the world have similar figures, typically depicted without clothing.

The fascination for the mermaid among little children goes back a long way, as early as the middle of the 19th century, with the success of Hans Christian Anderson's stories and fairy tales, among which was The Little Mermaid.

The current level of fascination, especially among the adult and mature women started with Darryl Hannah and her portrayal of that sexy mermaid in the Disney blockbuster 'Splash'. Every woman, no matter of what age or disposition would love to make a SPLASH looking the way Darryl Hannah looked, even if it is for only a few hours.

Disney further contributed to making the mermaid a firm favorite by producing feature length animated films of their already famous cartoon character Ariel.

The idea of looking like the sexy siren of the sea, dressed in an interesting get up of a seashell bikini top, long flowing red hair and glittery spangled costumes, appeals to adult women of all ages, making the mermaid Halloween costume an all time favorite.

Children Mermaid Costumes: What do they have to include?

Since Ariel is a Trade Mark property of Disney, most ready made costumes that can be bought at any costume retailer or on the internet come in similar patterns, keeping to the standard blue bikini top with a green skirt and tail.

As the licensed cartoon character Ariel, is never depicted wearing anything in between, many mermaid costumes fill in with a flesh-colored body suit. The outfit is made authentic by completing it with a seashell tiara and a red wig.

Adult Women Mermaid Costumes: What do they have to include?

Mermaid costumes for adults have become one of the most, if not the most, popular costumes for Halloween these days. Most vintage mermaid costumes are made up of transparent and watery shades of blue and green, but glitter is fast becoming an in thing with metallic gold and shades of silver.

Most youngsters lookout for something different, as they like the idea of wearing costumes in purple, red, and other lively colors. Long red wigs and sea shell hair accessories seem to be the common part in all types of costumes.

The tail is the most important part of a Mermaid Costume.

The most important aspect of a mermaid costume is the tail, with which the illusion is not complete. Most costume manufacturers manage to provide the desired look with tight tapered skirts ending at the ankle, while some attach a tail that drags behind.

Would it be a Mermaid Halloween Costume for you in 2009?

Noel Benjamin D'Costa became an Internet marketer out of sheer necessity. Losing his voice to cancer he had to search for alternative gainful employment that did not involve talking or the need to uses his voice. He became an internet market and used his WebPages as his voice.

Noel has currently over 50 live websites selling physical consumer goods, digital products and affiliate promotions

Visit his blog Mermaid Halloween Costume to get the latest Little Mermaid Costume.

Sexy Halloween Costumes For Men, Women and Couples

Halloween is not just for kids but can be attended by adults also. Parties can be held at work place, office or in an organization or a few friends get together and have fun. Many businesses hold Halloween office parties and allow, if not encourage, their employees to wear costumes to work as part of the Halloween spirit. Night clubs hold costume contests with some pretty hefty prizes for the best costumed person or couple. The most popular years are when Halloween falls on either a Friday or Saturday for obvious reasons. The social freedom of Halloween gives people who are normally stressed out and emotionally restrained a chance to "let loose", get spooky, scary, naughty and even sexy without being judged. You can find different varieties of sexy Halloween costumes online for Men, women or even couples.

Some of the sexiest Halloween costumes are as follows: Women love to wear cheerleader costume. This costume may take any guy back to his high school memories. Cheerleader costume reminds about short skirts, pom poms and pig tails. Some of the sexy costumes for women in this year include Dark Heart Queen, Sexy Princess Leia, Lady Zorro, Sexy Safari Girl and Prisoner of Love. Other sexy women's costumes include wonder women, sexy witch, and sexy sailor, Purrfectly Pretty Kitty or Eskimo Cutie. Other Sexy Halloween costumes include Police Officer, Cheerleader, Playboy Bunny, Cowgirl, and Catholic School girl, Addams Family Morticia or French Maid.

Some women love a man in uniform. But the same thing goes for men. Gals with gorgeous stems can pull off this leggy law women outfit, complete with short blue shorts, button-down and badge. Accessories include clubs, hats and handcuffs. Addams Family Morticia costume will allow even the most reserved Halloween partygoer to show off her sexy side. This form filling floor length black gown is accented by a deep plunging neckline and flowing sleeves. French Maid costume comes in various materials like vinyl and cotton. This costume is suitable for conservative partygoer as it is available in different lengths and cuts.

There definitely aren't many sexy men costumes as there are sexy costumes for women. Some sexy guy costumes include Borat Mankini, Genie in the Lamp, Anita Waxin, Captain Six Pack and Tight End football costumes.

Some of the famous sexy couple costumes are Angel and Devil, Hansel and Gretel, Treasure Hunter and Indiana Jones costumes, matching vampire costumes or gangster and flapper are classic and sexy.

If you are in search of a sexy Halloween Costume for women then just browse the net. The range of sexy Halloween costumes for women is indeed baffling. If women begin browsing the selection of sexy women's costumes, they will hit upon quiet a few daring outfits that will turn heads of men at the Halloween party.

Allen Christopher is an expert author, who is presently working on the site Halloween Costumes. He has written many articles in various topics. For more information about Mascot costumes. Visit our site Sexy Costumes. Contact him at halloweenarticle12@gmail.com

Kids Zombie Halloween Costumes to Take a Walk on the Dark Side This Halloween

From the time they can talk to the time they move out, the most frequent words a child utters must be "I want". Are your kids already starting to nag you for the new Halloween costume they want?

Of course they are. They're marking off the number of days until the big night. Naturally, they can't be seen dead in last year's costume so out comes the wallet and here you go again!

Little devils. You'd probably give your right arm for them to grow up quickly and begin to earn their own money. Now there are laws around child labor but perhaps they could do a little more around the house to help you out and, in the process, they'd learn the value of a good day's work.

Perhaps you could suggest they undertake a few little jobs at home to pay for their new Halloween costume. Not a chance? Well, if they won't go willingly you'll be happy to know that labor laws aren't applicable to Zombies - so treat them all to a new kids Zombie Halloween costume and they'll be marching out the door, eager to get to work.

It seems that pizza outlets and the postal system are hiring new workers so one of the new Halloween work costumes might get them on their way to paid employment. Work can be boring but if he's delivering in the Mail Zombie Boy Costume or in the Zombie Pizza Boy Costume, at least he'll have a job to keep him occupied.

If you feel like you're flogging a dead horse when it comes to getting your Zombie to do anything, then the Lite-Up Corpse Child Costume will be perfectly fitting. It'll certainly draw the attention of potential employers.

But perhaps he's foreman material and likes to issue orders instead of take them. If so, the Big Bruiser Zombie Punk Child Costume will give him the "street cred" he needs to make sure his instructions are carried out without dissent.

Got an intellectual on your hands? The child who sits around thinking about humanity all day can be just as painful as the one whose thumbs are glued to a game. Why not let him out to spread his bleeding heart ideals and share his brilliance around in the Light and Sound Beating Heart Skull Zombie Costume.

Not everyone is born to work - some are born to be celebrities. If your child has musical ambitions but a voice from the depths of hell he'll probably make a great zombie rocker! The Rockabilly Rebel or Metal Mayhem Child Costume could be ideal - it's Halloween, so Beethoven might be turning in his grave anyway.

In times of financial crisis getting a job can be hard enough when you're alive. But Halloween is the night of the living dead and there are plenty of Zombie worker costumes available - so there's just no excuse for unemployment this Halloween.

Looking for Halloween supplies for upcoming Halloween? Look no further! Buy kids zombie Halloween costumes and other partyware at besthalloweensupplies.com.

How-to: Hand-Dipped Wax Candles

Hand-dipping candles is no longer a labor-intensive pioneer chore. Using an old crock pot or a DIY stovetop bain-marie,  a hand-dipped candle becomes an easy, kid-friendly craft project, one that can stock an entire season of candlelit dinners in a single afternoon.

Although I’m using beeswax for these candles, you can use any non-petroleum-based wax–check out Becky’s article on vegan beeswax alternatives for specific tips.

Melt your solid wax in a crock pot.

1. Melt your solid wax in a crock pot. Score a cheap old crock pot at a thrift store, or purchase a second bowl for your current crock pot to use with crafts. Drop the solid chunks of wax into the crock pot (here I’m using a ton of beeswax bought in bulk a few months ago), turn it on low, and wait for it to melt.

If you’re using a DIY stovetop bain-marie the process is the same, but you’ll want to keep a closer eye on your work.

2. Cut wicking. You can find cotton candlewicking at any crafts store; after your wax has melted, eyeball a measurement that’s roughly double the depth of wax in the pot plus another inch or so for your fingers to hold.  Don’t worry about being too fussy with the measurements, since you’ll be able to simply trim off any excess wicking later.

Prime the wick with wax, then straighten it to prepare it for dipping.

3. Prime the wick with wax. While this isn’t completely necessary, I find that it makes dipping the candle much easier. Next to your crock pot, set up an old cup filled with cold water. Holding the wicking by two fingers in the middle, dip both ends of the wick into the wax to the depth you’d like your candle to be, then immediately lift it up and dip it into and out of the cold water. Use your fingers to straighten the wick so that there won’t be any kinks or curves in your candle. Repeat one or two more times, until the wick comes out of the wax nice and straight. Now it’s ready to dip!

To make hand-dipping even more kid-friendly, increase the length of the wicking by another inch or so and wrap the middle around a pencil, stick, or popsicle stick to give your kids a better grip. When my kids were younger, I marked both ends of the wick with a marker at a spot a safe distance from their fingers, and instructed them to dip their candles no further than that mark.

Dip the wicks into cold water after dipping them into melted wax.

4. Hand-dip your candles. Go back and forth, quickly dipping your wicks into the pot of melted wax, then quickly dipping them into the cup of cold water, and then back into the wax. The candles will increase in size pretty quickly, since the dips into cold water will decrease wax loss and allow the candles to take up a greater amount of wax each time.

If you have a particular candleholder in mind, you can periodically measure your candles so that you’ll know when to stop. Otherwise, whenever your candles have reached a pleasing diameter, give them one last dip in cold water, then hang them to cool. A towel bar is fine in a pinch, although a portable indoor drying rack will allow you to set your drying station up right next to where you’re hand-dipping.

To use your candles, cut them apart and trim the wicks down. They store indefinitely, and they make excellent holiday gifts.

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See All the Great Food Halloween Costumes

It seems that no matter what time of year, day or minute, food permeates every thing that we do in our lives. Perhaps that is why food Halloween Costumes have always been so popular among children and adults alike during the goblin season. Also, not everyone wants to dress up like they are taking part in a Freddy Kruegger movie with dried blood and chainsaws swirling around. A dainty, brightly colored bunch of grapes or a stalk of celery seems, well, a bit less scary as a costume. Don't you think?

Generally, most food costumes are simple in design and have very few parts which make wearing them a delight. O.K. So there are a couple of foods that have many parts like a bunch of grapes or peas but overall, the costumes are quite simple and soft.

A few of our favorite food Halloween Costumes available for purchase online are quite memorable, fun, high in quality and won't break the bank. Let's look at some of the most popular food costumes on this dynamic site.

One of the classic food costumes is, hands down, the banana. The Banana Deluxe Adult Costume features a yellow banana jumpsuit made of a lightweight fabric over foam (so it has flexibility). This costume comes in a one size fits most plus x-large. It has a great suggestion of pairing this costume with a Monkey, Gorilla or Carmen Miranda for a great couples costume! This costume also comes in childs and infant sizes. A family of bananas - how funny!

Now you know when a customer sends in a picture of themselves in a costume, you know it is hit. The Taco Adult costume includes the simulated taco shell, lettuce, cheese and tomato. The costume also comes with a moustache and matching headpiece. Add some black or green tights and shirt, you will be ready to kick it up at the party!

Not being a fan of seafood, I find the Lobster Pot Adult Costume ridiculously funny to the core. This costume includes a lobster headpiece, shirt, pot and claws. Again, the testimonial that went along with this costume is priceless. The person who purchased this costume came with a couple who dressed up as a Chef and the other as Julia Child. Of course, with this ensemble of people, this surely must have been the hit of the party.

Now one costume category I am NOT going to leave out in this category is candy, especially of the chocolate kind. If you want to be a candy bar, the selection for this year is incredible. There is the Snickers Wrapper Adult Costume, the 3 Musketeers Wrapper Adult Costume, The Twix Wrapper Adult Costume and many M&M Adult Costumes. Many of these outfits come in children's sizes so, no on is left out! Everyone in the family can be a piece of candy and be sweet!

There are so many fun food Halloween Costumes! Just choosing one may make your day just a bit difficult. Enjoy!

Carla has been writing articles online for nearly 4 years now. Not only does this author specialize in fashion, you can also check out her latest websites on food Halloween costumes and buying pet costumes dogs for your next Halloween party.

Cute Halloween Costume Ideas For Twins

Finding matching costumes for twins can be a challenge whether Halloween is six days away or six months away. If you're frantically trying to find ideas for costumes, slow down, take a deep breath, and relax. Costume ideas are easier to come by than you might think, and sometimes costumes for twins come together with hardly any work at all. Twin costumes can be drawn from more obscure characters because there are two people, and often times having two costumes from a similar movie or show makes the characters more recognizable. Here are a few strategies for picking out cute costumes for twins.

Sibling Based Characters
Some characters seem like they were made to be turned into costumes for twins. There are several examples that get repeated often like Thing 1 and Thing 2 from The Cat and the Hat. These costumes are easy to make and don't require more than two red jumpsuits and some blue wigs or hats. Other good ideas include characters who are similar in age, like Hansel and Gretel or Tommy and Chuckie from The Rugrats TV show. Both of these pairs are easy to duplicate.

Dynamic Duos
Everyone knows Batman and Robin, or Rocky and Bullwinkle. Superhero pairs or famous duos from TV make great costumes for twins. These costumes look their best when the two characters dress up together. As with most costumes for young people, the details aren't important when making a costume. Instead, try and focus on one important part of the costume. For a Batman costume, simply find a black top and a black bottom and add the signature Bat symbol. This keeps the cost down while still providing a recognizable look. Other good ideas for twin's costumes include Woody and Buzz from Toy Story, Disney Prince and Princesses (like Aladdin and Jasmine), Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, and Calvin and Hobbes.

If you are feeling adventurous, you can also pair a famous hero with a villain. Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, Harry Potter and Voldemort, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are all recognizable heroes and villains.

Animal Pairs
Animal costumes are great for twins, and there are two main ways to go about selecting the perfect pair. Male and female animal costumes are usually easy to make and have only one or two distinguishing characteristics. For instance, a male lion costume is the same as a female lion costume except that the male lion has a mane. You can also distinguish the animals with a slight feminine touch, like a pink bow for the female and a blue tie for the male. This way you can minimize the cost of making the costumes by purchasing two identical outfits.

There are other famous animal pairs that can be used if you don't want to make each costume stand out more. There are several animals that have been paired in famous stories, like an elephant and a mouse, or a fox and a hound, and there are also animals that naturally fit well together. These animals include things like a caterpillar and a butterfly, and a shark and a fish. You can also pair animals with inanimate objects like a monkey and a banana or a termite and some wood.

Funny Objects
Most object interact with other objects regularly, and pairing them together to make a costume can be not only funny, but also highly original. Things like a pen and paper, or a hot dog and a bun are usually associated as one object, but they can easily be broken into two for twin's costumes. Another bonus of going of basing your costumes off of objects is that they are often easy to duplicate without much work.

To make the pen and paper costume, you only need a few pieces of fabric and some blank clothing to sew onto. Cut out two flat pieces of white fabric for the paper costume, and sew them together to make a piece of paper. You can add scribbles or lines on top of the paper if you want to add more detail. Be sure to leave the bottom open so that wearer can put the costume on. To make a pen, start with sweatpants and a top that are matching colors. The simplest color to work with is white. Sew on a few letters, Bic is short and gets the point across, and add a black hat with a "tail" for the part of the cap that holds the pen in your pocket.

Few characters, or objects for that matter, exist solely on their own. Almost any book, movie, TV show or even household object has a pair to go along with it. The trick to finding a good costume isn't to find something that someone else hasn't done, but to add your own little touch to make the costume original. With a little bit of thought, and a little bit of work, you can have the perfect costumes for twins this Halloween.

About Wes Simons

Wes Simons works for CostumeCity.Com. He's helped hundreds of customers find the perfect costume for Halloween, costume parties and special events. CostumeCity.Com specializes in providing a family friendly costume shopping experience for adult costumes, kid's costumes and couples costumes.

The Best Halloween Costume Ideas Ever!

The best Halloween costume ideas ever are different to each person. That's because which Halloween costume you like best is a matter of personal taste. You may like the Gothic Vampire best, while I like the Fairy. There are some costume themes that are popular every year, and some styles come and go depending on the blockbuster movies or cartoon characters that happen to be popular right now. Let's take a look at some of the classic costume styles that are popular year after year.

Superhero and Villain Halloween Costume Ideas

Superheroes and their worst Villains are always a popular costume idea for Halloween parties and trick or treating. This year Batman is popular again, and so are some of his most famous villains...The Joker, The Scarecrow, Cat Woman and Poison Ivy. Logan, of the X-Men is also pretty hot this season...we know him as Wolverine. Transformers have been a popular kids costume theme for years, but thanks to the release of their new movie, Revenge of the Fallen, they are super hot this year. Bumblebee, Optimus Prime and Megatron are the three most popular Autobot costumes for boys.

For girls and women there is Supergirl and Wonder Women to turn each of us into crime fighters with special powers that make us Super! Spider Girl costumes are also pretty popular with the ladies year after year. The really super thing about these superhero costumes is that they work for both male and female costume ideas. It's just fun to have these extra special powers and crime fighting abilities, even if it is only for one day. And it's fun to be one of those very bad guys...just for a day too.

Celebrity Halloween Costume Ideas

If your not going to be a Superhero, you might want to dress up like a Celebrity. A celebrity like Hannah Montana are all fun dress up costumes to wear. Movie and TV stars are as close as you can get to Superheroes without actually being one. For boys there are beloved characters like Ben 10 or Dan Kuso of Bakugan are a close relative to superheroes.

For teens and adults there are some real oldies, but goodies costume ideas out there. Be nostalgic and get dressed up as Marilyn Monroe and Elvis from any of his hit movies...or from his music. There's Michael Jackson costumes with his outfits from Thriller, Bad...and the beautiful sparkling Billie Jean outfit. For the ladies, how about that beautiful and funny lady from I Love Lucy...Lucille Ball, that famous comedian from old time TV.

Then there are some adult funny costumes based on characters like the Flintstones...yep, Fred and Wilma, Barney and Betty and even Bam Bam and Pebbles are popular adult and teen costumes.

Gothic Halloween Costume Ideas

Sometimes, it's the make up possibilities that attract us to a particular character we can dress up as. The Gothic theme is always a popular one, but this year the gothic costumes for teenagers and adults are really moving out of the stores quickly. The Renaissance goth costumes, and the cooler punkier ones, like the Gothic Fairy, the Corpse Bride and Groom or the Gothic Mummy are fun, not only to wear, but to get made up for. Very light foundation and very dark, smokey eyes are part of the gothic make up charm. Add some black nail polish, a little gray blush and some dark blood red lipstick and you've achieved the gothic Halloween look.

Sexy Halloween Costume Ideas

Of course, if you happen to be an adult, sexy is always a hit. You can take one of those Marilyn outfits or get a Greek Goddess Venus or Aphrodite. There's a really cute lady Cop uniform and some naughty, but nice Angel and Fairy costumes. For the men, there are the classics, the Vampire and the Roman Guard and of course, the Cop if you like a man in uniform.

Fantasy and Fairy Tale Halloween Costume Ideas

The Disney Princesses, Tinkerbell, Fairy and Mermaid costumes are always big crowd pleaser for the girls and the boys, well, they have Prince Caspian, a Knight, Peter Pan and the Dragon Slayer to choose from.

The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland open up lots of costume ideas too.

Easy Costumes For Halloween

Easy costumes are always big hits with all age groups. Togas, Scrubs or a White Lab Coat are very popular because of the ease of making them. You don't have to buy or sew to turn yourself into a Toga wearing Greek, or a Doctor or Nurse costume. Just get a sheet or a large rectangular piece of material to make your own toga or borrow some scrubs and a stethoscope from someone in the medical field.

What ever Halloween costume ideas you decide on, whether its a toga or Marilyn, or The Gothic Fairy for the ladies, and a Transformer or Indiana Jones costume for the guys, enjoy the chance to dress up and go out and have some fun.

Ms. Party Ideas is Jillian Gallo and she writes about fun party stuff! Right now all that fun party stuff is about Halloween. Find some scary food recipes and Halloween party supplies at http://www.partyideasparade.com/halloween-party-supplies.html

Then go and pick out costumes for everyone in the family...babies, kids, teen, adults...even the dog at http://www.partyideasparade.com/halloween-costumes.html Get party planning ideas, recipes and cupcake decorating ideas while your getting ready for some spooky fun on October 31st.

How to Choose Kids Halloween Costumes and Masks For Safety

Believe it or not, there are several dangers associated with kids Halloween costumes. Despite the fact that these cute and sometimes plain out frightening pieces of clothing are the highlight of the Halloween holiday, several children have been injured while wearing the outfits.

Your child needs you as his parent or guardian to keep him or her safe from the dangers that may just be in those Halloween costumes we purchase so innocently for our children each year. However, if you know the dangers, you will know what to look for and how to avoid dangers that can be inherent in this type of clothing.

In this guide, you will be introduced to the most common dangers associated with kids Halloween costumes.

One of the most general dangers as it relates to Halloween costumes for kids is the fact that many if not most of the outfits sold at retailers throughout the World are not fire retardant. It is true that many manufacturers of the decorative outfits are taking more time in creating Halloween costumes that are fire retardant, not all costumes are designed in this manner.

It is up to you to protect your child and make sure that his or her Halloween costume is indeed fire retardant. Fire is a common part of many Halloween celebrations, including bonfires, candles, cookouts, or roasting marshmallows. And because many Halloween costumes are loose and flowing, it is a pretty simple supposition that it wouldn't be hard to get a sleeve caught in a flame. And unfortunately, if the costume is not fire retardant, your child can become engulfed in flames in an instant. So make sure that your child's costume is absolutely marked as fire retardant before you buy.

The next issue that is relatively common that results in accidents at Halloween among children are costumes that do not fit appropriately. Typically, Halloween clothing is purchased despite the fact that it is too large or too small. This includes the Halloween masks that often come complete with the costume.

Masks especially should be given special care and attention. The one you choose should not be too big, and your child should be able to breathe, smell, talk and see very easily. If you are at all in doubt, face paint is an ideal substitute for a Halloween mask that may not fit properly.

Your child's Halloween costume should also not limit his or her motion. Costumes should not drag or make your child trip. This type of clothing can actually make your child trip and fall, which can be dangers.

As you can see, it is an unfortunate reality that there can be dangers associated with kids Halloween costumes. However, if you know what to look for and avoid in advance, you can keep your child safe so that he or she can have A fun and safe Halloween.

Everyone of us at Spookynite.com are committed to help everyone find all that they may need for Halloween with information and resources for Kids Halloween Costumes
Halloween Masks, Halloween decorations, Halloween music and everything that you might need to create a great night of fun for family and friends.

The Queen Of Hearts Vs The Red Queen - Who Has The Most Stunning Halloween Costume

For Halloween, there is no other costume more striking and beautiful than that of The Queen of Hearts and also The Red Queen. Because of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland movie this year, the interest again in these costumes has sky rocketed and so has the amount of different styles and designs. Not to many people know but there is a big difference between the two Queens in character but also in look and design, but who has the finest look.

The Queen of Hearts is from "Alice in Wonderland" and the Red Queen from "Alice through the looking glass" though people seem to confuse the two and think they are the same Queen, which they are not. They have completely different characteristics. In the 1951 Disney movie and Tim Burton's movie the Queens are combined, again leading the confusion, but if we separate the two, take a look at their style, we get two complete different looks, and two amazing styles of costumes.

The Queen of Hearts costume is normally a beautiful red, black and white long dress and come in many character styles. There are a lot of different designs for children, teens and adults and come in every size.

The Red Queen costumes can come in a green, red and black style and the Tim Burton movie version is stunning. Again these are tailored for children, teens and adults and come in all sizes.

Because there are a lot of different designs, it just boils down to which Queen you would love to be, and which crazy characteristics suit you best. There seems to be a lot more Queen of Hearts designs and most are just amazing. But the original Red Queen green design and the crazy looking Red Queen style are my favorite, pure stand out costumes that would turn heads at any party and just have to be seen.

Whether it's for an adult or child, a sexy Queen design or an original design, there are costume to fit the taste of everybody, which is why it make these two costumes the most sought out after this year. They are stunning, gorgeous, powerful and captivating, exactly what a costume should do and perfect for a crazy fun filled Halloween.

View both Queen style costumes and decide which you think is the best design. There are a lot available at Alice Wonderland Costumes and they must be seen, gorgeous designs, perfect for Halloween or any fancy dress party.

What to do with a Wooden Pallet: 6 Crafty Projects

My favorite thing about crafting with wooden pallets is the aged, worn, antique look to the wood. It gives the results so much personality!

Actually, my favorite thing about crafting with wooden pallets is the fact that I’m upcycling–I don’t worry about the wood’s provenance when I’m rescuing it.

No, wait–my REAL favorite thing about crafting with wooden pallets is the price tag; businesses where I live are perfectly happy to simply give them away, which means that I can work wood projects for free.

Whatever YOUR favorite reasons are for crafting with wooden pallets, check out the following gorgeous, useful, DIY projects:

Before you begin each project, you have to two two things with each wooden pallet:

Disassemble the pallet. Unless you’re using the entire pallet AS a pallet, you’ve got to take it apart without tearing it all to pieces. Although you can, of course, hack your wooden pallet apart any way that you’re able, I especially appreciate this method for disassembling a pallet from Dishfunctional Designs because it’s so careful, resulting in very little waste.Seal for safety. Shipping pallets are not, in general, safe; among the other dangers of shipping pallets are their possible exposure to chemicals such as insecticides or preservatives. However, this does not rule them out as a craft supply–this simply means that you must seal them completely so that anything toxic stays inside. I usually seal the finished product, rather than the individual disassembled pieces, and although I do permit my children to craft with me, they’re not particularly sensitive to chemicals, and I require them to wash their hands afterwards.

Now, let’s create!

Next Page: 6 Wood Pallet Craft Projects

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Avatar Halloween Costumes - A Sure Hitter This 2010!

Needless to say, Avatar has amazed people for its cool graphics and out of these world characters. James Cameron is truly a genius! Being the movie of the year, Avatar has also leave marks to many particularly the costumes of the characters have worn. This Halloween season, it's nice to know that they'll show up once again. But this time, in the form of costumes. Avatar Halloween costumes vary in sizes, styles and designs. And how about the color? Obviously, ocean blue with stripes! If you play as the party host, why not make avatar as theme? Pretty sure, there will be lots of blue men and women to come.

For boys out there who are until now confused of what they're going to wear, Jake Sully costume will surely fit in every guy's taste. Jake Sully as seen in the movie was the one who volunteered to turn himself into an Avatar. This Halloween, you can imitate him and become a creature of Pandora. The outfit comes in jumpsuit which includes wig, pant jacket and mask.

There are also accessories added like spear and bracelets which bring realism to the outfit. Aside from Jake Sully, some members of the family could dress like Na'vi. How could you imagine the reaction of the crowd as they see you marching on the door? The outfit also comes in blue jumpsuit similar to Jake. But what makes this costume different is the bow. Defend the planet Pandora against evil villains just by wearing one of a kind outfit like this.

Avatar theme will be incomplete without Neyteri, a woman avatar who fell in love with Jake. Female members could definitely appear as powerful princesses by wearing the costumes. For teens that are planning to join the party with their boyfriends, Avatar - Jake Sully is going to be the hottest love team this 2010. Neyteri outfit features bodysuit, gauntlets, beads and gray apron. Represent your feminine pride this Halloween by become the extra ordinary woman of Pandora!

As you can see, there is only a week to prepare. Don't get left out! Start shopping for Avatar Halloween costumes before it's late and the items get out of stock. I tell you, they're going to get out of stock sooner than you think. To avoid disappointing yourself, shop now while you still have the time.

You can find avatar costumes in local stores as well as online. But if you really want to save money and time, online shopping would be the best option. Using your credit card, you can pay the chosen item and let it delivered to you on the next day. Avatar costume are going to be a hit this 2010. Prepare yourself because the Avatars are coming!

Lowest prices ever on Avatar Halloween Costumes, grab yours now while they last at http://www.halloweencostumesparty.info/. Better hurry because supplies are limited.

How to Get Halloween Costume Ideas for the Whole Family

Getting a Halloween costume created for you and your family members shouldn't be that hard as there are plenty of ways to do this. With the following ideas you can get a picture on what is there to do to get the most out of a few bucks invested on the way.

Whenever the Halloween is getting closer people start considering all the options to get a costume for this holiday, meanwhile checking their accounts before reaching to browse inside the stores for their Halloween costumes.

But one thing is sure: your costumes shouldn't mean breaking budget as there are plenty of ideas to create attire by simply following the lines below:

Getting Halloween Costume Ideas for Babies

Baby costumes are surely the easiest to be made in a cheap way. Babies aren't the most demanding persons, as they have no idea about the cartoon characters or TV movies famous characters. Besides, babies look cute in any sort of costume you can come up with.

For example, you can get your baby a very original costume just using clothes that will keep him warm: most baby costumes are made out of sweat suit on which you can add any kind of accessories in order to give them a specific aspect.

For instance, using an orange sweat suit you can turn them into a tiger. Just paint them with black fabric paint and add the finishing touches with cheap tiger ears you can purchase at the local costume store. Here you are: a genuine tiger Halloween costume for your baby.

Using a sweat suit as base, you can create a wide range of different costumes for babies such as kitty, bunny or a lamb depending on the set of ears you can come up with.

Finding Halloween Costume Ideas for Kids and Teens

Dressing up kids and teens for Halloween is most of the times challenging as our ideas and those of the kids and teens can differ and they're more demanding than babies. However, kids and teens can come up with indeed great Halloween costume ideas!

Taking a look inside your wardrobe will for sure help you find some well worn clothes that you can turn into something really funny and original for your child or teenager. For example, an old hippie dress that can be decorated with some Mardi Grass colorful beads and become a fantastic costume for the scariest night of the year.

Or a scarecrow costume can not at all be hard to make as it requires merely old clothing stuff to be used, some paint and straws or bags along with a wide-brimmed hat to decorate the head.

Coming Up with Halloween Costume Ideas for Adults

There are the standard Halloween costumes which are spooky enough to be used in this special night. Apart from these ones there is the option to find new ideas for making a Halloween costume that is different from any other costumes you have worn over the years.

You can choose for instance to have a mummy costume made of plenty of toilet paper or bandage that can be unrolled on top of a black costume to get its desired effect. Other ideas can come easily as long as there are prop-like objects, such as a wig, a cloak or cowboy's outfit and so on.

Now that you have got a few Halloween costume ideas for children, time has come for you to start planning your next Halloween party. And in case you need a little help on doing this, you are welcome to visit My Happy Halloween and discover our best Halloween costume ideas for kids so that you celebrate your Halloween party with a blast.