Halloween Costume Ideas and Tips

Halloween is a very exciting and interesting holiday that is celebrated by many families and friends all over the world. The major characteristic that is associated with this festivity is the wearing of costumes. There are millions of costume designs that are worn during Halloween. A number of factors are to be considered before wearing them for instance are you going trick or treating alone, with your children or as a couple. Some people want to be unique and will avoid any "popular" costumer designs. While getting costumes might be a difficult task, there are some ideas and tips that can be implemented. They will also help in avoiding dreaded mistakes. Some of the ideas and tips include the following:

The Ninja Costume

Black clothes are easily available and many people have them. Commemorating and idolizing these movie legends is one of the best ways of getting Halloween costumes. The ninja mask can be made from small scraps of black cloths. Instead of buying the ninja weapons, you can always cut the sword designs from cardboard boxes and covering them with aluminum foil. This costume can be enjoyed by the children and adults as well.

Princess and Prince Costumes

The princess costumes can be customized using hem and old slips that have once been used by the mothers. Most of these dresses are enhanced using sparkles which can be obtained from stores at cheap prices. The make up and accessories can act as the jewellery. The prince costume can be obtained from discount shops.

Ghost

This is the simplest and most populous costume design. The only thing needed is a white sheet and scissors. Use the scissors to cut holes. Various shops have offered dynamic range of ghost costumes with some of them having cool imprints such as spider web designs and chains.

Angel Costumes

Just like the ghost costumes, the angel costume is made using similar process. A white sheet, clear spray paint and some glitters are the only requirements. These are used to make the overall angel body costume. The halo and the wings are made from the aluminum foils.

Unique Designs

To those who want unique designs, there are many costumes which are available from the stores. Some of these unique Halloween costumes can range from tourist designed costumes, to nerdy and clown like costumes. Some children use old clothes like garden and paint overalls. They are usually referred to as bum or hobo costumes.

Choosing cool and "out of this world" Halloween costumes can be a difficult task, but this should not be a disappointment, instead wear these costumes and alternate them every time you celebrate Halloween.

How-to: Poured Wax Candles in Repurposed Glass Containers

Poured candles are even simpler to make than hand-dipped candles or rolled candles–all they require are wicking, melted wax, and a heat-resistant repurposed container.

You can also have just as much variety with your homemade poured candles as you can with fancy, store-bought container candles, since you can vary the shape of your jar, change the color of your wax, and even add essential oils for a healthy scent.

To make your own poured wax candle, you’ll need the following:

repurposed glass container: This should be a container that you’re confident is heat-resistant, and it should be in perfect condition, with absolutely no chips or cracks. I usually upcycle food storage jars, such as Mason jars, small pesto or tapenade jars, or other glass food storage containers that can withstand high temperatures.eco-friendly natural wax: Choose beeswax, which is the wax that I’m using for this project, or a vegan beeswax alternative. Do not use paraffin or similar petroleum-derived waxes.natural fabric wicking: Depending on the wax that you use, cotton and hemp wicking can both be both good options. Measure the wicking so that it will just touch the bottom of the glass, then wrap the excess around a pencil.

1. Prime the wicking. Just as you do when making hand-dipped candles, prime the wicking by dipping it melted wax, allowing it to cool, and then straightening it with your fingers. This will make the wicking easier to work with, since now it will be stiff but malleable.

2. Measure out the wicking for one candle. Now that the wick is stiff, it’s easy to measure it out so that one end will just touch the bottom of your glass container. Wrap the other end around a pencil that’s balanced across the rim of your container. I often don’t cut the wicking at all at this point–if you wait to cut the wicking until you’re finished with the candle, then you’ll have zero wasted wick.

When the wick is measured and set up, remove it from the glass container and set it aside.

Pour in a thin layer of melted wax, then re-insert the wick and let harden.

3. Pour a thin layer of melted wax into the container. If you poured the entire container full, you’d melt the wax that’s stiffening your wick, and it would float off-center. Instead, pour just a thin layer–a half-inch or so–of melted wax into the bottom of the container.

4. Insert wick. NOW put the wick back into the container, centering it evenly from bottom to top. Let the entire container rest until that bottom layer of wax is completely hardened.

Adding crayon bits to the container, then pouring melted wax on top of them, will color the wax.

5. Pour the candle. When the bottom layer of wax is hardened, so that you’re sure that the wick will stay put, you may pour the rest of your candle. You can simply fill the container with melted wax to about 1/4? from the rim, or:

Add color. On top of the hardened layer of wax, drop a few chunks of soy or beeswax crayon. Pour a new layer of hot melted wax to cover the crayon, and watch as the crayon melts and dyes that layer. Let harden and repeat.
Add scent. Add several drops of your favorite essential oils, just before or as you’re pouring the wax. Add more than you think you want, since some of the scent will burn off as it’s put into contact with the hot wax. Let harden.

A candle made this way will last for a LONG time, and when it’s finally burned out, fill it back up for a whole new candle!

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Looking Powerful Yet Feminine in Wonder Woman Halloween Costumes

Powerful, supple, clever and brave! In your Wonder Woman Halloween costumes you will show the world that it is not only males that can rescue people from dangerous situations and save the world. Wonder Woman proves that ladies have it in them too! Fighting for justice is like second nature to WW. She knows her stuff and she lives to save and help others!

Find the Wonder Woman costume that best suits you and your Halloween will be awesome. She has been around for decades and has inspired boys and girls alike. The great thing about wearing a Wonder Woman costume is that there are costumes available for ladies as well as girls. Therefore, if you have a daughter who would like to wear a Wonder Woman costume for Halloween, then you as her mother can wear one with her! You do not have to wear the same one as there are many to choose from, but if you like you could wear the same one as there are adult and children's costumes available.

Some Wonder Woman Costumes

When you are looking for Wonder Woman Halloween costumes, a few of the options you have is the Child Wonder Woman Costume, Kids Wonder Woman Costume, Teen Wonder Woman Costume, Adult Wonder Woman Costume, Pink Wonder Woman Costume, Plus Size Wonder Woman Costume and more.

Most of the costumes consist of the red cape, red spaghetti-strap top, blue shorts, skirt or underwear and the knee-high red and white boots. This is just the standard look for costumes, so if you are interested you will have to look at the different ones available in order for you to make a decision.

Even though Wonder Woman Halloween costumes are popular, you will be able to stand out from the rest of the crowd as you might be the only Wonder Woman there, but if you are not, a bit of make-up and a stylish hairstyle should do the trick! No matter what you try, you will be the most beautiful female there in your WW costume!

Ordering online

What you should do is get your costume as soon as you can, instead of leaving it for the last minute. You will not like the idea of suddenly having to run around looking for a new costume to wear because the website is out of stock. You should rather get the costume as soon as you find it, then at least you know you have it and do not have to worry about it. When October 31st comes, you just have to get dressed and you are ready!

With Wonder Woman Halloween costumes, you are sure to find what you are looking for after a short time of searching. Even though it might not take long to find the perfect costume, you should still order it early so that you get it before the store runs out of stock and you are left with no costume for Halloween! Order your Wonder Woman Halloween costumes online as soon as you can to avoid disappointment.

I hope what I have mentioned above is helpful to you. If you want to know more about Wonder Woman Halloween costumes, I strongly recommend you to take a look of Wonder Woman Halloween costumes.

5 Awesome Ways to Repurpose a Burlap Coffee Sack

We’ve talked some about the joys of burlap before. Burlap is made from jute, a very low-impact plant to grow. Not only that, it’s pretty easy to get second hand burlap, if you know where to look. Local coffee shops, especially ones that roast their own beans, tend to be rich with big, empty burlap sacks. If you frequent a local coffee shop, get friendly with the staff and ask nicely – I bet they’ll be happy to give you a burlap sack or two!

The thing about cut burlap is that it LOVES to shed, so you’ll want to sew your pieces pretty soon after cutting them up. For extra security, use your machine’s zigzag or interlocking stitch. Burlap is normally made with a pretty loose weave, so these stitches will do a better job of catching all the loose threads on the edges.

So, now you’re all jazzed about burlap and you’ve managed to secure a some of your own – now, what to do with it? Here are some burlap craft projects to get you started!

1. Fabric box. Use Karen’s super detailed instructions to turn that burlap sack into a box for organizing your craft supplies.

2. Statement necklace. Jen over at Tater Tots & Jello shares how to make a super sweet ruffle necklace, and I’m swooning over the burlap version!

3. Lamp shade. This ruffled burlap lamp shade from Mama Says So is super sweet! Just grab a shade from the ol’ thrift store, and you’re ready to get crafty.

4. Make art! Grab your masking tape and some of the paint you have on hand, and turn your burlap into frame-able wall art.

5. Window treatments. How cute is this? Paige of Design doesn’t have instructions to make these super cute coffee sack window treatments, but it looks pretty simple. You can hang them up with a couple of hooks or even nails, and then nail ribbon to the top of the window, so you can tie them up when you want to let in more daylight. Easy peasy!

Have you guys done any fun burlap craft projects lately? I’d love to hear what you’re making in the comments!

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Reader Question: Eco-Friendly Containers for Beauty Products

A reader wrote in recently asking about eco-friendly packaging for lip gloss. Her friend makes lip gloss as a hobby right now but is looking to produce larger batches to give as gifts and maybe even sell. At the moment, she’s using reclaimed contact lens cases (genius, if you ask me!), but as she scales up, that’s not really going to keep working for her availability-wise. Plus, she’s worried that some friends and customers might be icked out about lip gloss packaged in old contacts cases.

It can be tricky to scale your production up and keep that packaging green. Minimal packaging is always best, but when it comes to beauty products there are some things that just need a package. You can’t exactly spoon a glob of lip gloss into your customer’s hand, right? It needs a container. Good on this crafter for trying to find an eco-friendly alternative! I did a little digging and came up with a couple of sources that might work.

There are a couple of companies that offer some plastic tubes made with a high recycled content. These aren’t 100% recycled, but if you’re going for plastic tubes, these are better than the conventional ones for sure. Not every tube on that page is recycled, so make sure you read those descriptions before buying, if you’re going this route!

The other option I found isn’t recycled, but it’s still my favorite of the two. Ball makes metal tins for lip gloss that are 100% recyclable. For me, this would be the better option. New materials up front, but it’s made in the U.S., fully recyclable when it’s empty, and metal is lower impact than plastic at every point in the waste stream. You also wouldn’t have to worry about plastic leaching into your quality product.

Glass containers are also pretty good from an environmental standpoint. I had a hard time finding recycled glass containers, but glass is a pretty low impact material, as these things go, and a lot of glass contains recycled content, even if the seller doesn’t mention it in the listing.

I’d love to hear from other indie cosmetics makers out there! What do you do to keep your packaging as eco-friendly as possible?

[Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by stevendepolo]

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TV Themed Halloween Costumes For This Year's Fun

Are you stuck for ideas for Halloween costumes this year? A bit sick of the usual vampires and spooks that are offered as Halloween costumes? I don't blame you. There comes a time when you want something different to dress as when having Halloween fun at parties, at home or at club events. How about dressing up as a character from a TV show?

Halloween costumes based on TV shows are a great way to have fun at Halloween and bring some great originality to the events that you are attending. Let's face it, Halloween parties always go better when the costumes worn by people there are creative, imaginative and that look superb. TV costumes are a brilliant way to make an impact at Halloween this year!

There are some superb TV shows that you can dress as characters from. The beauty of TV themed costumes is you're not limited to just the main character- you can choose anyone! Just make sure that the TV themed Halloween costume that you choose is easily recognizable by as many people as possible, so don't go too obscure!

Think about the possibilities. How about a character from the legendary Star Trek universe? How about The Doctor, or any of the other famous characters from Doctor Who or Torchwood? What about Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel, True Blood, The Sopranos, Big Bang Theory, LOST, Heroes or any of the other hit shows that are keeping people glued to their TVs all over the world?

Many of the best TV themed Halloween costumes are easy to find at your local party supplier or costume shop, and an even larger range is available on the internet. Have a look around at the Halloween sites and retailers online and you'll discover a huge number of TV themed Halloween costumes to choose from.

How about dressing up as characters from fun shows like Spongebob Squarepants? The options are limitless. You could even dress up as a kids TV character - how about Power Rangers Halloween costumes? Plus, if you get a basic costume from a retailer online or in a store, you can further improve your costume with accessories you make yourself or items that you already have at your disposal! Have fun and Happy Halloween!

Andrew is a music and pop culture journalist and SF author. Want more great Halloween costume ideas? How about Batman and Joker Dark Knight Costumes for Halloween this year? There are many more to choose from!

Expensive Halloween Costumes - Are They Worth It?

We are only a couple of weeks away from Halloween now and the panic to be the "best dressed" is on. One way of ensuring an impressive costume is to look for expensive Halloween costumes, this at least will set you apart from the people wearing their fifty buck outfits and ensure you get all the attention you want.

Of course in this current economic downturn not everyone will be able to fork out hundreds of dollars on expensive halloween costumes but for those that are in a position to do so, the rewards become even bigger because there is even less chance that someone will have the same costume as you.

So where can you find these exclusive Halloween costumes? You could simply go to the normal costume stores either online or locally and search by price or you can actually save yourselves some time and effort by searching for specific sites that deal with unique costumes.

Just go to the Google search page and type "Expensive Halloween Costumes" or "Unique Halloween Costumes". You will see tons of results but just narrow it down by looking at the web address and choosing sites that specifically target these type of Halloween costume.

Two years ago my boyfriend bought a truly amazing Dark Knight Costume and he was definitely the most impressive looking male costume i saw that Halloween and not just because I am biased! He is wearing it again this year as we are in a different city so although it did cost a couple of hundred bucks it is not a one off use.

Now many of you may say that buying an expensive halloween costume goes against the whole spirit of Halloween and that you should make your own. Unfortunately not everyone has the "talents" required for this and more importantly the time. So if you are interested in seeing some truly amazing costumes then take a look at the links in my resource box below.

If you want to stand out from the crowd this Halloween then check out this great Expensive Halloween Costumes full of unique Halloween costumes or this other great Expensive costumes site.