Our first Halloween in the new house! HOW EXCITING. I’ve heard rumors it’s going to be fun. My children tell me I may even see some .. FREE CANDY! Could it get any better?? Why yes. B/c this year I am going as an accessory to my younger daughter’s costume. That should guarantee me candy. As long as these new neighbors aren’t giving out TOOTHBRUSHES. or pennies. SHeeesh.. So what are you going as this year? PAULA DEEN?? WOW.
I spent a couple hours yesterday assembling Maddie’s costume. Normally I’d have made her do it, but frankly it beat painting. Let’s all hear it for THE ROBOT.
If anyone is interested in making one of these at home, you will need:
2 boxes; 1 larger for body, 1 smaller for head
aluminum foil
tape (regular scotch tape works fine, you can also buy fancy aluminum foil tape at Lowe’s)
scissors & cheap knife or box cutter
assorted reflectors, reflective tape, letters/numbers, stick on doodahs
patience and sense of humor (not sold in stores)
This project will take anywhere from 45 minutes to a day to complete, depending on your level of skill & anal retentiveness. It took me 2-3 hours. Proof I am neither skilled nor severely retentive. To begin, Cut the bottoms off both boxes. Carefully cut a circle out of the top of the larger of the two boxes, large enough so your child can stick his/her head through comfortably. Next, center the smaller box on top of the larger one, open side down (remember, this is the head), and tape down well. I found strapping the tape across and sealing at the bottom helpful. Reinforce around the edges as needed. Next, cut eye holes and arm holes as desired. Then cover both boxes completely with aluminum foil for that shiny metallic effect. Remember to reinforce around all of the holes so that you don’t have any rips or tears on the Big Night. If you have $10 to spare I suggest splurging on the aforementioned metal tape b/c it makes this project a breeze. It is sold at Lowe’s or Home Depot in the paint section w/ the rest of the tape. I also picked up an empty paint can there for Maddie’s goodies – I think another $3 or $4 bucks. Once the whole thing is shiny, time to decorate. Use your imagination! I didn’t have time for that so I opted for stick on stuff I bought at Lowe’s. The reflective tape, etc. is just a couple bucks, so again no big investment. You will find it in the aisle w/ house numbers and bathroom signs. Today: finishing Georgia’s (and my) costume/s. When you’ve got as many moving boxes as we have, these things just come to you.
Before we moved, my older daughter was talking up the vacuum-sucker bag thing – you know, the one where you store your comforter and pillows in a trash bag and suck all the air out, reducing it to the thickness of one wafer-thin mint. I even saw one in the store – I think Home Depot, but I thought better of it.
