Halloween Costumes Through The Years

In honor of Halloween, here are some costumes I have done the past few years. As a bonus, I've added Chloe's costumes because who can't resist a cute dog in a costume?

I was Red Riding Hood in college, my friends Stephanie and Jackie were boxers!

In 2007 I was a Sailor Girl.

In 2008, I was Mrs. Lovett from Sweeney Todd. This was also mine and Gary's first Halloween together, he was Sweeney Todd.

 In 2009, I went for an Alice in Wonderland theme. I was the Queen of Hearts one night and then Gary and I were Alice and the Mad Hatter the second night.

In 2010 I channeled my inner rockstar by being Ke$ha.

This year I was a unicorn for my first costume, I'm pictured with Melissa and Stephanie who were a gypsy and the party police!

 For my second costume, I was bit and transformed into a vampire!

 Chloe's Costumes

In 2009, Chloe was a buzzing bumble bee.

In 2010 Chloe was an appealing banana.

This year Chloe is just a squirrel looking for a nut!

DIY Halloween Couples Costume Ideas: Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett

One of the first real "dates" I can remember Gary and I going on was to see Sweeney Todd in theaters. We both fell in love with the movie and decided that the following Halloween, that was going to be our first couples costume. We met around Halloween in 2007 and the movie came out shortly after that so we had a whole year to wait. Luckily we were still together a year later so I knew we had to do the costumes! We were definitely going for the Tim Burton version of the characters, portrayed by Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter in the movie. For Sweeney Todd, we didn't really do a "DIY." We were able to find a costume and decided to just get that along with a wig. We added a a few of our own touches however. You could easily DIY though by raiding your closet, your dad's or with some clothes from Goodwill. For Mrs. Lovett however, I could only find an "old London" version of the costume and I wanted to do the "Tim Burton" version. I believe there is a costume out now that is more her style but I'm glad I was able to create it myself, gave me the chance to be more unique with it.

The Goal:

Supplies Needed: Sweeney Todd:
Black or gray pants, pinstripe if possible
A vest
A white long sleeve top, loose sleeves if possible
A scarf/handkerchief for around the neck
Black fingerless gloves
A black and white wig or colored hair spray
Fake blood to splatter on shirt
Bloody towel and razor props

As I stated above, we just purchased a Sweeney Todd costume. But you could also put something similar together yourself using old clothes you own or hit up a thrift store. I believe the shirt that came with the costume already had blood splattered on the sleeve but if you're doing it yourself, make sure to get artistic with the fake blood! I added the bloody towel (just took a white hand towel and doused it in fake blood) tucked into the belt on his hip and the fingerless black gloves. We also purchased a Sweeney Todd wig but if you're doing it yourself, spray paint the hair black and add a white stripe and make the hair look messy and wild. I wasn't able to find a prop razor, I found one online but it was sold out until after Halloween so we got a real one at an antique store. Obviously we were only able to use that for pictures, it wouldn't have been appropriate to bring out to a bar since it could be considered a weapon! He just wore basic black lace up shoes to complete the look.

Supplies Needed: Mrs. Lovett
Long black skirt and lacy top/corset or a long lacy dress
Lacy black gloves
Black pointy shoes
Meat pie and cleaver props

Mrs. Lovett is a pretty simple costume to put together. I already owned a long black skirt that I thought would be perfect so I started there. I went to Hot Topic for a  lacy corset to pair with it. Something red/black would have been perfect but I fell in love with this beautiful teal colored one so I went with that. I also got a pair of black and white striped socks that I thought would look cute with the outfit, you could only see them if I hiked the skirt up though! Around the time I did this costume, these black, lace up heels were very popular. I think they are very ugly but fit perfectly with the costume. Luckily since they are popular at the time they were everywhere and I was able to find an affordable pair at Wal-mart. As I mentioned above, the only costume I could find for her was an "old London version." While that costume wasn't what I was looking for, I was able to purchase the accessory pack for that costume which included a plastic meat cleaver with blood on it and a meat pie with eyeballs and fingers in it. These accessories along with the accessory of a boyfriend dressed as Sweeney Todd were perfect! I think a guy could pull off Sweeney Todd alone but Mrs. Lovett definitely is better suited with a Sweeney Todd. We got so many compliments on our costumes as a couple! Messy hair is another component of Mrs. Lovett but unfortunately I had just gotten a cute, short haircut right before this so I just put it up in a clip. A fun accessory I added at the end was a meat cleaver necklace that I also found at Hot Topic.

Halloween Tricks and Treats

There are unlimited possibilities when it comes to finding fun ways to celebrate and be themed for Halloween. Here are a few fun ideas to help make the month of October full of fun tricks and treats.

Coming up with the perfect Halloween costume:
One of the first things that should cross your mind when you think of Halloween is, what am I going to dress up as this year? This process can be as difficult or as simple as you make it! Sometimes you might have an idea of what you want to be, then all you have to do is think of ideas to complete the look whether it's finding a pre-packaged costume and accessorizing it or creating your own costume all together! If you don't have a clue what you want to do or where to begin, fear not. All it takes is a little research. When you have some free time, google "Halloween costume ideas" or browse websites like "buycostumes.com" and "partycity.com" Even if you don't find a costume you like, browsing costume ideas can get your creative juices flowing and might help you come up with something great. You can also browse local Halloween stores, check out spaces that you know stores have recently closed (did you have a local Borders?) There's most likely a temporary Halloween store in it's space. You can also check out chain stores like Walmart and Target, they usually have cheaper versions of popular costume ideas. Hot Topic and Spencers at your local mall will also have a lot of costume options. If you don't have the time to do all this browsing, just think of things you like such as your favorite movie or tv show, maybe there's a character from one of those that would be fun to be! Or maybe you have a favorite singer that you've always wanted to channel your inner diva by being. You get where I'm going with this. See some DIY Costume Ideas I've come up with in the past: Dr. Zoidberg and Ke$ha

Decorating your home:
A fun way to celebrate Halloween all month long is to decorate your house or apartment. You can get as crazy and all out as you want or you can add a few tasteful items for something more subtle. In the future when I have a house, I'd love to go all out but for now, with my small apartment, I go for just a few things. Like many others in my generation, I fell to the beanie babie phase. Once they got "phased" out, I gave most of mine away, mostly just keeping the Holiday ones for decorating. I have a ghost, bat and pumpkin that I set out every October. I also have a Halloween themed bowl that can be filled with candy. Aside from that I really don't have much else. I have been getting a lot of ideas from Pinterest for fun craft and decorating ideas and hope to implement some either this year or next. I try to wait until a holiday is over and stock up on themed decorations once they are on sale. I just haven't gotten much Halloween stuff yet. I also like to carve a pumpkin to decorate the door step, but that will be next!

Visiting the pumpkin patch {and Carving the Fruits of your Labor}:
You may think that taking a trip to the pumpkin patch is juvenile but I guarantee you can have just as much fun visiting as you did when you were a child and you don't even have to have your own children to enjoy it. Last time I went to the pumpkin patch, I was with my boyfriend and my friends that are married. The only child with us was the one in my friend's belly and we had a blast! Pumpkin patches have all sorts of activities including hayrides and corn mazes as well as the main event, picking your own pumpkin! Once you have the perfect pumpkin, you can get creative with how you want to decorate it. You can carve it, paint it, make a display, etc. Turn the process into a date or a party! Also, if you gut your pumpkin, use the insides to make some delicious fall treats like baked pumpkin seeds.

Get a spooky nail design:
If you get a manicure or pedicure this month, get a cute Halloween design! I personally went for spider web toes and I love them! Don't feel like paying for a mani/pedi? There are lots of DIY ideas out there for cute Halloween themed nails. You could go for basic black and orange or get nail art pens to try something like spider webs, skeletons, witches hats, etc.


Have a "go to" Halloween shirt and accessories:
Aside from your costume, it's always fun to have a Halloween shirt to wear on days when you're not in costume. For example, if Halloween is on a week day and your work (or class) doesn't do costumes, you can still be "Halloween themed" with a fun Halloween shirt. You can get affordable ones at places like Old Navy, Target and Wal-mart. I used to have one that was black long sleeved and had a spiderweb on it that said "Happy Halloween." I recently got an orange t-shirt with a jack-o-lantern face on it. Wear the shirt with dress pants or a skirt and a cardigan and you have a work appropriate yet fun themed look! You can also add additional accessories like Halloween jewelry to spice up the look. I have a little cleaver knife necklace (from a Mrs. Lovett costume) and a beaded pumpkin necklace.

Get the yell scared out of you:
For some reason we all love to be scared on Halloween. Visiting a local haunted house is the perfect way to get that feeling. If you're not familiar with ones in your area, they're very easy to find. Check your local newspaper throughout the month of October, they most likely have ads, coupons or reviews for different options. Groupon is also currently featuring many deals on Halloween attractions such as haunted houses and ghost tours in the Philadelphia area so I'm sure they're doing the same in other cities.Also, pretty much every amusement park does some sort of spooky spectacular during the month of October.


Become a scream queen:
Another way to get the shivers in October is to watch a horror movie. You can check out new ones in the theater such as Paranormal Activity 3 or you can have a marathon at home with classics. There are also a lot of awesomely bad horror movies out there, do some research and add a few to your Netflix que and enjoy! Make it themed by inviting friends over and serving spooky snacks and drinks.

Do the monster mash and have a monster bash:
Halloween parties are a key ingredient to celebrating Halloween. There are tons of fun ideas out there where your beverages and snacks can double as decorations. Scour the internet for spooky cocktails and party punch ideas as well as decorate snacks and desserts. Hit up the dollar store for affordable decoration ideas. Make sure you put "costumes required" on the invitation or Facebook event!

Be crafty like a witch:
Search Pinterest and Halloween issues of your favorite magazines to find fun ideas for Halloween and fall themed crafts. Once you make them, give them as gifts or use them to decorate your home!

 Fall Treats:
As you're searching those magazines for craft ideas, don't forget to cut out any delicious fall recipes you may find. There are tons of pumpkin and apple treats out there that truly help you to embrace the tastes of fall. Aside from making things yourself, keep an eye out at your local grocery store, coffee shop, restaurant and bakery for delicious new fall tastes. You can also get fun Halloween shaped things to make your everyday lunch more festive. I found these great Halloween fruit snacks at Target!

DIY Halloween Costume Ideas: Dr. Zoidberg

To celebrate Halloween, I've decided to do a short series of do it yourself Halloween costume ideas that I've created in the past. This is for those who want to get creative and don't want to just stick with a packaged costume. Sometimes these options can be more affordable, especially if you use items you already own, but they can also add up to be just as pricey as a packaged costume if you really wanna go all out. The first costume I am going to feature is probably one that I am most proud of. It wasn't a costume I created for myself but for my boyfriend Gary. He loves Futurama and his favorite character is Dr. Zoidberg. I couldn't find any packaged Futurama costumes but after some googling, I found some ideas on how to create one.

The Goal: Dr. Zoidberg



Supplies Needed:
Scrubs
Lab coat
Red body paint
Red glove
Red string
White Flip Flops
Red Felt
Scissors
Stapler
Red Sharpie
Red Swim Cap
Stethoscope and Reflector head piece

Basically you start with the scrubs, sea foam green scrubs are ideal but my mom works at a hospital so she was able to loan us some light blue ones for free. I purchased red face paint, a basic lab coat and doctor's accessory kit, which included a toy stethoscope and reflector head piece, at a Halloween store. I was able to find a red swim cap at Dick's Sporting Goods to cover his hair. I fashioned the mouth out of a red glove I purchased at the dollar store and used red string to tie it onto his face. I used a stapler and red felt to make claws for his hands. If I had more time I might have tried to sew them but I ended up just using a stapler and then coloring over the silver staples with a red sharpie. The white flip flops were very difficult to find in October but I ended up finding a pair on clearance at American Eagle that had white thongs and blue bottoms. If you plan ahead you can get a pair of all white ones at Old Navy for cheap, but by October I could only find them online and didn't want to pay shipping.

Once you have everything, you basically just need to put it all together. Have him put on the scrubs and swim cap, then paint his face, ears and neck with the red paint. Gary put his lab coat on first and ended up getting red paint on the collar, it might still get on it but probably not as much if you do the paint first. He opted not to paint his feed but if you want a more authentic look, you can paint the feet red or get red toe socks. Put the lab coat and accessories on and then the claws as a finishing touch. Below is a picture of Gary "scuddling" as Zoidberg. I think he looked awesome! 

The main issues with this costume are getting red paint everywhere and the swim cap can feel really tight on your head, he ended up taking it off after an hour or two. But if you can handle a little pain, it's a great concept for a costume! If you're bald, you can skip the swim cap and just paint your whole head red!