Cheap and Easy DIY Halloween Costumes

Halloween is one of my favourite times of year. At our house we've always made a big deal of it, decorating the house inside and out, making paper mache heads, discussing pumpkin carving over dinner and the like. Personally, I love planning out my Halloween costumes and, even on the few years at uni when I didn't celebrate, I still had a costume on standby just in case. But I'm aware that not everyone has a box full of witches hats, vampire corsets and cat ears and that, for some people, the aim is just to find something quick, simple and cheap to throw on.

So I thought I'd write up a little post filled with ideas for last minute costumes made from things you'll probably already have hanging in the wardrobe. Zero effort and zero fuss.

Zombie

The cool thing about being a zombie is that you can be a zombie anything. If there is not something in your house right now that you can use to be a zombie I would be amazed. For instance, if you have any non-Halloween fancy dress costumes, you can splatter a bit of fake blood, darken up your eyes and make a very convincing zombie Snow White/ pirate/ doctor/ lifeguard...anything. I have even seen people taking it to a whole new level and opting to go as a zombie witch, so you could even recycle last year's costume.

If you have no fancy dress costumes to work with at all, a) seriously take a look at yourself because that is totally unacceptable in my eyes and b) don't panic. What's in your wardrobe? A school uniform could work or some converse with a band t-shirt to make a zombie rock star costume. Even your PJs are an option. And, if all else fails, just be a zombie you. Make up is key.

Superhero 

Forget overpriced Batman gear. All you need is bright, contrasting colours. Take a marker pen and draw your initial on a brightly coloured t-shirt, match it with some coloured tights or leggings and, if you're not comfortable going along with the traditional 'pants on show' thing that superheroes seem to be so fond of, you could always opt for a pair of shorts or a skirt instead. Then you just need an eye mask, which you could make out of spare fabric or paper and you're set to go forth and fight crime.

Animal 

If Mean Girls has taught us anything it's that all you need to make a convincing Halloween costume is a pair of animal ears. The lingerie is, of course, optional. But going as a cat, mouse, dog, rabbit, fox or whichever animal you choose is wonderfully simple. A few years back I went as a cat for Halloween. I reused my black lace dress I'd bought to be a witch the year before, attached a tail and popped on some ears and it was one of my favourite costumes of all time.

Witch

My mother does not like Halloween. She will put up with the parties, does her best to ignore the excessive amount of skulls and giant spiders we have spread throughout the house during the month of October, and even went along with us covering her bathroom in fake blood a few years back. But she will not wear a costume. Instead, what she does each and every year is dress entirely in black, grab a cheap broomstick and throw on a witch's hat. The moral of the story being never underestimate the power of accessories.

Creepy China Doll

I love creepy china doll costumes! You can get some really beautiful ones in fancy dress shops. Personally I am in love with this one:

But if you don't want to spend out any money and you just want to throw something quick and cheap together, then the creepy china doll can still work as the perfect Halloween costume. Look in your cupboard. Any a-line dress or skirt will work and ditsy patterns, ruffles and bows are all perfect. If you have a petticoat or tutu to stick underneath then even better.
Here's an example of what you can put together in a matter of minutes. I raided my cupboard and pulled out a few things at random in less than 60 seconds. Of course, it would be great if you could add embellishments or maybe take a look in some charity shops for something will puffed sleeves, but this is proof that you can put together a doll costume in a few seconds flat without spending a penny. Again, it's all in the make up with this costume.

Barbie

If I was blonde this would be my go-to costume. Think pink! Pink dress, pink shoes, pink lipstick. Providing you can find some kind of pink attire, rock some cute shoes and look unnaturally happy all night, you can pull this off without a problem.

Regina George

I saw this idea on Pinterest and simply had to share it. Mean Girls is one of those iconic films, loved by all. Quotes such as "She doesn't even go here" and "Four for you Glen Coco, you go Glen Coco" have been legendary and, despite it's simplicity, I really think this costume would go down a storm. All you need is a purple bra, white top, black skirt, and a bad-ass attitude.  

Wally 

Stripy jumper. Glasses. Bobble hat. Go.

Homicidal Maniac

And, if all else fails, take a leaf out of Wednesday Addams' book.

So, as you can see, there's no need to panic if you find yourself stuck without a costume on All Hallow's Eve without a stitch to wear. There are plenty of costumes you can put together with things you have at the back of your wardrobe. So go have a rummage and see what treasures you can find.

Happy Halloween!

Crunchy Leaves and Pumpkins: It's Autumn!

Three weeks ago I was wearing flip flops and sunglasses. Then, all of a sudden, literally overnight, I had to trade in my sparkly sandals for wellies and have, over the last fortnight, found myself in the centre of more thunder storms than I care to recollect. Just last week I had to spend the entire second half of a day-long business course sitting in my socks like a total professional because I'd stupidly allowed myself to get caught in a downpour of Biblical proportions on my ways to Greg's at lunchtime. In my Uggs. They will never be the same again. 

So it seems that Autumn is well and truly upon us. Either that or, judging from the extreme weather conditions of the past few weeks, we are in the early stages of the Apocalypse. Either way, I've been tagged by the wonderful Mismatched Knitwear to complete this Autumn themed post. So here we go...

What do you love most about Autumn?

As much as I love that weirdly satisfying found of newly fallen leaves crunching underfoot, my absolute favourite thing about Autumn is Halloween. Carving pumpkins, watching Hocus Pocus, erecting a graveyard in the front garden to terrify trick-or-treaters...I love it all. Over the years some of my best memories have been of Halloween parties or of helping my dad put together ridiculous props and hauling all the boxes of decorations down from the attic.









And, for my fellow Halloween junkies, I'm in the middle of uploading a series of Halloween makeup tutorials on my Youtube Channel that you will almost definitely love. (Shameless self-promotion.)

What's you favourite seasonal drink from Starbucks/ Costa/ Cafe Nero?

I didn't even know that coffee shops offered seasonal drinks. Coffee is something I avoid at all costs and will only resort to if I'm travelling a long way or find myself falling asleep in my sandwich. Even then, so offensive is the taste to me that I always order a vanilla latte and add four sweeteners to make it bearable.

What accessories do you opt for, scarf, boots, gloves?

All of the above! Add to that earmuffs and mittens I can thread through my coat on a string. I may look like an oversized child, but I'll be the one laughing when you lose your gloves. 

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What's your favourite music to listen to during Autumn?

I don't tend to change my music tastes according to the seasons. I'll probably continue listening to the bizarre selection of CDs I currently have in my car. You know, the likes of the Frozen soundtrack, a Britney Spears album from the 90s and a whole lot of country music. I know, I'm the height of cool.

What candle scents will you be burning this season?

I feel like for some reason it's assumed that all bloggers should have strong feelings about things like overpriced candles and washi tapes. I'm terribly sorry to disappoint you, but if I light a candle it's usually because I want to burn something, not because I have a strong attachment to the smell of pine needles infused with tangerine extracts...or whatever.

What's your favourite perfume for this time of year?

I had a bottle of Beyonce Pulse for my birthday last month and I am absolutely in love with it. I don't think it's a particularly Autumnal fragrance (although I'm not sure what would be apart from pumpkins or smushed damp leaves), but I love it all the same.

Favourite make up look?

I'm very excited for berry lips this Autumn. In fact I would love some recommendations because otherwise lipstick shopping can be a whole minefield.

What are you looking forward to most in Autumn?

This Autumn I'm going to be setting up my own business. I know I've been promising to throw light on this exciting news, but I can't fill you in on all the details just yet. I'm still in the boring process of making cash flow forecasts and signing paperwork. But as soon as things are up and running I seriously can't wait to tell you guys all about it! (You will definitely think I'm mad.)


So there you have it. A little seasonal post, which will hopefully brighten up this chilly Autumn afternoon.

Oh, and to my American readers, I'm talking about Fall. Yeah, that confused the Beacon more than once...

Things get Artsy: Crafty Creatives Review

I'll admit that I'm not exactly an artistic genius. I'm not much of a drawer, I can't make sense of water colours and, at 23 years of age, I'm still banned from using charcoal in the house because of the amount of damage I've been known to cause with it in the past. But I love arts and crafts. I'll give anything a go. I've knitted a blanket, made birthday cards and scrapbooks, sewn my own Halloween costumes, and let's not even bring up my obsession with the glue gun.

So I was thrilled when Crafty Creatives offered to send me one of their boxes to review. They are a monthly subscription box service and each month they send out different types of creative goodies.

Actually getting my hands on the box was a bit of a drama. I was out when it got delivered so it got returned to the Royal Mail Office, which wouldn't have been a big deal if I could have actually found the Royal Mail Office. Bear in mind I've lived in this town since birth. I've been to collect parcels countless times before. It should not have been as traumatic as I made it. But I an incompetent human being and, as a result, I ended up driving around in circles for twenty minutes, reversing into a wall, getting harassed by a fellow driver with no patience, and getting stuck in a pointless narrow lane. When I eventually found my way to the office the mean driver behind me bullied me and took my parking space and I ended up having to park on the double yellow lines, which I hate doing.

Then, package in hand, I drove home and arrived back in my street at 3:25pm. I live opposite a school. 3:25pm is not a good time to arrive home. Exhausted, frustrated and in desperate need of a packet of crisps, I wedged myself across our drive, aware that the back end of my car was over my neighbour's drive (and boy does he go into a rage about that kind of thing) so I couldn't leave the car. Then there was a very confusing stand-off between me and a woman who, for some reason, refused to move from outside my house for a whole 25 minutes. All in all it was very stressful.

But, thankfully, my cute little box was totally worth it! I imagined the it would be full of poms poms, pipe-cleaners and the like, but it actually contained an Inkodye set from Lumi. At first I was confused. Then I became slightly more confused. Then I read the instructions and suddenly I was very intrigued.

Let me explain this the best way I can. It's a kind of sunlight activated dye for cotton and other natural fabrics. You apply the dye to your fabric and then you cover it with objects or photograph negatives to partially block out the light. Then you leave it in the sunlight and the dye gets activated. 

My set included the dye, the wash to use on it afterwards, a little roller, a photograph negative and some pieces of fabric to practise on.

And it gets cooler! You can download the Lumi app, which has all sorts of ideas for you to try. Plus, you can upload your own photos and they'll send you a negative to print with. So you can print your pictures onto cushions, clothes, pencil cases..

Look! You can even have my strange face on a jumper!

Odds are I would never have tried or even come across Lumi Inkodye if I hadn't got my box from Crafty Creatives. That's got me wondering about how many other fabulous crafty goodies are out there waiting to be discovered! If you're an arty type person and love getting goodies in the post you can take a look at their website and have a little nose for yourself.

Beware friends and family, you will all be getting photo printed goodies for Christmas!