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Last year, Gv was so still so little, it didn't make sense to haul her around trick-or-treating, so we created our own Halloween fun by holding a little book character parade, just the two of us. This year, I knew she'd enjoy an introduction to the whole trick-or-treat experience, so I started pondering what would make a cute {and cheap!} costume for her early on in the month.
I was inspired by some laundry antics she engaged in one day - we have one of those mesh-and-wire foldable hampers and she'd started dancing around with it over her head. I thought, "Hmmm, I could cut out a hole in the bottom, put her arms through the handles, and then fill it with towels and washcloths and she could be some laundry."
I headed to the dollar store to get a new hamper, because I only wanted to cut up the one we had if I could get a replacement.
No hampers.
I was so disappointed, because I'd gotten myself all jazzed for this idea, but then I saw this nifty popcorn box.
We love popcorn at our house and when I first noticed this box, I thought it would make the basis for a good gift basket (I still do!), but the more I thought about it, the more I realized it might also be the solution to my costume angst. I bought the box and headed home.
First, I measured the base of the box and Gv's waist diameter, to make sure she would fit. I was thinking I'd need to create straps so it could hang on her shoulders. I had an extra set of shoelaces, so I figured I'd just punch some small holes in the top and thread them through.
Next, I took my trusty utility knife
and sliced along the bottom edge. I popped out the base and then covered the rough edge with regular old duct tape. Ideally, it would have been nicer to use white duct tape
, but I didn't have any on hand and figured it wasn't worth spending another dollar to get white, when it most likely wouldn't show too badly on the bottom anyway (I was right).
I grabbed a white onesie
and slipped her legs through the bottom of the popcorn box to see how it fit.
She wasn't quite sure what to think of this contraption at first, but quickly became distracted by the sound of a dog barking in the distance and completely forgot she was wearing it. I left it on a good half hour, just to make sure she'd tolerate it on Halloween night.
I was excited to discover that I didn't need to do anything else - it sat right on her little hips and still allowed her full range of movement in her arms and legs - she could even sit down in it with no trouble!
Finally, I added the finishing touch: wadded-up white tissue paper to be the "popcorn" in her box! On Halloween, I also dressed her in some white tights, but that's just because it was a little chilly (by Florida standards) and I wanted a little more of a barrier between her legs and the gazillion blood-thirsty mosquitoes who were also enjoying the trick-or-treating fun.
Now that Halloween is over, Gv's been playing with this box quite a bit. She'll put it over her head for a game of peek-a-boo and then pull it down over her body before stepping out to repeat the whole process again. It's been keeping her entertained quite a bit - Bonus!
Do you have a popcorn lover in your house? If so, this easy, inexpensive costume might be just the thing for you! And if you have a larger popcorn-lover, you could easily recreate this idea using a cardboard box and some paint. What do you think? Will you be buying your next costume, or making it yourself? I'd love to hear - leave them here in the comments or email me at lisahealy (at) outlook (dot) com!
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