Last Minute Get-Ups |
NEW YORK (AP) Even with the best-laid plans, Halloween costume changes are not unheard of. Young children, in particular, like to exercise their right to change their minds at the last minute, and older kids who at first claim to be too old for trick-or-treating sometimes become interested as they see younger siblings filling their loot bags with sweets. The October issue of FamilyFun magazine offers some outfits that can be made with things many families might already have in the house ‹ or that can be picked up on short notice at a craft store:
Crocodile wrestler
Permanent marker 90-by-45-centimetre piece of upholstery foam, 2.5 centimetres thick Scissors or craft knife Acrylic paints and paint brushes Ping-pong ball Tacky glue Khaki shorts or pants, and khaki shirt Hiking boots Safari-style hat Toy binoculars
Mark an elongated U-shaped crocodile shape, including its head and teeth, and a pair of matching legs on the upholstery foam. The body should be about 90 centimetres long, with each side of the U about 15 centimetres wide and a 12-centimetre curve in the middle. Using scissors or a craft knife, cut out the shapes just inside the lines (adults only). Cut two 2.5-by-4-centimetre leg holes on the top part of the body and a 2.5-centimetre eye socket. Paint the crocodile¹s teeth white, then paint the rest of the body and both sets of legs green, highlight the ridged back and belly with contrasting colours. Paint a black eye pupil on the ping pong ball. Allow the painted parts to thoroughly dry.
Fit the crocodile¹s legs through the leg holes and tuck the eyeball in place, securing all the pieces with tacky glue.
Children can dress in their khaki outfit, boots and hat than then drape the binoculars and the wrestled crocodile around their necks.
Little miss mouse
- Sheet of pink felt, 30 by 23 centimetres Scissors Double-sided foam tape Grey hooded sweatshirt and sweat pants Fabric glue
- 2 pink felt circles, 12 centimetres in diameter
- 2 white or grey felt circles, 23 centimetres in diameter Duct tape Thick cotton cording Face paint (optional)
Trim the pink felt into a large oval and stick it to the front of the sweatshirt with double-sided foam tape.
For ears, glue the pink felt circles to the centres of the white or grey felt circles. When dry, cut a pie-slice wedge from each ensemble. Then overlap and glue together the cut edges to crate a conical ear. Attach the ears to the sweatshirt hood with double-sided foam tape. For a tail, duct-tape a length of thick cotton cording to the back of the sweat pants and pull the hem of the sweatshirt over the taped portion.
Use face paint to add a mouse nose and whiskers.
Other last-minute ideas are ³Nurse Nightingale,² done with a white skirt, top, tights, shoes and a white-paper hat, and ³Mr. Floodwater,² made using a man¹s button-down shirt and baggy pants cuffed above the ankle, a vinyl pocket protector and toilet paper taped to the bottom of oversized shoes (which can be stuffed with newspaper if they are too roomy).
