Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this post, free of charge, from Rheney Williams, for blog posting purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post.
Ah Halloween is almost here....
that means you have ONLY 70 days til Christmas!
(Go ahead and scream- I KNOW you want to!)
So how about an easy Halloween costume idea, that could easily be repeated by kids
for a handcrafted Christmas gift idea?
Read on!
As a first-time expectant mother, there are new considerations where my holiday decorating is concerned. Since Halloween is first up in the holiday season, let's start there.As all parents can attest, saving money is now a much higher priority than it was before we had a child on the way. And although I've never been one for going all out with Halloween decorations, I do have a background in musical theatre. Costumes are my thing!
At the same time, I do love going 'all out' with my Christmas decorating and I wanted to be able to combine the two loves (Christmas and costumes) into something that will not only be perfect for Halloween but that I can also make use of again in a few months for Christmas.
Finally, since I'll be about 6 1⁄2 months pregnant on Halloween, I need a costume that will be relatively uncomplicated, loose-fitting and comfortable. My solution: A Christmas tree painted onto a kitchen apron and decorated with my actual Christmas ornaments!
And when Christmas rolls around, I can take off the ornaments, hang them around the house, and reuse the apron for my holiday baking. But for now, let's put this Christmas ornaments costume together.
You'll need:
• Basic kitchen apron
• Green paint marker
• Acrylic craft paints, various shades of green and brown
• Craft brushes
• Curved safety pins
• Christmas ornaments, various sizes and colors – I used Martha Stewart's Frosted
• Craft ribbons, various complementary colors and widths (from 1/8 in. – 1/4 in. wide)
Oh, Christmas Tree!
Begin by ironing the apron and draw a Christmas tree outline in pencil, either free-handed or using a template. Don't spend too much time making it perfect; the goal is to create a basic guide to follow. Once you're satisfied with the tree's shape, go back over the line with a green paint marker.
To create a realistic shade of green, you'll need to apply several coats of paint in different colors.I started with a foundation of DecoArt's Americana acrylic paint in Foliage Green mixed with Martha Stewart's Scottish Highlands (one of my favorite greens!).
After this color combo dried, I brushed on DecoArt's Metallics paint in Festive Green. Check out the shimmer!
Finally, I filled in the tree trunk with Martha Stewart's Sycamore Bark. Allow the apron to dry overnight before moving on to the tree trimming portion of this DIY Halloween costume project.
To "hang" the ornaments, attach curved safety pins from the back, hook the top of the ornament through the pin, and secure the pin on the back of the apron.
Clip a length of satin ribbon and tie bows at the top of the ornaments to hide the safety pins.
Alternatively, you could tie knots and have the ribbons dangling down without bows.
Continue this process until you have covered the tree with ornaments. From here, simply step back and appreciate your handiwork.
Another benefit of this front-facing apron is the ability to take it off if need be. Moreover, there's the added peace of not worrying about sitting on the ornaments!
And you need not stop at ornaments if you want a more intricate costume. Another inspiration for this project came from my first love: The stage! Back in college, I did a revue of classic Broadway shows and for one of the numbers, I played Electra from the musical "Gypsy." My costume consisted of a lime green bathing suit with a skirt and sleeves constructed out of LED string lights. I had two different strands that were connected to a little light kit switch on either hip that allowed me to turn the lights on and off at will and in time with the music. Not at all a practical costume, but it was the epitome of spectacle and was an audience favorite every night.
As with every Halloween costume, it's all about having fun and expressing your creativity!
DIYer Decorations
(aka- how to turn the costume into a super hostess gift!)
For the girl who loves glitter as much as she loves gardening, consider hobby-specific ornaments like these gardening tools:
And don't forget about the men in your life: Little ornament tools are the perfect addition to any masculine costume and are sure to bring some holiday cheer to your husband, boyfriend or little DIYer:
After Halloween, simply remove the ornaments from the costume and put them aside to hang from your tree or mantle in just a few short weeks.
(Note- if you plan on giving this as a hostess gift, then you could paint ornaments on the apron, and add names/last name/nickname to the tree, and then when the ornaments are removed, the apron is pretty, as well as useful!)
What kinds of Christmas ornaments and decorations do you want to incorporate into your Halloween costume?
About the Author:
With a background in theatre, Rheney Williams, is a creative expectant Mom, who enjoys sharing her Halloween costume ideas. To find some of fun holiday ornaments that Rheney used to create her costume, go to the ornament page on homedepot.com.
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