Happy Halloween Week!

 Halloween is one of my fav holidays because I LOVE making costumes. I used to be your typical high school girl that bought all of those itty bitty mini dress costumes from Leg Avenue, but when I went away to college I got obsessed with making my own costumes. During this time of year, glue guns and spandex are my best friends! Since deciding on a halloween costume is always a toughie I thought it would be fun to show you some of my costumes from throughout the years! There are about 5 or 6 years worth of costumes/photos that I found, so enjoy this trip down memory lane haha. I have quite the collection of DIY costumes if I do say so myself!

 You may have seen the first two photos before because my piñata costume was featured in Seventeen Magazine last year and is still on their website! Multiple friends have told me it’s all over Pinterest! Now you guys get the behind the scenes on how to actually make it!

This is my all time favorite costume! I’ve had a serious obsession with Piñatas ever since I moved to Downtown LA and discovered what I like to call “The Piñata District” aka Piñata Row, otherwise known as 9th Street (where Central meets Olympic). There are dozens of stores covered ceiling to floor in brightly colored piñata from animals to One Direction themed!

DIY Piñata Costume: I started this costume with a nude Americal Apparel Tank Dress, and bought royal blue, medium blue, hot pink, orange, and yellow streamers which I cut into 4 inch long strips. I actually constructed this costume while the dress was on me. I didn’t want the dress to stretch and rip the pieces off, so I made sure it was stretched to my size as I hot glued the strips of streamers on. Using a small dot of glue on each strip, I started from the very bottom row of yellow (three rows of each color) and worked my way to the top like a flapper dress, turning the dress around as I went. I gathered a bunch of long pieced and tied one end into a knot and then safety pinned it to the back of my dress as the “donkey tail.” I made matching “donkey ears” out of folded paper – think old school tri-folded name place cards that you made in elementary school for your desk. Then wrapped pink streamers around them to cover them up and stuck bobby pins through them and into my hair.

My Pikachu costume is also featured on Seventeen’s website!
DIY Girly Pikachu: I made this cute little Pikachu costume while I was still in school at FIDM in 2008. I actually made the yellow tube dress out of a piece of stretchy yellow fabric, and the tutu out of a single piece of elastic and lots of tulle. I covered some old bunny ears with matching yellow fabric – they could easily be made of construction paper and glued to a headband! Super easy to put together, plus the makeup is cute : )

Another popular costume of mine is the loofah (also featured on Seventeen.com)! Not to toot my own horn, but I was one of the very first loofahs out there! This is from 2009! Pretty sure I’ve also re-worn this costume the most out of all of mine.
DIY Loofah Costume: I started with a black thin strap tank dress (similar to this one) and bought about 8 yards of the roughest stuffiest tulle I could find at Joann’s. I put the dress on and started bunching the tulle and safety pinning the bunches as I went around and around until the dress was completely covered. I grabbed some white curtain cord  from the interior section of Joann’s and safety pinned it on the side. Easy Peasy.

I think my Sims costume wins for easiest costume accessory. This one is featured on Seventeen.com too! You don’t have to dress up if you don’t feel like it, because in the computer game The Sims they are just normal people… with plumbobs floating over their heads! It’s nerdy but awesome!
DIY Sims Costume: I actually made my own template for this a few years ago, but there are tons of awesome ones that you can print, cut, fold, and glue together! I would recommend this template and instructions. The best part about this costume is that it’s 100% office appropriate! Also recommended for that friend that occasionally gets separated from the group at events. As you can see it makes you really easy to find in large crowds!

There was also that one time I decided to dress up as a gum ball machine and glue thousands of pom poms all over my dress. I won’t elaborate on this one. IT’S SO FLUFFAYYYYYY!

And of course, I love making costumes for my friends! I made Lauren this adorable Cookie Monster costume (similar style as the Pikachu one).
DIY Cookie Monster: I sewed her a simple blue velour tube dress and made a matching tutu out of elastic and tulle. The eyes are made of two ping pong balls glue gunned onto a comb (the kind that veils are sewn onto) with black Sharpie pupils. I finished the costume with some chic cookie accessories made of beige and brown polymer clay!

If your costume idea falls apart or you need something last minute, I suggest stealing your boyfriend’s white button down and going with Risky Business! High white socks and Raybans are a must! Going out but don’t want to walk around in socks? Put on a pair of comfy flats and then put the white socks over them! It will appear as if you’re just wearing socks, but then you won’t have to worry about wet floors or sharp objects, problem solved!

Teddy just LOVES dressing up for Halloween. Can’t you tell? Cutest RFFMBT mascot ever!

What are you going to be for Halloween this year?
Andddd Tell me your best and/or worst costume you’ve ever worn!

I’m constructing this years costume today! Ahhhh! I hope it turns out as awesome as it looks in my head! Otherwise… Risky Business it is!