I was shopping at Target yesterday, looking for a Halloween costume for my youngest child. He really wants to be a doggie, and I thought that this would be an easy find. After all, I wasn’t looking for a licensed character, so the costume should be pretty inexpensive, right?
Well, unfortunately, I was wrong. They not have a doggie costume in his size. The doggie and other generic costumes seemed to have stopped at size 18-24 month. After that, all of the costumes for boys were those dreaded (for me anyway) character costumes. There was a Scooby Do costume that might work, but it cost $40!
My next stop was over in the clothing section. I decided that it would be easier and more frugal to simply make a costume. Although I was picturing a brown doggie, I had to adapt to a black and white one. Over in the clothing section, sweat pants and sweat shirts were on sale. Unfortunately, they all had printed designs or pictures on them. I chose a black set because I could reverse them to hide the designs (turn them inside out). After the parties, my son would have an outfit that he could use for regular wear.
I next went over to the winter wear. Target also had stretchy gloves on sale. Two pairs for $1. I choose a set that included one black pair and one white pair. My son can have white paws, black paws, or one of each. I added a $1 had to which I will sew some ears. (I could also hot glue them, but sewing can be picked out and the hat can be used for the winter.)
Today, I will be hunting around the house for something to craft the ears and the tail, as well as some white spots. It could be felt or fabric. I may have some white terry cloth washcloths that can get pressed into service or maybe an old white sweatshirt to cut up.
After I pick up a little non-toxic face paint, the total cost for this costume will come to $10, and he will still wind up with a hat, two pairs of gloves, a sweat shirt and sweat pants that he can wear until he outgrows them.
Click here for more articles by Mary Ann Romans.
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