NO TREAT WHY DIY HALLOWEEN COSTUMES ARE ...
One part of parenthood I couldn’t wait for was making Halloween costumes. My mom did it for me – expertly, too – transforming a red cotton cardigan and straw hat into a Captain Hook getup using trim, felt and a well-placed feather. I imagined similar crafty feats that cost me nothing. Boy, was I wrong.
Knight job
The first year that my son, Jude, cared about his costume was 2013, and he wanted to be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle – Leonardo, the blue one.
I worked with cardboard from the recycle bin and construction paper and crafted a flat back and front shell with a plate-like pattern. He already owned plastic katana swords and a blue eye mask.
It wasn’t a flawless execution. People mistook him for a medieval knight because his flat shell looked like armor. Sure, I had to spend $5 for a longsleeved green shirt. But, hey, it was a lot cheaper than $30 for a store-bought costume.
Total cost: $5
Foiled again
The next year, he wanted to follow up with another Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, Raphael, the red one.
I consulted Pinterest for ideas to make a rounded shell. Several Pinners directed me to buy a foil roasting pan at a dollar store, spray-paint it green, and glue scale-like plates made from paper to the back. To save an extra $3, I skipped the spray paint and relied on acrylic paint I had on hand.
Big mistake. Acrylic paint doesn’t stick to foil.
As soon as it dried, it flaked off. At that point, I should have gone to the hardware store and bought spray paint. But instead, I doubled down on the acrylic paint.
I slathered it on in deep, goopy pools that only dried with the help of a hair dryer. I mixed it with other paint I had and Elmer’s glue to increase its stickiness. And by sheer force of will, it stayed put. The shell only lasted Halloween night, but at least everyone knew my son was Raphael and not Sir Lancelot.
Total cost: $11
Shelling out
By the time 2015 rolled around, I looked forward to trying a new costume. My son’s affection for TMNT was getting crowded out by interests such as Legos and Super Mario Brothers. I hoped to make up for my earlier efforts. I asked my son what he wanted to be.
“A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle,” he said.
I did not look at Pinterest. I did not consult YouTube. I went straight to Amazon Prime and bought a TMNT outfit for $11.30 – or less than what I spent the previous two years combined to make the same costume.
I ordered a size bigger to hedge my bets for the next year. That’s when he dressed up as Mario.