Archive for October, 2009
Popular Couple Halloween Costumes Ideas for 2009
Going to a Halloween party with a date whether your are in a new relationship, a marriage or just friends there are plenty of great couple Halloween costumes ideas. What you need to consider is if you want to spend a lot of money for amazing rental costumes or spend a little for the homemade kind? Either way you�re sure to get plenty of attention by putting some of these couple Halloween costumes ideas to work this Halloween.
The first obvious couple Halloween costumes idea is to go as each other. If you�ve been together for some time and all of your friends know exactly what to expect from your sense of fashion style then it would be easy to switch roles and essentially wear what the other would wear. A wig and fake moustache where appropriate will seal the deal. If you don�t want to go as each other you can still switch genders for a lot of laughs. Having him dress as a classic peroxide blonde femme fatale and her dress as a tough gangster type is a fun costume idea for a couple.
Another couple Halloween costumes idea is to go through your closet for all of those outfits you were once happy to wear but are now embarrassed by. Perhaps there was a disco or hippy phase in your past that you can bring back to life. You could even go so far as to pull out the wedding dress and tuxedo to relive that special day. But don�t stop there. With some easily applied theatrical make-up you can go as zombie bride and groom. In fact, you can even go as zombie quarterback and zombie cheerleader. Every costume for couples goes great with zombie make-up.
If your budget allows, there are some sweet couple Halloween costumes ideas that involve professional looking outfits. You can explore your superhero side by pairing up the great comic book legends such as Superman and Lois Lane, Spiderman and Mary Jane, or Batman and Catwoman. There are also the classic literary couple Halloween costumes ideas such as Alice and the Mad Hatter, Romeo and Juliet, Scarlet and Rhett and the ever popular Adam and Eve.
No matter which couple Halloween costumes ideas you choose, make sure you both agree to the concept and that you take plenty of pictures. Who knows, maybe your Halloween costumes will make the perfect Christmas card!
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The Importance of Costume Accessories for halloween outfits.
Halloween means dressing up as something new, something that is outside of your daily routine. What is Halloween but an excuse to step out from inside of yourself, adopt a completely different persona of your choosing, and, for at least just one night, pretending to be something different? This is an exhilerating opportunity for anyone, and frankly, most people are not taking full advantage of their Halloween costumes. What is missing? Good costume accessories.
Why are costume accessories important? There are a couple of reasons. First of all, Costume Accessories for Halloween outfits are fun. Having a prop around ultimately means a toy. Actors are always excited to play with props – it is like an excuse to play; just like they did in their childhood days. Dressing up like a cowboy is fun; bringing along a lasso is great fun. A lasso can be used for rounding up stray “cattle”. The lasso, and other costume accessories are particularly good for party games and flirting with the opposite sex; always a fun component of any Halloween costume party.
This brings us to the other reason why costume accessories are so great; they promote interactivity. Playing with a prop is great and all, but think back to how much fun it is was to play games with others using your toys as a child. It obviously makes sense that your props should allow people to play along with their costumes, taking the costumes to another level. In this way, costume accessories for Halloween outfits make not just your costume better, they make the party more fun.
Finally, costume accessories for Halloween outfits set your costume apart. I have seen plenty of costume contests won or lost because of a prop. Despite being a minimum of effort, adding props and costume accessories add two things. First of all, they add the illusion of effort, which everyone is impressed with but loathe to do themselves. Luckily, most costume accessories are no additional work, and perhaps, a few dollars more. Secondly, the costume accessories simply make your costume more memorable.
Dressing up for Halloween is a childish thing; and why not? It is more or less the ultimate in make-believe. So why not take your make-believe to the next level this Halloween and kick up your costume a notch with costume accessories. It will impress people and create the illusion of effort, engage the party and simply make everything more fun. So have more fun this Halloween with costume accessories.
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Cheap Halloween props or Halloween outfits for your house :), your kids can make: good, scary fun!
Halloween is so much more fun for trick or treaters when your house looks enticingly scary as the kids approach. These days, even one pumpkin can run you a few bucks, so if you’re like me, you’re looking for a few ideas for cheap Halloween props that are still scary enough to give the kids a thrill. Here are just a few ideas for creepy, but cheap Halloween outfits for your house the kids can make and/or decorate themselves. You save money and they have fun.
Poster board and cardboard boxes are on my short list of cheap Halloween decorating materials. A large cardboard box can be turned into a haunted house in an afternoon. Hung from a window, your haunted house will lend a creepy feeling and inspire a little apprehension for the candy seekers. Depending on the kids ages, you may need to help cut out some ‘windows’ with a utility knife. After that’s done, let the kids loose. All you need in the way of supplies is a tube of gray acrylic paint, yellow or orange cellophane, a pack of markers in day-glow colors, a package of ’spiderwebs’ and some glitter. Cut your cardboard box to a size that fits in a front window. After the kids have painted the house, allow about 15 minutes for drying (acrylic paint dries quickly). Turn the cardboard (or poster board) over and then they can tape the cellophane to the back of the windows. Now they can use their markers to draw in the creepy details. Kids generally know what scares kids, so let them have free rein. Apply spiderwebs! When the haunted house is finished, hang it on the inside of the designated window. The cellophane will be backlit by the lights inside. Voila! Incidentally, this Halloween prop can be used again next year!
Halloween light strings are another of the reusable and cheap Halloween props. While a creepy entryway is part of the Halloween fun, you want to balance off the decorations with a bit of cuteness for the very young trick or treaters. You can light the front of your house for just a few bucks and the kids can have fun doing this task as well.
You might want to get a quantity of those fake spiderwebs. Attach them to places kids might touch, like the doorbell and porch or stair rails. Little plastic creepy crawlers should be in abundance, tucked into the spiderwebs. No glue needed. You might even offer a creepie as a ‘party favor’. As the kids are leaving with their treats, give them an added scare. �You’re welcome to take a little spider or worm home if you’d like to take one from the spiderweb patch…�
Instead of spending a lot of money on a couple of big pumpkins, pick up some of those tiny pumpkins at the supermarket. Get a few small packages of glass ‘jewels’ and let the kids create Jack o’ Lantern eyes and mouths. Group them together on a table at the doorway, or spread them along the windowsills. These cheap Halloween props can also double as Halloween ‘party favors’.
Every drugstore’s Halloween section is flush with the printed-on-cardboard skeletons, witches and vampires. Let the kids put a little spark on these cheap Halloween props, gluing on fake jewels for eyes, some glittery red blood streaks and some accent creepiness with the day-glow markers. Hang these guys from a tree branch, porch rail, or anywhere they’ll catch a breeze and flutter wickedly.
Making these cheap Halloween props heightens the fun of this single, annual scare fest. Better yet, most are reusable. Next year, the kids can add to their collection.
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Where to Find and Buy Halloween Costumes
Halloween is just around the corner, and I am really excited. Halloween is definitely my favorite holiday- the combination of scary and spooky, candy and treats, and, of course, the costumes. However, most people see buying Halloween costumes as more of a chore, while I think it is one of my favorite purchases of the year. I love looking at costumes. However, if you are not like me, I can still help. Here are some of the best ways and places to buy Halloween costumes.
The key to buying Halloween costumes is to have a plan. Too many people go into stores without any sense of what they want to be. They spend their whole time looking at everything and have a difficult time choosing from the hundreds, if not thousands, of different options. Instead, take ten or fifteen minutes to think about what costume you wish you could buy. You still have the flexibility to choose something else when you go to the store.
Speaking of going to the store, that is not the only place to buy Halloween costumes. In fact, there are three main locations where you can buy Halloween costumes. The first is the worst place to buy Holloween costumes: any non-costume store. This includes your big box retailers as well as your chain convenience stores. The only reason people buy Halloween costumes from these places is that they forgot to do it. You can be better than that.
The next best place to buy Halloween costumes are the Halloween stores or costume stores. These are great for browsing, if you enjoy that sort of thing. Plus, you get a chance to look at two or three different variations on your costume in person. This is crucial for all you witches and pirates out there.
Finally, my favorite place to buy Halloween costumes is online. There are some disadvantages here; you have to have a specific game plan, browsing cannot be done. However, you are able to quickly and easily compare prices and save yourself the trouble of going to the cluttered and crowded stores.
However you decide to buy Holloween costumes, whether in a store, online, or as an after-thought, take some time to think it through before hand if you really want a costume you will enjoy. Halloween only comes once a year, so the time is definitely worth it.
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Consider the Best Halloween Costumes For Any Age
Some costumes you find are best left for adults, as they can have a sexy theme to them. At times, you may find these in a smaller size, suggesting that teens or children can wear them, but you should firm when you say no. Instead, think of ideas for the best Halloween costumes for any age. This means that any one of any age can wear the costume without someone thinking it is inappropriate or sends the wrong message. You do not want your thirteen year old out there in a French maid outfit, but that does not mean she cannot go in something similar but that is more tasteful.
The common ideas can work for the best Halloween costumes. These would be a vampire, mummy, ghost, or perhaps a witch. These are fun, but not everyone wants to go with something that seems common. What you can do is to make each costume your own. You can take any type of common costume and make it into something that can be called the best Halloween costume going at the moment. You can do this for any age group. Don’t go with the vampire look of the moment � which has probably been inspired by a movie or show � but make up your own style for a really great looking costume.
You may not think that a common theme is the best way to go if you want to come up with the best Halloween costume ideas for an event. No matter what age, you can find some very neat items that are going to blow people away. What you have to do is to make the time to shop around with an open mind. If you have just one idea, you are going to have a hard time finding the items you want. If you have a few ideas or a vague idea, you can see what is out there and then choose the best of what you find for your best Halloween costume ideas.
Children often have the biggest imagination when it comes to coming up with the best Halloween costumes. However, they may also be at an age where they want to do what everyone else they know are going to do. That can be hard when you want them to wear something original. If they want to be the same movie character as everyone else, guide them in a different direction. Ask them if they would like to be a different character from the same movie. At times, this can work. Then you can go about making up a unique version of the costume that they want.
Remember that the best Halloween costumes do not have to be the sexiest ones. Some men and women go the sexy route hoping that will win them a prize as the best costume at a party or event. What matters more is how original and well thought out your costume might be. Some of the best ever made have been ones where you can not tell who is inside because so much of the body is covered. Remember that showing skin may get some attention, but that too has been done to death. Instead, rely on your wit and your sense of humor to come up with your ideas for the best costume ever.
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Alice wonderland costumes for Halloween 2009
Alice In Wonderland remains not only my favorite Disney film, but one of my favorite pieces of satire in the history of english language literature. And it’s not just me – millions appreciate Lewis Carroll’s masterwork to be a true triumph of both art and subversion, and it remains as popular with kids and adults today as it was a century ago.
As a result, alice wonderland costumes are some of the most popular both any and every halloween, not just for halloween 2009. Whether you want to dress up like Alice herself, or the Queen of Hearts, or the always-popular Cheshire Cat, or the hooka-smoking caterpillar, you have a litany of choices that no other story can provide.
Personally I think the best of the alice wonderland costumes is the Dormouse. He’s the forgotten one at Alice’s tea party, which features The Mad Hatter, The March Hare, Alice and the forgotten Dormouse. He’s a small, nearly silent, drunk. It’s the perfect role to play at a Halloween party if you’re so inclined, and easy costume to do, and if you can convince your other friends to go as the other characters, more’s the better. As in the film and book, you can even have someone go as the table (which itself was alive in Carroll’s story.)
The fun part about alice wonderland costumes is that they can work as subversion on several levels, the first being that which Carroll originally intended. But it’s also worth remember that Alice In Wonderland herself is now a symbol of purity and innocence in a culture gone awry with sexuality; thus, “Sexy Alice In Wonderland” is a very popular costume today for young women. There’s something absolutely delightful about making something as wholesome as a disney cartoon into an exhibition for the very basest of impulses which Walt Disney himself abhorred. One suspects that Carroll would approve of the decision.
Of course, the other characters are even more fun. The Mad Hatter is probably the best of the alice wonderland costumes (my love for the Dormouse notwithstanding) because he’s so recognizable and fun. Remember the riddle he poses to Alice, “Why is a raven like a writing desk?” It’s meant to be unsolveable, and if you’re really willing to get into character and give it a go you can just talk gibberish all night and win plaudits for it. Sounds like a great costume idea to me!
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Adult halloween party ideas for Halloween 2009
Adult halloween party ideas aren’t actually all that hard to come by even if you’re not the least bit creative. The first thing to remember is that adult halloween party ideas are supposed to be for adults – a good adult halloween party will have folks who’ve left the kids with sitters for the evening (and yes, they’ll be paying babysitters a premium, but that’s part of the price of having kids, isn’t it?)
Just think about it: You and your wife, or your husband, or girlfriend or boyfriend, have been invited to an “adult halloween party” and have decided to come as something wholly inappropriate for youngsters. It could be something like sexy nurse or sexy disney princess, or it could be something like a bloody corpse, or something entirely different that I’m not creative enough to think of right off the top of my head here, but regardless, something inappropriate for young viewers. Something not PG-13, but something rated R.
So you get your costumes ready, you head over to the party, you knock on the door, and who are you greeted by? A six year old in a clown suit. When it comes to adult halloween party ideas, making your friends feel awkward by having your child around to gawk (or be terrified, depending) is down near the bottom of the list.
There’s also the fact that the best adult halloween party ideas contain a lot of booze. Whether it be a refrigerator full of beer or champagne, a liquor cabinet full of scotch, or a bowl full or rum punch, adult halloween parties are sure to be lubricated by plenty of alcohol. Which means that little ones need to not be present, since socializing kids to that much consumption of alcohol and the subsequent inebriation it causes is probably not the best bet as a parent.
Which brings us to the need to make sure there are plenty of designated drives and keymasters, people who can take keys from the guests as they arrive to make sure that nobody gets behind the wheel with a headfull of hooch. When it comes to adult halloween party ideas, driving drunk is absolutely the worst one.
So remember to keep your adult halloween party “adult.” Be explicit on the invitations that it is intended for adults only, and for your friends to avoid bringing their children. Doing otherwise could subject both you and them to an all-together uncomfortable experience.
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Adult Halloween Costumes Ideas
Last year American consumers spent over 5 billion dollars on Halloween. That�s 5 billion dollars worth of candy, decorations and costumes. All of that spending breaks down to an average of around sixty-six dollars per person. But you don�t have to break the bank in order to come up with a great adult Halloween costume idea. A few things to keep in mind are where you�ll be wearing your costume. If you�re going to an outdoor event such as a parade consider the possible weather conditions. If you�re headed off to a Halloween party make sure you pick an outfit that you won�t mind wearing for a couple of hours.
You first stop for a fun adult Halloween costume idea should be your very own closet. Surely tucked away amid the sweaters, shoes and shirts are a couple of outfits that can best be described as �what was I thinking?� This could mean an extremely loud Hawaiian shirt that you add a cheep grass skirt to and go as the �wacked out tourist.� Or maybe you�ve got favorite disco outfit from the actual disco era that you can dust off and go as, well, as yourself from 1977!
If your closets don�t reveal any substantial adult Halloween costume ideas, head off to the store but not necessarily the costume store. You could spend fifteen dollars at the 99 Cent Store and buy fifteen items. Then merely attach these items to a shirt and jeans with safety pins and go to a Halloween party as the 99 Cent Store. You could also look up the closest outlet for medical supplies and pick up a pair of scrubs. Worn clean and you go as a �doctor.� Splashed with red food coloring and you go as a �doctor who had a very bad day.� There are also the army supply stores for the old stand-by of camouflage pants and shirts. You may also consider thrift stores to find some outrageous adult Halloween costume ideas. Those are perfect places for men who want to go in drag and need a cheap, big size dress.
If you�re feeling very creative another perfect adult Halloween costume idea would be to go as a zombie. You may think this requires a lot of work but actually all you need to do is get some theatrical make-up, cover your face with white base, darken circles under your eyes then grease up you hair. And no matter what outfit you wear, just add the word zombie such as zombie bride, zombie businessman, zombie jogger. You can�t go wrong with a zombie!
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Adult halloween costume ideas
Adult halloween costume ideas can come in all shapes and sizes. You can go with the traditional halloween costumes – think ghosts, ghouls, witches and mummies – or you can go with something new and unique. Or you could split the difference, going with something new but not unique at all. Think Michael Jackson or another recently deceased celebrity.
That’s one of the favorite tropes for adult halloween costume ideas these days: Going as someone who recently died. It’s got the right amount of creativity combined with plenty of “that’s sick!” to make it an eye-catcher. Michael Jackson is obviously a great one, as there are about ten different looks you could go with, all of them hilarious if pulled off right.
Think about it. You could be the most recent version of Michael Jackson, lily-white and missing his nose (obviously you shouldn’t cut off your own nose, but you can wear the mask like MJ did for the last few years of his life). You could go with late 1980s Michael Jackson, he of the leather jackets, skin-tight pants, jheri curl, and bulky metal accessories. If done right, you could even bring your own stuffed chimpanzee with you. You remember Bubbles, right? Jackson’s chimp companion from the late 80s/early 90s? That’s a costume everyone would recognize.
Then there’s the “Thriller” era Michael Jackson, he of the red leather jacket, the white socks, black shoes and midriff bearing t-shirt. Or the outfit from the “Billie Jean” video. In the realm of adult halloween costume ideas, these are two that are sure to be recognized by most people.
Of course you don’t have to go as a dead celebrity. Some people like to go as concepts, like “postmodernism” or “alcoholism.” My girlfriend and I were thinking about how to come up with a good costume for the latter. I would go as a martini – my head would be the olive, and we’d figure out how to build a glass around that – and she would go as an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. We haven’t hashed out the idea fully, but it’s something we’re working on and will continue to do so as the season approaches.
These aren’t the only adult halloween costume ideas to consider, though. There’s plenty out there if you do some online research, ideas old and new to get your creative juices flowing. Plus there’s tons of “how-to” guides to give you what info you need to construct your costume on your own.
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Halloween Flowers
There are many things that you can do to decorate your home and lawn for Halloween, but few think about flowers. You may find that arranging some Halloween flowers to go with the rest of your d�cor adds a fun touch that you had not thought to add in the past. As you can guess, many of these flowers come in colors that reflect the holiday of Halloween, but you can also go in the general direction of Thanksgiving or fall colors too and they will work well. Get as much as you like and enjoy the new look you have found to celebrate the fall.
When choosing Halloween flowers, think about the traditional colors of Halloween. Many of the flowers you are going to find for this occasion are going to be orange and black, but you can use other colors if you wish. Think about yellows and some reds too, though they should not be the main colors. You can also use greens, but to be more Halloween-like, you may want to find twigs, sticks, and other ‘dead’ types of additions to make your flower arrangements for Halloween look authentic.
Your local florist may have live Halloween flowers and arrangements that you can buy, or you can buy from a florist online to have them delivered to your home or to someone else if you want to send a gift. What is great about these live flowers is that there are sprays that some florists can use that can change the color of any flower to match any color theme. You may get an arrangement of roses and lilies that are in the Halloween colors rather than the traditional, red, white, or pink. They are treated and cared for just the same, they just come in different colors.
Your Halloween flowers can also be artificial. This is a great choice if you want to make up an arrangement that you can put away to use again year after year. You are going to find all types of Halloween flowers in your local craft store, or you can find them in you search online. Buy as little or as much as you need and then arrangement as you see fit. You can put them in a regular vase, or you can find Halloween themed things to put flowers in. A skull might be a great choice if looking for something on the scary side, or perhaps you want to use something that feels more like Thanksgiving so your arrangement can be enjoyed longer.
If you want something fun to do with your kids, you may want to get supplies to make Halloween flowers with them. You can give them all something for their arrangement and then let them make these as they imagine these arrangements to be. You can even get extras like ghosts, black cats, and other fun Halloween items to add to their Halloween flowers arrangements. You can then save them to get out year and year again if you wish, or they can be modified each year as the kids get older. Whatever the case, these flowers for Halloween are always a fun and interesting addition to any Halloween.
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