Fast and Easy Last Minute Halloween Costumes to Make

Easy, Last Minute Zombie Make up
We decided at the last minute, to zombie out for a Halloween paint class, with the help of an Instructable’s tutorial. Debbie Morrow, Copyright 2023, All Rights Reserved.

Sometimes, time and life gets away from us. Maybe you’re a procrastinator. Or maybe you just didn’t feel like dressing into a costume, and then changed your mind, at the very last minute. No worries – we’ve all been there, and I’ve got you covered. Here are some fast costumes, to whip up within 15 minutes or less.

Make yourself a cereal killer
This dude is a serious cereal killer with his mask. Image courtesy of https://www.pinterest.com/pin/548524429613776463/

Cereal Killer: Take a cereal box (without the contents),near the top sides, make a hole on each side. Pull a string through the holes, tying off the piece so the box can hang at your chest level. Lay the box back down on a table. If you don’t have a plastic knife from a previous costume or prop, cut a piece of cardboard into the shape of a knife, cover the handle with black duct tape. Cover the blade section with a piece of aluminum foil. Make a slit (as wide as your blade) into the front of the cereal box. Push the knife into slit, and add some red paint, or red hot glue, for blood. Then hang the box back around your neck. See image below for instruction clarity.

serial/cereal killer quick halloween costume
An illustration of how easy a cereal killer costume is made.

Stick Figure: You’ll need a white shirt, pants, and shoes. Add a straight, Black line of duct tape, going down from the neck to the crotch. Make duct tape lines for arms, legs. A white paper plate can be used as a mask. Make holes for your eyes, draw a black circle around plate, use string or elastic at ear level, to secure mask. See Money Wise Moms for a great example.

Crazy Cat Lady: If you have several small stuffed cat toys, this is simple. Tease or mess your hair to look unkept. With safety pins, pin cats all over your clothes.

Little Dead Riding Hood: Wear a red skirt with a white top, or a Red dress. Add a red hoodie. Use fake blood to make your neck look bitten. Splatter blood on your pale face, if you want. Carry a wicker basket with you.

Carrie: You’ll need a white dress, you don’t mind possibly not reusing. Make a quick prom queen sash, with wide ribbon or fabric, and if you have a tiara, that’s a plus, but not needed. Make a lot of fake blood, if you don’t have any on hand. Standing in the shower, with your entire outfit on, pour blood over your head. * If you don’t have time for the blood to dry, and need to leave, drape a moving pad, or an old blanket, over your car interior, to protect it.

Zombie (See top image): If you have white school glue, facial tissue or toilet paper, and face paints, you’re in luck! Put on some shabby or paint clothes( I think most people have at least one set), then use this technique from Instructables, to make your skin look like it is falling off.

A Fork in the Road: Find a plain, black or grey t-shirt. With either white or yellow duct tape, make the white or yellow road lines, across the front of your shirt. If you have a plastic fork on hand, use a dab of hot glue to attach it across the road lines. If you need to use a regular fork, try finding the lightest one you have, and either hot glue it, use Velcro, or you can even sew it tightly against your shirt.

Easy Halloween Costume fork in the road
An easy Fork in the Road Halloween costume, anyone can make. Image courtesy of Mysterious Gal on Instructables.

Chick Magnet: If you have a bunch of fridge magnets, take them off the fridge, and attach them to a plain-colored shirt. You can use a dab of hot glue, Velcro, or whatever you have on hand, to attach. OR you can cut out a large “U” shaped piece of cardboard, paint or duct tape it to look like a magnet, and hang around your neck.

Beach Butler: You can go shirtless, or wear a tight tank and short, shorts. Put a tool belt on, or a folded up grill apron(with pockets), tied around waist. Add suntan lotion, Aloe vera, and a wine cooler or two, in your pockets. Wear a black bow tie, and white gloves, to really get your point across.

Richard Simmons: If you have curly short hair, or have a curly wig handy, this is an easy costume. Wear a red tank, striped shorts, white calf socks, and sneakers. A wrist or a head sweat band, would work well, too!

Oppenheimer: Raid your grandfather’s, or senior friend’s closet. They will likely have everything you need, including the hat.

Smartie Pants: Wear a plain shirt, and attach Smartie candies, to a pair of plain-colored pants. If you have one, wear a graduation cap.

One Smart Cookie: Cut 2 large circles out of cardboard,(See illustration below). With a marker, draw random choc. chips, on both pieces. Use string or duct tape, and attach the cardboard cookies together, at the shoulders and waist. Make sure you leave a big enough gap for your body to be in between the pieces, so the cookie can easily be taken off and on. Wear a graduation cap.

Smart cookie make your own costume
Illustration of strap or string placement. Although only one side shown, make a waist strap on both sides of cookie.

Barbie and Ken: If you have lots of stylish, form-fitting, pink clothing, Barbie is an easy choice for you. Ken can wear beachwear.

A Spice Girl: Attach your kitchen spices, to a plain t-shirt, or on the front of a plain dress.

A Social Butterfly: Print/cut out several icons of social media platforms like Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, etc. Glue or pin the icons to a solid-colored shirt. Add a pair of Dollar Tree fairy wings.

Social butterfly easy costume to make
Social Butterfly costume. Image courtesy of Instagram user Ellegrrrl.

Send me your pics of your fast and easy costumes, and I’ll highlight them in a post. Happy Halloween!

Easy Last Minute Super Bowl Recipes

Image, courtesy of Home is Where the Boat is. They also offer an easy,
no-bake recipe, for Football cake pops.

If you are still scrambling to figure out some easy, quick menu items for Super Bowl, look no further. These recipes are sure to please a crowd. Best yet, they’re so simple, anyone can make. So, don’t forget to enlist your kids to help.

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Snowfall and Ice Calls for Creative Southerners

Transform your pool float into a sled. Image courtesy of Funboy's video, found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fkd0j658dfQ

Transform your pool float into a sled. Image courtesy of Funboy’s video, found at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fkd0j658dfQ

 

 

The move is over and little did we know how much snow was possible in the South. Thankfully, we kept the winter gear to visit family in New York. But now it’s here, we need to have some fun.

Don’t Have a Sled? No Problem!

Many of us don’t have a sled taking up space in our non-basement houses or apartments. Fear not! Instead of trying to find a store that has one, transform what you already have.

Idea 1:

Use your beach and pool gear to ride the hills. Blow up plastic rafts, alligators, Boogie Boards, and even a hard shell (or blow-up) kiddie pool can offer a quick fix when a sled isn’t available.

In NY, we used our blow up, glow-in-the-dark chairs on big hills at night. They provided a cushion to the often unexpected rugged terrain and when “charged” correctly under a lamp, provided visibility. If you have a fabric-coated beach raft, just add a large garbage bag and you’ll be slipping and sliding ASAP.

Idea 2:

I wish I could say this was my idea, but a friend mentioned she saw kids riding cookie sheets. Those large ones would work pretty good for a single, small child. Think of them as smaller saucer sleds. To make them really take off, I bet you can use the techniques from Living Strong to make them glide faster.

Idea 3:

Cardboard sleds can be made from leftover pizza boxes, refrigerator boxes, or even a leftover school project made on foam board. To lengthen your use time, cover the cardboard (multiple sheets stacked are best, but not necessary), with a large garbage bag or plastic from gardening/window insulation. Take duct tape and secure it together.

Idea 4:

If you lack cardboard, beach toys, or large cookie sheets, all is not lost. Big pieces of plastic used in gardening or insulation can be used on their own in a bind. Just sit on them and roll the front up like one of those plastic roll-up sleds. But be prepared to feel every bump.

Warning to Newbies About Sledding

People who are not seasoned snow daredevils need to heed these words: Getting hurt while sledding is easier than you think. Even with real sleds. If you’re unfamiliar with the terrain of the hill (rocks/holes hide easily under snow) or are not gauging the speed of your descent, you may find yourself seriously injured. This is not to scare people off of the idea of sledding, but just a fair warning to use any sled with caution. Especially when you don’t know how your sled will react to the snow conditions(yes, it varies).

The first few trips should be taken on a small hill. Jump or roll off your sled if you see a head-on collision about to occur with things such as trees or people. I’ve seen a few accidents over the years that necessitated a call to 911.  With that being said: Be safe, dress warm, have fun, and don’t forget cups and a Thermos of hot chocolate!

Looking for other solutions for sleds? Check out Bob Vila’s DIY Sled Making.

 

Last Minute Valentine Gifts to Make

It’s just a few days away – the day we honor our loved ones. For some it may be a friend, for others it may be a spouse or child. Yet, the one common thread to Valentine’s Day is the celebration of love.

With the clock ticking, your anxiety of what to give may rise.The key to giving isn’t in how much you spend, but in the effort/love involved. Hopefully, you’ll find something in these DIY projects that will get your creative juices flowing.