D.I.Y. Costume Ideas: Tim Burton Creations, The Hunger Games, The Walking Dead, Whip It and Lisbeth Salander

With so many Halloween shops popping up, plus craft, vintage, thrift and donation stores around, it is so easy to throw together amazing costumes with little effort. Whether you need a killer couples thing, or for you and your bestie or something awesome for a singles get together -here are some of my favorites (with a few tips & tricks)!

Sally & Jack – The Nightmare Before Christmas

It would probably be easy to just run out an find this pair in a costume store, but in my opinion, those costumes are often cheaply made, too expensive for the crap quality, thin and drafty, plus it is so easy to pull this off yourself – if you are in a crafty mood.

Stop by a local vintage shop, Goodwill or Salvation Army, or raid your family’s giveaway-throwaway stashes.

If you are willing and able, for Sally, stitch together random scraps of clothing OR find a beige/taupe or brown sheath dress and go to work with some fabric markers (cheap and easy  to get at your local craft store).

Then grab some body paints/make-up and have fun making yourself up like Sally, remember Sally is always stitching herself back together – so nothing has to be perfect here.

Last step, grab an auburn wig (or temporary hair color) and a waterproof eyeliner marker pen adding stiching/seams to your arms, legs and face – this way you can avoid smudging throughout the night.

For Jack: Black pants and jacket, stripe them yourself with white fabric paint/markers – add a white tee and ta da! Suit done. For the bow tie, cut a little felt or other fabric into the shape and add a little flex wire weaved into or glued onto the back so that it stays in shape (cheap and available from your local craft store). Add a neck strap of the same fabric and some body/face paint/make-up (again, I recommend the waterproof eyeliner for around the eyes and face), and you’re complete!

The Corpse Bride & Victor

Victor is easy here, hit up a vintage store and find pieces to create your suit, add a bit of white and grey make-up to wash you out and slick your hair to complete the look.

For the Corpse Bride, search local second hand or discount stores for a flowing white gown and get ready to tatter it up! Take some scissors and cut a few slits and rip the gown with your hands.

For added effect take the dress outside to a well ventilated concrete or gravel covered area and using a lighter, carefully burn the dress where you want – it may/will catch on fire – which is okay, just watch the  flames and stomp them out wearing appropriate footwear.

Once that is done, or if you skipped that part, take blue, white and grey body paint/make-up (the same that you will use for yourself) and using a brush, buff a little color at a time on the torn, burned or natural edges of the dress. Dress done!

For the veil, stop by your local fabric store and buy a couple yards of white tulle or mesh fabric (really cheap to get) and make it up the same way you did the dress, then glue to a flowery head band.

 Final steps are all about the make-up (which you may need help with the get your arms and back) and of course grab a wig (or temporary hair color). Easiest thing is to follow a photo of Corpse Bride, but if you needed a little extra instructions there are YouTube tutorials available for her make-up!

Katniss & Peeta

Easiest costumes ever!! For both, green khaki cargo pants, black tees, black jackets, boots and a few extra props for Katniss would be a small backpack, plus her signature bow and arrows.

For Peeta: Mussed up hair, dirt make-up look and a little fake blood with a rip in his pant leg.

For Katniss: Very natural make-up and a little dirt look too, cream products will work best here. Check out my Katniss Signature Braid post here. You can also pick up a Mockingjay pin from Target 🙂

Effie

This is where you really need to hit up your local shops or family/friends closets for those crazy 80’s prom dresses! Add a bit of extra details to the dress/clothing if necessary, large flowers or other appliques (readily available at craft shops).

Then go crazy inventive with your make-up, first whiten your entire face then go bold! For staying power layer powder on top of cream blushes and eye shadows (and also your lipstick!). Avoid placing non-eye products too close to your eyes waterline. You can get also get Paperself lashes at Sephora to really complete the make-up. After all has been applied, powder – powder – powder!

Final step: Add a wig and fun hair piece!

Cinna

Soooo easy! Quality black clothing, a simple bead necklace and dog tag-type piece. Top it off with GOLD eyeliner!

Rick & Lori – The Walking Dead

I kind of hate Lori – so I would go as Rick! If you don’t mind the gender switch then so can you.

Opt for boots and jeans, covered with fake blood and dirt. Same goes for the shirt, plaid for Lori and if you can locate one, a Sheriff shirt for Rick, complete with badge!

Tip: On a flat surface apply some fake blood to the shirt/jeans, then spray with water  – so the blood bleeds off and disperses – as if you were a sweaty dirty mess and just killed off a half dozen walkers 😉 Avoid “hand-print blood” for a more realistic look!

Smudge a bit of fake blood onto your face for Rick and don’t forget his revolver to complete the look!

Add a fake baby bump for Lori and of course extremely natural make-up.

Walkers – The Walking Dead

Bloody up some old clothing or even shred and burn them (like I mentioned above for Corpse Bride). Pieced stringy hair and add some special effects contacts if you want.

Top it off by buffing grey, purple and flesh-toned body/face paint onto any exposed skin. Add some smudged red eyeliner for that creepy look. Remember to hollow your eyes and smudge some blood around the mouth and hands.

Lisbeth Salander – Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Series

Go pale! Black eyeliner over lids and waterlines smudged in that I don’t give a f&^! way. Grungy black hoodie, white or black tank, black leather jacket and black leather pants if you can, otherwise torn black-wash jeans. Black combat style boots are a must!

If you don’t have them yourself, add some fake piercings (nose, lip and brow) and tapered goth earrings. For a cool night: Add black or grey finger-less gloves, slouchy knit beanie and scarf.

Top everything off by getting a black bob wig and cutting it into an asymmetrical short-banged look and a leather backpack, if you need it.

Babe Ruthless – Whip It

Can you roller-skate?!? Then pull out your old skates, add green tights, a green skirt and top or dress, iron on a few killer patches and maybe paint on your alter ego name across the back. Grab some elbow and knee pads, plus a green helmet.

If you can’t find a green helmet, look for a green beanie and tack on star patch. Add some crazy socks and make-up, eye glitter and all!

Tip: If you do plan to skate, you are awesome, but take along some flats too 🙂

There you go, just some last minute ideas that are easy to pull off with a couple hours of craftiness! 

p.s. don’t forget to enter my giveaway by Halloween night!!

D.I.Y. Hanging Bra Organizer :)

Update: Thank you so much for all the great praise and feedback on my DIY Bra Organizer! I really appreciate it, truly. I’ve heard from so many new followers through this post and am so happy so many of you have found it useful. Whether you found it through Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Stumble Upon, or another website or blog, please credit and link back where appropriate. Thank you!!

I am BACK!!! Yupp… it has been a while – a long while it seems – I missed blogging, but I had real life issues to sort out and just could not find the time to dedicate to the blogosphere.

Anyways, I am back with a quick (and cheap) D.I.Y. for keeping those bras you love organized and in shape – after all, you spent the money on them – and most bras do not come cheap – so you want them to last as long as possible!

When it comes to bras with molded cups, there are a few rules for properly caring for and storing them to ensure they last a good while. 

1. NEVER throw your bras, molded cups or not, in the washer – always hand-wash them with care.  (Exception to this rule: No-wire, non-molded sports/yoga bras)
2. NEVER fold your molded bras in half, forcing you to invert one of the cups into the other – this will alter/ruin the shape of the cups – sometimes causing permanent “dents” in the tip of one cup! Squished nipple alert! Have you ever seen a woman walking around and something looks just a little off in the tit area – well yeah, maybe she stores her bras incorrectly – eeek! (You can fold your non-molded bras in half with no worries)
3. AVOID throwing your molded cup bras into that chaotic panty drawer – same dangers for those cups as rule 2.
4. HANG bras or ORGANIZE them in a drawer properly – and when I say properly, I mean the way you see them in the lingerie stores drawers – like Victoria’s Secret – never folded in half or in a messy pile. You can also purchase bra drawer organizers, which included actual dividers.

Personally, I prefer to hang my bras – and recently, I had been looking at an easy way I can hang them all together, without having to buy something specifically for that purpose, so here is what I came up with – and I love it – it really is the perfect solution for me, so maybe it will work out for you too!

What you will need:

Wooden hangers – class it up a bit – I got 2 packs of 5 wooden hangers ($4 each) – make sure the shirt hangers you choose have grooves for straps.

Screw Eyes or Hooks – I opted for hooks ($2 total) , since they were out of screw eyes that were long enough (you want at least a 2 inch drop length).

Optional: Pliers – to close the screw hooks – essentially making screw eyes.

and of course BRAS!

STEP 1:

Grab your screw eye/hook and a hanger.

STEP 2:

Screw the eye/hook into the center/joint of the wooden hanger – it will take very little effort!

STEP 3:

Using the pliers, close the screw hook – creating a screw eye.

Do the previous steps for each of the hangers, with the exception of the last one.

STEP 4: 

Hook each hanger onto another and add your bras! TA DA!

Now, I am not shy about having my bras out – they are pretty – so I have mine hung on the back of  my door – plus they are now organized to perfection!

You can also double up on each hanger (bras can be placed back to back like this > d|b < bra – hanger – bra), if you are hanging yours in your closet or open space.

I now have an easy bra organizer – for up to 20 bras! All for $10 🙂

HAPPY ORGANIZING!