Bunch of Grapes

Dress the child in clothes that match the color of the balloons. Blow up the balloons and with small safety pins attach them all over the body. Make sure you don't restrict either movement or visibility.

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Traditional Ghost

Get a white sheet and position over body. Mark where eyes need to be cut out and sheet needs to be hemmed. Take off and hem with tape (or staples) and cut out eyes. Cut slits for arms to go through. With a felt pen you can make a ghost face. Tie a loose bow around neck to help the costume stay in place, but not so tight that it won't come undone if you fall down. Make sure the sheet fits so that it doesn't tangle with busy legs. This is a very visible costume in the dark!

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Pirate

Jeans or dark pants rolled up to your knees.

Tights or knee socks

Boots or shoes.

Cut out a homemade buckle out of gold colored cardboard.

Large blousy shirt. Long sleeved, looses and brightly colored or white.

Sash or belt. You can use a gaudy necktie or a brightly colored scarf. If you have a belt with a big metal buckle, all the better.

Eye patch. Use thin black or painted black cardboard. Tie it on your head with around 2 /12 feet of string.

Bandana. Any old red or blue or multi colored bandana will work. Fold it diagonally to form a triangle. Place on your head so the triangle covers the top of your head, and tie in back.

Vest. Any color, any design.

Earing. Pirates often wear one hoop earing. If the clip on kind hurt your ears, then tie a loop of string through the earring and put it over your ear.

Makeup ideas: Heavy eyebrows, mustache, scar, skull & crossbones tattoo.

Props:

Cardboard dagger stuck in your sash. (Never use a real knife.)

Cardboard hook. If you are wearing a long-sleeved shirt you can pull the sleeve over your hand and just hold the end of the hook with your hand.

If you are holding a hook you need an easily accessible trick or treat bag. Try using a paper bag with a string handle that you can put over your head and one arm.

Parrot. What's a Pirate without a parrot? If you have a light weight stuffed parrot you can either sew or pin the parrot to your shoulder.

Now you're ready!

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Garbage Bag

Cut holes in the bottom of a large plastic garbage bag and slip on child. Cut holes for the arms. Fill up the bag with loosely crumpled newspaper. Tape bag around neck.

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Lady

Mother's old dress gathered at waist with a big ribbon or fancy belt. Temporarily hem bottom or sleeves with tape. Use a big hat with flowers or feathers that doesn't obstruct vision. Use lots of costume jewelery and adult makeup. You can also use fancy gloves, nail polish, a shawl, and a purse. Dont choose shoes that are awkward to walk in. A splash of perfume finishes the job.

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Mummy

Wear white, tight fitting (yet warm) clothing under the wrappings. Take a 5 yard role of 3 inch guaze and dip it in weak tea the day before and hang it out to dry. This will be your head wrapping. You will need a 60 yard roll of 1 1/2 inch wide masking tape for your body wrapping.

Start with your ankles and work up. Overlap the tape slightly and stop at the knee. Continue right above the knee and go to the top of your thigh. Do both legs.

Then start in the middle of your stomach and run it down between your legs, crisscrossing over your hips and between your legs in a diaper fashion. Break off the tape.

Just below your hipbones wrap around your body until you get to your underarms. Crisscross over your shoulders to cover your upper chest and back. Start at your shoulder and move down your arm. Stop at the elbow and start again on the other side of your elbow.

Do both arms. Now switch to gauze for your head. Tape down the end of the gauze under your collarbone and move upwards to do your neck and your head. Make sure it's not too tight around your neck! Keep your eyes and mouth free.

Tape down when you're finished. Rub some dirt on the tape so that you look sufficiently old and moldy. With a black or brown eye pencil circle each eye and smudge out for that hollowed out eye look. Whiten the rest of your face so that it matches your wrappings. This is a very visible costume!

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