Jennifer L. Taglione

Thinking outside the Box

It’s amazing what costumes you can create with a cardboard box or two!

• Rubix cube: How to Solve the Rubix Cube Costume!

• T.V. & a Remote Control: Think box with aluminum foil antennas (also makes a good robot). Get really creative and draw your fave show on the screen! And with remotes as complex as they are today, you can spend hours inventing new buttons for yours!

• Lego Pieces: How to Make a Lego-Block Costume!

• Box of Popcorn: We made this costume and carried fresh popped popcorn to enhance the look—and smell—to make it realistic!
• Candy Land, Chutes & Ladders Board Games (works for Monopoly, etc): Using posterboard, make a full-size, playable board for your body. Carry dice, playing pieces and cards!

• Operation Board Game (ambitious):How to Make a Working Lifesize Operation Board Game Costume!
• Operation Board Game, Box-less version (easier) Use a leotard, sweatsuit or scrubs: Easier, Box-less Human Operation Game Costume!

Raiders of the Lost (& Found Again) Closets

Yours, your mom’s, sister’s, brother’s, dad’s, friend’s, neighbor’s, cousin’s…etc:

• Ghost: Old classic but bring it back to life by adding makeup and eyelashes or different props to your sheet.

• Hippie or 70s inspired: You know somewhere in your closet or maybe your uncle’s there are a pair of bell-bottoms calling your name and begging for you to put them back!

• Old Man/Woman: Even easier than ghost: throw flour in your hair and find yourself aged at least 30 years!

• Miss America: Playing dress up has never been funner! Any long dress will do. Then make your own sash to read “Miss America, Congeniality, Princess Pretty” or even, “I’m not a Plastic Bag”

• Tourist: All you need is some tacky, mismatched clothes and a camera on a strap!

• Bikini/bathing suit: So many costumes, so little space to list them all here. Challenge yourself to think what you can be in your bikini!

• Princess Leia: see bikini reference above! A gold bikini—or a long white dress—and putting your hair into two braided buns and you have a costume! You could also get two cinnamon buns and attach them to your head as a punny reference!

• Madonna: Just think underwear as outwear. Put bras on top of your clothes!

• Fairy: My own green costume 2 years ago. I had a green dress with an assymetrical bottom that I thought would be a great fairy dress. I made a wreath for my hair out of twigs and leaves and tied them with ribbons and pins I already had in my house. I made my wand with the tops of three fake flowers glued on to the top of sticks, again twined with ribbons. Then rolled it in glitter to add a bit of sparkle. My wings were recycled from a costume a few years prior. It was a hit and all my friends wanted to keep my wand!

Really Unique but easy to do:

• Basket of Laundry: Take an inexpensive and thin plastic laundry basket and cut a hole in the bottom. The hole should be big enough for you to fit in, but be able to sit on your waist (if the hole is too big you will have to attach straps to keep it up or be figity all night). Fill the basket with laundry (clean or dirty!) and pin dryer sheets to your body. Also, add bottles of eco-friendly detergent to your basic to help support your cause.

• I’m not a plastic bag” Anya Hindmarch’s hit fashion statement. Create a body-sized bag with canvas or light-colored burlap, attach a handle to the top and write the “I’m not a Plastic Bag” on the front. Be fun, ironic and green.

• Beer Pong Table: Add straps to a long piece of cardboard, painted tan or brown (to look like a table). Glue on plastic cups in rows or make it look like a game in progress. Bring ping bong balls along, but be prepared to be asked to lay down so people can play! **Can also fill cups up with construction paper, foam, sprayed cotton or solidifying liquid (used to hold silk flowers) dyed with food coloring to look like beer.

Leave a Reply

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website