No Excuses This Halloween Season

Our Union Riveter Wenchkin loves all things Halloween.  You've seen her pumpkin-carving skills and her bat hoodie costume on the cheap.  Here are some more ideas for cheap, last-minute costumes (you know, in case you 'suddenly' are invited to a party).

So I keep hearing about how expensive costumes and candy are. I get not wanting to deal with trick or treaters, but Halloween was and always has been my favorite holiday. It is a big play day for me where I get to be someone else. When I was a kid my grandmother made all my costumes for me and I continued to make my own later in life.

I think in this day and age where everyone is understandably concerned about money, we need to learn to take back our holidays. There is no reason to not have Halloween because you cannot afford it. My mom often had craft parties for us kids that consisted of all the moms pitching in with some juice or cupcakes and whatever craft materials they had at the house. There are countless links to be found Googling DIY halloween crafts or even going to Martha Stewart's site and browsing it (she even has a "last minute Halloween ideas" section).

Costumes do not need to be expensive, a little imagination will go a long way.

Look what we found just
by Googling cheap costumes!

• Mummy: two bucks worth of gauze got me a mummy costume
• Instant Nerd: broken glasses, tape on the nose and a fake paper pocket protector 
• Kitties: for 6 bucks you can get any variety of tail & ear packs for just about any feline
• T-shirt ninja: you just need all black and a black tshirt, Google it
• Vampires: all you really need is teeth or glitter
• LEGO blocks: you need a box, six plastic cups cut in half, glue and some paint
• LEGO man: round bucket, plastic cup cut in half, glue, yellow paint
• Butterflies, Lady Bugs and Ninja Turtles: all be easily done with straps, cardboard and some paint.
• Freudian Slip: print picture of freud, attach to a slip



Be a T-shirt Ninja!
Just add black clothing and you're all set.

• Tourettes Guy: wire framed glasses and neck brace

and that is just to name a few of the possibilities out there.

Take back the holidays, do less shopping, more making, make your own traditions and involve your friends and family. You can do it, you are only limited by your imagination.

Wenchkin is the amazing artist behind Wenchcraft, the Art of Wenchkin. You can find her on Google+, on Facebook, or you can shop her ArtFire shop! She currently resides in Albuquerque with artist Scott Krichau, and their tripod Jack Russell "P."

This Wig Needs More ZAZZ! How to DIY a Wig for Dia De Los Muertos.

Our reigning queen of Calaca and everything Dia De Los Muertos, Wenchkin is our go-to when it comes to costuming for this fun day. She really pulls out all the stops when it comes to face painting, and costume design involved in this tradition. 

I myself march in our local Dia de los Muertos Marigold parade out here. The wig I previously used it hot, itchy and way too heavy so this year I am opting for a shorter lighter wig since they are easier to wear. And I like to be comfortable, but not trashy looking so I am going to decorate a cheap wig to look a lot more entertaining.
Marigolds are traditional for this parade so I am going to work with them. You can use whatever flowers you choose. I think it would look really great with some red roses with larger white skulls in the center but for this tutorial I am going to run on the super cheap.
This is what I am starting with.
6 buck wal mart wig
2 buck dollar store skeletons
3 one buck bunches of marigolds
glue gun

scissors

Total cost, 11 bucks

I forgot to mention a sharpie, or a stick or anything you can use to position things with other then your fingers because hot glue is hot and will burn

I start like a kid on Christmas and basically just rip everything open and gut the flowers down the the stems. I realize right away my flip wig does not flip or look anything like the one on the package but considering I am doing surgery to it anyway I do not let it bother me in the least. It came with a white head band I tossed as I do not feel the need to use it. I did take the fishnet that came on the wig and used it to pull back all the hair I wanted to keep out of the way while I was gluing.

There are two of these grass like things in the flowers I bought that I am going to use at the very back for height and drama. If I had only one I would have cut it in two and used it the same way I used these just for effect.

I glue it a little back from the seam since I want to leave some space for the flower row next.

When I start the flowers I run a bead of hot glue all the way around the stem then drive it into the weave of the wig going along with the direction the hair is pulled back to.

After I get my layer of marigolds on I can see that fake grass and some glue spots peeking out from underneath them. This is what I am going to use the leaves for.

I wrap a leaf on a sharpie, glue the end then poke it into place.

Finished stuffing a row of leaves up and under the marigolds

I then add the few little touches and clean up the left over glue strings.

And Bam, it is done. My Dia de los Muertos wig.

I could not even find a reasonable head piece for sale of this size for a price even close to what I kicked this sucker out for.

Well worth the 12 bucks if you ask me.

And yes I do have perfectly good working hair I just have a preference for darker hair with the calaca makeup.

Wenchkin is the amazing artist behind Wenchcraft, the Art of Wenchkin. You can find her on Google+, on Facebook, or you can shop her ArtFire shop! She currently resides in Albuquerque with artist Scott Krichau, and her tripod Jack Russell "P."