apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Yes you are - these are way too expensive! Hoo-eee! We go to the thrift store and find really cool things on the cheap, which we can either use as-is or repurpose into something dress-uppable.

Is this a joke? Dress-up clothes are free. Your dad's old suit jacket, your mom's old heels and skirts. Hats. Ties. Make your own magic wand! Geez.

mrs_p, well, my husband isn't a pirate so unfortunately my family closet is sans pirate hat which my son is really in to -- but I do like your idea for making your own wand. Care to share any tips?

THese costumes leave nothing to the imagination and require no creativity. I'm with mrs p on this one.

sorry, alex, every once in awhile i just get a little floored by the idea of paying for something that is a classic "free" toy. :^) next we'll be buying prepackaged saucepans and wooden spoons for babies to bang on the kitchen floor.

we had a harry potter themed birthday party for my older son and made wands from dowel rods (cut to about 12" length) that the kids decorated with paint, sharpies, stickers, etc. (at a final cost of about 30 cents per wand!)

for younger children, i recommend the nicely old-fashioned paper-towel tube with a cardboard star affixed to one end. decorated, of course. cardboard is great for cutting out pirate swords, too -- and a cutlass looks great covered with tinfoil. (adjust for age of child, of course)

kids love to make their own costumes if they are given the opportunity. our favorite materials are brown paper bags and tyvek envelopes (the type fed ex uses), which can be taped or even sewn. also, just small, medium, and large squares of fabric can be used in endless variation as skirts, dresses, scarves, capes, tents, etc.

thank you, mamachilanga -- i am a huge apartment therapy fan, but lately i've been a bit bothered by the seemingly frequent first impulse to buy something expensive, when maybe a little ingenuity could prevent some wear and tear on the pocketbook. (not to mention how much more fun -- and heck, more green -- it is to search out dress-up clothes around the house.)

(and, alex -- full disclosure now -- we do have a purchased pirate hat! but my son made a much better one that even included attached yarn hair for a blackbeard costume. :^)

Mrs_P, thanks for your frankness and I understand where you are coming from. While we love to feature many designer items (one can dream, right? ;) our site does feature many items that are inexpensive and beautiful and made for every budget -- some even homemade:

* Homemade Personalized Birthday Banner
* Homemade Napkins
* Koja Tent
* DIY Animal Invitations

And next month I am posting a "How To" for making your own Montessori-inspired art smock for children, out of old kitchen towels; practical, useful, inexpensive AND cute to boot. I hope you enjoy it and find it useful. :D

that sounds wonderful! my only recommendation would be that apt therapy occasionally *combine* the high-end with the low-end in a single post, effectively reaching readers at every price point. i don't mind seeing the expensive version -- it can be very inspiring -- but leaving out the less expensive alternative sometimes makes it seem like apt therapy isn't aware there are much cheaper options.

and i apologize, i'm a bit slow on the uptake and did not realize you had made the initial post. please forgive my "frankness" which, upon reflection, seems more like rudeness.

No worries!

We have in the past featured High/Low posts so it might be something worth revisiting more often. Thanks!

I usually get ideas from babycostumesusa.com. Although, I normally cheat and buy one myself. Hee hee ...

I usually get ideas from http://babycostumesusa.com. Although, I normally cheat and buy one myself. Hee hee ...