Cheap and Simple Mythical Halloween Costumes for Young Girls

Everyone knows that the economy is really on the rocks right now, leaving all of us much shorter on cash than we'd all like to be. When you go into the stores and see the prices of everything, it really can put a damper on the Halloween spirit. We want our children to have fun so that a dark cloud isn't put over their festivities. There are some very evident trends in costumes that have lasted year after year, which gives a good sense of what you can do with the amount of money you have available to spend. Different types of mythical costumes are always popular, especially among the young girls. There are many ways you can recreate those high dollar outfits that you see in retail stores without even spending half of their cost. All you need is your little girl's opinion and some creativity to make her the most fun and unique Halloween costume she has every had.

The first thing you will want to do is to get the main idea of what kind of costume your child may want. For little girls, Disney princesses, Barbie princesses, fairies, and angels are usually what they dream of dressing as when they go trick or treating. These types of styles are easily emulated without having to pay for anything branded unless you desire to do so. They are all basically the same outfit with different variations on the design. One can always have their young girl sit down at the computer and look at the types of Halloween characters they want to dress as or the costumes they want. This will save you the drama of going into the store and looking, only to have her go into a fit wanting the Ariel as The Little Mermaid dress when you don't have that kind of money to spend. Some little girls, however, can be patient and want to help in making their costumes. Once you know which outfit she wants, you can then find what you need to recreate it for her night.

The basic groundwork for any of these Halloween outfits for girls is a dress. If she wants to dress like Cinderella, for example, you can find something in a blue. Now she may already have such a dress in her closet, or you may have to go to a thrift store to find one. Usually, you will find all sorts of dresses for little girls at any thrift store, such as the Salvation Army, at a surprising savings. For princess costumes, pink is a popular color, these dresses are most likely already hanging in your daughter's closet. Maybe she has one that she won't get to wear for pictures, maybe the sleeves are too short, or the skirt may be too short or long. These are problems easily fixed, especially when it will just be used as a Halloween costume. Short sleeves can be cropped to be three-quarters or tee-shirt length, then hemmed with thread or by using fabric glue, which you can find at any major retail chain for a low price. The same can be done with a skirt that is too long, hem it after measuring with it on the child for a proper fit. When you run into the problem of a dress with a skirt that is too short, all you have to do is add some fabric. Old sheets, other clothing, or old shirts can be cut and used to lengthen the skirt and hemmed or glued on easily. You can also buy some tulle, lace, or other type of fabric at a thrift store or retail chain. Different types of tulle and lace can be purchased in various lengths and colors from Walmart for very cheap. Basically, these cheap fabrics are all the costumes are made up of anyway. I'm almost betting that your daughter has dress shoes or other flats that she can wear. If not, the thrift store or other resale boutique makes a great place to buy shoes just for this costume. Shiny, black dress shoes compliment any princess attire.

Now that you have the dress, it's time to get accessories. Depending on whether your child wants to be a princess, fairy, or angel, will be the reasoning for the types of items she will want to go with her costume. A princess often has a scepter or wand, and these can be made with pipe cleaners in whatever color she desires. If your child's outfit has a lot of colors, be creative and twist several different shades around each other to make it colorful as well. Add a cutout cardboard star or heart, with some glitter sprinkles,or streamers, and glue it all together. A crown or tiara can easily be made from the same type of pipe cleaners and glitter as well. Wings, however, can be a little trickier, but look great after you're done. You can use pipe cleaners for these, or craft wire is a sturdier choice if you wish. Bend either in the shape of the desired wings and cut with wire cutters, cover the wire with a pair of your old pantyhose on each wing, then add glue and glitter, or paint with fabric paints. Angel wings are done much the same way, except for people opt to add glue and then pile on craft feathers in whatever color is desired.

Halloween doesn't have to be expensive for your little princess, it just has to be creative! With a little imagination and input from your child, you can make this a celebration she will never forget. The internet is a great way to get new ideas and exact instructions on how to recreate all types of costumes to an exact replica. It just depends on how much work and money you want to put into it. The great thing about children's costumes, however, is that they don't take much to get to the same style as those hanging on the sales racks at the store for a lot less. Have fun and give your girls a great Halloween!