9/25/06 How to decide on a Halloween costume

I think I've got it! Thanks to Superman, the movie, I've been on the hunt for a new costume for Halloween ("I would've gotten away with it if it weren't for you meddling movie producers!") After lots of website searching (what NOT to wear) and soul-searching (What fun item do I want to build an outfit around?), I've finally come up with something.

Coming up with an authentic Halloween costume is a creative process, much like a painting, or a sculpture, or a new excuse to get out of a speeding ticket. The idea is inside you, and you just have to pull it out. First, start with a building block (a Lego will do). Okay, okay, the Lego thing was a joke. This is the building block: decide what fun new thing you want to try. List them out if you need to. Last year, I wanted to experiment with fake eyelashes, and it just kind of grew from there. This year's list was "Something with: a hat, or feathers, or a mask, or wings, or face paint". Next, throw your Lego at the list, and see which one it lands on. Ignore that. Pick the one that you secretly wanted it to land on, and go with that. This year was feathers. Now, at this point, everybody thinks that means that you have to be some kind of bird. Nonononononono. Lots of things have feathers...like a boa, which is definitely fun.

So now we've got the boa. Then just build on what you have around the house. Some boots you have, that top you've been looking to wear, some scrap material. Check family member's houses also. All of last year's plastic fruit for my Carmen Miranda hat came from Mom's kitchen centerpiece. Add a Tupperware bowl, some purple scrap material, some fishing line to hold the whole thing together, and viola! Instant fruit hat. Same deal here. Mom's boa, my top, some material, fish net hose (oh yes!) and some material for a quick skirt, and your costume is practically complete.

Have you guessed yet?