Sunday, December 9, 2012

NYC SantaCon 2012 is Saturday Dec. 15th. Get your Jollies on!

The temperature is dropping, the reindeer are restless and the elves need a f*cking break from that damn workshop!

Get your red and white on and follow Santa on the craziest, merriest day of the year...
Saturday December 15, 2012!

For text updates where the Santas will be around town go to the NYC SantaCon website. There you will find helpful information if you are a first timer or just forgot how this wacky thing works.

Some helpful hints from KostumeGirl.

Dress to Impress. If you think a Santa hat "will do" you are lame. Put more than 10 minutes of effort into your costume. Pirate Santa, Toddlers & Tiaras Santa, Evil Elf, Cowboy Santa, get weird with it. Do a group costume! I have a post with ideas for you cause I got your back.

Watch the Kids. Kids are going to be way interested in thousands of Santas parading down the street. Stop for pictures, be nice, the bars will still be there in a few minutes, don't ruin their image of Santa cause you had 12 Irish Coffees for breakfast!

Pace yourself. I cannot stress this one enough. Every year I see Santas passed out on the damn sidewalk by 4pm. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! Not to say I have never been tragically over-served, but you don't want your friends telling you that you missed the massive Rudolph sing-a-long cause you fell asleep on the 2 train. Eat food, have a water break, go for a walk, trust me the Santas will be there when you get back.
Drunk Santa Passed out

Things to Bring: At least 2 non-perishable food items for Santa's food drive, a Metrocard, CASH (Tip bartenders and waitstaff for putting up with us), Gifts, Games, Props, Comfortable footwear, your jolly Christmas spirit (nobody should be getting into fights at SantaCon)

Well that's about it for now. Back to working on my 2012 SantaCon costume. This year look for me in winter white fur and diamonds. SantaCon's twitter can get overloaded and slow so follow me on twitter @kostumegirl as a backup plan. I'll be tweeting Santa's whereabouts all day or until I get too drunk to use Twitter.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Alt. Oscars 2012 photos from Time Out NY


While checking out some party listings on Time Out New York, I stumbled across some photos of me from the Alt. Oscars 2012. Such a fun event when you can really get to know some Kostume Kulters or as we are called on that fancy evening of stars, Costume Cultural Society!
Check out the pictures and start thinking about what you will dress as for Alt. Oscars 2013!

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

KOSTUME KULT presents Fairytale Apocalypse NYC Halloween 2012 Parade Afterparty


    *KOSTUME KULT **presents*
    *~ Fairytale Apocalypse ~*
    An NYC Halloween Parade Afterparty

    The End is Nigh for all Fantasyland Creatures. The cushy, cutsie life is
    done and all the cuddly characters of childhood lore are thrust out into
    the cruel, cruel world. Think Mad Max in Never-Neverland, Big Bird with
    prison tattoos, Cinderella as a brain-thirsty zombie and YOU adding your
    style and dementia...

    *HALLOWEEN NIGHT*
    *Wednesday, October 31st*
    *9pm-4am+*

    UNION SQUARE BALLROOM
    27 Union Square West
    Between 15th & 16th Streets
    *Under 'Coffee Shop', a short walk from the end of the parade*
    21+

    *TICKETS*
    *$20/ $25 limited presale *BUY NOW*
    $30 Door in Costume (if available)
    $50 No costume (and shame on you!)
    DRINK SPECIALS ALL NIGHT
    *** Get there early - this will sell out ***

    RSVP 
    THEME
    Kostume Kult encourages all forms of creativity while bringing wonderful
    people together. At this party, all types of costumery are welcome,
    fairyland or not, with artistic license extending to any fantastical
    concept. Absurd or sexy, foolish or fabulous, overdressed or bodypainted---
    HAPPY ENDINGS FOR ALL IN COSTUME!

    DJs spinning Electro House and Funky Breaks including:
    - Rusty Neadle (Kostume Kult, Journeys by DJ)
    - Orange Krush (Kostume Kult, Disorient)
    - Barney Iller (Vitamin B, Mischief)
    - Tektite (Vitamin B)
    - Cindy Kim (Beat Pulse Invasion)
    - HAVOK (Osiris, Snap Music)
    - Dollpartz (Entwined)
    - HOHME (NYC)

    ART
    - Fairyland Destruction Video Art by VJ Krunch and Metal Tiger
    - Twisted Cartoon Characters
    - Interactive Art Installations
    - More TBA


    MORE INFO

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Cool Kids Halloween Costumes

Some kids are just straight up cooler than I am. Its a fact I've come to grips with. So now I feature a few kids who with their awesome parents help, rocked Halloween!


Why no Tootsie-Pops?
Holy cow, this kid has swagger. The outfit is complete with his bad ass attitude. Baby Joker doesn't have time for you if you are not bringing the good candy.



Born Burton Fans
The kid on the left was clearly born 20 years too late for Edward Scissorhands, but that isn't stopping him from being the coolest kid I have ever seen. Someones parents are Tim Burton fans.




WALLLL-EEEEE!
Wall-e traveled across the universe for love and this kids parents went to the ends of their creative world for this costumes. A-MAZ-ING! Read about the process of making this authentic costume here.

8th Annual NYC ZombieCon Saturday October 20, 2012

8TH ANNUAL NYC ZOMBIE RAMPAGE
SATURDAY OCTOBER 20, 2012
APOCALYPTO ULTIMO THE LAST APOCALYPSE


The clock ticks and the ancient gods stir.
The Mayan calendar winds down and the end is near...

~ Or so they keep saying !!!~

In honor or all the Mayan apocalypse lore soon coming to an end, ZOMBIECON NYC takes a break from social commentary with a good old fashioned, bloodthirsty, bar crawl with much tequila, Mexican fare and swarthy Mayan warrior braiiiiiiiiins... Pay homage to the end of another era of apocalypse hype in any undead, blood-, brain- and booze-thirsty form.

Human Sacrifices, Feathered Serpents, Luchadores and Taco Trucks are encouraged.

Zombie Con begins at noon and crawls all over Manhattan scaring the living day lights out of humans who will soon become the evil hordes next meal.

Zombie Bawl continues shambling into the night after the pub walk, 7pm-Midnight


BAR 13
35 East 13th Street
@ University Place
Union Square area, NYC
(2 floors + roofdeck)


TICKETS
Presale: $10 (fee waived)
BUY NOW

Door: $15 Bloody (or any costume)
Door: $20 Boring
Cheap Drinks all night.




DJs
- Undead DJs
- Cindy Kim
- Boris Burning Elf

FEATURING
Mexican Wrestling
Zombie Go-Go
Brain Feasting
Body Shots

WIN!
Zombie Competitions for tickets to Nightmare Haunted House and a most creepy Frankenstein Fleshlight! 

STOCK UP Zombiecon NYC partner-
ABRACADABRA NYC is offering 15% off all purchases and 25% off all rentals with mention of ZOMBIECON!
19 West 21st St to stock up on zombie and Halloween supplies. 

If you need help on how to use the makeup you bought at Abracadabra check out my Zombie Make up Tutorial!

FOLLOW  @zombieconnyc & myself @KostumeGirl on Twitter and don't miss a thing on October 20!

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

DIY Baby Halloween Costume tutorial: Captain Cupcake!

Kostume Girl's Closet is extremely pleased and excited to announce Erica Campanella as a featured guest blogger this Halloween! She is here with a tutorial on how to make your own Captain Cupcake Halloween costume for your little cupcake. ENJOY!


When my niece was born, I saw this wonderful little addition to our family…but mostly I saw a bundle of cuteness that I could dress up in anything I wanted. Poor kid. She was a guinea pig from the word go.

Have you heard that parents are often overwhelmed? Funny, I've heard that statistic too. Weird.

So when I " innocently" called my sister to inquire to see what Lily, my niece, was going to be for her first Halloween. I quickly tacked in "because I have an idea! And I'll make it!". Sold.

And so started the creation of Captain Cupcake, infant super hero! 

This costume is ridiculously easy with very little cost. It can go from an infant to heck, an adult, if you can find some onesie pjs big enough. God bless that person.

Here's what you need-
Items you will need.
1) 3 different colors of felt
2) 1 relatively plain onesie
3) 2 buttons of your choice ( I went with stars)
4) 1 yard of inch thick elastic, again your choice in color
5) A REALLY snazzy piece of spandex. I went with bright freaking yellow. I bought a half yard. You want something that goes down to the child's ankles. So this varies depending on how old the child is.

you also need-
- a piece of fusible interfacing. It can be found at any fabric store or online

-an iron to adhere the interfacing

-a needle and thread ( don't freak out. you're hardly going to use it)

-a pair of scissors that will cut through fabric nicely

-a glue that works on fabric like this one
If you are not going to use the outfit more then once and it won't need washing then regular tacky glue will work 


Crest-
I've provided a pattern to cut out Captain Cupcakes crest in the felt. I've also thrown in an extra lightening bolt one too. You may need to side it up or down depending on the size of the child.




Cut out each shape in the felt color of your choice. 
Cut a shape for the outer crest and inner crest in the interfacing. 

Follow the instructions for whatever your interfacing is and attach the two crests together( shape 1 to shape 2 ) using the heat from an iron. You can do this with glue too but I prefer interfacing so the crest does not get too stiff.



Assemble the cupcake using fabric glue, glueing one layer on top of another

Position cupcake in center of crest and glue down. Let all this dry fully.

Glue crest
When crest is dry, take interfacing cut from shape 1. Position it in center of onesie. Place interfacing directly below crest shape and using interfacing directions attach to onesie. Let crest cool.

Cool your crest

Cape-
This is super easy. No pattern needed. Make sure fabric width and length fits the size of the onesie. Remember, we want this cape ankle length. Fold fabric in half.

Cut out cape


Using the scissors cut out half the shape of the cape ( think about when you used to cut out paper snow flakes). Unflold. Voila! Cape.
A Cape!


Using pins to hold position, place upper corners of the cape on shoulder of onesie.

Pin carefully.


Put a couple of tight stitched through cape and onesie to hold into place.

Stitch to secure.


When cape is attached to onesie, sew on decorative stars to hide stitches and give it some super her panache!

Awww.

Optional but but fun step! Cut elastic band to create head band and utility belt. I even added on a couple of more felt symbols.



I give you…   CAPTAIN CUPCAKE!!!!!!!!!







Erica Campanella is an illustrator who was been working in the fashion industry for 10 years. Her work has been seen in Target, Bluefly.com, Marie Claire, Rebecca Taylor and many more. You can see more of her work at her website, follow her pinterest page here  & on twitter at CampanellaErica.
Oh, and her next costume victim is the family Corgi, Ted.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Halloween 2012 Costume Ideas - Couples Costumes

Get those creative juices flowing cause its time again to get working on your Halloween costumes! The air is getting cooler and its time put up those annoying fake spider webs that never look just right.

Here are some NEW Costume Ideas for Halloween 2012



Anchorman costumes have been done before, some VERY well, but what about dressing up at Ron Burgundy during his downward spiral ending in him drinking milk on a day that is way too hot for dairy beverages?! Dirty up a white collared shirt and grow a beard! You would need a carton of milk to carry around so people wouldn't think you were just a generic homeless person. Then all you need to do is yell "BAAAAXTER!" and "Milk was a bad choice!" all night.

The Guy Who Fell Asleep At The Party:

This costume could not be easier. Put on a typical party night outfit then have a buddy draw d*cks and what not on your face and arms. I don't recommend using a real Sharpie since Halloween 2012 is on a Wednesday and you might have to go to work the next day so maybe try different colors of pencil eye liner.


PSY - GANGNAM STYLE (강남스타일) 




Go ahead, watch the video again, I won't judge you. This blessing from Korea makes Americans unexplainably happy as was spoofed on SNL a few weeks ago. There are lots of characters to choose from in this completely random group dance video. You could be neon suit wearing Dorothy Hamill haircut guy, one of the white dress girls, elevator cowboy hat guy or a freakin horse! LONG LIVE K-POP!



All the Avengers: at the same time:

If you can figure out how to paint yourself green (Hulk), wear tight pants (Black Widow), an iron man helmet (Ironman), carry a hammer (Thor), bow & arrow (Hawkeye) & shield (Cap. America) then you have assembled the Avengers all by yourself! If you are looking for something a little easier just buy an eyepatch and be Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter:
This stove pipe topped dead pres hasn't enjoyed a big year like this since 1863. If you are a tall lanky individual just get yourself a blood spattered black suit, fake beard, crazy tall hat and a FAKE axe and you are good to go! 


Couples Costume Ideas for Halloween 2012


Are you a hipster couple? Then you should be characters from a Wes Anderson movie. 

The young lovers from Moonrise Kingdom are quirky and adorable. For the guy, see if you can find a boy scout looking outfit or something similar at your Army/Navy store. The coonskin hat and yellow handkerchief are a must. For the girl the white knee highs and red beret are going to be easy to find. You will probably be able to find a similar pink dress and maybe add the white collar. She also wears a pretty incredible pink coat that may not be as easy to track down. 




If weird family love is more your thing than what about Margot and Richie Tenenbaum? Royal Tenenbaums is one of my favorite movies of all time. Margot must have a cigarette in her hands at all times and don't forget to wrap your finger that was cut off in a wood chopping accident! The side swept bangs held with a bobbie pin is pretty important too. Richie Tenenbaum is such a fun character to dress as for a guy. Try and find a wooden tennis racquet to carry around. It will definitely help people to recognize who you are. 

Watch THIS video on YouTube for more Wes Anderson inspiration. I love his movies.


Gotye and His Ex-Girlfriend




This song and video was absolutely everywhere in 2012. From video spoofs to the fact that you were secretly never sick of it. This is an easy costume as it pretty much just requires 2 wigs and body paint. Hopefully you live in a warmer climate and so you can do Halloween with less clothing. Bonus points if you bring a painted foam core wall along with you and blend in with it. 


Jersey Shore Zombies



Its a fact that we will all eventually succumb to a zombie apocalypse. That is why zombie costumes are so popular. Why not add another costume to your zombie costume? I suggest adding something almost as terrifying as the inevitable zombie apocolypse... The Jersey Shore!




Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Burning Man 2012: How was your trip?


A frequent conversation I've been having lately-

Person I know:
Hey how was your trip? 

Me:
*Pause*
*Huge deep breath*...Well I...
White Trash Minnie Mouse and her megaphone
introduced myself to Kostume Kult for the 10th time - saw people smile at me like it was the 1st time, felt a REAL hug, reaffirmed what I already knew - people will do whatever you tell them to if you are speaking into a mic or megaphone, rode on a tiki bar with 12 people during a daylight whiteout while Riders on the Storm played on the stereo, climbed a sinking pirate ship, biked in the bumpy ghetto of 2 to 3 o'clock, zipped down a very unsafe zip line, was lectured by Safety Taco, had a personal dream come true by getting a tour of the Never Was Haul with Tempe, complained about being a sober Runway MC - 10 people ran to me with booze, took a baby wipe shower - felt pretty good about it, took at real shower - felt like a new person, peed in a hot sauna of a porta potty at noon, heard Jungle in the morning OOohhing,  AAhhing and complimenting mostly women on the runway, ate next to nothing all day then ate gourmet food every night that saved my life, asked a dead sexy man via megaphone to rub his scruff on me, said some more inappropriate things while MCing, carefully climbed to the top of Mal-Mart to marvel at the view of Black Rock City, dove down 20,000 leagues deep under the playa with sexy pirates aboard the Nautilus X,  danced with hot pirate maiden Laura, resurfaced at a movie theater, resurfaced at concert of fire jets, lost my freaking mind, jumped ship, swam with Tom back to camp, collapsed in my tent, ate pancakes with Poddy All The Time, talked to so many strangers which I normally hate doing, hugged everyone again, had a moment at the Temple of Juno, cried over other peoples dead pets, made promises to myself that I probably won't keep, helped Cha Cha build the balloon chain, didn't turn on my cell phone, faithfully followed our fearless leader DK, became one with the dust, was a Zombie/White Trash Minnie Mouse/Bad Bunny/Pirate Captain/Santa/Pink Kitten, dressed a man in a prairie dress which he loved, changed peoples perspective on costumes, felt proud when I told people I was a member of Kostume Kult, made people "get sexy with it" on the runway, couldn't quite get anywhere on time, indulged in the simple act of cuddling, saw rain and lightning for the first time on playa, danced at a safari with hot Australian giraffe and buffalo, showed off my assets, watched a Dragon Theater Shadow Show, waved to art car riders, pedaled a bike bar, got dirty with a dusty boy,
Riders on the Storm
hopped in the Billion Bunny March, marveled at how that silver spaceship stays upright, did a pickle back *or 23*, rode my bike drunk with a drink in my other hand, practiced safety third, fell off a piece of art, fell deeply in love with everyone in KK, was very entertained by Johnny Letrik, had a white wedding with Noodle, laughed with Dusty Lashes, marveled at Charlie Won's energy, was rubbed down with SPF by Babba the Love Sponge, had a tent party at Cowboy Roys, watched the Bull burn with Constantino, was envious of Maddie's free spirit, shared my secret crush(s) with Maria, heard a lot of tent sex, nearly came face to d*ck with a shirt c*cker, saw the sun come up MULTIPLE times, watched a lot of sh*t burn, was in awe of how attractive everyone in our camp is, enjoyed the sound of my own voice on a megaphone, acquired a lot of new costumes, watched our frontage come down, demooped for hours, wished I could stay just a few more days, watched the playa disappear in out the back window.


Passenger aboard Nautilus X.
Most frequent responses:
*Blank Stare*
Wait, were you just telling me about a dream you had?
You went to Birmingham?!
I just couldn't deal with no shower for a week.


Bad Bunny's Good Side

Its hard to put into words for others an experience that forever alters your life, even the second time around. Each burn is different but so far both of mine have started the same. The first night I have anxiety that a week is too long to spend in this desolate wasteland. "What have I done?!", I think. The next few days are filled with people and things that do not exist out side of this dried lake bed we inhabit for such a short time. The hours and days fly by. My body acclimates to the new environment and I stop noticing there is dust all over my fork when I put it into my food. The energy builds steadily throughout the week and when the man finally does burn that 1 mile circle is the center of the universe. You can't imagine there is anything else going on in the world. Its a beautiful week long escape. Everyone asks me if I will do it again next year, my inner burner smirks, she will be back. 

Below is the video I took this year. Unfortunately a dying battery prevented me from taking more. 

Friday, September 14, 2012

Find a Haunt - Haunted House Locator

Haunted house fans looking for the best scares around should use the services of Find A Haunt.
Find haunted events in your address or zip code on the main page and the site automatically propagates a map showing every Halloween event within 75 miles. The attractions are listed by distance away from the searcher. This useful tool can help you organize Haunt Hopping with your Halloween loving friends! Check it out by clicking the banner below. 

HAPPY HAUNTING!

Find A Haunt.com - The new way to search for Haunted Houses

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Burning Man NYC Re-Entry 2012 presented by Kostume Kult & PEX

THE VENUE FOR THIS PARTY HAS CHANGED!
IT WILL NOT BE AT DISTRICT 36.
IT WILL BE AT LIBERTY THEATER
234 West 42nd Street, NYC

A Trans-Dimensional Portal from BRC to NYC and all night dance party with one of the best sound systems in NYC

Saturday, September 22nd
9pm-4am

LIBERTY THEATER (Est. 1904)
233 West 41st Street, 
betw 7th & 8th aves,
Midtown NYC

STYLE/INSPIRATION
Time Bandits meets Priscilla Queens of the Desert with a dash of Flash Gordon. Interdimensional travelers with outrageous style with all forms of transformative, transparent or transgender fashions encouraged. Barbarella, SteamPunk, GlamPunk, PlayaPunk, Art Deco, retro-future, robot-chic, aluminum lingerie, rocketwomen & little green men, cross-gender, cross-species & cross-planetary fashions! Share tall tales of adventures had, lessons learned and booty plundered. Emerge from the 'Burn Gate' and sashay down the runway. 


TIME/DIMENSIONAL TRAVEL FASHION SHOW AT MIDNIGHT!  All can participate!

TICKETS on sale now
1st tier - $20 + fee (limited)
2nd tier - $25 fee waived
Door - $30 Kostumed, $40 Mundane
Drink specials all night





ARTISTS, INSTALLATIONS & PERFORMERS
Time Travelers Fashion Show (midnight) with MC Christopher
Be transported through Matthieu Boardman's BURN GATE 
High Voltage Time Machine by Kimmy Dudek
ArtDeco Planet Metropolis
Body Art by Transformational Bodypainting & Kirkworx
Photon PhotoBooth by Jeffrey Grossman
Cosmotastic Projections by VJ Static
Playa Video Postcards by Tom Egan
Costume Accessories and Jewelry by Electric Candy Couture 
And YOU participating as you will!
*More TBA soon

DJs in two rooms!
Lee Mayjahs? (PEX, Playloop)
DJ Everyday (PEX, Playloop)
Boris "Burning Elf" (Kostume Kult, Toad, NYC)
Big Jawn & Teh Wallace Tag-team set (PEX)
Discount (PEX)
Orange Krush (Kostume Kult, Disorient, NYC)
Been Jammin (NYC)

DRINKS
(this is an upscale place doing special deals for us)
$6 premium beer
$7 well drinks & wine
$8 call liquors
$3 water bottles

To Volunteer, Propose Art or Offer a Time/Space-Bending Performance, email producer IRENE
ikmalatesta (at) gmail (dot) com
(Mention Reentry in the subject line)

Thursday, July 19, 2012

FreaKKshow IV Saturday July 28th, 2012







Our annual circus themed, Burning Man camp fundraiser and all night dance party in an historic Broadway Theater

Saturday, July 28th
8pm-4am

Liberty Theater (Est. 1904)
234 West 41st Street betw 7th & 8th Aves
Midtown Manhattan

RSVP 

Tickets:
1st tier - $20 + fee (limited)
2nd tier - $25 fee waived
Door - $30 Freakky, $40 Normal
Drink specials and food available all night

An ode to Ray Bradbury's Dark Carnival novel, "Something Wicked This Way Comes" about a twisted, traveling carnival and its ringleader, Mr. Dark. A good vs. evil story with normal people being tempted into a wicked carnival life…  Now, Kostume Kult beckons you into an artistic life, encouraging you towards your freakiest carny best and a wonderful creative community.

STYLE:  Dark Carnival, Circus Sideshow, Sexy Showgirl, Animal-Faced Humans, Bad Klowns, Misfortune Tellers, Toothless Huxsters, Contortionists, Evil Magicians, Body Art and more...  Be a player in our multi-ringed circus, produce your own sideshow attraction or game of chance... Characters from the Bradbury novel include: Mr. Dark - a sinister showman with tattoos for each person he has tempted into the carnival, the Dust Witch - A blind soothsayer-magician and Tom the lightning rod salesman turned insane dwarf. Invent new characters for this interactive remake and STEP RIGHT THIS WAY! into our Karny life!

DJ Duos spinning fantastically freakky sets including:
- Alex Funk (Kostume kult, Garden of Heathens) with Boris Burning Elf (Kostume Kult, Toad, NYC)
- "Jewmanji" featuring DK (Kostume Kult, Toad, NYC) with EZ (Space Pirates, Disorient, Philly)
- Deep C (Adults at Play & Bangarang!, Philly) and Nate Dark (Bangarang! Philly)
MORE TBA

ARTISTS and PERFORMERS... Full list TBA soon.
To Include:
Performers and Sideshows throughout
Aerialists
Feats of Strength and Absurdity
Multiple video projections throughout this spectacular space
Body Painters
Outsider, Insider and Undersider Artists of all ilks
YOU!

To propose art, a performance or a sideshow: 

Want to Volunteer?

Monday, July 2, 2012

Baby Halloween Costume Ideas

I can't wait to have some kids mainly because before they learn to talk and thus protest, I can dress them up as whatever I want for Halloween!

When it comes to making your own baby costume, felt is probably your best bet. Cheap, easy to modify yourself and comfy to allow freedom of napping during your Trick or Treat stroll around the neighborhood to show those darn cute kids off. Check out this sweet little owl costume from Martha Stewart. Owls are EVERYWHERE in kids stuff. There are lots of good ideas on her site if you are the crafty type.

Here is a very simple tutorial for a No-Sew Infant Parrot costume. Best of all the feathers and wings are in the back so your baby will probably not even notice that they are wearing an adorable costume!

Not everyone has time to dust off the old sewing machine or glue gun though. Recently I came across a very cute site called Chasing Fireflies. Their costumes are on the pricey side, but your kid will be one in a million in their adorable tree frog costume.

Another unique option is finding kids costumes on Etsy.com. Let someone else do the heavy crafting and then reap all the compliments! Just make sure you order early to allow plenty of time for the seller to ship and always read entire listing carefully, especially if it is your first time using Etsy. The variety of handmade and unique items on Etsy is endless. A close friend of mine makes the MOST adorable crocheted mermaid tails for infants. Her shop is called Willows Garden and is filled with the cutest crocheted baby photo props and hats.

Full disclosure: I do not have kids yet and these are just suggestions that I think would work. When I have kids I will be dressing them as something so freakin cute for Halloween.