cowboy, originally uploaded by okinawa hai.

CONTRIBUTED BY MEREDITH NOVARIO

I’m shameless and also pretty much craft-less.

So when it comes to Halloween costumes I throw myself at the knees of my crafty mother-in-law. Or I hit up my cousin for costumes that live in bins with labels that match the contents of the bin. Last year thanks to everyone but me, the boys were a cow and a cowboy.

This year they will be a tortoise and a hare. Not my idea or my execution. 100% Gramma. I’d be in a jam if my family weren’t so clever.

Todd is kind of in a jam.

We have been on Okinawa for one Halloween and will be here for two more. One thing I notice is a lack of costumes for the kids. If you go to Kadena and Foster Exchanges you will find maybe four or five different costumes for kids. Most of these costumes are not acceptable for younger kids if you don’t want your children dressed horror show wannabes. Anyway, I am looking for something like a Star Wars Jedi Robe or other non-horror based costume. With a Jedi knight costume I really only need a brown robe with a white tunic. However, I would need someone to sew this up and don’t know where to go for something like that. Please comment about where good places to get costumes for children are or where to get things sewn up for a reasonable amount.

16 COMMENTS

  1. Okay I am a kinda crafty person. So I make my son’s costume every year.(mine and my husbands as well.) You dont need to sew to make a costume. You just need imagination. For my son’s pirate costume last year, I found these red and white striped shorts at jussco, matched it with a white button up shirt and a black vest that was a size or too to big. Everyone thought I bought it as a costume.
    For other costumes you cant find every day clothes to use for you can:
    Use fabric glue or a hot glue gun to keep fabric together.
    Use anything from carboad covered in cloth to coathangers to an old table cloth I mean anything
    Go to mechman and buying some of that tubing that hooks up your dryer for an alien costume or a robot.
    Take apart an unbrella and using the joined top part of it to make bat wings. (you can even make them move with a cord tied to each end but be sure not to glue the cord in place or it wont work.)

    And yes sometimes the first try doesnt work out all that well. But you can always try again.

  2. I know this is an older post but with Halloween just around the corner, it may be helpful. depending on your childs age I would check out the thrift stores. I got my daughters at okinawayardsales.com from a woman pcs’ng and plan on saving it for friends coming in next year. Sharing or trading costumes helps, our family has been keeping a box (which i am sad we left in storage ) filled with costumes and the neighbors come by and borrow costumes all the time for all kinds of functions. My mom started it way back when I was a kid so there was plenty to imagine up. Some things went to thrift eventually or were re sewn into something else LOL…Got the creative juices working for sure! I have been everything from Pinnochio to a basket of laundry since I was a kid. I may not have any costumes with me but I have a few ideas if any one needs them. I am new here so I guess this is my way of trying to find some friends LOL! Good Luck !

  3. You can make a Jedi robe out of some old sheets and rope. I can’t sew either so every year my kids are dressed up in something I have made from old sheets (cheap and easy to find at the thrift shop) and stitch withchery (the iron on hemming tape found in Kadena sewing section).
    Or think of something that can be made easy with a prop. One year my son was a surfer he wore his board shorts, sunglasses and flip flops. I put his glasses on and bronzed all around on his face giving him the classic “sunglasses tan-line”, then bronzed his body. Finally I cut a surfboard out of cardboard. I used a large box I found behind the furniture store and painted it.
    The internet can be a very valuable resource for DIY easy costumes. I really think that making the costumes makes it so much more memorable for the kids that it is worth the time and effort–no matter how NOT cool it is. You would be surprised what your kids can up with on their own. This year my daughter will be mother nature and my son will be a mummy. Both made from old sheets of course!

  4. You can make a Jedi robe out of some old sheets and rope. I can’t sew either so every year my kids are dressed up in something I have made from old sheets (cheap and easy to find at the thrift shop) and stitch withchery (the iron on hemming tape found in Kadena sewing section).
    Or think of something that can be made easy with a prop. One year my son was a surfer he wore his board shorts, sunglasses and flip flops. I put his glasses on and bronzed all around on his face giving him the classic “sunglasses tan-line”, then bronzed his body. Finally I cut a surfboard out of cardboard. I used a large box I found behind the furniture store and painted it.
    The internet can be a very valuable resource for DIY easy costumes. I really think that making the costumes makes it so much more memorable for the kids that it is worth the time and effort–no matter how NOT cool it is. You would be surprised what your kids can up with on their own. This year my daughter will be mother nature and my son will be a mummy. Both made from old sheets of course!

  9. ETWS has a great selection! I would say it favors adults, but they also have a ton of masks, wigs, make up, decorations, gag items…all the things the BX/PX lack. Toys R Us has a better kids costume selection, but less “add-ons.”

  13. I ordered my children’s costumes from the Disney store a few months ago. It took a week to get here. I was in Toys ‘R Us (the one in Awase) today and when you first walk in they had a whole costume section for kids. I am not sure what they have though but it looked like an okay selection.

  14. http://www.celebrateexpress.com
    they have a good selection of costumes, but they arent consistant if it comes first class or priority. We ship it to our shipitapo address and it comes from there(usually takes 2 weeks that way).
    They also have a HUGE selection of birthday party goods and we have ordered through them for 5(almost 6) years and have always been satisfied with our service!

  15. Yeah, ordering online ahead of time is a big call. I do know that ETSW (on Hamby Street near Araha) has a bunch of costumes in their “Spencer-gifts-esque” section downstairs. Locals celebrate Halloween here too (what kid doesn’t understand CANDY!?) so I’m sure there are more places in town you could find costumes – maybe Jusco or Sanae?

  16. So I’m an even bigger loser cuz I just order mine online. I agree there is a VERY slim selection at the BX/PX. I ordered last week from anniescostumes.com — my 12 year old stepdaughter will be here for Halloween so she’s going to be Princess Leia to my 2 year old’s Yoda & newborn’s R2D2. We’ll be cheesy and uncreative — but cute as heck I think!!