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Halloween is just around the corner, and the stores have some really great costumes. It would be so easy to grab one from the rack and be done, but this year I wanted something different.
Last year, there were so many kids dressed up as movie characters that our neighborhood resembled the backlot of Universal Studios. I also wanted to save some money. Plus, I have to admit that I was secretly hoping to impress the neighborhood with my fantastic craft skills and creativity.
I have made costumes before, but they were pretty simple. When my little boy was a toddler, I dressed him up as a puppy by creatively constructing the costume out of a sweat suit, felt and face paint. My son is now too sophisticated for animal costumes, but he did get excited about the prospect of dressing up as a car. We came up with the idea together. He loves anything to do with transportation, and I was just happy to talk him out of being a helicopter, complete with rotating blades.
The actual costume wasn’t all that hard to make. After a leisurely stroll down the aisles of my local craft store, I came up with an action plan. I purchased some red spray paint, red ribbon, duct tape in different colors and silver foam sheets. I also picked up a pack of black paper plates from the party supply store. We already had a large cardboard box, but you can always ask your grocery store if they have empty ones. You can also purchase a new box from a moving supply store, and your local Toyota parts retailer can probably help you out with boxes too.
First, I cut the flaps from the sides of the box, and then I cut out a large hole in the bottom. Then, I took the box outside, placed it on newspaper and sprayed it thoroughly with the red paint.
While I waited for the box to dry, I went to work on the details. I cut out four circles from the foam sheets and glued each of them onto a black plate to make the wheels. I cut out a smaller foam circle and glued it to another plate for the steering wheel. When the box was dry, I glued all four wheels and the steering wheel to the car’s body using a glue gun. I covered one of the box flaps with silver duct tape and fastened it to the top with hot glue to make the windshield. I used more duct tape to make silver fenders, and I cut pieces of yellow tape to make the lights. Finally, I glued two pieces of the red ribbon to the circle for shoulder straps.
I love the way the car turned out and so does the little man. Now, I just have to keep it in one piece until Halloween.
Author Betty Freemans is a dedicated Mom who has purchased replacement Toyota parts from Parts.OlatheToyota.com.
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