0 Ghost, Goblins and... Hannah Montana?

It is approaching Halloween again and as mothers (and fathers) we have the duty of getting the best Halloween costume possible. I have gone about costumes in two ways - either make it or buy it! If I find a good deal (like the dragon costume I bought my son last year from Old Navy for $12) I will buy it... But if my daughter wants to be Hannah Montana and the cheapest costume I can find is $40 (For ONE NIGHT!), I will make it!

Yes, last year my daughter went as Hannah Montana. This was a relatively easy costume to come up with. I bought the Hannah Montana wig at Walmart for $8 and a pair of leg warmers for $8 (I decided that these would be worn with every day clothing so was OK with the expense). The rest of the costume was put together using materials we had around the house. Hannah Montana is big into layering, so we paired a long tank with a rocker t-shirt and a velvet jacket that my daughter had in her wardrobe. I recycled a pair of her old jeans (ones with holes in the knees) and turned them into a skirt which is very simple to do (I didn't take pictures of the process but below is a brief tutorial):

You will need:

• Old Jeans
• Colorful Fabric scraps (optional)
• Sewing Machine
• Scissors

1. Have your child put on the jeans and mark where you want to cut them (if you want a finished edge, make sure you add an inch for the seam allowance).
2. Cut the legs off at the mark.
3. Next you are going to cut out the inside seam. There is too much fabric here anyway so I would take the time and effort ripping the seam.
4. This now leaves you with a gaping, upside down v in the front and back of your skirt.
5. Use some fabric (or the leftover leg panels) to fill in the V at the center of the skirt, front and back. Pin in place.
6. Stitch the panels into place and trim away extra material. (TIP: for a little extra flair, use contrasting or vibrant thread so the stitches show).
7. Voila, you know have a rocking mini!
8. Add with embellishments if so desired.

We added some leggings with her leg warmers and she carried around a Guitar Hero guitar on her back. Here is the end result:

The pink haired girl is my youngest sister who went as Lola, Hannah's best friend.

Next post: Easy-peasy cheerleader costume with small pom-poms for your shoes!

I have already purchased my sons costume for this Halloween - he is going to be an adorable little monkey.  He makes the most high-pitched monkey squeal possible!  He absolutely loves it and I am excited to share photos, so check back at Halloween to see my monkey man!  I purchased the costume at Old Navy for $17!  It is fleece and warm which is a must for our Vermont Halloween's... most times we see flurries!  I purchased my youngest daughters costume this past weekend as well.  She is also going as a monkey (we are always saying that they will monkeying around together when Livie is older, so thought that this would be fitting).  I got her costume from TJ Maxx for $9.  I was teasing Cass that she should go as a monkey with a barrel around her and they can go as a barrel full of monkeys! :)

Happy Costume Making!