My son got a kick out of having Darth Maul pick his nose during the Halloween parade at school.
He has been Darth Vader, a Clone Trooper, and Bobba Fett. The Super Deluxe Darth Maul costume we got online this year was by far the best. Next year, the mask comes off, we strap on some swords and . . . voila! ninja!
We highly recommend this costume. Well-made, easy-to-wear. You actually see out of little holes in the eyebrows, so the eyes look really creepy. Little kids got scared.
Of course, ya gotta buy the gloves extra as well as the double-sided lightsaber. Darth Maul’s double-sided lightsaber makes the costume complete.
Look for the words “Super Deluxe Darth Maul” when you order if you want the costume pictures above. The plain old “deluxe” is not quite the same. He is 9 and fit the size large with room to grow.
The best thing about the costume is that it can be used to make other looks in the future.
A few years ago our local newspaper sponsored a scarecrow contest each Halloween in our city. In 2005 my sister and I decided to enter and we won Grand Prize. Here’s how we did it.
Start with a theme: In looking at old dress-up clothes my kids had, I saw I had a beautiful flower girl dress my daughter had worn when she was 3 and a little tux my son had worn when he was 1.
It is easiest to start with one or two great fashion items you already have. If you do not have any old clothes you like, then search through a couple thrift stores: you will see lots of ideas: old bikinis; prom dresses, suits, nightgowns, soccer uniforms, scout uniforms. You should look for items you can build a whole scene around.
Make your scarecrows: Take an old pillow and tape it to a hanger with duct tape. Then add a sturdy stick or pole. You can stick the pole in an old umbrella stand, a big pot filled with sand or attach to a saw horse. Hang the outfit over the hanger and then add straw, corn stalk or raffia to make the legs and arms. Heads can be scary Halloween masks or skulls you attach to the top of the hanger.
Add detail: Look for hats, gloves, scarves, purses, suspenders, jewelery and other accessories that complete the outfit. The details are what gives the scarecrow the WOW factor. Our flower girl has real leather gloves, a hat trimmed in black lace, and a flower basket adorned with a bat. Our ring bearer has suspenders, a cummerbund and a custom-made pillow.
Add Scary: Pick up some creepy bugs and spiders at the dollar store. Use a glue gun or a needle and thread to attach them to the clothes and accessories. My flower girl, for example, has bugs spiders and little rats crawling all over her dress and hat. The boy has lots of spiders.
Build the Scene: These scarecrows are cool, but they might not win a prize on their own. You need few props to set the scene. I used a garden trellis decorated with black and purple netting, purple spider webs, and black flowers to give the feel of a wedding alter.
I threw some black material over a small table so we could add a cake and champagne glasses. The cake is a hat box beautifully painted by my sister. I got a cheap cake topper and added the heart of Frankenstein and his bride. I used a glue gun to add bats to some plastic wine glasses.
The back of the scarecrow scene.
Let me know if you like my scarecrows. We won a couple other years as well with other designs. I’ll try to post those soon. Happy Halloween!