Oh, Halloween. It has never been my favorite holiday, but I usually participate if I have a clever costume. This is widely due to the fact that growing up, my crafty mother created the majority of our costumes.
Yes.
Created.
As in, she sewed, glued and pinned fabric, buttons, and tulle to create one-of-a-kind costumes for her three children. The Martha Stewart of the 80’s and 90’s.
It wasn’t because we couldn’t afford the latest Barbie or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costume from the store. It was because she was a crafting genius who thoroughly enjoyed creating one-of-a-kind garbs for us to don on Halloween. 
And I secretly think she wanted us to win the school costume contests.
That picture on the right, yeah she made all those Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costumes with my Aunt Karen. How cute are they?
On the left, she didn’t make my Snow White gown, but she did make the Seven Dwarfs. How creative!
I am my mother’s daughter, and over the years I have crafted some of my own costumes.
I’ll use the term crafted loosely.
I’ve always tried to assemble a costume using my own stuff. Yes, I’ve had to go buy accessories here and there (I mean, who has a pair of devil horns laying around?), but the majority of my costumes were created using my own things.
Two years ago, I borrowed my mother’s hot glue gun, made a quick trip to Michael’s for the fabric and created these two Care Bear costumes (pictured bottom right). My husband was a good sport, but I think he just wanted to wear the cool hat that we bought at Spencer’s. 
Some may laugh and say, “You just threw together a costume, what’s the big deal?”
But to me, it brings me back to my younger years, sitting at the dining room table, helping my mother glue sequins onto a blue flapper dress. It reminds me that it’s not about Halloween, it’s about being creative and thinking outside the box.
And above all, it reminds that if I can’t create it, I know my mother is a short phone call away.