Easy and Frugal Halloween Costume and Makeup Ideas

Halloween doesn’t have to be a budget breaker. There are plenty of costumes that can be put together for very little money, and often no money at all!

Real Simple Magazine had some terrific ideas for inexpensive and easy costume ideas. I’ve plagiarized them here, and added some of my own.

A green clown wig + a schoolgirl outfit = Broccoli Spears

The letter “e” on a piece of paper taped to your chest (but only if a boy) = e-mail

A plastic laundry basket with holes cut out for legs + white balloons + a shower cap = Bathing Beauty

A white dress + a pipe-cleaner halo + leaves in her hair and “dirt” on her face = Fallen Angel

Black clothes + yellow electrical tape down his torso + toy cars + Velcro = Highway

A pig nose + a blanket = Pig in a Blanket

A white sheet with two holes cut out for eyes = Ghost

A blue T-shirt + cotton balls + tape + a water gun = Partly Cloudy With a Chance of Rain

A polo shirt + khakis (or madras shorts) + a name tag = Jay Crew

A clear umbrella (preferably dome- shaped) + party streamers or metallic ribbons = Jellyfish

Two large circles cut out of cardboard with brown dots drawn over them, then connected with string or ribbon near the top to make it like a sandwich board= Chocolate Chip Cookie

A hockey shirt , sweatpants and a doll + wearing bright lipstick on her face = Hockey Mom/Sarah Palin

~B00~

Want to add some pizazz? Here are directions for making face paint and blood:

How to Make Your Own Face Paint

Materials Needed:

• 1 tsp. Cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp. Cold cream
• 1/2 tsp. Cold water
• Food coloring

Instructions:

Mix the ingredients together and paint away! This will wash off with cold cream.

Non-Toxic Fake Blood:

Materials Needed:

• 1 c (250mL) peanut butter
• 1 qt. (1 L) corn syrup
• 1/2 cup (125mL) soap
• 1 oz (30mL) red color
• 15 drops blue food coloring

1. Mix creamy peanut butter with a sufficient amount of white corn syrup to make a runny mixture.
2. Add (non-sudsy) soap and food colors and mix well.
3. Stir more corn syrup in until the desired consistency is reached.
4. Refrigerate unused blood in an airtight container.

Inexpensive white corn syrup is said to be thicker and more suitable for the fake blood than its costlier relatives.

Note: Fake blood can stain, so be careful. Last year my nephew got store-bought fake blood on his parents’ white carpet. They now have wood floors. I think this recipe is less likely to stain, but drip at your own risk…

Please remember to be safe!  Use reflective tape if you’re going out at night, make eyeholes large enough to see well, and always have a buddy.

Have a safe and Happy Halloween!

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Why I wish I owned an ice cream churn…

I’m not a big ice cream connoussieur, despite our frequent trips to Carvel in the dead of winter. I’ve had peanut butter and chocolate ice cream before, but the peanut butter is more often as hard as peanut brittle, and I just don’t like crunchy ice cream.

I saw this photo and recipe posted over at Joy the Baker and it took all my self-control not to lick the screen. I’m shamelessly stealing it – but at least I’m linking to her…

Thanks to Joy the Baker

Double Chocolate peanut Butter Ice Cream

• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• pinch of salt
• 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup smooth salted peanut butter ( I like the all natural peanut butter)

In a sauce pan over medium heat, stir together 2 cups whole milk, sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Heat until the milk start to steam, but before it starts to boil.

In a small bowl, stir together the remaining 1/2 cup of whole milk and the cornstarch. Stir until no lumps remain.

Add the cornstarch mixture to the heated milk and chocolate mixture and bring to a low boil. Boil until thickened. The mixture will look the consistency of chocolate pudding. Remove from flame.

In a small sauce pan, heat 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Once boiling, remove from heat and pour over the chocolate chips. Let sit for 1 minute, then stir the cream and chocolate mixture until incorporated.

Stir the cream and chocolate mixture into the cooling chocolate ice cream base. Place in a bowl, covered with plastic wrap or a lid, and put in the fridge until cool.

Once cool, follow the manufacturers instructions on the ice cream maker to churn ice cream. Once the mixture has chilled and thickened in the ice cream maker, slowly drizzle in 1/4 cup of peanut butter. Don’t over mix. You want a nice ribbon of peanut butter running through the ice cream.

Transfer the ice cream into a freezer safe container and fold in the remaining 1/4 cup of peanut butter. Cover and freeze until solid.

Yum!

Please don’t take this as a hint to get me an ice cream churn for the holidays. I seriously do not need to have easy access to this stuff!