Where is a great cheaper place for costumes?

[Wellinton]

Thank you ! I'm glad I checked first! Our Haunt pictures that made the newspaper last year, show us where we missed on a few important details on some of our actors.
This year, special atention to nails and necklines!!

[hauntedkimmy]

Thanks for your help on these Kimmy!! Allen Hopp and you give me so many greay ideas, I am at the craft store 4 times a week!
I love to see what you are working on!
Perhaps you have a suggestion how to make the nails on this witch about 4:44 into the clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKl7c...eature=related

They sell them at Sallie Beauty type stores and possibly even at nail salons. I've seen them and thought they were insanely long. I've made shorter, grossed up fake nails rather easily for latex corpse hands before. I purchase a set of cheap nails, chip the edges to a raggid look, coarse sand them down, and paint the UNDERSIDESof the nails blueish purple and then a wash of pinks and yellows for the top. Authentically scary swamp witch looking nails. The besst picture I have is on this set of hands, but it gives you an idea.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...orpsehands.jpg

[Wellinton]

Thanks for your help on these Kimmy!! Allen Hopp and you give me so many greay ideas, I am at the craft store 4 times a week!
I love to see what you are working on!
Perhaps you have a suggestion how to make the nails on this witch about 4:44 into the clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKl7c...eature=related

[hauntedkimmy]

Wellinton, those are AWESOME!!!! Very cool stuff! They are fun to make, aren't they? You did a terrific job!!! I've got to get back on the ball and make some more for our haunt...too many haunt projects going on at once that I need to finish first, LOL! But awesome job!

[Wellinton]

It's like my first year in elementary school on this Forum! I learn so much every day!
We have over 60 volunteers we need costumes for, and our local bank sponsor our event. The bankers also want to be in costume. The cost saving costume, accessory and prop ideas are a huge help.
I guess I'm off to the hardware store today, to try silicone...yikes!!!!

[Allen H]

Now mold those in silicone (gel-10) and pour them up in resin (easy flow 120) available from brick in the yard molding supply.
http://www.shop.brickintheyard.com/c...c?categoryId=9
I will post a you tube video later on and show you my molds that I use for making dragon teeth and claws to sell in my museum gift shop. I will shoot and edit it tonight so you can see how simple it is. It will be on my channel.
http://www.youtube.com/user/Stiltbea...s?feature=mhee

Its coming tonight!

Your sculpts are good and you could reproduce them easily and cheaply. Heck Id buy one of your bird skulls.
Allen H

[Wellinton]

You guys are great! I never worked with clay before. I gave it a try today, to add to our Haunt's accessory table.
Thanks for the great ideas . Quality isn't great, but the lighting will be low.polymer clay crafts 001.jpgsteampunk jewellry 001.jpg

[hauntedkimmy]

Okie Dokie Allen, thanks for the inspiration...here's my spin....

....I loved the ideas you posted so I tried my hand at a few ideas. Less than $5 and I have my crow skull, enlarged more than the real thing to catch more attention and made out of Sculpy and a clearance chaineyeball rings.jpgcrow skull pendant.jpg, and some eyeball rings. I had the mini eyes sitting around so I just wrapped jewelry wire aroound them and antiqued them. Pretty easy and a start to my costume, YAY!!! Thanks again Allen for the great inspiration!!!

[tonguesandwich]

If you want to take a reg commercial costume and fix it up... I am moving to Denver and I don't want to haul my Halloween Stores.. So I am going to clear them on ebay in about 2 weeks (one box at a time) at as close as I can guess at cost. I am sitting on about $300K in costumes. I will post a link on my site.

[hauntedkimmy]

Oh my golly Allen, THANK you for the links! Your taste is EXACTLY what I am looking for myself! So making some of those rings myself and I saw that raven skull on etsy a few days ago and sooo wanted to make my own. Thank you a ZILLION times over!!!!

[freak 'n' stein]

At my trail (which I own) its all bout the costumes- I spend between $200 and $400 per actor. That seems like alot but thats what I focus on.
If I were doing a swamp/voodoo witch I would start with this dress.
http://www.moresca.com/product_info.php?products_id=69
And as others wisely said add layers. I would dye cheese cloth in brown and then another batch in gray. Id make really tattered shawls out of themand add them over the dress.
Id also make a belt with a ton of pouches (the same kind of detail you put into your voodoo shelves). While someone is wearing it Id also blast the heck out of it with a thermo plastic webbing gun.
Dont forget jewlery Rings and necklaces. cool rings like this
http://www.etsy.com/listing/55612787...nk-gothic-evil you can make your own just order the eyes from van dykes taxidermy.
and rings like this
http://product.madeinchina.com/whole...12380505.shtml just an idea but I think one or two of those would make a witch super creepy
And necklaces like this
http://www.thisnext.com/item/ACD20D9...-Turquoise-and Several different kinds one ond strand so they dont clump together to much
and at least one necklace like this
http://www.curiousgood.com/?page_id=297 make your own Im sure you are capable based on what else you have done. Costume greatness is achieved through detail and texture which is achieved through layering. approach it the same way you do set work.
Allen H

Now THESE are the tips I live for!! Amazing amazing amazing layering techniques Allen!!

[Allen H]

At my trail (which I own) its all bout the costumes- I spend between $200 and $400 per actor. That seems like alot but thats what I focus on.
If I were doing a swamp/voodoo witch I would start with this dress.
http://www.moresca.com/product_info.php?products_id=69
And as others wisely said add layers. I would dye cheese cloth in brown and then another batch in gray. Id make really tattered shawls out of themand add them over the dress.
Id also make a belt with a ton of pouches (the same kind of detail you put into your voodoo shelves). While someone is wearing it Id also blast the heck out of it with a thermo plastic webbing gun.
Dont forget jewlery Rings and necklaces. cool rings like this
http://www.etsy.com/listing/55612787...nk-gothic-evil you can make your own just order the eyes from van dykes taxidermy.
and rings like this
http://product.madeinchina.com/whole...12380505.shtml just an idea but I think one or two of those would make a witch super creepy
And necklaces like this
http://www.thisnext.com/item/ACD20D9...-Turquoise-and Several different kinds one ond strand so they dont clump together to much
and at least one necklace like this
http://www.curiousgood.com/?page_id=297 make your own Im sure you are capable based on what else you have done. Costume greatness is achieved through detail and texture which is achieved through layering. approach it the same way you do set work.
Allen H

[hauntedkimmy]

Lurker, I love to layer different fabrics together. I think it looks amazing! That is what I was going for precisely!!!!

[hauntedkimmy]

I agree just don't forget your belt sander to put on some good distressing. You can also do what we do burry some clothes for like 4 to 8 months in a really wet area that really does wonders.

Shawn

Great ideas! And I would have the added bonus of smelling like I was rotting away, even better!!! Thanks all!!!

[Bradenton Haunted Trail]

costume

Your best bet its to make your own. Go to a good thrift store...GoodWill or Salvation army. By a cheap cotton dress. Distress it really well then add bits and pieces of fabric to it with hot glue. Die some cheese cloth black and brown and add it as a layer over the dress as well. Use watered down acrylic craft paints to add stains. You will be amazed what you can do in a couple of hours. I think one of the major keys to such a costume is layers of different fabrics. For some reason layers are scary.

I agree just don't forget your belt sander to put on some good distressing. You can also do what we do burry some clothes for like 4 to 8 months in a really wet area that really does wonders.

Shawn