Halloween Costumes from Sainsbury's - Safer and Spookier than Ever!

This year, Sainsbury's are proud to confirm that all their children's dressing up outfits meet the British nightwear flammability standard, which has the highest level of testing available. This is an industry leading decision, ensuring that costumes are regarded as clothing and not as toys when it comes to fire safety. As parents, we can be confident that our little trick or treaters are safer in their costumes this Halloween. Although everyone should still obviously take care around naked flames, knowing that the Halloween costumes are so much safer this year is very reassuring.

As well as being safer, the Sainsbury's costumes are super spooky and include outfits for all the family, including the dog! From zombies, to witches to vampires, there is a great range to choose from. Whether your little monsters want to be a spine-tingling skeleton or an enchanted witch, there is a costume that will be just the thing for parties, discos and trick or treating.

Sainsbury's sent Freddy a Mummified Monster Zombie Costume complete with top, trousers and mask. The comfortably cut, long sleeved suit has jagged cut hems and added pieces of fabric to give a spooky mummified look to the costume. A cut out section on the front of the top reveals a gruesome lenticular panel featuring a 3D image of dripping blood, ribs, bugs, eyeballs and guts and the fabric design includes oozing goo, seeping blood and bugs printed onto a bandage effect background. The hooded mask has a skeleton style face with cut out eye holes and bandage detail. The top has velcro fastenings down the back, making it easy to put on and take off. It is a really creepy and very effective design.

Freddy absolutely loved his new zombie outfit. He particularly loved the front panel with the spooky open rib effect. Gruesome but great! The attention to detail is excellent and Freddy looked like an extra from a horror film, jumping around trying to scare us. He will look fantastic at his school Halloween disco this year.

The costume is good quality made from 100% polyester fabric, which has a nice sheen finish, and it also has the plastic panel insert and additional fabric detailing. The sizing is good and the fit is comfy.

It is available in ages 3 to 12, priced from £10 and available in store or online. It is hand wash only.

Sainsbury's also suggest that to keep children extra safe this year, that we use LED tealights instead of candles for our Jack O' Lanterns and Halloween decorations.

Find the Tu Clothing Halloween Fancy Dress range online or in store at Sainsbury's.

Some of our ideas for World Book Day

March 6th is World Book Day.  A day to celebrate the joy of reading!  Kids across the country will be joining in with the celebrations as many schools get onboard with the fun.  Both Kizzy and Freddy will be going to school wearing fancy dress, as they adopt the appearance of favourite book characters. It's a lovely way to get even the most reluctant readers interested in reading books.

Whether you purchase a ready made fancy dress costume or if you make your own, there are hundreds of different characters to choose from.  A survey of 800 mums found that the two most popular characters for children in the UK to dress up as on World Book Day are the Gruffalo and Harry Potter*.  Harry Potter costumes are relatively easy to do, but the Gruffalo would be more of a challenge and definitely not something I'll be trying!

Image: Fancydressball.co.uk

This year Kizzy's class are dressing up as characters from classical fiction and she is planning on going as 20's socialite Daisy Buchanan from The Great Gatsby. She has a twenties style dress accessorised with a hairband, brooch and 20's hair and make-up.  She is currently reading the book in preparation.  She reads way above her age and loves fashion, so Daisy is an ideal (if not a little unconventional) choice for my 11 year old.

Freddy has decided that he wants to be a knight like King Arthur or Mike the Knight!  He has a costume already so this is an easy one. I like having a few outfits in the dressing up box that we can use for parties or events.  He will undoubtedly change his mind several times before the big day and so the Iron Man costume will be on stand by.

Over the years I have made lots of different costumes for my children to wear.  One of my favourites is the Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz.  To make it, I took an old jacket that my mum had chucked out and customised it to make it a bit raggedy by ripping the lining and fraying the seams.  I sewed on clumps of straw and toy mice to give a scarecrow-like feel to the outfit then tied some string around the waist.  I added a straw hat, topped with a stuck on straw bird's nest and toy chick and added a spider dangling from the rim. The outfit was worn over old clothes with the trouser hems cut into zigzags  This outfit has been used time and time again over the last 15 years for the kids for fancy dress parties and Book Days!  Here's a picture of my eldest son Joe (who is now 25) wearing it.

Fast forward to 2010 and Kizzy is wearing the Scarecrow jacket for her World Book day costume! Reusing and recycling at its very best!

Another outfit from when when Kizzy was even littler, I made her a Caveman Dave's 'braver sister Ava' costume.  I butchered a furry cushion cover to make a tabard and accessorised it with cardboard bones in her bunches and a shell necklace.  We cut the bottom of some old leggings to give them a jagged, pre-historic look!  She looked very cute and it was a very easy costume to make.

We have had a lot of fun over the years dressing up for World Book Day.  As a Teaching Assistant I made my class laugh when I dressed up as James and the Giant Peach, using my rather large pregnant belly clad in a bright orange t-shirt as the peach!

Whatever your kids decide to dress up in this year, I hope you all have fun and celebrate the joy of reading!

*Survey results brought to you by fancydressball.co.uk

Dressing Up Ideas for Kids: World Book Day, 6th March

Most children love dressing up.  Many will have a dressing up box, filled with costumes and accessories and will enjoy spending many hours living out scenarios in imaginative games of make believe.  Little boys will enjoy the opportunity and freedom to express themselves and what little girl wouldn't love pretending to be a Pirate Princess in this great girl’s fancy dress outfit from Asda! (Unless of course they would prefer to be a soldier or a Power Ranger...anything goes when playing dressing up!)

While it’s a great game to encourage self expression and practice role play, dressing up is even better when there’s a reason for it. Take World Book Day, for example. Children nationwide will be able to participate in this global celebration of the written word, with many schools asking for the pupils to turn up to class wearing a fancy dress costume of some description, to commemorate their favourite book or comic. This fantastic annual event that has operated since 2007 continues to help promote reading and literature, and the importance of these elements in day to day life.

If your children need a costume for World Book Day, there are plenty of places to look for inspiration. If you’re feeling particularly crafty, you may have time to conjure one up with the magic of a sewing machine, or you could rummage through what they already have for a makeshift outfit. Alternatively, you could take a look at the options that are available in the shops – many of which are superb value, so you don’t have to worry about your purse. Here are some ideas:

Superheroes

If your children love comic books, use this as inspiration for a costume. It’s easy to find an outfit that matches your child's favourite superheroes – Batman, Superman, Spiderman, Thor – you name it, there’ll be a costume to suit. Many superhero costumes can be found in George at a reasonable price.  For example, this Thor outfit complete with hammer is just £12.50.

Princesses

Does your little girl love to read about her favourite fairytale princess? Perhaps she’s a fan of Disney movies and the princesses have inspired her to read about the original characters? Whether it’s Rapunzel, Snow White or Cinderella, princess outfits are an easy choice for girls who love a happy ending.

Wizards

'You’re a wizard, Harry!' You may have introduced the Harry Potter books to your children because you have read them yourself, or your child may have found them on their own, but dressing up as their favourite wizard is a great way for them to give a tip of their wizard hat to the ‘the boy who lived’. Just add a zig zag scar with face paint and they'll be ready for a day at Hogwart's!

I'm heading to Asda at the weekend, to buy a fancy dress costume for Freddy on his first World Book Day at school.  I'll have the camera ready to capture the moment!

On World Book Day, every youngster who is in full time education is given a £1 voucher that can either be used to buy a World Book Day book or used as money off a standard book that the child would like. Take advantage of the opportunity and spend some quality time reading with your child – in full dress up, of course! 

Miss Santa Fancy Dress

Kizzy has been sent a Smiffy's Miss Santa costume from Joker's Masquerade.  It is a large size kids' outfit for ages 10-12 (she is just 10).  It comprises of a tutu dress and fur trimmed bolero.  The top of the dress is like a boob tube with an elasticated top.  It has buttons, a belt and trim printed onto it.  The tutu is made up of six layers of stiff net in red and white.  The little bolero top has a faux fur collar and puffed sleeves.  A matching headband with a satin bow is also included to complete the look.

Kizzy is tall for her age, so the skirt was very short!  I'd suggest wearing it with black leggings or cycle shorts  to preserve modesty and keep warm!

The outfit is very cute and pretty, with definite tween appeal.  It is a grown-up option for dressing up for young girls who have outgrown babyish costumes.  It offers them something between childish fancy dress and grown-up outfits.  However it is quite revealing with its super short skirt and clingy top.  Maybe it's a little bit too grown-up for some people's tastes.  But Kizzy loves it and looks gorgeous.  She is happy to wear it as a top with black leggings underneath which works well and looks very cute and festive for Christmas parties.

It costs £16.99 which is a reduction of 17% on the RRP.

This and many other fancy dress outfits and accessories for all occasions are available to purchase online. Jokers' Masquerade fancy dress outfits are fun to wear and perfect for parties, nights out or special events.  There is still time to order for Christmas and New Year!

My Fairy Witch-Silent Sunday

A Homemade Halloween Zombie Challenge

How To Make A Zombie Using Everyday Household Items!

I posted yesterday about what Halloween was like when my two eldest children were younger, before the days of the ready-to-wear scary outfits that are now so readily available in shops.  We had to get creative and make our own if we wanted to celebrate Halloween in style.  So feeling nostalgic, I decided that I would try to make a homemade Halloween outfit for my willing volunteer, my daughter's boyfriend Tom, using only stuff that we had around the house and nothing else.  It was a challenge that we had a lot of fun with.

Inspired by some of our favourite horror films ...Day/ Dawn/ Land/ Night/ Shaun of the Dead... we decided to embrace the living dead genre and go down the zombie route!  We decided that a relatively 'fresh' post-apocalyptic zombie would be the easiest look to achieve without having to resort to expensive, bought-in make-up, accessories or clothing.

Creating a Zombie costume starts with finding some old clothes...the kind of clothing hidden in the back of the wardrobe, unworn and unloved.  Tom's old jeans and T-Shirt combo was perfect for ripping, shredding and distressing.  (If you don't want to destroy any of your own clothes, a trip to the local charity shop will provide you with a suitable outfit for a couple of quid...plus you'll be helping raise money for a good cause!)

The real joy of creating a zombie is making the face look as gruesome as possible, without shelling out on expensive special effects kits.  So I used porridge oats and a few drops of green and red food colouring from the store cupboard, a pot of vaseline along with a tube of fake blood I had (£1 from Poundworld) with some of the kids' face paints ( from a Union Jack set left over from the Olympics) and some purple  shadow from an old make-up set.

With a white base on the face, I then built up disgustingly  mouldy scabs using vaseline mixed with the coloured porridge oats.  With an old sponge I daubed on the purple eye shadow.  Fake blood squirted and smeared on the face, clothing and body adds a horrific touch.  Using a new non-stick scourer from my kitchen (originally 20p as part of a multi-pack) I made some textured, conjealed blood mottling to complete the look. (But I had to be gentle so not to exfoliate Tom in the process!!)

The hair was made ghoulish by using a bar of hand soap to spike it as it makes really firm spikes and then sprinkling with some plain flour.  The flour was also liberally patted into the clothes for a dusty look!

We had such fun creating a zombie just from things we had around the house.  We bought nothing especially for the outfit, and enjoyed improvising with things to give the desired effect.  The only purchased item was the £1 tube of fake blood.  It shows what can be done with a bit of imagination, a willing volunteer, limited time, everyday household objects and no budget.  

I love Halloween and I love the fact that it is an excuse to get dressed up and have some good old horror based fun.  It needn't be an expensive time of year.  A few cheap sweets for the trick or treaters, some themed Halloween baking, a pumpkin to carve and cook with and a costume to make you feel the part, is all you need to have a good time with your friends and family.  Of course a good horror film goes down a treat too!!

Halloween On A Budget 1996 Style!

Nowadays, the shops are filled with so much fantastic Halloween merchandise that we are spoilt for choice.  With a range of Halloween costumes to fit the tiniest tot through to an XXL sized man, we can become anything we can imagine from the world of horror and the macabre.  There are literally hundreds of pre-made costumes to choose from.  Whether you want to be Jason Vorhees, Freddy Krueger, a vampire, a zombie or Frankenstein, it's easy to pick up a costume and look the part without any effort other than paying for it!

Back when my two eldest children were younger, we did not have the benefit of all the Halloween outfits and accessories that can be found so readily in store or online today.  We had to get creative on a shoestring budget, using household bits and bobs and our imagination to dress up our little monsters!

Back in 1996, we used cheap, black, plastic bin bags and cardboard to make costumes for my kids.  Megan's witch's bin bag outfit was fashioned using tape to make an off the shoulder dress and a hat from a cone of card.  Sticking on a few plastic toys, back combing her hair and adding some make-up completed the look.  Joe was a zombie with a raggedly cut bin bag over black trousers.  We spiked his hair and used talc to make both his hair-do and his outfit look aged and distressed.  We used some face paint to complete the look.  The best thing is that the kids get involved and help design and fashion their costumes, which is a fun activity, lost when using a ready made outfit. They both looked great and got into the Halloween spirit as you can see from the photos below!

Our eco-friendly Halloween didn't stop there as we used the flesh from our carved pumpkins to make pies and we roasted the seeds to make munchy snacks!  We put tea lights in old jam jars that had tissue paper ghosts glued to the outside casting spooky shadows and sang scary songs around a bonfire.  It was a much simpler sort of Halloween free from today's commercial offerings.  We partied at my sister's house with the cousins and had a wonderful time.  Take a look at this group of little monsters all modelling handmade Halloween chic!

The total cost of the costumes was literally pennies, using household bits and bobs and a few props and make-up.  Economy bin bags are 78p and are a fab base for any number of outfits.  Old clothes can easily be adapted into a costume which is a great form of re-using unwanted stuff to make an outfit on a budget.  Halloween needn't be expensive and by being creative you can guarantee that your outfit is unique.  No turning up at a Halloween party to find three other people wearing an identical outfit to you!! 

I'll be trying another Homemade Halloween costume later on today to see if I can replicate the simpler Halloweens of the past without resorting to the ready-to-wear shop bought scary Halloween costumes.  If it works out I'll be posting pictures.

Have Fun Dressing-Up

Dressing-up is one of childhood's most precious activities.  When children put on a costume they are instantly transported into a world of  role play where they can take on the guise of whoever they want to be.  The props and clothing add that extra element of play value that helps to create the scene and fires up the child's imagination to completely embrace the game of make-believe.

Having a dressing-up box filled with fabulous outfits and accessories is a wonderful addition to any home and it needn't be expensive.  Old costume jewellery, hand me down clothing, bits and bobs from charity shops or even lengths of old material can be a treasure chest of fun to a young child, inspiring them into an imaginative game.   

With Halloween fast approaching, fancy dress is an important part of the proceedings as children dress up and embrace the fun of the season.  I love the excuse to get dressed up myself and enjoy entering that imaginary world that I create when I put on a fancy dress costume.

There are some great companies out there producing some wonderful, ready to wear costumes. Whether you are celebrating Book Week, going to a party, Trick or Treating or just having fun at home, there are some fabulous outfits on the market.  How about this brilliant outfit that Freddy is wearing?  It brings history alive as he becomes a knight, a prince or a king with his sword, shield, crown, cape and tunic.

His outfit is from Great Gizmos' award winning Great Pretenders label, which opens up a world of fantasy with its gorgeous range of costumes for children aged 2 - 8 years old.  Their latest line in historical, royal themed outfits for Autumn 2012 are out of this world.  The King outfit and accessories that Freddy were sent are absolutely beautifully made and quite simply stunning.

He immediately embraced his role as King Freddy The Great, slaying dragons (which were actually my legs) with his sword, wielding his shield and swishing his cape!  Everything fitted really nicely and he loved the shiny fabric that looked very dignified and noble!

Girls can also dress as royalty with a turquoise Marie Antoinette gown (just be sure they don't lose their heads!) or a sumptuous red and gold Elizabeth I dress that is fit for a queen!  If your little one is more superhero than royal family, the reversible superhero hood and capes see little crime fighters switch between Batman to Spiderman in a simple flip of their outfit.  The reversible  Fairytale pinafore allows little girls to act out fairytales transforming between a bright yellow frock to a pink and white pinafore.  Double the play value!  The Fairy outfits are amazing with matching wings and flower headdresses making your little fairies look very fanciful and very beautiful.  The whole range of outfits and accessories would make much loved gifts that would be treasured by any child.

Stockists include Amazon.co.uk.

Freddy was sent his King's outfit for the purpose of this review.

Silent Sunday and #Project 52

Avengers Assemble!

Iron Man Fancy Dress Costume from Rubies

With the recent excitement surrounding the return of The Avengers and other Marvel comic book characters to the big screen, kids around the country are all dreaming of becoming superheroes.  Thanks to Rubies, the UK and Europe's only official distributor of Marvel costumes (they do Disney too!) they don't have to dream anymore!

With a new range of costumes soon to hit the UK, your child could dress up as their favourite characters for some fun role play and world saving!

Kizzy was sent a cool Iron Man costume to model.  The all in one suit and mask is perfect for fancy dress parties and  Halloween.  Children can dress up in Stark Industry's best creation and embody the hero that is Iron Man!

Kizzy, who is 9, is wearing a large Iron Man costume which is designed for ages 7-8 but as she is slim it fitted fine, although the legs were a bit short.  So it would be the right size for the intended age group.  It is also available in small and medium for children aged 3 and up.

The mask fitted everyone and was modelled by 16 year old Ella and 3 year old Freddy too!  It is flexible and comfortable to wear with good visibility.

If you children prefer to be Disney Princesses rather than Marvel Superheroes, Rubie's have a range of four new classic princess outfits!  The gorgeously girlie Sleeping Beauty, Belle, Snow White and Cinderella dresses with a large character print on the front are available exclusively from Argos.  They are available in ages 3-5 and 5-7.  Every little princess will have her dreams come true with her very own fairytale ending!!  They are currently available at £14.99 each or two for £19.99 instore or at argos.co.uk

Kids in a Box

                                                  

Patriotic Fancy Dress

All Fancy Dress Gets Patriotic For 2012!

This year is one that is filled with national pride.  From this weekend's Jubilee celebrations to the forthcoming Olympics, there has never been a better time to be British.  So let's belt out our National Anthem and hoist our Union flag high and make the most of this special era in our history.

To celebrate, All Fancy Dress have a range of Great British Costumes that will be perfect for street parties, celebrations and for supporting Team GB at sporting events.

We were sent a Rule Brittania Glitter Costume, a sassy outfit based on Geri Halliwell's iconic Union Jack dress.  Covered in sequins it is very sparkly and will certainly stand out at any event!

Available in sizes 8-10, 12-14 and 16-18, it will fit any figure.  However its short and slinky design is definitely one for the brave...which is why I asked for one to fit my 16 year old daughter!  And what a gorgeous model she makes!

The design really is quite glamorous and the sequins are well attached to the lace front that covers the sleeveless polyester mini dress.  Not only will this dress work for Great British events, it will be great as a fancy dress costume if you wanted to go as a Spice Girl.

The dress is sponge clean only.  It costs £25.99.  All Fancy Dress pride themselves on quick delivery (with same day despatch if ordered before 17.15)  and excellent customer service.  They offer low cost and free delivery options.  You can order online or speak to a member of the team by phone.

If Union Jack mini dresses aren't your thing, they offer a huge range of fancy dress outfits and accessories for men, women, couples and children for every occasion in dozens of themes for fans of Horror to Disney and everything in between!

www.allfancydress.com

Halloween Costumes for Kids

Halloween is fast approaching.  My children are in full planning mode wondering what to wear for their Halloween parties.  To make sure your tiny trick or treaters look the part, why not check out www.fancydressoutfitters.co.uk !


We were very excited to be offered some outfits to try out and enjoyed browsing the website for spooky Halloween Costumes.  There is a fabulous range of children's fancy dress costumes perfect for your little monsters!  From cute character outfits to terrifying zombie outfits, there is something to suit everyone.


We chose an awesome Scary Clown Outfit for Kizzy and a cute Bat outfit for Freddy.  Both are from the Smiffy's range of costumes.

Kizzy's Scary Clown Costume consisted of patterned trousers, a patterned top with a ruff and pom poms, dirty white gloves, scary face shoes and a creepy mask with hair.

  
We got a Large size which was for ages 10-12.  Kizzy is 9 and quite slim and it fitted her perfectly.  

Kizzy modelled the outfit for me and it was definitely very creepy!!  She loved it!

The mask was quite hot (as most rubber masks are), so for a party I'd face paint Kizzy as a creepy clown which would be more comfortable for her for a prolonged period.  The outfit itself was comfortable and practical with elasticated waistband and a button up top.  

The Clown Costume costs £35.53 and is available in Medium (7-9) and Large (10-12) sizes.  The sizes are not very generous so take that into account when ordering.  This is an awesome costume which fitted Kizzy well and is substantial enough for Trick and Treating.


Freddy's costume was a lovely little Bat outfit consisting of an all-in-one jumpsuit with attached wings and hood. It is made of a fluffy material making it really cuddly.  Being a one piece outfit means you won't lose any attachments which is a positive.

It is really cute but unfortunately my model Freddy was not as keen as his big sister when it came to dressing up.  He wasn't in the mood for dressing up as a bat today, but you can see how cute he looked.

The detail on the outfit is lovely with silky ears, wired, net wings and furry fabric.  We chose age 3-4 for 2 year old Freddy but again sizing isn't generous so the costume fitted quite snugly.  So take that into account when buying for your toddler.  Priced at £15.91 in sizes 1-2 and 3-4, it is a good priced outfit that would keep your toddler very cosy when out having fun on Halloween.


If you want to check out the amazing range of outfits available, take a look at Fancy Dress Outfitters website.
Take a look at their Twitter page @iwantfancydress for up to the minute chat and news.  Like their Facebook page for fun and details of offers and competitions.


For any occasion where you want fancy dress outfits, Fancy Dress Outfitters are a great first stop!