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!

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.