For Halloween costume inspiration, check out Netflix or your TV programming guide for celebrity ideas. With some large frame glasses, your daughter can look like an old-school Taylor Swift. With Pokémon Go all the rage, it should be easy to create some fantasy creatures for your youngsters to wear. For “Duck Dynasty” look-alikes, you just need some dark yarn for beards.
Tag: holiday clutter
Shop vintage for Halloween loot
Many young women and parents haunt vintage shops for Halloween loot. You can find plenty of ideas at these shops for 1920s flapper costumes, for example, or to represent book and movie characters from “Gone with the Wind, ” “The Wizard of Oz” or early TV shows such as “I Love Lucy.” You and a friend could find all of the right fashion for a Lucy and Ethel pairing or Lucy and Ricky for a couple.
Presto — you’re a pineapple!
If you take an active interest in garage sales, you can probably pick up some ready-made Halloween costumes or gather up arts and crafts supplies to make your own for kids and adults. You won’t need many supplies for a Scooby-Doo character, for example. And, all you need to represent a popcorn box is a red and white stripped skirt or pants and a white shirt. If you want something really simple, use a few green leaves to adorn your hair and a yellow shirt. Presto — you’re a pineapple!
Looking for ideas for Halloween costumes?
Look no further than your closets and bookshelves. Many ideas are right in front of you and can be made fairly easily with a few things in your kitchen drawers or closets. For example, if you have youngsters, you likely have books about fairy tales or Disney picture books for inspiration. Without much of a creative streak, you can help your kids look like Shrek, Fiona, Luke Skywalker or Princess Leia. With some dark, round frames, you’ve got an instant Harry Potter. Pinterest is a great go-to spot to find eye-catching and simple costumes. And, if you do buy materials or some clothing you don’t foresee using again, be sure to donate to www.ClothingDonations.org.
Coping With Post-Holiday Cleanup
Now that the holidays are coming to a close, we’re left with the post-holiday mess. Family and friends have come and gone, leaving signs of their presence (and presents) behind. Those gifts need to find a place among your current belongings, and holiday decorations need to come down. The clean-up can be overwhelming.
But, a clean and clutter free home after the holidays (and just in time for the new year!) is important for getting back into a routine. If this task seems easier said than done, don’t panic—we’re here to help!
We suggest picking one task to tackle first, which will prevent the entire cleaning and packing-away process from seeming insurmountable. Start with the presents. Looking at the new goods you received this season, determine which items belong in which rooms. From there, designate spots for each new item.
Next, start packing away Christmas and other holiday decorations. Whether it’s a closet or a corner of your basement, have a designated section in your home for all holiday decorations. Then, have a few plastic bins or tubs to neatly pack your decorations away, labeling the outside of the container with what’s inside. This way, you’ll have a spot for each decoration, while also keeping them neat and contained.
As you put gifts and decorations away, think about which items you may no longer need. Post-holiday clean-up is a great time to declutter.
Put these unwanted items in a bag or box, marked with “donation” on the outside. Then, contact ClothingDonations.org and schedule a time for us to swing by and pick up your donations. We’ll take care of the pick-up, and take these items off your hands, so that you can continue organizing your home. Not only will these donations declutter your home, but they will also go toward funding our veterans’ programs this year!
What are your holiday clean-up secrets? Share them with us!