ACParadise Forums

I got all these from another site and condensed/fixed it up. It would be awesome if other people posted their tips too! And please read these, and other peoples posts before you post so we don't go over the same thing 10 times

Re-use: Take old clothing and alter it to fit the costume. You can also use something from another costume that is similar to what you're looking for!

Shop at cheap places such as: Thrift stores, vintage stores, dollar stores, Salvation Army/Goodwill, yard/garage sales Also, be sure to shop after Halloween and Proms, when all the sales are going on.

Make it yourself: Instead of buying that expensive piece of jewelry make it yourself with Sculpey or Model Magic to work wonders!

Improvise: Use old items to make costume pieces like weapons or trimming. You could also take something that looks like your costume piece and alter it to your needs. Examples: Broomstick/cardboard for weapons, socks to gloves, old suitcase/couch leather for trimming, curtains for ruffles, bedsheets for capes.

Don't sew: Use a hot glue gun, Liquid Stitch or some Heat N Bond to put together your outfit instead of a sewing machine, perfect for those with no experience, or a sewing machine! Also try safety pins and Velcro.

Shoes: Instead of buying a cheap pair of shoes that match your costume, but hurt your feet, buy a comfortable pair of shoes and alter them so they look right.

Hair style: If you don't like wigs or can't afford them try a cheap alternative like hair mascara. It's better than spray because spray falls off onto your clothes, and everything else, for that matter.

A bit of advice from me: don't use hair mascara. It makes a huge mess, and is often very ineffective. L'oreal makes a hair dye that lasts around two weeks (if you can find it, I don't know if they still make it, but they sold it at walmart and walgreens) and it comes in colours like orange, red, dark red-purple, and black. Not a huge variety for wild hair colours, but it looks pretty nice (the purple becomes magenta on light or bleached hair - I know this from experience :D) and it doesn't damage your hair since it doesn't bleach it. The most awesome part about this dye is that it costs about 6 to 8 dollars, depending on where you get it.

Also, don't be afraid to go to the hardware store. There's a thick insulation foam you can use for swords, shields, etc. that is about 6'x8' or maybe a little larger, and costs about 6-8 dollars as well. It is easily cut with a knife, just remember to do it somewhere easy to clean up.

Thin craft foam (comes in brands like foamies, etc.) is your friend. If you need decorations that are too thin to make out of sculpey, this is very easy to cut, paint, or do whatever with. Amethyst Angel has a very nice tutorial to make armour from it. Packs with several thin sheets run from 8-10 dollars.

Hundreds of Hancock Fabric stores are closing across the country - this is a fantastic place to get discounts on fabric, trim, and patterns. Before you go, think about any costumes you may like to make in the future, because you'll be surprised what you can get 80% off of. I found some amazing fur trim that looks like the trim on just about every Ragnarok Online class outfit.