5 years of cheap awesome DIY costumes

I love to dress up in costumes. I will look for any reason to wear one. In fact, I think if I lived in New York any other open minded place I would some sort of costume or themed outfit every day. I can't do that in this East Texas town- I'd get put in a mental institution real quick. So here's some of my costumes from the past five years. Not all of them are Halloween costumes.

Renaissance Faire 2012: As the owner and director of this faire I knew I had to look good for this- really good. I scored this gown from Etsy for $150!!! The gown came with the French hood and matching purse.... for $150!!! The undershirt (Etsy) was $17 and the necklace was $1 ($1 Jewelry Store). Petticoat and boots worn under the gown were my own and I had to buy the cape from one of my vendors (Briar Patch Garb) for $65 because of the HORRIBLE drop in temperature that day. I got pregnant shortly after the I purchased the gown and the weight gain and growing bump was already taking it's toll on the dress. I cut the sleeves off the gown and that gave me so much freedom in movement. Later as the bump continued to grow, I sewed one the of sleeves into the back of the dress to let it out.

Steampunk Christmas Ball 2011: I threw a Steampunk Christmas Ball as a fundraiser for my Renaissance Faire. The only thing I bought for this costume was some decorative gears. The skirt came from a bridesmaids gown. The corset belt was from my Mrs. Lovette costume and I just added some chain to it. The vest was a jacket that was too small for me- I painted the trim gold, added some gears and lace.

Halloween 2011- I partnered with a local coffee shop and threw a giant Halloween bash/ zombie walk/ fundraiser. I dressed as Autumn. I bought a long crushed velvet skirt from Salvation Army, cut off some length and used that material to make straps for the dress. Then I covered the dress in autumn leaves picked up from various dollar stores. My makeup was AWESOME!!! Too bad this is the only photo that was taken of me. I was too busy giving "zombie makeovers" all night, I couldn't leave my little corner to pose for photos.

New Years 2011: My first Steampunk party. I wasn't even that familiar with steampunk at the time. We were invited to this party the day before. I looove a good challenge. The only thing purchased for these costumes were swim goggles (painted gold), gold paint and some chain.

The next two costumes: I lost these photos when my laptop crashed last year. Sad face.

2009 Homemade Superhero Girl

2010 Mrs Lovette from Sweeny Todd

Halloween 2008: I had just lost about 40 lbs (just diet and exercise) and I was ready to dress up as something a little more feminine and sexy. Heh, so I went as Amy Winehouse. That costume didn't cost a dime. My mom is a fan of wigs and hair pieces so I took two of her old pieces and made my own Amy wig and just scrounged up the rest of the outfit: tattered white undershirt, skinny jeans and back stilettos. I even drew on some crappy tattoos with Crayola marker.

Halloween 2008: This was my 2008 "day time" costume. I didn't feel that going as Amy Winehouse while working at Texarkana's largest and most prestigious banks was appropriate so I dressed up as a "personal" secretary. The dress was from my own vintage collection, the wig belonged to my mom and I borrowed the glasses from a friend.

Halloween 2007: I wish I could find more photos of this outfit. If you can't tell, I'm Hunter S. Thompson! The only thing purchased for this costume was the shirt and the fly swatter.