Book Review + Giveaway: Cute and Easy Costumes for Kids

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Now that my kid’s old enough to stay awake through Halloween, I have a renewed interest in costumes and I’ve been trying to figure out what he should be (I don’t have long before it’s no longer my decision!). Cute and Easy Costumes for Kids by Emma Hardy has a ton of great ideas; while I wish I had all the time in the world to spend on making the little one’s costume, I just don’t!
Hardy does a great job making use of clothes you probably already have for the base of many costumes (like a romper for a little dinosaur or a neutral T-shirt and pants for a superhero, butterfly, or cat), and the additional materials required are simple and, well, easy … like felt, ribbons, rickrack, paint, cardboard and bottle caps. While many of the costumes require some simple sewing, a few are truly last-minute, like the adorable and ingenious use of a pair of stuffed brown gloves for moose antlers.
The book is divided up into different style sections, like animals and insects, fairy tales, and adventurers, so there’s something for everything. I’ll be keeping this book around as inspiration for when my toddler starts plotting his Halloween costumes months in advance.
Book Giveaway Time!
One lucky CRAFT reader will receive a copy of the book, Cute and Easy Costumes for Kids. Just tell us why you would like this book in the comments. All comments will be closed by 5pm PST on Monday, October 11, 2010. The lucky winner will be chosen randomly and announced later on the site. Good luck!

74 thoughts on “Book Review + Giveaway: Cute and Easy Costumes for Kids

  1. nobaddays.wordpress.com says:

    My five year old would be quite happy wearing the same $10 fireman suit for a third year in a row! Problem is, he’s now outgrown it … I think if he sees the possibilities, he might go for something new. He’s always looking at craft books and saying, “Mom, can we make that?”

  2. Anne says:

    I like the idea of having a cute costume made out of things you already have!

  3. rlynnbaker says:

    i’d love to make my 2.5 daughter some fun costumes for play. she loves dressing up and playing pretend.

  4. rchandsa says:

    Book looks fun and I have alot of costumes to make

  5. melindasr5 says:

    I like to craft but I get ADD and won’t finish if it’s too complicated; this sounds perfect

  6. Azurafae says:

    I love making costumes. I love having new inspiration when it’s time to make my 7 y/o daughter a new costume.

  7. Sue says:

    I would love to have this book. What a “green” and economical way to make costumes. It would be useful to make costumes for my boy and toddler.

  8. Marissa says:

    I would love to win this book! My two and a half year-old is getting very interested in dressing up and I think she’s going to come up with something really interesting for Halloween. I’d like to be prepared! :)

  9. Marissa says:

    I would love to win this book! My two and a half year-old is getting very interested in dressing up and I think she’s going to come up with something really interesting for Halloween. I’d like to be prepared! :)

  10. firstthingsfirst.myopenid.com says:

    I’d love to learn how to make costumes (for Halloween, dress-up, and general fun!) for my five-year-old!

  11. jenne_girle says:

    Oh, my 3 and 5 year old kids would love to have a book full of ideas they could demand of me!! :) Plus, so preferable to trolling the halloween store catalogs!

  12. bestable.myopenid.com says:

    My daughter is convinced I can craft any costume she dreams up…it’d be nice to have some patterns and instructions so I can stop winging it!

  13. drainl says:

    Just tonight I cut out the pattern pieces for my sons costume. So many pieces and the directions are pretty lengthy. I’ll have two kids by next Halloween, so it’d be a good idea to go a bit simpler with the costumes!

  14. Abi says:

    I’m a friend, aunt, cousin to little kids (read: not Mommy). So all of my time with the kids in my life is fun time! Fun time is usually dress up. I would love a copy of this book because it would be put to use year round for a whole gaggle of munchkins

  15. schnetzy says:

    I am a HUGE fan of making your halloween costumes and not buying one that is just like the next kid’s. Part of the joy of Halloween is thinking of your costume and then making it. And this Halloween is my daughter’s first–she is just 2 months old! So I am very excited to get to make her her first Halloween costume. So if I had this book we would have help for all the Halloweens to come–as well as costumes we could make together just for the heck of dressing up and being silly!

  16. mamamunky says:

    I would love this book to make costumes for my baby boy. Plus now that I’m a stay at home mom, I realllly need something to do with my time.

  17. Elli says:

    The majority of store-bought costumes are itchy and uncomfortable and they certainly don’t last. I love homemade costumes!

  18. ammieloris says:

    These are very cute. I wish I could say I had a stash of basic rompers and outfits to build costumes on, but I don’t! Garrrr.
    Anyway, I do like to sew, but Halloween involves a deadline and deadlines stress me out. That’s why I need something easy. EASY I say!
    ammieloris at hotmail dot com

  19. tif says:

    As the mom of 2 and 4 year old girls, I see many many costumes that need to be made in our future… thanks :)

  20. sam says:

    omg i so love this i costume design as it is but i never have done any for kids i know my nieces would love me if i won this book because they will beg and pled me until they get one
    cheers for the opportunity
    sam

  21. mwrm says:

    I have Emma’s “Making Children’s Clothes” book, which I like very much. I’ve actually made a Red Riding Hood costume from it this year (from the red cape pattern; as a bonus my daughter can wear it to other events, be super cute, and no-one would know it’s her Hallowe’en costume), but a copy of this book would be excellent so I could get even more fantastical.

  22. papelhilo says:

    I have 4 children, so when it comes to costumes, I have a hard time making each one the perfect thing ! with this book it would be easier !

  23. naomemandeflores.wordpress.com says:

    I would love to make one of those sweet costumes for my nephew! Great book!

  24. Andrea says:

    What a great book! I’d love it because I like cute…and I’m just beginning to sew on my grandma’s old sewing machine – so I’d appreciate easy patterns. I have 2 toddlers to sew for and can’t wait to get started!

  25. GrowingLikeTrees says:

    I have five kids. Need I say more?

  26. jan says:

    I’m a stay-at-home mom of two two-year-olds. Life is busy and costumes can be used for more than just Halloween. I really like the idea of simple crafts, and from the sounds of it, some of these costumes are made from what is already on hand. What a plus!

  27. Natalya says:

    I always come up with something that turns into a huge project..I need this book for “easy” part!

  28. suealex says:

    With a 3.5 year-old and a 1.5 year-old, this is the first of many years that the Halloween costumes are VERY. IMPORTANT. I expect this book will become a well-used volume in my craft library for many years to come.

  29. PenguinBot says:

    I’ve got a two-year-old and an infant and I’d love this book to build up a dress-up clothes box for them! (Not to mention the Halloween costume ideas!)

  30. Cinda says:

    As a mom to a busy 4-year-old who loves Halloween, this would be something that we could craft together.

  31. angel22766 says:

    I have 5 nieces and nephews and I always make things for them, whether is birthday cakes, toys or costumes and a book like his would make it much simpler… and I could see a book like this get a lot of use as I work in a primary school and am studying to be a primary school teacher…

  32. Nathalie says:

    I have 3 girls who love to dress up. They always ask for new costumes and can change so many times while playing. So this book will give me great ideas to sew them new costumes. Thanks for this great giveaway!

  33. jess says:

    My poor baby daughter is stuck with a mom who desires to be crafty, but can rarely finish a project. This book gives me hope that I could actually create – and finish – some fun costumes for her!

  34. Ben Jarrell says:

    My daughter has a voracious imagination and we go through a lot of nice clothes during dress up. It would be nice to be able to provide something more than skirts and tiaras.

  35. mchambers says:

    My two yr old loves to help me sew. Whether it be practicing with scissors, sitting on my lap at the machine or buying fabric. It would be a wonderful addition to our clever crafty filled days!

  36. klingnerin says:

    As a kid my mom used to dress me as a little ladybird, like the one on the book cover. I wore this costume for several years – until a grew out of it. But what stays until today is the memory of this best of all “Fasching” costumes. (Fasching is here the event to dress in costumes.) I would love to give my kids the same memories – so I have to sew cute costumes for them. With a little help from this book.

  37. Stephanie C. says:

    I love making things for my little boy so this book would be perfect!

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