DIY “Thing” Halloween Costume

I love Halloween! It’s one of my favorite holidays of the year. I love any excuse to dress up as someone else and get creative, and Halloween is the perfect excuse to do just that. It’s always been a big holiday in my family – my mom and dad always dressed up to the extreme, and my mom always handmade mine and my sister’s costumes each year. The older I got, the more into Halloween and making my own costumes I got. In fact, I honestly don’t remember the last time I purchased a ready-made costume from a store. What fun is that, after all?

Jimmy could really care less about Halloween, but because he loves me soooooo much that he let’s me make the plans and dress him up for this wacky holiday each year without one complaint. Okay, he might complain a little, but he sucks it up and ends up having fun with it :).

Last year, my friend Beth threw a Halloween party and the pressure was on. What to be, what to be? I decided to skip the sexy, skip the scary, and go straight back to our childhood. Jimmy and I would be Dr. Seuss’ Thing 1 and Thing 2. I started our costumes a few days before and had them ready just in time for the party.

Just as a refresher, here’s what the original Thing 1 and Thing 2 look like:

And here’s what we looked like as Thing 1 and Thing 2!

So, want to make your own Thing costume?
You will need the following:
– Your choice of red shirt
– White scrap material, black paint, a small paintbrush, scissors and fabric glue (if you opt to hand-paint your design like I did) OR iron-on transfer paper and the Thing 1 and/or Thing 2 design
– Blue feather trim
– Your choice of skirt (see below)
– Blue hair chalk
– Accessories of choice (see below)
– A fun attitude!

Here are seven easy steps to make your own Thing costume:
(P.s. It helps if you have a cute witch dog watching you.)

Step 1: Make your shirt.
You can totally buy one, but what fun is that? I wanted a tank top and not a regular T-shirt, so I opted to make my own. I found a cute red tank from Old Navy for $5, and used the back of an old white T-shirt to create the logo on the front. I just eyeballed the design that I found online, but you could definitely print it off and use as a template. With black fabric paint (or a thick black permanent marker), create the Thing “logo” with the corresponding number in the center. Cut and glue to the red shirt using No-Sew fabric glue. If you don’t trust yourself with glue, paint or permanent markers, you can print the design on iron-on transfer paper and iron it on to your red shirt. (Do the same for the guy version, just on a regular T-shirt.)

Step 2: Add feather trim.
Using that same fabric glue, glue blue feather trim to the neckline of your shirt. (I found the feather trim at Michael’s craft store for less than $5.) If you’re a sewer, feel free to sew this bad boy on instead, but the glue held up just fine. (You can omit this part for the guy version. Unless he likes feathers – then totally go for it.)

Step 3: Buy or make your skirt.
If you’re not a skirt person, you can wear red pants or leggings. I made this blue and red tutu and was super pumped about it, but my cat apparently wanted it more than he wanted me to wear it (he ripped it – evil cat), so I found this red petticoat at a nearby Halloween store at the last-minute (which is why you’ll notice two different skirts in my pictures). But if you don’t feel like making your own tutu, the petticoat is great option! (For the guy version, red sweat pants are perfect!)

Step 4: Time for that blue hair you’ve always wanted!
C’mon, you can’t say at one point in your life you didn’t go through a phase when you thought having blue hair would be really cool. Now’s your chance to have at it, baby! I found the perfect blue hair chalk at CVS and streaked away at my locks. (Warning: You may have blue hair for the next two days, especially if you have light hair … for realz). If you’re feeling super crazy, you can use a can of temporary blue hair spray (found in the costume section of most stores), or just buy a blue wig. (For the guy version, follow the same steps.)

Step 5: Match your makeup.
You know that blue eyeshadow and eyeliner that’s been collecting dust in the back of your makeup drawer? Now’s the time to pull those bad boys out. Pile on the blue shadow all the way up to the brows – don’t be shy – and line your eyes with blue eyeliner on the top, bottom and in the inner corner. Throw on some thick black (or heck, blue!) falsies to really make your eyes pop. (Excuse the shine and lash creases. This picture was taken at the end of the night.) Finish the look with a bold red lip. (For the guy version … makeup is, um, optional?)

Step 6: Accessorize!
This is one of the most important steps, as it can completely make the costume. Get creative here. I used the remainder of the blue feather trim and wrapped it around my wrists, securing it with a safety pin. I also found these great red and white striped knee-high socks that went along nicely. I finished my look with red pumps, blue earrings and a red feather hair clip (also from Michael’s). (For the guy version, you really don’t need too much. We rolled up Jimmy’s sweats so his socks would show, and he just happened to have red and white sneakers that went perfectly.)

Step 7: Get into character!
What fun is dressing up as two blue-haired things that run around in pajamas if you can’t act like them? In the books, Thing 1 and Thing 2 are mischievous little creatures who are always getting into trouble. Jimmy and I decided to do the same … with Silly String. Poor Sarah might not have loved it as much as we did, but she’s still our friend, so that’s a good sign.

And there you have it! Seven simple steps to becoming a Thing for less than $20. I love the fact that A. It’s an inexpensive look to create; B. No one else will have the exact same costume; C. It’s a huge hit with everyone; and D. It literally turns you into a kid for the night. I must say, it might have been the most fun I’ve had dressing up in a while!