Guess it's no secret that I'm a fan of the homemade Halloween. Like, not necessarily home-sewn or home-grown, but you know, home-put-together. There's nothing wrong with buying costumes or components, I've just always really liked exploring my own wardrobe and craft drawer and seeing what I can come up with. Things are much the same for Sweet Lou. This year, m'lady is going as a sort of cross between Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. She's obsessed with both and changes her mind about which she wants to be. These photos are more reminiscent of Hermione (I mean, she's kinda a dead ringer here), but just because I forgot the glasses and scar. On real Halloween, she may yet end up being a hybrid. And warning: this is an image-heavy post. Luckily, most of them are pretty cute.

So, some of this was purchased, but none was from a Harry Potter kit - and I think it wound up pretty good, no? Kids are so easy to dress up. They're just so wee and cute. Anyway, here's what we started with:

Can you tell that thing in the top right quadrant is a (1) witch hat? It is. I got it from the One Spot at Target for $3, which I thought was a really good deal. At the time, our Harry Potter obsession (well, Lou's - mine is longstanding) was just beginning, and it was awesome to find a Hermione hat. (2) is an early 90s velvet dress, which I found at Goodwill (maybe as much as $8?) to use as a robe. The rest: (3) collared shirt, (4) tie, (5) Gryffindor scarf and (6) skirt were necessary, as far as I was concerned. The collared shirt, skirt and scarf are from Goodwill, but I ended up switching out the shirt for one she already had. The tie is Bret's. Then we had this small (7) chopstick, which I thought I'd use as a wand, by pouring glue over it for texture, letting that dry and spray painting it. Then I came to my senses and we just got a twig from outside. I also picked up a pair of sunglasses for her for $.50 at Goodwill, that I plan to pop the lenses out of, and I can use eyeliner for the scar if she decides she wants it.

For the robe, I took this full-sized ladies' dress, which I'm sure set many an original 90210 era heart a-thumping,

and shortened the sleeves and length before cutting it straight up the middle.

Converting a 90s era velvet dress into a Harry Potter robe

And, that's pretty much it. So easy. Well, I did have to teach myself how to tie a tie for Lou - thanks Internet! Lou is thrilled. We celebrated by watching a Harry Potter movie. I won't tell you which one, 'cause you'd rightfully judge.

But wait, there's more. Last year at this time, we were living in Beijing. And believe me, that takes the idea of scavenging for Halloween costumes up a notch. But Lou was obsessed with pirates, and putting together an adorable pirate costume, even in China, is really, really easy.

DIY Pirate Costume from stuff you have on hand.

As I say, this is pretty easy. She had the skirt, boots and shirt, and possibly the tights; but striped tights aren't hard to find for a little kid. The obi is mine, and the skull scarf we found at a local market for about $1. I put my gold hoop earring through the scarf and tried to put it nearish her ear. I think we nailed it! The paper pirate hat and flag are from a friend who got it playing miniature golf - lightweight enough to make the trip to Beijing and still favorites, lo all these many months and re-staples later. Finally, that thing she's swirling around in the last picture is a parrot kite (we were in China, after all) that we deconstructed a bit to be her bird. Probably my favorite aspect of the costume.

I also love to have kids dress up as story book characters near to their hearts. Before Lou settled (firmly) on Harry Potter, we were going to be Lowly Worm from the Richard Scarry series. This guy:

Our plan for this was pretty straightforward: Green hat with yellow felt feather, red bow tie and sneaks (though I'd use any sneaks we had), blue shirt and green "maxi" fashioned out of one of my tank tops. Then I'd do my best to have an apple-shaped trick-or-treat bag for her.

We also are big fans of a Brooklyn-based author named Mo Willems. Among our favorites is a series about a little girl named Trixie and her Knuffle Bunny.

Does that little lady remind you of anyone? Since that is precisely how Lou dresses herself, and we have our own "Knuffle" bunny, this costume would be a cinch to pull off, and almost certainly well-appreciated where we live - which is where Mo Willems does, too. If you're looking to dress your kid up as a boy, it would be so easy to make Alexander with stuff you can find in your own closets or thrift shops (bonus points for having gum in his hair and all white sneakers).

Finally, there's Madeline, another favorite of ours. Sure, Madeline often wears yellow, but not always. Lou wore this to a Story Book ball at the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia, and people knew who she was. And why does she have a tiger? Because to the tiger in the zoo, Madeline just said, "Pooh-pooh!" That's why. We had the dress and the hat was easy because it was close to Easter. The coat I picked up at Goodwill.

I hope, if you're still looking for Halloween ideas, that this post was a bit inspirational. Not only do I think it's fun to go the homemade-ish route, but I think that dressing kids up in things that reflect their current passions makes for a nice little time capsule, because you're going to photograph the whole thing. Years later, we can look back and remember that Lou was so into Harry Potter, and because the books and movies were a bit over her head, that meant a near-constant begging for us to just tell her the ENTIRE story.

Have a great rest of your Friday, and an even better weekend, and I'll see you Monday!