I haven't ventured into the do-it-yourself costumes yet, mostly because my kids only want the Buzz Lightyear and other licensed character stuff. But this year I might just get my chance to make something. J wants to be a ghost. Not any old white-sheet ghost. A black ghost with red eyes, showing his skeleton that glows in the dark and whose bones are bleeding. Any of you have a costume like this I could copy?

My crafty friend Heather got a jump start on her Halloween costumes this year--way back in May! Okay, she was really making them as dress-ups, but I thought they would be perfect for Halloween! Check out the cute ideas she came up with. . .

She made these faux-leather chaps out of marine vinyl, purchased at the fabric store in several colors. She made up the pattern, but you can see it's not too intricate. She also made a matching vest, then just added an old hat, a bandana, and cowboy boots. So cute! A few tips from Heather:

Some of the marine vinyl had a somewhat tacky finish and it wouldn't feed though the sewing machine, so I gathered used dryer sheets and placed them over the top of the vinyl and then cut it off when I finished stitching. Then I just pulled any remaining fibers from under the stitches. Two of the three types of the marine vinyl I used didn't present any problem. Also, you can't really pin it prior to stitching...any holes made by the pins will remain - same thing if you stitch it and then have to pick it out. I actually used scotch tape to hold the pieces in place while I stitched. It worked pretty well. Probably the best recommendation I can make is to stitch slowly as you hold it in place with your fingers.