The Costume Craziness that is Halloween has come to an end along with our fabulous Costume Countdown. It got supremely hectic down at Scavenge in those last few days. The staff was in costume, half of our customers were in costume, and something happened for the first time ever.
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How it Ended
November 2nd, 2009Costume Countdown Day 31: Going to the Dogs
October 31st, 2009The end is here! 31 days of showcasing costumes. 31 days of counting down to Halloween. 31 days of men’s costumes, women’s costumes, do-it-yourself costumes, costumes for kids, and costumes for teens. So why not end it all with one type of costume we haven’t shown yet.
My friend’s dog, Sasha, was an excited volunteer for this Fluffy Bunny doggy costume. Can’t you just see it in his eyes? He’s loving it.
Dress your pup up and take him or her out for some trick-or-treating fun.
Costume Countdown Day 30: On a Mission
October 30th, 2009
My do-it-yourself SWAT costume.
I created my own SWAT costume for today. I just love costumes that have to do with adventure, excitement, thrills, and even danger. Uniforms, military, special forces and all sorts of law enforcement costumes seem to really fit this category for me. Also, the last minute shoppers can be a bit fussy, unruly, and rude so I needed a costume with some muscle behind my costume today.
About a month before Halloween I did my yearly thrift store run. I go there, keeping my eyes peeled for any treasures, great deals, or something I can make into a fun costume. It was here that I found the SWAT vest. All I added was my UnderArmour running tights, some way-cool boots I discovered at the thrift store (for $4!), and a black baseball hat on which I stuck “SWAT” logo. I just found a logo online, did some cropping and resizing, printed it out and stuck it on my hat with duct tape. To all of this I added a policeman belt that had a gun, handcuffs, a baton, a flashlight, and a walkie talkie.
I started the day wearing just the vest on top. It was hot and it worked out great. When the sun set and temperatures dropped, I put on my UnderArmour long sleeve shirt. I was prepared for any situation, just like a real SWAT officer.
With the shirt underneath
Costume Countdown Day 29: Never Grow Up
October 29th, 2009Costumes. The mighty power of costumes. They have the power to make us smile. To make us dream, and fantasize and make believe. 
They help us stay young.
I know Peter Pan would agree that growing up too much, too fast, to completely is a bad idea.
So here I am releasing my inner Pan, refusing to grow up.
Keeping life fun, one costume at a time!
Costume Countdown Day 28: Attack of the Ninja
October 28th, 2009
Ahh, the Far East. So mysterious, so exotic, so far, far, awayish. Who hasn’t fantasized or daydreamed or at least imagined for a moment what it would be like to be a Ninja master or master of something — some martial arts. Well, I’m happy to admit that I have.
So today I take my imaginations and express them in costume. 
One small substitution, or tweakage, as I like to call it, was made to my Ninja Master costume. It came packaged with a dagger, but I happen to own and be able to use a bokken so I used duct tape, the cardboard tube from some wrapping paper, and a random strap and made a nice shoulder sheath for my sword.
I had some fun with it at work. You should have seen this 6 year old boy’s face when I pulled it out. His eyes grew huge and his mouth dropped open. To keep him from wetting his pants, I quickly put it away.
Costume Countdown Day 27: Habits and Uniforms Revisited
October 27th, 2009
Today we’re taking little trip down memory lane for those who had the joy of attending a private school, where your teachers were tough, no-nonsense nuns, where uniforms were the only clothing choice, and where there were more rules than any human could possibly live by.
Instead, don’t you just wish your private school was as much fun as these two are having? Take back those school days! Dress up as the uniformed school girl or the nun and let your playful, fun, irresponsible side out for some fun this Halloween. The kind that might make the most evil of nuns from your past raise and eyebrow, gasp, or break out the ruler.
And for those of us who didn’t get to spend our days in a private Catholic school (or other variety), we’ll dress up to celebrate that very fact.
Costume Countdown Day 26: One Grrrrroooooovy Costume
October 26th, 2009
A few simple pieces equals one comfy costume!
This is possibly the most comfortable costume I’ve worn so far this month. Seriously, I bought this long sleeved tie dye shirt at Scavenge about two years ago. And I wasn’t even planning to use it as part of a groooovy Halloween costume. I had to have it just because it was so comfy and . . . well . . . let’s face it . . . everyone needs some tie-dye in their lives. It’s therapeutic, I tell you.
When it was time to head to Scavenge for work a few days ago, I was feeling the need for comfort. That meant it was time to get all hippied out. I almost felt like I was cheating. I wore my most comfortable Levis, my super-comfy tie dye shirt, and added a hippie wig, the three accessories in the Hippie Kit (John Lennon glasses, peace symbol necklace, and headband), then topped it all off with a leather fringe belt I found at a thrift store.
When I walked into work, I got some great looks. Mouths dropped open. There were gasps and even an “Oh my god, that soooo doesn’t look like you!”
Signs of a successful costume. And I got to be totally comfy and relaxed the whole time. Completely, grooooovy, man!
Costume Countdown Day 25: The Halloween Ship is About to Set Sail
October 25th, 2009Six days before the good ship, Halloween, sets sail.
Erica, our sailor girl, is ready to let you board if you have your costume.
Are you ready for the journey? Will you be joining us for trick or treating, costume parties, getting together with friends, meeting new people, or building a special family memories??
Well, here’s one way to gauge your readiness to set sail aboard the Halloween ship. Answer this simple question:
Do you have your costume ready???
So many people wait until the last minute to get their Halloween costumes together. Don’t be one of them this year. Well, maybe it’s a bit late to say this since you’ve only got 5 days left. If you haven’t got your costume ready to go by now, you are dangerously close to being that last minute person I always feel sorry for. Here’s why:
- The crowds in the costume shops are ridiculous in the final days. They are all just as bugged, panicked, and frustrated as you are, creating a wonderful store environment. Not to mention no room to move, long lines, and strangers bumping into you.
- The costume idea or pieces you need just might be sold out. People are regularly shocked that this happens, but it’s unavoidable.
- You have no good answer to your friends and co-workers when the ask what you are going to be this year. A severe blow to your pride.
- You risk damaging your relationship with your girlfriend, whom you’ve told over and over that you have a great costume planned.
- The risk of settling for some last-minute, lame idea is growing larger with each passing moment. Get your sheet and scissors ready, you’ll probably end up being a ghost.
So there you have it. Get your costume together and get on board the good ship Halloween before she sets sail in 5 short days.
All aboard!!!
Costume Countdown Day 24: Insta-Soldier
October 24th, 2009
Here was the plan: be a hippie. I had my clothes picked out – my jeans, my long sleeved tie-dye shirt, my sandals, along with my hippie wig, John Lennon glasses, headband, and big peace necklace. Only one problem . . . the weather. The temps jumped yesterday to the upper 70s and my planned costume for work was no longer so groovy.
What could I come up with QUICKLY that would be a comfy, functional and very cool costume??? I love the Roman Soldier helmet that we carry and had been meaning to make a whole costume to go with it, so I went with one of Scavenge’s handy-dandy costume kits.
The Roman Soldier kit comes with a gold lamé helmet and collar, a gold rope belt, and faux leather cuffs. All I needed was the toga. I headed off to the thrift store where I intended to by a sheet that I could make into a toga. I discovered that a nice large women’s nightgown would cost me less money. So I walked out with a white nightgown for $2.99.
At home I cut off the sleeves and the bottom 4 inches of the nightgown. It was a tad see-through, so I used a red sash as my belt instead of the gold rope belt provided in the kit. That kept me from being too showy in the front. The back was fine because when I tied the sash around my waist, the “toga” gathered in the back.
I wore some tan flip flops that could have been made better if only I had time to get some leather to make them look like Roman sandals . I could have bought some costume Roman Sandals, but they were just too big for my teeny feet. In the end, I was pretty happy with my look and totally thrilled with how easy this was and how cool I felt at work.
And the moral of the story is: check the weather when planning your costume. What’s the forecast for Halloween night in your neck of the woods????
Costume Countdown Day 23: Tweaking Cinderella
October 23rd, 2009Any costume can be tweaked, fine-tuned, or played with to create a look that is uniquely YOU.
In fact, in my admittedly expert opinion, not only can every costume be tweaked, every costume should be tweaked. What would be the point of just pulling a costume out of its bag, slapping in on and heading out to a Halloween party? If you do that, you run a huge risk of running into the other “Cinderellas” out there who did the same thing.
Now, if this were the King’s Ball you were attending, hoping to find your very own Prince Charming, you wouldn’t dare risk being just one of many Cinderellas, all dressed the same. You’d find a way to make your look a bit different, to make yourself stand out from the crowd.
Whitney has done just that with our Sexy Cinderella Costume. The costume actually has a lace up crop top and a skirt, with the designers intending Cinderella to have the belly exposed.
Whitney said no thanks to that and added a snug white tank. When I saw her, I actually thought the costume was supposed to be that way – it looked so good. This tweaking takes a bit of the sexiness off the costume and sends it just a bit more over to the playful side.
Whitney also toned down the sexified look by going with knee socks and tennies instead of the fishnet stockings and clear high heels worn by the model. The final Cinderella tweakage was with the hair. Whitney put on a long, blond wig, and did some pulling it up back, tucking, and pinning to get this look.
Pretty stinken’ cute look she’s got going there. Very fun, very playful, very distinctive. Now that you’ve seen what a little tweaking can do for Cinderella, it’s time for you to get out there and tweak your own costume and make it uniquely YOU!
