MAKE IT CUTE

You spend the weeks leading up to Halloween thinking about your costume and how you can be the perfect cat, witch, princess, poodle girl or...whatever creative disguise you've dreamed up. Now that you're all settled on your gear you gotta figure out where you're gonna stash all the sweets you score from trick-or-treating.

Check out our fab pillowcase idea. It’s the perf accessory to complete your costume (and it’s totally reusable as a decorative pillow once the night is over). If you think you're collecting lotsa candy go for a full-size pillowcase. If you want to keep the bag a li'l daintier, do it mini-size.

-A black pillowcase
-Hot glue gun
-Pink fur trim or boa
-White felt
-Black lace
-Silver pipe cleaners

1. Start by laying out your pillowcase so the opening is facing you. Measure about 2-3 inches down from the opening and make a horizontal guiding line (usually there is a horizontal seam that you can use to measure against). Using the hot glue gun, glue the pink fur trim along the length of the seam near the opening (the trim should be horizontal, not vertical).

2. Use the white felt to cut out cat ears. It’s easier to draw the shape of the cat ear onto the felt before cutting. Make them big enough so they are visible on your pillowcase. About 5-7 inches should be big enough.

3. Turn your pillowcase so the opening is away from you. Place the two felt cat ears about an inch away from the fur trim and glue down.

4. Cut the black lace into the shape of a cat’s ear, only make it smaller than the white felt. This will be used as the inside of the ear. Glue down, bottom center of the white felt ear.

5. Use six silver pipe cleaners as whiskers underneath of the ears, three on each side.

6. Glue down. Let dry overnight. And enjoy!

-A dark purple pillowcase
-Black/white lace
-A fake spider
-Black felt

1. Place the pillowcase on the table in front of you with the opening farthest away from your body.

2. The lace is going to be the spider web and will be placed at the corner of your pillowcase. Cut semi-jagged edges in the shape of a circle to create a rounded web. Glue lace down with the hot glue gun.

3. Hot glue the spider onto the lace.

4. Create a witch hat out of the black felt big enough to cover the bottom of the pillowcase. The hat should cover about half of the pillowcase, but shouldn’t touch the web.

5. Glue down your witch hat and place the ribbon where the brim of the hat meets the pointy cone part.

6. Let dry. And enjoy!

-A pink or purple pillowcase
-Thick ribbon in any color or pattern that will match your costume and pillowcase
-Rhinestones

1. Lay the pillowcase so the opening is farthest away from your body.

2. Take your ribbon and make a bow as big as the opening of the pillowcase. Make sure the tails of the bow are long enough to extend halfway down the pillowcase.

3. Glue down your bow at the opening of the pillowcase

4. Using the hot glue gun, decorate the front of the pillowcase with the rhinestones.

5. Let dry. And enjoy!

- A pillowcase in white or pink
-Black and white felt or old black vinyl records (ask mom or dad)
-Silver/pink fabric glitter pen
-Polka dotted ribbon

1. Lay pillowcase so the opening is farthest from you. Glue the ribbon about 2-3 inches from the opening, horizontally, along the seam of the pillowcase.

2. If you have an old vinyl record, glue it down in the left hand bottom corner. If not, make one out of felt. All you need to do is cut a big circle out of the black felt and then a smaller circle out of the white felt to glue in the middle (if you don’t know what a vinyl record looks like, ask your mom).

3. Use your silver and pink fabric glitter pens to create swirly designs in the blank areas of the pillowcase.

Psst: Other fun decade-themed pillowcases? Tie-dyed pillowcase for a '60s hippie chic or a bright neon one to match a 1980s costume.

10/15/2009 8:00:00 AM