Archive for the ‘Chop Shop’ Category

Tuesday, October 25th, 2011

Chop Shop: ‘Ghouling’ up your Halloween Decorations

A few weeks ago I reached out to the amazingly talented Ghoul Friday, the namesake behind GhoulFriday.com to see if she might be interested in ‘ghouling’ up some of our awesome Halloween props as a display of what some craftsmanship and determination can accomplish when it comes to terrifying up your decor for the Halloween season (or any season if that’s what floats your boat).

What Ghoul Friday managed to accomplish with our products has literally blown my mind.

Taking our Old Haunted Radio Animated Prop and transforming it from this (left image), albeit it cool, an admittedly store-bought looking product…to what looks genuinely old, authentic, and awesome (right image).


What’s more, is that she was kind enough to detail the steps in her process – so you can do it too! Check out the images and visit her Radio Makeover tutorial here to learn how to do it yourself!

But in all honesty, the pièce de résistance, the tribute to her talents come in the form of what she managed with our Full Size Skeleton prop, which, as of this writing, retails for $99.99. Again, with some hard work, creativity and talent, Ghoul Friday has managed to take one badass looking prop skeleton (left image) and make it look positively terrifyingly badass (right image).


While the process was a bit more labor intensive than the radio, it’s still managable by anyone willing to put in the time. Ghoul Friday detailed her process in two parts this time. Make sure to visit both Part One and Part Two for all the steps AND more great pictures!

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Thursday, October 20th, 2011

Chop Shop: NeverNude Costume (Arrested Development)

Have you ever watched Arrested Development? It’s a brilliant comedy from the mid-2000′s that was woefully under-appreciated when it aired and was canceled before it’s time. If you haven’t watched it, you should get on that right away. Either way, today in the Chop Shop, I’m taking you down a different path all together. If you know the show, then you know the character of Tobias Funke and his NeverNude affliction. If you don’t, or would prefer a bit of a refresher course, the video below should do just that (please try refreshing the page if it says the video is unavailable).

Basically, a NeverNude is exactly what it sounds like, someone who is compulsively terrified of being completely naked, which means, that even in the buff, Tobias, along with other NeverNudes still rocks a pair of cut-off Daisy Dukes. Just…watch the video, to understand, and check out the steps below it for how to make an awesome NeverNude costume for yourself!



So, basically, depending on how comfortable you are with exposed skin, there are 4 or 5 pieces you need to make your own NeverNude Costume. They are as follows…

- An appropriate Tobias Funke mustache if you’re not awesome enough to have one already.
- Some Spirit Gum to paste on that badass stache.
- Unless you’re willing to shave your head, a bald cap
- (Optional) If you’re a little on the jolly side (like yours truly), a Flesh Skin Suit – trust me, that sounds far more morbid than it actually is.
- Finally, a pair of ugly blue jeans primed to be cut offs. We don’t actually sell blue jeans (for a wealth of reasons, including the fact that they’re not actually a costume), but I’m sure you can find a pair yourself. Or maybe you already have a pair of cut-offs, then you can just use them…wait a minute, why do you already have a pair of those?

After you’ve got your materials, there are just a few quick steps to piece it all together.

- Step 1: Assemble the parts (we already went through this).
- Step 2: Unfold your pants.
- Step 3: Chop off your pants legs, make them as short as can be while still keeping them as shorts.
- Step 4: (optional) If you’re the jolly type, or suffer from a stronger affliction of NeverNudism, this is where you can cut down your Flesh Skin Suit to what you deem as appropriate bodily coverage.
- Step 5: Dutifully remove any other headgear you may have adorned upon yourself and replace it with a fancy-dan bald cap – or, shave your head.
- Step 6: If you haven’t grown it already, break out your Spirit Gum (don’t chew it, it’s not really gum), and use it to apply your mustache to your face.
- Step 7: Channel your inner Tobias Funke (read: be awkward).

Here, I demonstrate in a video (yes, this is me):



Note: We’re always looking for new and creative suggestions for what we can do as a Chop Shop feature. Have a suggestion? Have an idea of how we could walk you through a DIY costume even better than we did? Maybe you’re interested in guest posting a chop-shop of your own? Drop us a line on our Facebook wall or Tweet us @BuyCostumes.

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Wednesday, October 19th, 2011

Chop Shop: Hall of Horrors




This edition of the Chop Shop is another guest post by guest blogger Steve Sabellico from HalloweenAddict.com.

Today on Chop Shop we’re going to forego the big rooms that get all the attention. No living rooms, no kitchens and certainly no dining rooms, here. Nope. Today we’re going to decorate the in-between part of your party: the hallway.

Hallways are the Rodney Dangerfields of Halloween Parties. They get no respect (rim shot!). Most people look at a hallway as just a means of getting from one major room to another. But I think there is a missed opportunity if this crucial transport vessel is ignored.

So we’re going to turn a hallway into: THE HALL OF HORRORS

Here’s a simple idea that isn’t hard to pull off and won’t cost you an arm and a leg (rim shot!). Ok, seriously I promise I won’t do any puns. Elvira, Freddy and The Crypt Keeper have always been better at that than me. Then again, there’s that “rule of threes”… hmmm… I can’t guarantee there won’t be one more.

What is a “Hall of Horrors?” Think of it like a museum to honor the boogeymen.
First you’re going to make the doorway to the hall into an official entryway. A Hall of Horrors commands respect, so it should be ceremonious in how it meets guests.

Get some red or black fabric: this could be a bed sheet or some fabric you purchased at Fabrics-Fabrics-Fabrics-And-More (they sell fabric).

Drape it over the doorway like theatre curtain bunting if you’re going for an ‘upscale’ Hall of Horror… or you can make it the ‘dilapidated’ Hall of Horror by using some black or red cheesecloth like the Burgundy Creepy Decoration or the Black Creepy Cloth Decoration and let it hang down in front of the doorway so that people have to pass through the rotten curtain to get through.



Next, hang over the doorway either a homemade sign announcing your new exhibit or try a few of what BuyCostumes.com has to offer in either a Beware! Enter If You Dare Banner, a Welcome to Hell Sign or an Enter If You Dare sign. After all, you want to let people know where they’re going… and no man is going to ask directions.




Once in the hall, you’ll want to set up your virtual museum to the monsters who have come before. Grab the following door covers with light up eyes:
- Jason Voorhees
- Freddy Krueger
- Michael Myers



Affix them to the walls as if they were medieval tapestries. Be sure to either take out most of the lights in the hall or install a dark purple or blue bulb so that it’s a dark walk. Now as people travel down the hall they’re met with a soundscape of scary noises emanating from the door covers (be sure to have batteries!) while the eyes light up. Hope your patrons can hold their bladders.

Extra credit: Install a Hanging Ghost Face in the far corner of the hall. You can’t have the boogeymen of Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th represented without Scream.

And if you have the room (you’ll know because you’ll have one of those decorative half-tables with a porcelain elephant or something on it), you can nix the elephant and replace it with a Leatherface Deluxe Mask (stuffed with a foam wig stand or newspaper so it stands upright). For an extra twist, make a little plaque to sit beneath Leatherface that says simply, “Dad.”


So there you go. One Hall of Horrors. Partygoers check in but they don’t check out. (rim shot! Bam! That’s three.)
[Lightning flash. Thunder clap. Maniacal laughter.]

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Thursday, October 13th, 2011

Chop Shop: The Saw Inspired Bathroom

It’s October and that means it’s time for Halloween parties!

But with so many different items on BuyCostumes.com, you don’t want to go for the shotgun approach to decorating. Nothing screams “amateur” than a bunch of unrelated Halloween decorations placed randomly throughout the house. An inflatable tree in the living room, a severed foot in the sink and some orange twinkle lights make your guests want to check their watches, not check around your swank set-up.

So on this week’s Chop Shop by guest blogger Steve Sabellico from HalloweenAddict.com, and he’ll be showing you how to decorate your place in a specific theme.

Today’s room: The Bathroom.

At any Halloween party, the bathroom usually gets ignored. Most people put out some orange towels, light a candle and call it a day.

But as Halloween and horror movies go together like peanut butter and chocolate, we’re going to discuss turning your plain ol’ bathroom into…


THE SAW-INSPIRED BATHROOM

For 7 years this horror series told us “If it’s Halloween it must be SAW.”
So why not decorate your clean porcelain bathroom in an homage to this terribly twisted torturefest (alliteration!).

First, we have to take your pristine walls and dirty ‘em up. But as no one likes to smear axle grease on their walls for a one-night party, we’ll go for an easy clean-up solution. Start by hanging a couple layers of the Bloody Wall Backdrop on the walls. This simple change-up will give the whole room a different feel, even if you didn’t do anything else to the room.

Let’s hit the tub next. No one’s going to be showering at your party (and if they are that’s one heck of a party) so we can use this as the focal point of the room and prop-it-up.

Get rid of your shower curtain. Yes, yes, the paisley Martha Stewart in eggshell is lovely but we’re building scary here. Swap it out for the Bloody Shower Curtain. Pull it all the way to one side because we want your guests to see what’s in the tub.

In the tub:
We’re going to need a corpse. If you don’t have one lying around, might I suggest the Full Size Skeleton. Take the skeleton and dress it in a dirty t-shirt and maybe some torn up jeans. What we’re going for is showing that this bathroom (YOUR bathroom) has been used by Jigsaw for sometime as his sick little playground.

Now take a set of Jumbo Shackles and put one end around one of the legs and the other end around one of the tub faucet handles. You might even want to pose your skeleton to look like he had been pulling on the chain until his last dying breath.

There. You’ve just created one of Jigsaw’s victims: “the guy who didn’t make it out.”

But somebody DID make it out and you want to make sure they’re represented to. Or at least… part of them.

Start with the Hanging Bloody Foot prop.

This will be the remains of “the guy that got away.” Wrap the chain around the base of your pedestal sink, or some other stationary object in your bathroom, and fasten it… leaving the foot dangling out on the floor. Place a hacksaw or other tool next to the foot and pour a little Test Tube Horror Blood on the tool and foot.

Now your partygoers know he JUST got away.

Lastly, your audience will want to know who the mastermind is who caused these people to do such horrible things to themselves.

Hang the 15” Jigsaw Hanging Head from the ceiling right next to the bathroom mirror so guests can wash their hands and wonder if the swaying puppet is looking at them. As guests turn around hastily to leave, they’re taken aback by the Saw Pig Head Mask… sitting on the back of the toilet tank (be sure to keep a secret stash of TP in it).

Extra Points:
If you’ve got the floor space, I advise one more thing: get another corpse (or stuffed dummy) and put the Saw-Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) Mask on it, laying it face down. Then in its outstretched hand, place a pistol and be sure to put a pool of blood under the body. Not only will guests having to step around this display be unsettled, but true fans of the series will enjoy the nod to the series.

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Thursday, September 15th, 2011

Chop Shop: Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games)

Have you heard of The Hunger Games? Maybe you have, maybe you haven’t. Either way, you owe it yourself to check it out. It’s a fantastic story, and it’s going to be a movie next year.

Now if you’re a lady that’s fond of the protagonist, Katniss Everdeen – this might be an easy costume for you this Halloween. You can ride the hype wave, and be rocking the costume BEFORE the movie makes it big. You’ll just need four things.

Take our Robin Hood Adult Costume – yes, I know Robin Hood was a dude – but a lady could totally rock this costume with a little customization. You’ll want to tweak it a bit, and maybe wear a pair of darker khaki’s instead of black slacks. If you read the book, you’ll know exactly what you need to do to look the part.

Then you’ll take some Face Painting Makeup Disguise Stix the brown ones, to dirty up yourself and the outfit a bit.

Finally, you’ll need a bow and arrow set and some silver spray paint to make them look appropriate.

Craft yourself (if you’re that awesomely talented) or find a specialty store somewhere online to get the MockingJay pin from the poster.

And there you have it…

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Thursday, August 25th, 2011

The Chop Shop: The Eleventh Doctor

Have you ever seen Doctor Who? You probably should if you haven’t. It’s British, sure, but it’s also suitably awesome. And appropriately so, this week I’m going to very quickly show you how to be the Eleventh Doctor, as played by Matt Smith.

This is pretty easy, you can buy some of the parts with BuyCostumes.com but what you can’t get with us, your local thrift shop should have you covered for.

This is who you’re going to be.

This is what you’re going to need.

Love at First Bite Adult Wig
Don’t worry, this won’t make you sparkle or anything like that.

Deluxe Nerd Accessory Kit
You’ll need a bow-tie, and you get a fancy one in our nerd kit. Of course, you’re probably badass enough to have your own. If it’s not a clip-on, you’re undeniably more cool than I am.

Finally, you need a fancy sports coat to go over that indubitably handsome ensemble you’ve just acquired. This is the piece you’ll have to explore your closet, or the walls of your local thrift shop for.

And there, you’ve done it! Particularly the hair, nice job on the hair, you handsome, handsome fella.
LOOK AT THAT HAIR!

If you want the Fez hat look, we’ve got you covered there as well!

 

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Thursday, August 18th, 2011

The Chop Shop: Cereal Killers

Hi.

I’m going to level with you right now. This one is a bit punny. And by a bit, I mean a lot. So brace yourself, but it’s easy – that’s the point.

Today I’m going to show you how to be a cereal killer.

First you’ll want to take one of our Cereal character costumes. You’ve got a couple options, or you could do it as a group.

There’s Tony the Tiger,Toucan Sam, Count Chocula, Lucky the Leprechan, or Frankenberry.

After you pick one of those guys, you’ll wanna grab some Graftobian fake blood.

Finally – a fake knife.

And you’re good to go.

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Thursday, August 11th, 2011

The Chop Shop: Devil with a Blue Dress On

There’s an oldie out there, by Mitch Ryder. Devil with a Blue Dress On.

Are you familiar with it? Want to spice up some otherwise ‘typical’ costumes this year? Well now you can buy a boombox, crank those beats, and be a devil with a blue dress on – in just three easy steps.

First you need to accessorize properly with our Red Devil Accessory Kit.

Add some sexy red Lady Janes.

And, with a little craftsmanship (read: removing the wings), our True Blue Fairy Light Up Costume is a perfect blue dress – it even has that light-up sparkle to add a little flavor to your spice.

And just like that, you’re a Devil with a blue dress on.

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Thursday, August 4th, 2011

The Chop Shop (Special): Harry Potter Characters

This week in the Chop Shop, we’re going to take a bit of a different approach to things. Instead of showing you one DIY costumes, we’re going to show you 3 WDIFY costumes. What’s WDIFY? Well, it’s not that great of an acronym, that much is clear. But WDIFY stands for “we did it For you.” What does that mean exactly? Well, from time to time, when we’re exploring BuyCostumes, we realize that while we might not offer a costume straight off the shelf, we do have all of the necessary components for the costume. Sometimes, there’s a demand, sometimes it’s just an inquiry or two and we think it’d be cool to package it all together – save you the legwork.

So then we have costume kits. One stop shopping at it’s finest – buy everything you need under one (reasonable) price tag, and you’ll walk away with a costume you can’t buy in that style anywhere but BuyCostumes.

Today we’re taking a peek at three brand new kits we just launched based on characters from Harry Potter. We’ve heard buzz about the costumes, and we saw we had what was needed and that we need only make it easier to get everything to bring these characters to life.

Here they are.

You can be quirky, cute, and all around awesome in the…

Luna Lovegood Adult Costume Kit

For the more obnoxious complainers out there, we now have a…

Moaning Myrtle Adult Costume Kit

And finally, for the brave, fearless, powerfully timid, there’s the…

Dobby Adult Costume Kit

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Thursday, July 28th, 2011

The Chop Shop: Sexy Killer Bee

“Buzz…buzz…buzz…SLASH.”

Wait, what was that? Well, aside from a pretty poor attempt at an onomatopoeia, it’s the sound that you’ll hear if you happen to be around anyone who chops together the Sexy Killer Bee costume we’re assembling in this week’s Chop Shop.

It’s pretty simple really, depending on how far you’d like to go with it, there are a number of options at hand.

You can’t buzz unless you’re a bee (or a contestant on a quiz show, but…well…yeah). So you need a bee costume – we’ve got that, and here are three costumes in particular that might just be perfect for you.

Queen Bumble Bee Adult – Queen Beeotch Adult Costume – Sweet as Honey Adult Costume

So you’ve got the sexy bee going fine, now it’s time to dice it up a bit.

What better way to do that than with the machete belonging to Mr. Vorhees himself.

Jasons Machete

Finally, add a little villainy to you sting with the Xotic Eyes Villain Eye Kit

And there you have it, buzz and slash and buzz away!

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