I have a confession. I am not a crafty person. Usually my pinterest projects end up a total disaster. And doing anything without a step by step tutorial? Forget about it. So, naturally, when I find a way to do a project that is easy and simple it’s like winning the lottery. And since we are totally broke, being cheap is a must. Last year I was able to pull together a Halloween costume for my boys that was all three, and since it’s that time of year again I decided to put what I learned out there for the wonderful world of the internet. There are three basic parts to a good Thing 1 and Thing 2 outfit.
The Outfit
The first step was getting that red base. This was harder than I thought it would be. At first I started looking online and at stores for plain red footsie pajamas, but everything I saw had designs, and was more money than I wanted to spend. So I started looking for red pants and shirts.
Again, it was hard to find something without a design. Apparently, bright red pants are not “in”. You may just have to be patient with this one. I checked Walmart several times, but it wasn’t until just a couple of weeks before Halloween that I found what I needed. With the onset of colder weather came bright red, long sleeve, plain, turtleneck shirts! It was just what I needed. I also found red pants and socks to match.
You may need to compromise a little. The pants were athletic style (if that even exists for toddlers) and had a dark blue stripe on the side. I decided that didn’t bother me. The socks I bought also had a little blue on the toes and heals, but, again, it was something I could live with. I’ve also seen it done with pants that had red and white stripes, which was adorable.
It’s been a while, but I believe the shirts and pants were $4 each, and the socks were $2 (but they came with an extra pair). So, about $10 for each outfit, and they were all clothes that got a lot of use after Halloween was over. Not bad!
The Logo
The next step was getting their shirts to say “thing 1” and “thing 2”. I looked for shirts online, but all I found were t-shirts that were too big and pretty pricey. So, I decided to make the design myself. Remember what I said earlier about not being very crafty? I played with the idea of writing it on felt and pinning or sewing it on, but realized before I started that it was probably going to turn into one of my crafty disasters.
Then, as I was packing our things for a weekend at Grandma’s I realized the obvious. My mother-in-law has an embroidery machine and she loves to use it! So, I called her up and asked if she’d like to help out with the boys costumes. Needless to say, she was thrilled.
You may not have a mother-in-law who is an embroidery queen, but you may know someone with a machine who would be willing to help you out. It’s worth asking around. You could also look into logo printing and iron on options.
If all of that sounds too complicated, I would just skip this stage altogether. People will recognize the characters without the design.
The Hair
This, of course, was my favorite part. Who can resist little kids in fuzzy blue wigs? And this was way easier than I expected it to be! I followed this fabulous tutorial I found on Pinterest. Be sure to check it out for step by step pictures.
Simply take an old hat and glue on a blue feather boa with a glue gun. I had to use a full 6 foot boa for each hat.
A word of caution! When you glue on the boa put the hat on a bowl or ball first. When the glue dries it becomes stiff and the hat will no longer stretch. This will be fine if you’re using a big hat, but if they need to stretch at all to fit make sure they’re stretched out when you glue!
Also, be prepared for shedding. Unless you know of a really good brand of boas that don’t shed. I’m not a boa expert, so I just bought the cheapest ones I could find. I still pull them out and let the boys wear them sometimes, because they’re just so adorable, but I always have to vacuum after.
So, there you have it. Easy and cheap Thing 1 and Thing 2 costumes for Halloween, or just fun dress ups!
White Coats, Sippy Cups, and Me 