I love hand-crafted Halloween costumes! I think I enjoy spending every October weekend gathering bits and pieces for my costume more than I enjoy even wearing it. My super-talented sewer of a mother used to make my brothers and me lavish costumes each year. Unfortunately, I didn't inherit her talent with a sewing machine. So now that I'm an adult, I reach for the glue gun and safety pins instead and make-do with odds and ends in my closet.

Three years ago I went as Princess Lolly from Candyland. The costume was easy enough. I just super-glued candies to a red dress and put a bunch of lolly pops in my hair. At the time I was living in Boston and it happened to be muggy Halloween night. Soon the candy was dripping down my dress. Because Halloween is celebrated for an entire week, I was able to reprise the costume with better success. Expert tip: Don't unwrap the candy!

Two years ago, I was a Mermaid caught in a net. I gathered all the shells for the costume in Cape Cod. And the net came from a bait and tackle shop run by a fisherman who had lost all his teeth. Obviously, I'm all about avoiding the stuffed halloween superstores at all costs!

This year, I'm thinking about doing a version of the candy costume again. But with a more Katy Perry California Gurls video look to it. It'd be so fun to go as cotton candy, which requires only the fluff from pillow-fillings, spray painted pink and glued to a dress. I'll keep you posted as I start fashioning this year's costume!

Check out my "True Blood"-inspired costumes from last year:
Sookie
Mary Ann the Maenad

What are you being for Halloween?