Halloween weekend is upon us and if you're like me you've been carving pumpkins, sipping hot cider, and stocking up on plenty of your favorite candy. Despite all of this Halloween themed fun I'm still without a costume for this weekend's festivities! On the way into the office this morning my head was spinning with easy and affordable costume ideas. I've narrowed it down a few choices - all wine themed, naturally! I figured that there are likely Finger Lakes Wine Country fans like me out there in need of some inspiration, so here you go. Easy, affordable, wine-themed Halloween costumes.
 

1. A bunch of grapes. Head to a local party store or craft store and pick your favorite color (green, purple or red) balloons, some green felt, and safety pins. Ahead of time you will want to make your leaves. Using a large piece of green felt, cut a hole in the middle (where your head will go) and then cut the remaining fabric around the hole into leaf shapes. Make sure you make them large enough to stand out against the large balloons. For an added touch, grab an old headband, wrap it in scrap green felt and then hot glue a few green leaves to it. When you're ready to go, get dressed in tights/leggings/sweatpants and long sleeve shirt/sweatshirt. You can either go with all black, which is likely the easiest to find last-minute, or a color that matches your grapes. Now you'll definitely need a friend to help you blow up and pin the balloons on. If you're headed to a party you may want to do this step once you've arrived because traveling in a car - especially driving - will be near impossible! This costume will also make sitting down a bit of a challenge. So - if you're not traveling and don't mind standing around, this is an easy and fun costume.

 

2. Bacchus, The God of Wine. A perfect option for the wine loving guy, this costume is easy to pull together and super comfy! All you need is a solid color flat sheet, a different solid color piece of fabric, safety pins, fake grapes and grape leaves, green and gold fabric remnants, some crafting wire or even pipe cleaners to use as the base of the crown. Now men, depending on how warm it is or how daring you are, you can choose to wear whatever you like under the sheet. If you want to be authentic you can wear a pair of gym shorts and your favorite flip flops or sandals. Now, think back to the frat house and drape your flat sheet around you to create the one shoulder toga look. You can either belt the toga with some gold or white rope - or let it hang. Now drape the fabric over your other shoulder and either tuck the ends into the belt or simply tie it together on the other end. (This other piece of fabric isn't totally necessary) Now for the crown, just form the wire or pipe cleaners in a circle to fit your head. Wrap green and/or gold fabric around it tightly using hot glue to secure it. Now glue small grape bunches, grape leaves, and any other charms you find at the craft store to the crown. On the easy-o-meter, this one definitely wins! This costume could also be great for women.

 

 

 

3. Grape Stomping Lucy. We all know everyone loves Lucy, and having just celebrated the 100th anniversary of her birth, this is a perfect way to pay homage to America?s favorite redhead. All you?ll need is a long (preferably blue) peasant skirt, an off-the-shoulder white blouse, a thick belt, and a white or printed handkerchief or scarf. Besides the classic outfit, another key is the hair and makeup. While you may not be lucky enough to be a natural redhead, you have three choices ? wig, temporary dye, or just go with what you got. Make sure you pull your hair back in that classic Lucy coif with lots of curls peeking out from the front of your scarf. A defined cat eye and bright red lips are a must! This is a fun, feminine and classic costume that is sure to be a hit.

 

 

 

If you decide to go with any of these, please make sure to share your picture on the Finger Lakes Wine Country Facebook page. Happy Halloween!