Happy Batman Day! DIY Joker and Harley Quinn Costumes

-

To all the superheroes in the Justice League and all the supervillains in the Suicide Squad, Happy Batman Day! In anticipation of Batman Day 2018 on September 15, here's a look back at my DIY Joker and Harley Quinn costumes from Halloweens 2014 and 2015.

DIY Joker and Harley Quinn Couple's Costume Inspiration 

Why so serious? Our costumes came pre-Suicide Squad and Justice League movies, meaning before Joker and Harley Quinn were reduced to Hot Topic cosplay characters. Instead, our DIY Joker and Harley Quinn couple's costume inspiration came from sources including Tim Burton's Batman movie, Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight movie, the original Batman TV series and the Batman Arkham Asylum video game, among others.


Thrifting and Crafting Batman Character Costumes

We used second-hand clothes and basic craft materials to create our Joker and Harley Quinn couple's costume. By thrifting and crafting our Batman character costumes, we spent under $30 in total.

For the Joker costume, we found the shirt, vest, jacket, pants and belt at various thrift stores in Sacramento. (The purple shirt is actually a WNBA Monarch's shirt.)

To assemble my Harley Quinn costume, I purchased the black skirt for $5 at Goodwill and the thigh-high boots for $10 from Craigslist. I already had the corset, which is actually tan and black. I turned it inside out and used hot glue gun to affix Harley's signature red and black pattern in felt. Originally (and I don't recommend this) I used duct tape for my red boot. It looks awesome, but taking off and then reusing a duct-taped-covered boot is an issue. What I do recommend: tights. Duh. I pulled a red tight over the boot. I cut up tights for my legs, finger-less gloves and choker.


Harley Quinn Makeup and Joker Makeup 

Wanna know how I got these scars? I used white liquid Halloween makeup for my face and finished my Harley Quinn makeup with regular eyeshadow, lipstick, eyeliner and mascara. For the Joker Makeup, Aaron used tubes of liquid Halloween makeup. Halloween hair color spray for the hair.

Happy Batman Day! 

How will you celebrate Batman Day 2018? Pick up a free comic? Watch a Batman movie? Dress up?











Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Halloween Decorations: How to Stuff a Life-Size Michael Myers

-
Image
Michael Myers is our grand finale of decorations, the big kahuna. The Michael Myers tradition started our first year in our first home. Aaron had the brilliant idea of stuffing Michael and placing him in my office window, which faced the yard. You had to walk right past the window to get to our door. You couldn't miss Michael; even people driving by on the street would slow to check him out. On Halloween, Michael amused many and frightened some. A few groups wondered out loud if he was real. Suddenly Michael would move (thanks to Aaron hididng in the office) and screams would ensue. Eventually, Aaron closed the blinds, quickly un-stuffed Michael, stuffed himself inside and hid behind the front door. I would answer and Aaron would creep out or jump out. More screams. The next day, we had a knock at our door. A group of kids asked Aaron if he could put the costume back on and chase them. But of course! The group waited outside, expecting Aaron to come out the front door...
Keep on Reading on

Outdoor Oasis: How to Turn a Futon into a Porch Couch

-
Image
I refer to my back porch as my outdoor oasis, not because it's the most beautiful or detailed, but simply because the furniture is comfortable and the atmosphere is peaceful. It's where I go to unwind, relax and read. And now thanks to a recent project to turn a futon into a porch couch, I have the ultimate reading and napping spot. Last year, I wrote about getting rid of my busted up outdoor furniture, updating the salvageable and buying a futon to to use as my new outdoor couch . Shortly after I painted the $20 queen-size, solid-wood futon with outdoor white paint, I got busy getting ready for my move and never updated with the final result. I love it.
Keep on Reading on

Top 10 Tips for Packing Early for a Move

-
Image
I think I'm having the most organized move of my life, and that includes all future moves. I should be; this move is taking forever to actually happen. The tenants at my future home stopped paying rent over two months ago, and apparently that's how long it can take to evict someone in California. It's a frustrating saga I won't get into it. I thought I would, however, share some of my tips for an organized move, especially tips on what you can do well in advance of actually moving. 1. Create a box or basket of moving supplies. You want one place to hold packing tape, scissors, your labeling pen, etc. You also want an organizational system for all the pins, pens, screws and batteries you'll come across. (Make sure to separate the working batteries from the dead.) I like to use little jewelry boxes and small plastic containers to hold these items. After each box is sealed and labeled, the packing tape and Sharpie are immediately returned to this baske...
Keep on Reading on