Hi Moms,
I'm an early bird and one of the things I'm giving my daughter for Christmas is a dress up trunk. I already have a beautiful little trunk but now I need ideas on where to find some cool hats, feather boas, pretty dresses, ect that she can grow into..... She's 6 years old so I don't want to get her things that are too big on her but perhaps items that can be shortened and taken down later - like some pretty sparkly prom dresses or something. I want the trunk to last a while before I have to replenish it..... Anyway, I know of the Pink Elephant store in Elmhurst. And I've heard garage sales can be a good place. Any other ideas for the northwest suburbs? I looked on Ebay but the prices are pretty high. Not too much on Craigslist right now, but I will keep looking. Have any of you ever made a dress up box for your girls? Any advice would be great!
Thank you!
E.
Hi Moms! Thank you for all the wonderful ideas! I will definitely hit the after Halloween specials - didn't even think about buying actual costumes!!! Also - to the nice mom that reminded me of the bed bug issues, I promise to wash everything thoroughly :) But thank you for that reminder - what a horrible thing it would be to have bed bugs in the house!!! I can't wait to get this together for my daughter - she loves dressing up and I think she'll love this part of Christmas morning :)
Try looking in some Halloween Costume shops if you have them around (they crop up by me all over the place and then dissapear after the holiday). They usually sell acessories to costumes like boas and fairy wands etc. and are usally inexpensive. Also places like look at Walmart or Traget for decent costume jewlery.
Good luck!
Why don't you wait until after Halloween sales. Also, ask friends if they have anything. I bet you can come up with alot of great stuff that way=)
Garage Sales! My son spent some time as a pirate. I had collected a treasure box of old outdated cheap pieces of jewelry with big colorful stones/diamonds and pearls.
Suprisingly enough I found alot of dress up stuff at Dollar Tree. They have fairy wings, wands, tiarras/crowns,outfits, jewerly,etc.
Other than that, garage sales are your best bet. Resale shops can get expensive too.
Good Luck!
M.
First of all - what a fun gift! I remember my dress up trunk and the hours my sister and I spent playing everything from tea party to "North and the South" (yes, the mini-series from the 80s).
If you have a plato's closet, that is a teen/pre-teen focused resale chain and could have a lot of options for dresses.
Also, if you have a teenage sitter or neighbor, you could find out if any of her friends are interested in selling their old prom dresses/formals. A listing at a local college, too, using the pull tag type of flier "Cash for Dresses"
Re: the boas and other items, the halloween after sales are great! That is where I stock up on my kids' play clothes each year.
Best of luck filling the trunk!
You can also try dollar stores or their equivalent...they often have boas, fans, hats, masks, and so on.
Hit the after halloween sales.
Thrift/second hand shops, as you have mentioned.
Go to the fabric store and go to the discount fabric area where they have milled ends, sometimes you can find something really fun...you don't have to do anything with it really, I used to wrap myself up and make a toga, held together with a belt, or run around with flowing fabric (1 yard or so). Hours of entertainment.
Tutus are super easy to make. All you need is elastic and tulle. You don't have to know how to sew. Google tutus for little girls and you should be able to find directions.
I've gotten very pretty dress-up dresses at TJ Maxx and Marshalls. They are way better than the disney dresses and cost way less. Most of the ones I got were $12-$16.
Check out your Goodwill too, they have all kinds of things and usually have some nice dresses, hats etc too. You can check out craft stores when they have 40% off coupons for boas too. I bought several there last year and you can usually find a coupon online before going. What a fun idea!
Thrift stores
garage sales
estate sales-- you may find cool costume jewelry there
costume outlets/discount stores
dollar tree-accessories, hair things etc.
craigslist-
good luck!
M
Get stuff after halloween. I go to Target every year & buy costumes & accessories for 80-90% off. Also a better website than craigslist is bookoo.com check it out.
We have had great luck at garage sales and also dance studios.......a couple times a year they will well the dance costumes for next to nothing......lots of feathers and sequins!
Good luck!
Target halloween costumes the week after are about a dollar. Goodwill too.
Find some temporary Halloween stores, and the day after Halloween, go sweep the store. They'll have lots of fun stuff on sale like feather boas and fun hats and maybe even some cute costumes if they're not too pricey still. Also, Once Upon A Child will sometimes have dressy clothes for older kids.
there was a thing on the national news the other day about avoiding ALL outlets for resale.....due to the whole bed bug problem. It was even said that to beware of stores you would normally trust, because they just can't keep up. Yard sales were also mentioned. Clothing, furniture, etc ...all were mentioned.
Now, I am a very cynical person & is this just a ploy to boost the economy? Who knows....but it is true that bed bugs are back..... & this was specifically mentioned because of Halloween & making costumes.
Doomsday forecasting over: this is what I use - vintage hats, gloves. Costume jewelry, the flashier (or chunkier) the better. Old clip-on earrings. No rings - they just fall off....unless you buy children's costume rings at the dollar store. Scarves are fun, as are mens ties. Avoid lots of buttons & long zippers. After Halloween, you'll be able to pick up lots of costumes & accessories.....at a fraction of the cost! Have fun!
