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Halloween Costume - Bag of Jelly Beans

You will need:

white poster board or white contact paper

acrylic paints and a brush or wide permanent markers in assorted colors

glitter and glue, optional

a clear plastic trash bag (30-33 gallon)

2" wide clear shipping tape

scissors

a large bag of balloons in many colors

2" wide ribbon (gold or silver is best)

neutral clothes, or optionally for women, stockings and high heels.

...and you will possibly need someone to assist you in getting into your costume.

Using the poster board or the white contact paper as a base, paint a colorful Jelly Bean Label for your bag of beans. If you wish, you can look online or in stores for inspiration for your costume. The label should be about one foot tall by one and a half feet wide. Gold or silver paint or metallic marker, or glitter can be used to add sparkle to your label.

Carefully flatten your clear trash bag out onto a clean, flat surface. Center your Jelly Bean Label approximately 16" up from the bottom of the bag and affix, using clear shipping tape as necessary. Using scissors, cut two leg holes in the bottom of the bag, and reinforce the edges in an "8" formation around the openings with the clear shipping tape.

To make shoulders to hold your costume up, it is convenient to have "suspenders" made of clear plastic shipping tape. Stick tape to itself in the middle of two long strips of shipping tape. Affix them on the bag far enough apart that you can get into your costume, but close enough together that the straps can rest on your shoulders and hold the costume up. Cut two holes in the sides of the bag for your arms and reinforce the holes with clear tape. Add the decorative ribbon around the top of the bag, and secure with tape.

Now blow up your balloons. Do not fill the balloons too much or they will pop easily. The number of balloons you need will vary. Get dressed and get into the plastic bag, and fit the balloons in around you.