Easy to Make Fish Bowl CostumeThis cute aquarium costume isn't bulky; it's fun both to make AND wear!In the slide show above, you're viewing pictures of a fun & colorful fish bowl costume designed by Sarah Albiani of Colorado. As you can see, Sarah's son was all smiles when wearing this costume. It's a relatively easy project that you, too, might enjoy making this Halloween! How to make this colorful Fish Bowl costumeby Sarah AlbianiYou'll be making this easy Fish Bowl costume in 2 parts. First, you'll make a "fish shirt," by decorating your child's shirt like an aquarium. Then secondly, you'll be making a clear plastic "fish bowl" to wear over the shirt. A 3rd optional step is to make or buy a "sea creature" hat to wear with the costume. And, as you can see in the pictures above, my son finished off the outfit by wearing his "yellow duck" house slippers.How to make the "Fish Shirt"This is the part where you can get colorful...and use your drawing & designing skills! Here are the simple steps:1.) Use any blue shirt; I chose a long sleeve shirt because of our chilly October nights here in Colorado. 2.) Using colorful felt (or the fabric of your choice) cut out your castle, seaweed, fish, etc. Glue them on the shirt (I use "tacky glue, "Flip Flop" glue, Elmers Craft bond, just whatever will glue to plastic and fabric and dry clear) But, don't stop with just fabric designs---get 3 dimensional, too! Glue on fish gravel, fake plants, Swedish fish, fish stickers, small plastic fish...be creative! Let the glue dry, and you're done with the first step! How to make the "Fish Bowl"Making the "bowl" for your aquarium isn't as complicated as you might think! All you need is to get the right material for the job: pre-made plastic tubing, and clear plastic "fabric." I found the plastic tubing at my local Home Depot store. The thin sheets of plastic can be found at your local fabric store.Buy enough plastic tubing to make 2 rings large enough for your child's shoulders and head. The two rings will be the top and bottom of your fish bowl. Tape the two ends together with packing tape. Body of the bowl: Your top and bottom rings of tubing need to be connected. I used four pieces of smaller plastic tubing for the shape of the bowl. Wire could be used as an alternative. Test the framework of the fishbowl to make sure your child can fit it, and make any adjustments to the size before proceeding. Cover the fish bowl framework: Buy some plastic sheeting (I bought about 2 yards) at any fabric store. Wrap that plastic around your frame, and then glue it to stay in place (I used Elmer's craft glue). Last step: Put the shirt on your child, and then the bowl to determine where is the best place to cut out the arm holes. After that--You're done!!! Hat: I added a purchased lobster hat to keep my son's head warm for trick or treating. The finished costume gave him freedom to move easily, and was not so bulky that he would be running into objects or other people.
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