Costume conundrum

Contrary to my well-established affection for themes, holidays and celebrations, I am lousy at Halloween costumes.  I never have a perfect costume idea conveniently spring to mind three weeks before the date.  In the days leading up to Halloween, I'm the one sorting through picked-over costume aisles at stores and scouring the internet.  Each October, my browser history fills up with variations of "2011 Halloween costume ideas" - and when you get to that stage of desperation, you know no good ideas are going to be popping into your head.  

I also fail at committing to an idea and running with it.  I wanted to dress up as Olive from "Little Miss Sunshine" for years and never acted.  I found a beautiful costume idea at the mall last year for $6 and decided to come back later to get it - and never did.  Ugh.  This is the mull-a-decision-over-and-over part of my INFJ personality rearing its ugly head.

I'm not setting up an "until now!" success story, either.  But I am having a little bit more fun with costume ideas this year, possibly because I have a strange range of costume-related activities: a party with friends on Friday, the race on Saturday and a work event on Monday.  I'm not equipped with the creativity to find a costume that works perfectly for all three, so I'm playing around with a few options.

Take Tuesday night, when I went into Target intending to find a red trenchcoat to anchor a Carmen Sandiego costume.  My purchases seemed practical at the time.

Credit

Credit

I think they are being returned tonight.  Think.  Not sure.  I kind of think I need more opportunities to wear tutus in my life.  That pink guy might stay.

I am also going to a fabric store tonight to push progress on my main costume idea and possibly loop Josh into the plan.  It will involve buying yellow fabric, red sequins, another kind of fabric and a glue gun.  I remember that this store used to include an ad in the Sunday paper, so this morning, I sprung out of bed and started rummaging through my recycling bin, only to learn that the store had apparently discontinued this part of its marketing plan.  No coupons for me. 

If I stick with this idea, it will test my previously established limits of personal craftiness. (That sounds much more devious than its intended meaning, doesn't it?) I'm crossing my fingers that it works out, more or less.

Will you dress up for Halloween?  Are you all set, or are you scrambling, too?