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Posts Tagged ‘burning man’

Fun Excuses to Dress Up in Costume Every Day of the Year 

Saturday, February 1st, 2020

women dressed in feather costumes

Who says it has to be Halloween to dress up? With so many fun festivals, school events, fairs, cosplay conventions, and themed parties popping up all year round, there is always a good excuse to get in character for a fun event. Stock up on face paint, make-up, costume accessories, complete costumes, and all dress-up items, and add them to your costume storage so that you can get what you need any day of the year.

You’ll have no problem taking your costume game to the next level when you have all the costume supplies you need on hand, for any event that may come up throughout the year. Have fun with it! Get creative and mix and match various costume accessories for a unique ensemble. Personalize a premade costume with a new wig, accessory items, and fun make-up. Go wild – the possibilities are endless, and your take on a costume can be one of a kind.

Purim

Purim homemade masks and hamantaschenThis Jewish holiday celebrates the Jewish people’s escape from Haman. If you’re looking for ideas for a Purim costume for adults, think about putting together a Queen Esther costume by adding a gold armband and bangles to a dress you already have. Your child will love a Haman costume that you make complete with a fake beard and mustache. Spice up a hamantaschen costume with a fun wig for easy Purim dress up. Don’t be afraid to recycle and reinvent costumes that are already in your closet. You don’t have to spend a lot of extra money on a full costume. Take stock of your current inventory and dress it up with fun costume accessories. Now that you’re in costume, it’s time for Purim crafts!

Burning Man

bike riding on the playa at burning manWhether it’s your first Burning Man or your 10th, take your costume game to the next level. There are no rules when it comes to Burning Man dress-up, so let your creativity run wild. An easy way to beef up your costume game is to gather various accessories and use them in new and unique ways. Try covering yourself entirely in feathers, by gluing them on every inch of clothing, ankle bracelets, and your headband. Wigs don’t have to go on your head; using elastic, wrap it around your waist to make a long, fluffy, colorful tail. Take a hat you already have and wrap it in a new material, glue fake jewels and beads to it, and transform it into a new costume piece. You can even make a fun bra out of colorful ribbon, scraps of cloth, beads, and feathers. Don’t forget to dress up your bike as well!

Themed Parties

If you’re in a sorority or fraternity, you’ve probably been to a theme party at one point in your academic career. Even if you’re not part of the Greek row, there are plenty of adults and children who love throwing themed birthday parties and celebrations throughout the year. Create a unicorn horn with a cotton candy cone and ribbon, making sure to decorate it with sparkly, colorful paints and stickers for a kid’s unicorn party. Be the life of the next Game of Thrones party or Lord of the Rings party by adding chains, fake swords, and sashes to clothes you already have in the closet. For example, dress up as Khaleesi by adding a wide belt to one of your long dresses, donning a long white wig, and making a jeweled headpiece out of beads and string.

School Events

boy with sword and shield costumeDid your child just come home from school telling you they need a fake sword for the school play? Or they need a Chautauqua costume for their next performance? Save money by finding a complete costume that your child may have worn in the past and sprucing it up with a wig, hat, feather boa, or costume jewelry. It’s easy to dress your kid up in black pants and a button-up shirt; transform that basic outfit into a character from the past by adding a vest, a fake mustache, fake beard, wig, and appropriate hat. Little items like a pocket watch, a fake mouse, or spectacles will make your kid’s costume complete.

Cosplay

You can get really creative with your cosplay costumes using accessories, face and body paints, and wigs. For Anime cosplay spruce up a short skirt with a pair of colorful tights. Use wide white duct tape and a messy wig to create a Deku costume. Use boot covers over existing shoes to add to a My Hero Academia cosplay costume. Sailor Moon is easy when you find some red ribbon to tie in a giant bow to put over a white sailor shirt. Beef up clothing items that you already own with duct tape, feathers, paints, wigs, scarves, boas, ribbons, and beads. Get creative with costume accessories for your next cosplay, whether it’s Raven, Spiderman, Spider Gwen, Starfire, Todoroki, or Zero Suit. No need to spend a ton of money on a full-kit costume – stand out from the rest with your own personal take on your favorite cosplay character.

Themed Fairs & Live Action Role Play

If you’re attending a Renaissance fair, Dickens Fair, or a live action role play (LARP), think about all the extra accessories you can add to your clothing or box costume and really make an impression. You can get lost in the moment at a themed fair and LARP, especially if you get into character with LARP foam swords for live action sword fights, crowns and headdresses for the queen’s parade, and a goblet around your neck for imbibing with other festival attendees. Bedazzle a wig you already have with beads and a headdress for a female Twin Mask LARP costume. Perhaps you have an old cape lying around from that year you were a vampire on Halloween; throw it over black jeans, a black shirt, grab a fake sword and tie a black bandana around your face for a dark LARP character.

No matter the festival, play, party, or event, it’s easy to take stock of items you already own and inject an added flair with ribbon, tape, beads, feathers, wigs, make-up, face paint, boas, capes, swords, fake glasses, and fake facial hair to get into character. It’s fun to transport yourself to another time, another place, or another world, any time of the year.

swords, masks, and other halloween costume accessoriesDon’t wait until the last minute to get you or your children outfitted in the perfect costume for the next school play, fair, festival, cosplay convention, LARP, theme party, Purim, or any other fun celebration that may come around throughout the year.

We never put our costumes away!!

We never put our costumes or costume accessories away, so swing by our Berkley store at 1629 San Pablo Ave. or call us at (510) 525-1799 if you have any questions.

How to Decorate Your Burning Man Bike

Monday, July 1st, 2019

decorated bike at burning man

If you’re a Burning Man veteran, you already know bringing a bike is one of the easiest ways to get around Black Rock City. And you know decorating your bike is not only part of the fun, but a good way to discourage people from “borrowing” your bike.

If you’re going to Burning Man for the first time this year, now you know! Creating your very own burning man art bike will help you fit in better and feel a little less awkward about your first visit to the playa.

Either way, you might need some great Burning Man bike decoration ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

See also: The Essential Burning Man Costume Checklist.

You Don’t Have to Be a Great Artist

bike riding on the playa at burning man Sometimes, unleashing your inner child is enough. Using decals and stickers creatively can be one of the fastest, easiest ways to get your bike ready for Burning Man.

Wrapping up different parts of your bike with fur of all colors can be fun and easy too.

Get Going With Glue

You can glue all sorts of cool stuff to your bike. Want to do a fun, frilly, and feminine bike? Glue on some lacy doilies or flower garlands to get in touch with your softer side.

Want to go a bit 3D? Add little miniatures. Texturing your design this way can really add a great deal of visual interest.

Just make sure everything is secure so there is no chance of it turning into trash on the playa. That’s a big no-no!

Let There Be Light on the Playa

Keeping your bike lit up is a big safety concern. So shine on, and add some EL wire LED lights to your bike. They’re bright and long-lasting and come in all colors.

Thread them through the spokes of your wheels and wrap them all over the frame!

And make sure you attach some to yourself as well, front and back. The more light, the better.

A Tisket, a Tasket, a Burning Man basket

If your bike doesn’t already have a basket now is the perfect time to add one. And it’s not just a place to add more decorations. Of course, plenty of people use it that way: tricking out your Burning Man bike basket can be almost as fun as getting the rest of the bike decorated.

But either way, you might want one. It’s a good spot to keep your water bottles, or to keep little favors that you can give out to other people.

Bring it all Together for the Perfectly Decorated Burning Man Bike

Black rock desert burning man

Your bike will look even better if you tie all your decorations together with a unified theme. Will you build a UFO bike? A frilly fairy bike? A bike with a jungle theme? A Burning Man fire bike or fish bike?

Your creativity is the only limiting factor, so let yours soar. Take a little time with it. The whole event is way more fun if you can create a bike you can feel proud of.

Want to grab all your Burning Man bike supplies in one place?

Head on down to Paper Plus at 1629 San Pablo Ave in Berkeley. We’ve got a huge variety of craft supplies to help you create the amazing bike you’ve been dreaming of.

The Essential Burning Man Costume Checklist

Friday, August 11th, 2017

Black rock desert burning man

It’s that time of year again! Mutant vehicles are popping up on the highway, Burning Man costumes are for sale in department and thrift stores, and the Black Rock Desert is requesting our attendance to the biggest art and culture festival in the world: Burning Man.

Radical Expressionism At Burning Man

The iconic festival, called “life-changing” by the majority of attendees, was built on 10 principles. Today we’re going to talk about the principle of “radical expressionism.” Burning Man invites individuals from all over the world to express themselves in all different ways. Clothing is one of the most popular outlets for expressing personality in ways that might be deemed strange in regular society.

It’s All About How You Put it Together

When it comes to radical expression, buying a ready-made Burning Man outfit doesn’t always illustrate a person’s authenticity – but if you’re not a master sewer, ready-made wearables make an excellent base to your handmade costume. It’s all about how you put them together!

Bandanas, for example, are used to keep dust out of your face during dust storms. There are so many bandanas, buffs, and face masks to choose from based on your personal style and preference. In fact, you can choose a different bandana to match your costumes throughout the week. Each year there are different theme days throughout the week. Some are honored every year, like Tu-Tu Tuesday, while others change based on the year’s theme.

bike riding on the playa at burning manSelf-Reliance at Burning Man

While this festival is rooted in radical expressionism, another principle of Burning Man is radical self-reliance. In order to really get something from this festival, there are a few essentials to pack that will help you fulfill the 10 principles and make this festival all the more enjoyable.

Your Burning Man Costume Checklist: Clothing, Costume & Misc. Necessities

Suspenders, bandanas, buffs, hats, and goggles for Burning Man are among the most essential costume/clothing pieces, and they are also a good starting point for packing a wardrobe that expresses your individuality. Here are some other essentials for fashion, expression and function:

  1. Craft and Expression Kit

    Put together a craft or expression kit as your gift to other Burners. To make your kit, fill a box or some form of container with enough crafts for a person to make cards, a personal journal, a puzzle, or whatever else you can think of!

  2. Lights

    You are in charge of your own light out there, so use lights to express your individuality at night, and be seen by art cars and bike riders!

  3. Glow sticks

    These are perfect for lighting yourself up too.

  4. Costumes

    Wigs, suspenders, dresses, anything you want, especially steam punk. Keep the theme of the festival in mind so you can be sure to participate with props and accessories.

  5. Bandanas or buffs

    These will be your best friend. Those dust storms plus the sweltering heat can be unbearable without the help of your bandana.

  6. Fur Coats and cloaks

    The temperature drops quickly when the sun goes down.

  7. Keep a clean set of clothing in a plastic bag for the ride home.

  8. Hats

    The more the merrier: decorative, protection from the sun, and at night for warmth.

  9. Sunglasses

    A couple of pairs, in case one breaks

  10. Goggles

    Decorate them with embellishments to make them your own!

  11. Skirts, sarongs

  12. Fishnets, hose, bodysuits

  13. Comfortable shoes/boots

    Be sure to bring a selection of shoes for camp, day time and night time.

  14. Funky shoes

    But avoid stiletto heels!

  15. Make-up

    Body paints, and face paints, nail polish –  no loose glitter!

  16. Rain gear/poncho

    You never know what the weather will bring out there.

  17. Gloves

    Decorative and for warmth.

  18. Blinking lights

    Battery operated to wear at night.

 

Whether this is your first time at the festival or your twenty-first, we wish you a once-in-a-lifetime experience and good luck!

Come on into the store for your costumes, crafts and other wearables today! If you’re in need of helium for your camp, come down to Paper Plus, we have helium tanks for rent!

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