DIY Trailblazer Costumes for Your Little Ones

Hey Moms and Dads! Halloween is almost here, and if you have not yet sorted out your littles' costumes, have no fear! One of our go-to mom bloggers, Shakira Patterson of Occasions by Shakira, whipped up some clever and inspiring costumes for her little ones, using our Trailblazer sweatshirts and a sprinkling of DIY magic.

It's that time of the year again, friends! Time for all things spooky and fun! Every Halloween, my littles look forward to dressing up in costumes and snagging all of the sweet treats in sight. They love Halloween, so I try to make it as special as I can.

Each year I have lofty goals of making their costumes from scratch only to get intimidated by the entire process and end up buying them at the last minute instead! This year, however, I managed to strike a fun compromise doing a little bit of both.

I got Raegan and Zarie Frida Kahlo and Dr. Mae Jemison sweatshirts from Piccolina's Trailblazer Collection, and then we turned them into Halloween costumes with some DIY accessories!

For the Dr. Mae Jemison astronaut costume, we created a space helmet out of discarded cardboard boxes. Cardboard makes a great lightweight canvas, and it gave me a chance to teach the girls about the importance of recycling. Here is what we did:

1. Cut the cardboard into a helmet-sized piece.
2. Draw a rough design of a helmet. No need to be an artist here, just go for a large circular shape with an inner hole to see through.
3. Cut out the inner hole.
4. Use acrylic paint (it does better than water-based on the cardboard) to paint the helmet and the galaxy behind it. We painted a mostly black background with stars and incorporated the NASA logo since Dr. Mae Jemison was the first Black female astronaut to travel to space!

For groundbreaking artist Frida Kahlo, we wanted to recreate the vibrant colors of her iconic floral hair pieces. The girls had the clever idea to pose with paintbrushes to channel Frida. Here is what we did:

1. Find a lightweight hair-colored headband. These can be found at almost any drugstore or craft store.
2. Thoughtfully choose faux flowers that are a variety of colors and shapes.
3. Cut off the stems.
4. Use a hot glue gun to attach the flowers to your headband.
5. Fill in any holes with leaves or greenery.
6. Clip off any long or sharp pieces to make sure it's comfortable.
7. Use fun jewelry or makeup to finish off your look..

I hope this gives you some fun ideas for your child this Halloween. Dressing up as these phenomenal, trailblazing women will not only be fun, it can be educational and empowering for your little ones too!

About the Author:

Shakira is a military spouse and Mama of 3 who shares creative ideas to make everyday occasions magical. She is the creator behind the Occasions by Shakira lifestyle blog, which sparks intentional memory-making and holiday magic for families. Her daughters featured here are Raegan (6) and Zarie (4). They are mini makers who live to dream and create with their Mama.