DIY Firefighter Costume

The Leeper boys are ready for some Halloween fun! Normally this wouldn't happen until a few days before the big night, but we had some exciting Halloween events to attend this weekend, so I got on it early this year. A few weeks ago I shared some photos from previous years and wrote about how Andrew had decided to be a Firefighter this year. He wanted his little brother to be one as well, which I thought was a great idea. I love them in matching outfits and who knows when one of them will start to fight me on it!

I kept the costumes quite simple and very comfortable, as little ones often resist anything restrictive. I got the idea for the jackets from a wonderful tutorial that I came across on Pinterest. This method uses a woman's blouse, altered to create a small jacket and then adorned with ribbon for reflective strips. 

I found the perfect red cotton blouse for Andrew's jacket at the Good Will ($2.50) but wasn't able to find one small enough for Henry. Instead, I picked up an inexpensive red golf shirt ($5.97) at Walmart. I decided not to cut Henry's down the front which makes it a little more baby friendly. 

One detail that I added to this costume is the toggle buttons. I made these out of ribbon, leather cord and black wooden beads. I think they add a nice touch!

Andrew was also pretty insistent that he have a water sprayer on his back. To make this, I covered a juice jug with duct tape and attached some back pack style straps (also made from duct tape) and a piece of foam pipe insulation. I also made a little cone shaped nozzle for the end of the hose. 

We added a little plastic hat from our local fire station and the costume was complete! When all was said and done the costumes cost less than $10 a piece. The boys had fun showing them off at a bowling party this weekend.  Andrew was sure to tell everyone that "Mommy made it all by herself"... he must have known I was proud of the finished product! 

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