Getting Crafty
Americans planned to spend $2.8 billion on costumes in 2014.
Add to that the fact that over 12 million pounds of textile waste are generated each year in the U.S., and approximately 85% of costumes wind up in landfills eventually and I think it’s safe to say that we as a society are literally throwing money away for this holiday.
Welcome to Season 3 of Do What You Can For The People! Let’s talk holidays
Here in the Northeast it’s finally fall y’all, and as excited as I am for the kickoff to holiday season, I am also filled with dread about all the waste that’s about to be generated. I am the greatest advocate for fall activities, spending more time with loved ones, attending holiday parties, and wearing creative costumes… but not at the cost of our planet and people. So for the next few weeks I’ll be sharing some best practices to reduce your impact over the most magical time of the year.
To get things going, I chatted with my dear friend and crafting wizard Ashley Gosselin about DIY costumes. Ashley has been creating her own beautiful costumes for pretty much her whole life and has graciously shared some of her best tips and tricks for the rest of us who generally just gape in awe and feel super intimidated. Join us for a fun conversation about flipping thrift scores, finding online inspiration, and getting so damn crafty! And if you make your own costume this year, please share it with us on Instagram.
THINGS MENTIONED
Plastic waste associated with Halloween: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/oct/18/scariest-thing-about-halloween-is-plastic-waste-say-charities
Guide to thrifting: https://www.listenmoneymatters.com/thrifting/
Environmental impact of store-bought costumes: https://recyclenation.com/2015/10/how-store-bought-halloween-costumes-could-be-hurting-environment/
Reusing Halloween costumes: https://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/6-ways-reuse-last-years-halloween-costumes.html
Donate your costumes to ‘WEEN DREAM: http://www.weendream.org/
Donate your costumes to The Halloween Helpers: http://www.thehalloweenhelpers.com/
Savers: https://www.savers.com/
Instructables: https://www.instructables.com/
Crafting Inspo: https://recyclenation.com/2015/10/crazy-halloween-costumes-made-from-recyclables/
Joann Fabrics: https://www.joann.com/
Michaels: https://www.michaels.com/
GET IN TOUCH WITH ASHLEY
Instagram: @excelfyrfly
BE MY GUEST!
If you or someone you know would like to be featured on the show, please get in touch!