October is the greatest time of year. My favorite, in fact. I love the smell in the air, the sun going down too early and I love picking out Halloween costumes. Recently l've been reading about some tips on how to green Halloween. One idea came from our very own website: buy candy that comes in recycling-friendly packaging, such as aluminum foil or paper. I also found tips on the Green Schools Initiative newsletter: using cloth/reusable bags, avoid vinyl masks, buy second hand, make your own, and so on.

The idea that really stuck was to have a costume swap! What a great idea. I know that I have a couple of costumes of my own that could be easily passed on. For instance, I have the best handmade, thrift store bought 60's get-up that I won't wear again, but can't seem to part with. If there was someone who really wanted it, I'd be willing to do a trade. Who would like to dress up like Tippi Hedren from "The Birds"? This costume cost me $10 and that was mostly for the birds and to create their droppings. The beautiful suit was on sale at Goodwill for $3! I hated to rip out the seams.

This year I am open for ideas and did a little creative shopping. I was particularly inspired by the multitude of beautiful fabrics found at Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics to dress up my dog. With some very minimal finishing touches from The East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse I hope to transform my dog either into Chewbacca or Falcore.