How to Make a Traffic Barrier Costume for Halloween

Ahh, Halloween, that great time of year where you get to dress in silly clothes, and beg your neighbors for candy. At least, that's how it is for kids! For many adults, October brings invitations to Halloween parties, and the pressure to not only show up, especially if the party is being thrown by your boss, but to have a great costume, even if it means blowing the budget. But, if you stop and think back to an earlier time, when children dressed as hobos, ghosts, and whatever else they could make with what they had around the house, you may find that a great costume for that special Halloween party doesn't have to cost a fortune, and you can even have some fun putting it together instead of just ordering one complete ensemble. Explore your closet, and take a look around your local thrift shop for ideas, and make a point to think outside the box. Here's one idea to get you started.

Traffic Barrier

You know those barriers they use for construction, the ones that are skinny, with a single light mounted on top. If your city is like many, constantly flooded by these barriers, rerouting traffic in confusing directions, so much the better! This costume takes about 2 hours to make, and costs very little. Your costs will vary depending on what items you already have in the house.

You will need:
1 piece of white posterboard
1 package of ribbon or bias tape (this will show, so pick a color you can live with)
1 bottle/tube of super-type glue, OR a glue gun with 1-2 glue sticks
1 translucent 8oz drinking cup, the kind they put in hotel bathrooms
2 flashing lights (such as the red ones sold as a Halloween safety product, or you can make an amber flashing light with electronics parts, if you have the skills)
8 sheets of orange paper OR a container of orange poster-type or craft paint
1 bottle of school-type glue for gluing paper to posterboard (only needed if you use sheets of orange paper)
1 paintbrush (only needed if you use orange paint)
scissors
pencil
ruler
any kind of tape

Instructions:

1. Cut the posterboard in half lengthwise, to make two boards that each resemble the shape of a traffic barrier.