Solo cup

Posted - Nov. 3, 2008 - 1:07 p.m.

I believe this year's Solo cup costume was my best Halloween costume to date. It was more successful than last year's turn as Roller Girl (in thrift store rollerskates that left me bruised at the end of the night) and my 2006 Pam Anderson ensemble (it was just too cold in Chicago that year for a red American Apparel unitard).

I knew I wanted to be a Solo cup, a product I have enjoyed over the years in various ways (beer pong, flip cup). I searched the Internet and found only a few Solo cup costumes. Then I found a link to a group called the Boston Red Cups, who celebrate Boston sports wins by dressing up as cups. That's where I drew most of my inspiration.

The Boston Red Cups use garbage cans for the shell of their cups. Unfortunately, I'm not strong enough to hold up a garbage can so I used a blue bin I bought at Menards. Here's my guide to creating a Solo cup.

>> Step 1: Shop for materials. At the suburban Menards, I picked up the bin and some white spray paint for plastics (unavailable in Chicago because of anti-graffiti laws). The bin had white handles, which I used as armholes.

>> Step 2: Hollow out the bottom. My brother was kind enough to cut the bottom of the bin so I could fit my feet through it. He used a box cutter and a knife with a jagged edge to cut through the plastic.

>> Step 3: Tape the edges. A friend used blue painters tape to cover the jagged edges at the bottom of the cup to make sure the plastic didn't cut my legs. It worked really well, not a scrape!

>> Step 4: Spray paint. I painted the rim of the cup and the inside white to resemble a Solo cup. It took a few hours to dry.

>> Step 5: The costume inside the cup. I wore neutral colors to resemble beer in the cup and a white bauble necklace to resemble foam.

>> Step 6: Hairapy. My friend Megan french-braided my hair. It really has nothing to do with a Solo cup, but I like it when Megan styles my hair.

So that's it. I'm trying to find a place in my apartment to keep my Solo cup. The Pam Anderson blond wig and rollerskates take up less space, but the Solo cup will be the costume I remember the most.

*The photo is my friend Jane and I wrapping up Halloween festivities at my favorite burrito place, Pasaditas.