As she got older, Abbie did more of the work of creating the costumes, so her ideas needed to be things we could pull off together. They were less structural, more closely following the human form. (I haven't watched all that Project Runway for nothing.)
During the period of her interest in Greek mythology, we transformed Abbie into Medusa.
Not an entirely unique idea, but well executed. It's the details that make the difference. Snakes everywhere, from her belt to her ring to tattoos on her face. The snakes in her hair were imposing.
And Abbie made a stone face for the bag. Even for those who didn't know their Medusa lore, it was a scary touch.
The next year Abbie went abstract. Can you tell what she is?
We had fun making people guess. She's the seasons. From head to toe, winter, spring, summer and fall.
The last year we spent a lot of time on a costume was also the first year she went trick or treating without me. She went as the Mona Lisa. I suggested buying a Mona Lisa poster, but she wanted to paint her own background and create the frame. Which she wore with straps, like a backpack.
Already having long dark hair helped with this one.
The following year Abbie was away camping before Halloween and got invited to a party without much notice. She didn't have time to execute her idea, but it was the ultimate challenge in translating the abstract into a costume. She went as hope. Long filmy dress, accented with touches that represent hope to her -- such as an egg. I liked that.
Abbie will probably go out with friends this year, and will probably pull together a costume at the last minute from things around the house. It's more about her friends than about the costume now, and that's okay. It's as it should be. We had our time of creating great costumes, and it was fun while it lasted.