Creatively challenged? Lois Ament of Slippery Rock has a motto: Think outside the box.

She did that literally when she turned a cardboard box into a costume for her husband. She draped a plastic tablecloth over the box, cut a "U" shaped section out for his head, attached plastic dinnerware, a paper plate and napkin and voila - he was a table.

"It was what he wore to a Halloween party the first year we were married," she said.

With a little imagination, Ament said dinner for one at that table can be enhanced with a centerpiece, fake food and candlelight. "You could attach one of those battery operated candles and you'd have a light so that people could see you coming in the dark," she said, her eyes alive with excitement.

"I can sew, but a lot of the world doesn't," said Ament, a seamstress and costumer for Butler Musical Theater Guild and Butler Little Theatre.

That's why she has designed children's Halloween costumes that don't require any sewing. The costumes are held together with staples, baggie ties, tape and string.

To keep the cost down, the costumes Ament has designed are made from items most people throw away.

"What was in last night's trash? If it looks like something else, turn it into it. You could use egg crate foam and be waffles. It's the ultimate in recycling," she said. "Don't be bound by convention and look for possibility in everything."

When she looks at drum lampshades and pasta colanders, she sees salt and pepper shakers. Studying a bleach bottle and a couple of sheets of posterboard, she envisions a knight's armor. As she bags her groceries, she foresees a pretty nice tea bag costume from two of those paper bags, some torn up crepe paper and nylon netting.

She sees the possibility of SpongeBob SquarePants in a sheet of yellow foam, and instead of spending money on one of those fleece ladybug costumes, Ament improvises with a red saucer sled. "Just run some electrical tape down the center and add other strips to make wings. Dress them in a black sweat suit, and you're good to go," she said.

Not only are her costumes inexpensive and easy, they're practical, too, especially for children ages 3 to 12. For most of the costumes, a child can be dressed warmly and safely in a jacket, sweat pants and sneakers.

Instead of plastic masks, which can be uncomfortable and might obstruct vision, Ament suggests that kids wear Halloween makeup, available at most discount stores.

"For the tea bag, you'd use brown. For the knight, silver," she noted.

For added safety, she recommends using reflective tape for some of the costume decoration, such as lettering or borders.

Slightly older Halloweeners may prefer more sophisticated costumes.

Rebecca Morrice, an assistant professor in the theater department at Slippery Rock University, challenged students in her costume tech class to design three Halloween costumes that could be assembled from materials available in most people's attics or at local thrift stores. She, too, banned needle and thread."It all kind of fit their personalities, and not a single one needed any sewing," said Morrice of the costumes her students came up with."They used a lot of safety pins, but one of the best things to make things stay on is duct tape," she said.Morrice pointed out that, in a pinch, costumers in the film and television industries use black gaffers tape to fasten and take in costumes. "You can accomplish the same with duct tape," she said, and demonstrated by ruffling the fabric of a shirt over a length of the silvery sticky stuff and pressing the folds down firmly until the shirt was a size smaller.Students Heathyr Hoffman and Andrew Corbett put together a costume for "Punk Rock Dorothy," a 2004 version of the beloved tornado victim in "The Wizard of Oz.""A dead mink represents Toto," said Morrice as she stroked the costume's furry critter hanging over the shoulder of a dressmaker's form.Other New Age additions included shiny, iridescent red skater shoes to replace the traditional ruby red slippers and an iridescent, dark blue taffeta skirt, gleaned from a collection of old prom and bridesmaids dresses.Morrice finds unlimited possibilities in formal frocks that women typically wear once and then toss."There are two shows where I used old prom dresses. I cut them apart and put them together and then overdyed them. Ancient Greek costumes and 1970s dresses look a lot alike," she explained.The basis for the Greek goddess costume designed by Randi Gartner, Emily Stevenson and Shannon Costanzo was an old white nightgown."They slit the arms and opened the seams with scissors," Morrice said. Long lengths of 4-inch-wide gold lame´ were used in three ways to create the costume. A little faux ivy, gold sandals and bangle bracelets completed the ensemble.A favorite among adults and children is a pirate costume. Matt Gatto and Mickey Cruikshank created their version of it using an old white dinner jacket, and various trims and accessories most people could find in their closet or attic.Items not always found there are a pirate's hat or boots, but Morrice had alternatives. For the hat: A black cowboy hat."You can reshape the brim by pinning it in place and holding your steam iron on it," she said. "Don't worry, it won't burn it, but it will hold the shape."For boots, she suggested cutting "sleeves" to fit over black shoes from black felt. "If you make them a little longer, you can fold over the top for a cuff," she added.Instructions for six costumes designed by Ament and students in Morrice's class are provided below.

Materials:Cardboard box, big enough to fit over the child's shouldersThrowaway plastic tableclothPlastic knife, fork and spoonColored paper or plastic plateBaggie tiesTools:TapeStaplerScrewdriverScissorsBread knifeInstructions:Stand the box on its end; open part in the back. Cut the bottom end off. Turn it over. Attach tablecloth with tape or stapler.Cut a U-shaped section from the top-back of the box for the child's head. (The box will rest on his shoulders.) Cut a slit and circle from the center of the paper plate. Fit the hole in the plate over the neck slot and tape or staple it onto the box.Place plastic utensils in proper place around plate. Make two holes with a screwdriver on either side of each utensil. Feed a baggie tie up through the holes around each utensil and twist to secure each one.Child should dress in black sweat suit and wear black makeup. Flowers attached to a hat may be placed on the child's head for a centerpiece. Battery operated candle is also optional.

Materials:Old drum lampshadeMetal colanderThree lengths of heavy stringReflective tape or poster paintPosterboard, optionalTools:Bread knife or utility knifePaint brush, optionalInstructions:Cut the wire section from the top of the shade. Cut two holes in the side of the lampshade for arm holes. (Measure to fit the child.)Cut two 1-inch holes on each side of the shade in the front and back, just below its top edge for shoulder straps. Thread string or narrow fabric through each front hole and tie. Leaving enough slack to fit over the child's shoulder, tie each string through the back two holes.Make an "S" or "P" from black electrical tape or reflective tape to decorate the front of the shade. Place a colander on the child's head and thread another length of string through a hole on each side and tie under the chin to keep the colander on. Paint the child's face silver. Decorate one with an "S" and one with a "P" for a set.

Materials:Old 2-gallon bleach bottleSilver spray paint, non-toxic2 sheets of white posterboard, 3-by-3-feet longTools:Utility knifeScissorsDuct tapeInstructions:Cut the front and back of a U-neck "vest" from the two sheets of posterboard. Be sure to make the top of each shoulder section long enough to fit the child. Spray both sections silver. Tape the front and back together at both shoulder sections with duct tape.For the helmet, cut the top off of the bleach bottle. Cut a square out of the front of it for the face. Spray it silver.Details may be added with black marker. Add a plastic dollar-store sword.Paint the child's face silver. Child should wear silver or gray sweat pants and shirt or jacket and gray gloves.

Materials:4 brown paper grocery bags2 pieces of nylon net, 3-by-3-feet longTorn-up crepe paper and black, gold and brown paper napkinsSheet of white posterboard, 1 square footPiece of string, 1 foot longTools:StaplerCellophane tapeMarkersReflective tapeInstructions:Lay two of the grocery bags down horizontally and touching, top to bottom. Tape them together with printing face down.Scatter torn-up crepe paper and napkins on top of brown side. Place one piece of nylon net on top. Staple nylon net to the paper bags. Repeat the process using the other two bags and materials.Staple both sides of the "tea bag" together leaving ample room near the top for arms to poke out if you want. Staple top only, leaving room for the head to poke out.Cut the label from the posterboard. Letter "Nestea" or "Salada" with a marker. Make a border with the reflective tape.Dress child in brown sweats and gloves and apply face paint or makeup.Put together the following clothing and accessories ideas for your own version of Dorothy, a Greek goddess or pirate.

Iridescent blue taffeta skirt or dressPlain white blousePatterned suspendersWhite knee socksShiny red skater or bowling shoesRags to tie pigtailsMan's tieFingerless white gloves"What Would Jesus Do" pin"Dead" faux mink or other stuffed animalPut everything on just like Dorothy Gale would look.

White nightgownWhite slip or second gownAbout 5 yards of 4-inch-wide gold lame´Gold bangle braceletsAbout a yard of faux ivyGold sandalsWicker basketSlit the sleeves of the nightgown to open the seams. Blouse up the sleeves using about 1-inch of twisted gold lame´ tied around each arm just above the elbow. Twist a 70" piece of the gold lame, lay it around the neck; crisscross it in front below the breasts; tie in back at waist. Make a sash with the remaining gold lame´ and tie at the waist, allowing it to hang at the side. Make a laurel with a circle of faux ivy. Entwine the handle of the basket with ivy for a trick-or-treat basket. Add accessories.

Old, yellowed white dinner jacketOld, white dress shirt24-inch piece of pink fabric or scarf12- to 15-inch piece of ruffled trimRed cummerbundWide brown leather beltBlack pants, cut to calf lengthHigh boots or faux bootsOld epaulets or about 12 inches of gold fringeVarious antique looking broachesGold beadsBlack pirate hat or cowboy hatBlack eye patchPlastic swordWrap the scarf around the neck. Wrap the ruffle around the scarf and close with a pin. Put on the shirt, open at the neck to expose "ascot" and ruffle.Put on black cut-off pants. Put on dinner jacket. Put belt on over jacket and cinch at waist. Pin broaches to jacket and put on necklace over ascot.Add boots and hat. (If using a cowboy hat, shape brim into a triangle using a steam iron. Make boot sleeves and eye-patch with black felt if necessary.