The movie 27 Dresses starring Katherine Heigl tells the story of a woman who has difficulty saying no; consequently, she has been a bridesmaid on 27 different occasions, but never a bride. She has accumulated a closet full of bright, colorful bridesmaid dresses, which she just can’t seem to throw away.

Though it is unlikely that you have accumulated as many dresses as this poor girl, you may have one or two gowns in your possession that you will never wear again, but which you would feel guilty throwing away. Why not turn one or all of them into costumes for your kids? A silk taffeta nightmare of a dress can be made into a beautiful ball gown for your little princess. I took a lovely blue dress (puffed sleeves, sweetheart neckline, fitted bodice - really, when was I ever going to wear that again?) and turned it into Cinderella’s ball gown. A trip to the store provided a wand and tiara to match and some clear plastic sandals stood in for the glass slippers.

Another lovely handmade dress, this one yellow with lace trim, became Belle’s gown from Beauty and the Beast. The same pattern worked for both dresses, with a few minor adjustments; the wand and tiara were still intact, and even the shoes still fit. Two unique, one of a kind Halloween costumes courtesy of two unused bridesmaid dress hanging in my closet. And, not only did they work for Halloween, they were in constant use throughout the year by my daughter and her friends whenever they played dress-up.

Got little boys instead of little girls? How about turning that black satin number into Batman’s cape or a red dress into Superman’s cape? Superheroes are big on capes you know. The point is to be creative, have some fun and recycle that dress. You’ll be glad you did.

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