Today Google Alerts delivered a series of blog posts into my in-box from the site www.TheAdventurousWriter.com.

(I’m so excited to know that other people are thinking about costumes in mid-July!)

The author made a few (creative and funny) lists I think you’ll be thrilled as I was to see:

• Halloween Costumes for Dogs and Cats
• Creative Halloween Costumes for Women, Girls, and Couples
• Easy Halloween Costumes for Men
• 30 Homemade Halloween Costumes for Couples

Of course, if you are going to make your costume/s this year, be sure to use “green” materials (used, discarded, recycled, sustainably sourced, etc.).

Stay tuned for some great pics of DIY costumes from Green Halloween 2008! (Feel free to submit photos or tell us about them, below).

My second grader is turning into a great knitter. I’ll be she could whip up a pair of these funny ears from Craftzine.com in time for Friday. Perfect for witches, gnomes and other creatures of the humorous or not-so-humorous type.

Of course, look for natural fiber yarns such as wool, silk, etc…

If you make a pair, let us know! We’d love to see photos and to have a good laugh with you, of course.

Whether the handmade costumes are already complete or you’re expecting to stay up until 2 am on the morning of Halloween completing that very last stitch (perhaps THIS has become a tradition in and of itself) – the site Crafting in a Green World (blog) may be of interest to you.

Check out their Halloween suggestions here.

Still have no idea what to make? Try these resources for a bit of inspiration (just swap their suggested materials for “green” ones, whenever possible).

Robin’s FYI

Make Magazine‘s Halloween edition

Pack-o-Fun magazine’s Halloween edition

No sew Halloween costumes (this one’s for me!)

If you’re looking for used and low-cost components (or complete costumes) for this year, check out Yelp.com to find thrift and consignment stores near you.

(A recent survey by Savers, Inc found that wearing eco-friendly costumes is important to about half of all consumers. Are you one of them? Find out more here.)

I recently came across a few Halloween items I thought you’d want to know about.

All are healthy and or/”green” and – unlike most off the rack costumes – will inspire creativity and endless use long past October 31st.

Organic cotton animal/bug -print tights. These adorable tights come in four themes: bumble-bee, ladybug, giraffe and zebra but best of all, they’re made of organic cotton! Up to 18 months. Found at ThreeDaisies.com

Animal tails and snouts – for simple, quick costume and months of dress up play. Why I love these even more? Their made Fair Trade (of Alpaca wool) by women in Bolivia.

Halloween costume templates from BoxWorks.biz. BoxWorks is an innovative new company inspiring kids to see more than just trash when they look at used cardboard boxes. Although more templates will be added to the site soon, for this Halloween, check out their Robot Costume ($4) (as well as the Halloween Candy Bag and Luminary – FREE when you use the code GREEN at check out).

Have hot tips, great finds or to DIY for crafts? We’d love to hear about ‘em.

I was just introduced to a cool new website – Zwaggle.com- where you can find gently used children’s clothing, toys, gear and – most importantly – Halloween costumes…

Here is the twist – you don’t pay for the goods – you trade for them (by posting your own clothing/toys/great/costumes,  earning “Zoints” (AKA points) along the way.

Here’s what they have to say about their current “Costume Drive”:

Zwaggle plans to become the ultimate Halloween Headquarters for FREE, recycled costumes online this year. Post your gently-used costumes, accessories and other ghoulish gear on Zwaggle.com to keep these quality items out of landfills so other families can enjoy them. As an added bonus, we`ll automatically enter every member who posts an item and completes a trade in our Halloween category into a drawing for a 200-Zoint spending spree. The more members who post, the more costume options we`ll have for our little ones this year – so help the planet and your wallet by Zwaggling your Halloween gear today!

Have you ever traded on Zwaggle? Let us know how it went! We’d love to hear from you.