The Debt Ceiling Costume

I wanted to do something topical, something relevant to 2013. I knew there would be plenty of Miley Cyrus' and Heisenbergs' out there, so I wanted to think outside of the box. I wanted to keep the costume simple, easily recognizable, effective, and humorous. As I was brainstorming in my office one day, I found myself becoming frustrated; none of my ideas seemed to quite fit. In deep thought, I happened to gaze up at the ceiling...and BAM!! This idea began formulating, circulating in my brain; in about 10 minutes, I had the whole thing planned, mapped out, and a list of items I desperately needed from Home Depot. The process of making this took about four hours, and worth every minute!

Items used: four 2x2 ceiling tiles, duct tape, four wooden stakes, box cutter, stencils, black marker, a willing boyfriend.

We used an abundance of masking tape to fit the four tiles together, four thin stakes on the back side to frame and support the tiles, a handy box cutter to cut out the hole for my face, and stencils (i'm terrible at drawing/writing) to craft the final, paramount touch: "Debt."

The tiles became a bit damaged when transporting, but I think it adds to the overall effect; I sure have seen plenty of dingy, busted office ceilings in my day! I believe that keeping this costume simple and recognizable helped make this a big hit (the internet seems to love it!).