I don’t keep my love of Value Village a secret. I shop there often for clothes for my daughter and myself. While I haven’t dressed up for Halloween in years, I have found two out of her three Halloween costumes there.

For her first Halloween, I found an adorable used ladybug costume that I paired with black leggings, a black turtleneck and patent leather shoes that I also found at Value Village. This year we hit the motherlode of used Disney princess dresses in her size, so she’s going as Cinderella in a sparkling blue and silver gown.

What I didn’t realize until today is that each Value Village location has costume consultants who help customers brainstorm ideas and locate just the right item to complete a costume.

Aside from a multitude of used costumes, they also carry new in-the-bag costumes ranging from infant to adult sizes, as well as makeup and accessories.

In the spirit of Halloween, Value Village is giving away two $20 gift certificates through this blog.

Just send me a description or photo (even better!) of the most clever or creative costume you’ve made or worn by noon on Thursday, Oct. 29. Include your address, and I’ll pick my two favorites and the great folks at Value Village will overnight-mail to you a gift certificate for $20 that you should be able to use for your last-minute costuming needs.

As an example, according to Value Village, Michael Jackson is a popular costume this year, resulting in a shortage of sparkly white gloves. As a result, they're suggesting people buy a plain white glove and glue sequins on it for an instant pop icon. That's the kind of brilliance I'm looking for.

Send your entries to alisonbrownrigg@gmail.com and don't forget to include your name, address and a description of your costume.

Hit me with your best shop: alisonbrownrigg@gmail.com

Copyright © 2009 The Seattle Times Company