Ok, who is not a fan of Princess Leia in the bikini from Empire Strikes back? I mean really, is there ANYONE?

In trying to think of a unique costume for this year's work contest, I came across a costume for a 'regular' lego person and knew right away I could do that and crank it up a notch...and thus, the idea was born.

I scoured the web for pictures of the lego character from the video game and came across these...and thus, the adventure begins....

Step 1: What You Need....

With no blueprint, there is some work that you will need to do to determine what dimensions you need for your costume...but at a base level, you need:

For top:
2) 20" x 22" cardboard
2) 16" x 22" cardboard

For Head:
1) 10" x 28" posterboard
1) 3" x 26" posterboard
1) clear plastic bowl

For Hands:
2) 6" x 1" Styrofoam disks
2) popsicle sticks

For Legs: (there are different ways to do it, but this is what I did)
2) 4 bottle carrier wine boxes
2) 6" x 10" cardboard
6-8) 12" pieces of fabric/rope - for hanging the pants...

Other materials needed:
Duct Tape (white works best)
Sandpaper
box knife or xacto knife
Acrylic craft paint
~ Brick Red
~ Light Brown
~ Dark Brown
~ Gold
~ Black
~ White
Foam Brush
Ivory Spray Paint

Step 2: Making the Top

Take your two larger pieces of cardboard and trace out a trapezoid...16" along the top, 20" along the bottom and 22" long. Cut both pieces.

For the two smaller pieces....cut to 14" along the top, 16" along the bottom and 22" long.

Tape all four pieces together. Cut out two arm holes about 2" from the top on the sides.

Step 3: Creating the Bottom/legs

My original thought was to take individual pieces of cardboard, and tape them together as I did the top. However, when I found these wine carriers, and they were close in size, I decided to make it simpler for myself. However, when I had to figure out how to make these fit my 'backside', I think I should have done the original way....but here's what I did....

Take each box and cut out one of the sides from each to make it a 3-sided box.

Take one of the two 6x10" pieces and tape them in between the two 'legs'in the front to create one piece.

For the back side....
1. Cut a slit about 8" down on the outside back of each leg
2. Cut out 2 triangular pieces and attach them at the slit that was just cut
3. Bend back the back top piece where the slit was made
4. Tape the back piece to the edge of the triangle
5. Attach the other edge of triangle to the legs with tape

Take the other 6x10" piece and tape between the two back pieces to connect the back together.

Strengthen every connector with the duct tape. Cover over any holes that existed on the box.

Take the 6-8 pieces of fabric/rope and loop over in half. Tape each 'loop' to the inside of the pants in order to put a belt through to wear the pants.

Step 4: Creating the Head

(this is easy compared to the bottom!)

Take the 10" x 28" of posterboard and connect ends together with tape. Along one edge, cut 3" slits around the bottom. Take the 3" piece of board and tape together. Take the larger piece and 'tuck' the slits inside the smaller ring. Tape slits inside of smaller ring. (Hint: make sure to try it on before sealing everything up!)

While the head is on, try to locate where the eye holes should be (I shined a light from the outside and used a pencil to mark the area). Take the head off, trace out two small ovals, and use an xacto knife to cut out the eyes.

Step 5: Don't Forget the Hands!

Take the two foam discs and use an xacto knife (or a box knife) to cut out a hole in the middle of the disc, plus cut out a piece to make the form of a 'C'.

Cut a small slit on the side of the disk. Insert the popsicle stick in the slit.

Step 6: Painting....the Fun Part!

Ok, so take out the three pieces...legs, top and head...outside to paint.

First, you are going to want to sandpaper the duct tape so that there is something for the paint to cling to. Make sure to dust off the pieces before painting.

Go ahead and spray paint the pieces evenly.....let them dry!

So, now for the details....

To do the head...
Grab a red marker and draw some lips somewhere under the eyes.

Take the dark brown glossy paint and the clear acrylic bowl. Set the bowl on a stand; take the paint and drizzle it on the outside of the bowl. take the foam brush and spread out the paint. I did 3 coats to get a solid covering.

For the top...
Paint the bikini top using the picture as a guideline. I had a projector that I was able to project the image on my actual piece which helped me....maybe you are a better artist. I used the brick red, black and gold for the colors...painting them in that order. Also, I took some white paint and added a teeny bit of brown to make it a little darker than the base ivory coat to paint the 'hips' and the 'cleavage'.

For the bottom....
For the bottom...same thing as the top....the colors were cinnamon, black and gold.....

For the hands...
Use some white paint with a little brown to match the base ivory color. Use the foam brush to paint both peices. I had to do two coats.

Step 7: Putting It All Together...

Ok, so first it helps to have a shirt the same color as your base paint color. :)

Step into the 'legs' and take a belt or piece of rope and string through loops inside of legs.

Have someone help you slide on the top over your head.

Put on the head, and then put the 'hair' over the top of the head piece.

Grab your 'hands' and wander around and have people go ooh and ahh...