Costume dilemmas

I’m so torn on what to be for Halloween. Mainly because what I’d really like to be is some fairy tale or fantasy character, and I don’t really have any money to buy a cool costume–because of course I’d want it to look like an SCA costume, not the cheapo thing you can buy at a costume shop.
I could be Princess Leia again–that would just require me going out and finding some gauzy white material to make the white outfit again. My Boston roommate’s curtains served as the outfit last time. However, my hair isn’t long enough anymore (it was down to my waist for that Halloween, and this year it’s only a few inches past my shoulders, sadly). I just started to be able to braid it again, and I can’t imagine I’d have enough hair for cinnamon buns. Not with this wispy blonde stuff.
I’m so bad at coming up with costume ideas. I truly have always depended on roommates for this kind of thing. Last year I’d just dyed my hair red before Halloween, so I went as Lucille Ball–only because I’d been Ginger Rogers in the exact same dress for a murder mystery party a couple months before. So everyone thought I was Ginger Rogers. 😛 She wasn’t a redhead! That was my mantra the whole night. Not a successful costume.
I’d love to be able to make myself a nice flowy green velvety cloak, if it can be done easily. If I could pair that with a nice flowy dress from a thrift store (I hope), I could go as Galadriel. I can’t remember if she had straight or curly hair, but I can totally do elf hair with the two side braids (it was my favorite hairstyle in grad school, and could double as hippie hair), either straight or curly, but straight looks better and doesn’t require as much work.
Which reminds me I should actually braid my hair Thursday night, then, because there’s a Halloween party Friday, then another Monday, then the work one Tuesday, and then a party Tuesday night. Wow.
Or I do have a cute embroidered peasant shirt with bell sleeves, and I could wear jeans (I’d have to find bell bottoms, and they’ve gone out of style again) and be hippie girl. But that’s a shirt I wear regularly, and it might be just like the Lucille Ball costume–a flop. People might wonder if I’ve dressed up at all, and that wouldn’t do. Perhaps I could go on a hunt for a new peasant shirt. I like them and they look good on my body type.
So, here’s where y’all come in. Are you dressing up for Halloween? What will you be? What should I be? Any suggestions on easy patterns for any of th
ese things? Any easily assembled but authentic-looking ideas? I could use all the help I can get!