5 Easy DIY Halloween Costumes
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In case the pumpkin-lined front porches and aisles of candy and mayhem didn’t give it away, Halloween is coming. And that means it’s time to figure out costumes. Whether you need one for your bestie’s Halloween bash or your kids need one for the kindergarten Halloween parade at school, these five ideas are fun DIYs that won’t cost a bundle.
And hey, isn’t it better to have a costume that’s different from everyone else’s?
Homemade Bumble Bee
You need:
Elastic for a waistband (found in rolls in the craft department)
Black and yellow tulle
A black headband
Black pipe cleaners
A black leotard or long sleeve shirt
Black leggings
Wings
To make:
Cut a piece of elastic for the waist. You want to measure by fitting it around the waist and then tying off (basically unstretched elastic should fit once around the waist. When you tie it off, it will make the skirt fit snugly. Cut pieces of black and yellow tulle to the exact same length. You will be doubling them over and tying onto the waist elastic, so measure the length based on the person wearing the skirt — longer for taller people, shorter for little kids. Cut enough to go all the way around the waist. To add them, fold in half and tuck the folded part under the elastic (for best results, have the wearer wear the elastic during this process). Pull the ends of the tulle through the loop and tighten. Continue until there is tulle all the way around.
Now, affix the black pipe cleaners to either side of the headband (on top). Fold the ends into a curly shape.
To wear: Put on the leotard or shirt with the leggings and pull the skirt on. Wear the headband in your hair (with pigtails, if desired) and put on store-bought wings.
DIY Gladiator
You need:
1 very, very large tan or cream polo shirt
Brown rope or cord for the waist
Brown leggings
Gladiator sandals — or sandles of your choice
Optional: ivy for the hair
To make:
Cut the arms off the shirt and cut the hem of the shirt into either a jagged hem or a rough-cut hem.
Wear the shirt over the leggings and tie the waist with the brown cord. Put on your sandals.
If desired, use bobby pins to pin ivy into your hair.
Instant Lois Lane
You need:
White oxford shirt
Snazzy dark skirt
Comfy heels
Neck lanyard with plastic holder attached
Reporter’s notebook (office supply stores sell them)
Pencil
To make:
Put on the clothes (easy enough, right?) and shoes.
Using your printer, print out a paper that says in big letters: “Press.” Cut it down to size and fit into the plastic holder on the lanyard. Wear around your neck.
Walk around with your reporter’s notebook and pencil. Why a pencil? Because if you are covering a story in the rain, pens won’t write in the notebook — but pencils will!
Thing 1 and Thing 2
You need:
Two oversized red shirts
White poster board
Magic markers
Wild hair wig (preferably blue)
To make:
Arrange the two shirts on the floor and cut circles from the poster board to fit on the belly areas. Use the markers (permanent markers work best) to write Thing 1 on one circle and Thing 2 on the other circle. Affix to the shirt with tape, as desired.
Wear the shirt and the wig (and have your friend do the same) and you are good to go.
Starbucks Drake Hands
This is for the totally tuned in — at the friend’s party, of course. Have you seen the video that launched the Starbucks Drake Hands craze? A Starbucks barista got a girl’s phone number and sent her a 15-second video of him listening to a song with a coy smile and touching his face … this costume is crazy easy. Wear a plaid shirt. Keep Drake’s “I’ve Got My Eyes on You” playing on your phone. And then touch your face sensually.
Easy right?
Sarah W. Caron is a writer, editor and recipe developer who loves good food, inspiring stories and anything that makes life a little easier. She blogs about home cooking at SarahsCucinaBella.com and about going after big life dreams at SarahbytheSea.com. Sarah and her husband live in Connecticut with their two kids and two beagles.
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