Homemade Halloween Costumes

Holy Ghosts and Goblins!

Halloween is just around the corner, and you and your kids have nothing to wear for that party you’ve been invited to. And what about trick or treating? What will you do? We are all on tighter budgets, and we sure could use some great and simple homemade costume ideas this year. So, grab a pen, and write down what you have and what you need for these easy to make costumes.
Housewife Ghost
Use the same old white sheet, cut out holes for the eyes and a small slit for the mouth. Then dress it up a little. Put eye shadow and lashes around the eyes. Lipstick for the mouth. Put a little color on the cheeks. How about earrings and a necklace? And don’t forget to carry a frying pan!!!!
Scarecrow
Wear an over-sized flannel shirt, faded blue jeans with patches, use rope for a belt and to tie at the cuffs of the jeans and sleeves. Stuff the shirt and jeans with plastic grocery bags, or newspaper to make you look like a real scarecrow, and add a little bit of straw to hang out of jeans and shirt. Add some make-up like long black eyelashes, and you are ready.
Bill Gates (Who knew that being a “computer whiz-nerdy” type would make a great career and costume?
Slick back the hair, grab some pants that are too short(or roll up regular pants), white button down shirt, white socks, penny loafers, or lace up oxfords, pocket protector, with lots of pens, dark rim glasses (don’t forget to tape the corner, or at least paper clip it) briefcase, or backpack for treat bag.
Japanese Doll
Paint your face white or use lots of white powder, add red rosy cheeeks shaped in a circle and red lips shaped in a heart, put your hair in a bun, wear socks and thong sandals, and a kimono. If you don’t have anything like a kimono, try a silky or polyester robe.
Static Cling
Wear anything in a solid color, all black works the best. With safetypins pin anything to yourself that clings: socks, underwear, fabric softener sheets, etc. You can also spray your hair straight up in the air.
Dust Bunny
Black sweats with white batting pinned to it, adding ears and a cotton tail and make up whiskers
Devil in a Blue Dress
Wear a blue dress, and add devil’s horns, a tail, and a pitchfork
Pirate
Wear dark jeans with a striped top(preferably red and white or blue and white). Tie a bandana around your head, wear an eye patch, carry an empty bottle marked XXX (for the “rum”) To make the “wooden leg”, wrap brown felt around the bottom half of one leg!!!!

Sweatsuit ideas:

Each costume will use some form of face make-up. Simple make-up kits can be bought for under 4.00. Hat/headbands ideas follow.
Cow-white with brown or black spots made of felt or paper(floppy ears)
Dalmation-white with circle spots of felt or paper(floppy ears)
Pig-pink, with a lighter pink oval as the belly, and a curly tail made from pipe-cleaner(felt nose can be tied on with ribbon)(Pointy ears)
Spider-black with black pantyhose stuffed and attached to the back with pins(big eyes)
Flower-green with an overly decorated floral hat as the bloom
Tree-brown with a green hat/headpiece for the leaves
Bunny-brown, with a pink oval as the tummy and cotton as the tail(make the ears stand up using pipe-cleaners)
Ladybug-black sweats with a “painted” posterboard for the wings(antennae and/or bug eyes)
Bee-Black with yellowish striped tape for the stripes(antennae or bugeyes)
Ghoul-Black or white sweats, matching gloves, and a matching knit hat. The make-up makes this cool.
Eyeball-white pants with XXL sweatshirt. Paint the shirt like a bloodshot eye, then stuff the shirt with crumpled paper to make it look round
Pumpkin-orange XXL sweatshirt using black felt cutouts for the face, then stuff with paper to shape it. Add a green headband for the “stem”.
Skeleton-black sweatsuit with white felt bones pinned on(or buy a paper skeleton, cut out the bones, then glue them onto the sweatsuit)
“Deviled Egg”-white sweats, yellow circle pinned to your shirt, devil’s horns, tail, and a pitchfork

For the headbands, use a storebought headband(they cost a dollar) or you can use wide ribbon. Then use felt to make your ears, bug eyes, etc
The next list is costumes made from boxes. To avoid irritation, I suggest cutting the top of the box off and making some sort of suspenders across the opening to hold the costume up! You can use, elastic, ribbon, etc.
Box Costumes:
Dice-Paint white with black dots
Cereal Killer-paint like a box of any cereal, then carry a weapon(knife, sword, gun, etc) from the toy box
Rubik’s Cube-self-explanatory, right?
TV set- paint a “movie” inside of a tv screen on the front, and add rabbit ears to the top section
Already in your house costumes:
Let your kids dress in any of their uniforms:
Football(with a black eye)
Soccer(black out a tooth or with a black eye)
Dancing
Gymnastics
Baseball
Halloween costumes do not need to break the budget, as long as we all use some creativity. Now, get to work.