With Halloween quickly approaching, some of the prices of store-bought costumes can be downright scary. It’s much cheaper and more fun to make a costume from items you may already have. Your trick-or-treater will have the most unique get-up on the block!
Clown
An oldie but a goodie. Bright plaid or polka-dotted clothes, oversized shoes and artfully applied makeup are all you need. Add silly touches like a wig made of red yarn; a big, red nose; balloons; and a flower pin that squirts water.
Hippie
Little girls can wear an oversized tie-dye T-shirt as a dress; older kids can wear tie-dye shirts with wide, bell-bottom jeans. Add lots of beads or peace-sign stickers and a pair of John Lennon round glasses (which you can find at any Salvation Army). Girls with long hair should part it in the middle or braid the hair and insert flowers.
Fairy
A perennial favorite for little girls! All you need is a leotard or bodysuit, a poufy skirt with lots of tulle, a pair of fairy wings from a dollar store and a tinsel-wrapped headband. Give her a magic wand to carry and let her wear some glittery makeup, such as lip gloss and sparkly blush.
Cowboy/Cowgirl
Here’s another costume favorite that never goes out of style. Jeans, a plaid shirt, brown cowboy boots and a cowboy hat, and a red bandanna tied around the neck are all you need. Give your child a rope to carry as a lasso and a hobby horse, and he’ll be set to ride the range!
Superhero
A pair of goggles, matching rubber dish gloves and a cape made of leftover cloth makes a superfast costume. You can create any insignia or character name out of felt or duct tape and attach it to the front of your child’s shirt for an extra touch.
Ghost
You’ll need a white robe or sheet and white face makeup. Cover your child’s face and hands with white makeup and either wear the robe as a hood, or cut a face hole out of an old sheet. Find a pair of pretend chains from a dollar store for your spook to rattle. For a touch of humor, cut tons of holes in the sheet a la Charlie Brown.
Night
I saw this creative costume at a rehab center Halloween party. This costume is all black, so be sure you have a reflector for your child to wear (plus, that can be the moon if they ask). Wear a pair of loose-fitting black pants and a black turtleneck or a cute little black dress. Use black eye liner to paint on little starts and a moon somewhere on the skin. Add some glitter and you can even add a little more mystery by making a black mask they can decorate out of felt and jewels.
Pop Diva
Time to put all those dress-up clothes to good use. Think sparkly dresses or skirts, feather boas, fancy hats, long pull-up gloves. Add a pair of bejeweled sunglasses, a microphone and some bright pink lipstick, and your diva will be ready to strut her stuff. For an added touch, have her carry a toy poodle (a stuffed animal, not a real one!) to complete the look.
Nerd
Wrap lots of masking tape around the nose bridge of your child’s glasses, use gel to make his hair stick up and wear too-short pants with suspenders and argyle socks with bright-colored sneakers. Don’t forget the calculator in the pocket and an armload of books.
Pirate
No need to shell out big bucks for a store-bought version! All you’ll need to buy is a pirate hat or bandana, rough chopped of jeans and a striped shirt. To add some extra fun, draw a mustache on his face and a tattoo on his arm with eye liner.