Ten Easy Halloween Costumes to Make Yourself
Who needs expensive Halloween costumes? Actually for those occasions where you or your child has entered a fancy dress competition, something that is original and has a bit of effort put into it will often win ahead of something hired or bought from a shop.
Here are a few ideas for costumes to throw together at home which are uncomplicated and inexpensive. They are suitable for adults and kids alike, for Halloween, fancy dress parties or Fasnacht (Carnival). Make them with your child as a fun craft activity to do together.
Bee: (Thanks to my son’s skiing instructor for this idea from Fasnacht! See picture.) Wear a black garbage bag with holes for the neck and arms. Use yellow insulation tape to make stripes on the garbage bag. Wear a black beanie with wire attached for the antennae. Squash up some pieces of the insulation tape into balls and attach to the end of the antennae. Wings can be a pair of yellow rubber gloves taped to the back. Bzzz bzzzzz bzzzzz.
Cat- (See picture.) Draw a nose and whiskers on the face using an eyeliner pencil. Make some triangular ears out of black felt or fabric and attach to hair with hair clips or attach to a hairband. Use one leg from a pair of tights, stuff with material or newspaper and it’s a tail. Wear black, brown, white or grey clothing. Round makeup remover pads are good as spots on the ‘fur’. Attach with loops of masking tape. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!
Robot – Make the body from a cardboard box with holes cut out for the arms and the neck, then cover in aluminium foil. A head can be made out of a smaller box with holes for the neck and eyes and covered with foil. Various buttons and dials can be added with cut out pieces of paper or drawn on directly with a black marker.
Fortune Teller – This is a secret so don’t let anybody in my neighbourhood know that this year I’ll be trick or treating dressed as a fortune teller. I’m going to wear a long skirt, lots of scarves including on my head and over my shoulders. Obviously I’ll also wear masses of jewellery, especially big silver earrings. The tarot cards that I’m whipping up will accurately predict the future of my neighbours, as a crystal ball is too impractical to carry around, even if I had one.
Schoolboy or schoolgirl – This might not be such a fun costume in many countries where kids actually do wear school uniforms, but in Switzerland it’s a novelty. Wear a shirt with a collar and a tie. For boys / men wear grey or black trousers or shorts and knee-high socks. Wearing black lace-up shoes too is a bonus! Girls / women can wear a grey, black, navy or tartan skirt with tights or knee-high socks. Complete the schoolgirl look with the hair in piggy-tails, wear glasses and draw on a few freckles. A jacket can be the school blazer; don’t forget to pin-on a self-made prefect’s badge. Take a satchel, not only as part of the costume, but as a useful bag to stash all the sweets you’re given while trick or treating.
Famous sporting star: In the Internet find a good headshot of your favourite sportsman or woman. Enlarge the photo and print out onto light cardboard, or glue the photo onto cardboard. Cut out around the face so that it’s a mask and make small holes for eyes and mouth. Attach elastic and string to the mask to tie around the head. Wear soccer clothing, tennis clothing or whatever sporting gear matches with your sport’s star. Don’t forget the ball / racquet / hat or other relevant accessory. A sports bag will complement the costume and be useful for storing Halloween sweets you’re given.
From the toybox: See what can be found amongst your kids’ toys. One toy can be the focus around which a costume can be created. A hobby horse can be ridden by a horserider wearing black trousers, a jacket and a black cap and boots. A toy doctor’s kit is a great basis for a doctor costume. Wear a white jacket if you have one, otherwise wear your ordinary clothes, but with a stethoscope around your neck, you’re a doctor! Some glasses can be added to up the intellectual factor! Don’t forget to take some plasters or bandages to treat your patients. A toy (or real) guitar slung across the torso says rock star! Wear whatever rock star clothes you can find, tease / gel / spray your hair, add some makeup and you’re done.
Ghost – So simple – a sheet with eyeholes. Need more be said? Great for those who like a bit of anonymity when trick or treating. Also fun to haunt the neighbourhood by running around saying whooohhhh, whoooohhhhhh.
If, however, none of these ideas work for you, use some of these commonplace items from around the home to provide the basis for a great costume of your own choosing:
Cardboard – Make a crown for a king or a queen. Cut out some rabbit ears and attach to hair with hairclips. Cut out a pirate’s cutlass and cover with aluminium foil.
Black eyeliner pencil – What can’t you do with eyeliner pencil? It’s great for drawing stars, scars, spiders, webs, bats, tattoos, noses and whiskers of cats and dogs, freckles, moles, moustaches, beards, for blackening teeth and…and…and…
Tights / pantyhose– Stretch them over bent wire and you have wings. Stuff one leg with paper or material and it becomes an elephant’s trunk or a cat’s tail.
Powder – A bit sprinkled on brown or black hair turns it grey.
Red / yellow / blue / black insulation tape – Can be used to create stripes and spots.
Black rubbish bags – So useful as the basis for many costumes. Or just go as a bag of rubbish. Easy.
If you have any other tips, please share.
By Madame Fortune
