Ah, fall — the wonderful time of year where the dizzying heat of summer gives way to the perfect mix of not-too-hot and not-too-cold weather, when the kaleidoscope of nature’s colors are in the fullest swing, and when the promise of holiday season magic is finally right around the corner once again. Of course, it just wouldn’t be fall without the holiday that turns us into children at heart once again: Halloween. Times are pretty tough for us all economically, so I thought I’d share a few of my favorite DIY costume ideas — all of the ideas are easy, and you will likely be able to make them using either items you already have in your closet, or using materials sourced from either a thrift store, Amazon, or the dollar store.
Enjoy!
READ: Halloween Events In and Around South Central PA
Five Options for Moms
- Bridesmaid I created this Halloween look using a Goodwill bridesmaid’s dress, a faux floral bouquet (that I’d carried when I was an actual bridesmaid!) — and that was it! Search your closet for that bridesmaid’s dress that has been hanging there for years (or drop a couple bucks on one at your local thrift store), accent with a fake flower bouquet, and get ready to strike a pose as if you just caught it!
- Holly Golightly This timeless, Breakfast at Tiffany’s-inspired getup is easily created using your favorite little-blakc-dress and sunglasses. Accent with some long gloves from Amazon or the thrift store and a French Twist!
- Barbie Given the groundbreaking success of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie this summer, there are ENDLESS options for you here. The pink and white gingham dress worn by the title character in the movie is available on Amazon, and — if you are feeling creative — get some pink clay, and sculpt the shell necklace she’s wearing for yourself! Feeling more classic? Grab a strapless black dress from the thrift store, some wide black tulle from a craft store, long black gloves, and transform yourself into Vintage Barbie! (Sew or use a hot glue gun to attach the tulle to the hem of the strapless dress, throw on some pearls and black heels, and long gloves.) Really with this one, though, the world is your oyster. Think of your favorite childhood Barbie costume, recreate it with items of clothing you have in your closet, and — bonus — make a matching one for your mini me!
- Super Heroes A great costume option for the whole family, this one couldn’t be easier: Grab some sheets of red felt and ribbon at the craft store, and your trusty hot glue gun. Cut large rectangles (enough to cover each person’s back, ideally down to the knees), hot glue (or sew) strips of ribbon to two corners so you can tie it around your neck, and decorate the back as desired! Maybe think of a family team of super heroes that is unique to your family, and design your capes accordingly (special symbol, family coat of arms, etc).
- Princess An awesome mother-daughter option, this one couldn’t be simpler: head to Goodwill, find the poofiest dresses you can find, order tiaras (there are options available on Amazon for way under $10!), and spend some bonding time researching hair and makeup styles that scream “princess” to you!
Five Options for Kiddos
- Ice Cream/Cupcake/Starbucks Drink, etc. Inspired by the year my then-three year old daughter wanted to be “ice cream” for Halloween (then decided moments before going trick-or-treating that she wanted to be Elsa instead, after I’d spent an entire evening lovingly hand-making her costume), this costume is easily adaptable for any type of food (cupcakes, cookies, etc). All you need are large flattened box(es), a tape measure, a hot glue gun, sheets of felt in multiple colors, fabric Paint, and thick, wide ribbon.
First, measure your child (this costume will be put over their clothes like a sandwich board). You want the costume length to go from shoulders to calves — too long, and they might trip. Then, using either a scaled printout of the type of food you are trying to make (or your imagination), trace the pattern onto the flattened sheets of cardboard and cut out (for example, for the ice cream costume, I cut out two large triangles for the cone, and two “scoop” shapes to top it with). Cut the felt to cover the cardboard (for the ice cream, I cut triangles of tan felt to cover the cardboard triangles and white felt to cover the scoops). Use the hot glue gun to attach the felt to the cardboard, then use the fabric paint to decorate (I used glitter paint to make sparkly sprinkles). Finally, attach strips of the thick, wide ribbon to the inside corners of each of the two pieces to turn it into a sandwich board (make sure to measure this on your child so it’s not too long! You can also attach strips at the waist so it ties inside at the waist as well for added stability). The best part? This costume is easy to make, widely versatile, incredibly cheap, and can be layered over warm clothes so they don’t get cold while trick-or-treating!
- It was the 80s, Man! This one can’t be easier- tease your kiddos hair, use a thick, stretchy headband as a sweatband, some knee socks, and LOTS of neon, and have a ball! You can also reuse an old dance leotard over some leggings, cut the toes off of some old knee-high socks to make ankle warmers, and add a funky belt to let your child enjoy all the 80s workout attire glory.
- Bumblebee Cute, quick, and easy! Find a yellow sweatshirt and sweatpants combo that fits your kiddo, hot glue some strips of wide black ribbon on both, hot glue two black pipe cleaners to a black beanie for the antennae, and pop on a pair of white fairy wings (many options available for under $10!)
- Fairy Following the suggestion regarding wings for under $10 above, this costume couldn’t be easier. You can make it as simple (pop some fairy wings on over your kiddos coat!) or as elaborate (long dress, styled hair, glitter makeup, etc.) as you wish!
- Unicorn Easy, fun, and so cute: Have your kiddos dress in a white sweatpants-sweatshirt outfit. Ahead of time, paint a plastic Christmas icicle ornament with glitter paint, then glue the base to a wide headband. For the mane, you have lots of options: you can hot glue pieces of yarn to the back of a long hat (the kind that covers your kiddo’s neck), or you can simply style your child’s hair with lots of glitter extensions. Add some sparkly shoes for the hooves, and voila!
There you have it, folks: some cute, quick, and cost-effective ideas for Halloween costumes if you have been struggling to figure out what to do in 2023 (or if your child has, like mine, changed their mind about what they want to be roughly four times since July).
Happy Halloween!
