Starting a D.I.Y. Costume Tradition
3 costumes you can make for under $20 – no needles required
When it comes to Halloween costumes, kids can be fickle. How many times did you set your heart on a certain costume three months in advance and then set your eyes on something entirely different – three days in advance? Hand making the kids’ costumes is one Halloween tradition that allows for fickleness and frugalness. Before dashing to the craft store to purchase supplies, take a look inside your child’s closet – you may already have half the materials you need to make memorable costumes.
STRAWBERRY: $14
The little ones do look adorable in their round, orange pumpkin costumes, but we need a new fruit in this pumpkin-saturated market. The comfy strawberry adds a red and leafy
twist to the Halloween spirit and tops any run-of-the-mill option from the seasonal costume store. Add red tights and shoes if the night is cool.
You Will Need: 1 unmarked child’s size red sweatshirt (this should fit as an oversized dress on the baby) ($10) / 20 dime-sized gold bells, buttons or small pins ($2) / 1 18×36” length of green felt ($2) / Scissors / Hot glue gun
To Assemble: 1. Cut the sleeves neatly off of the red sweatshirt. / 2. Hot glue the gold buttons to the front and back of the sweatshirt as strawberry seeds. (Note: If your baby is able to pick at the buttons, skip the choking hazard and draw black seeds on the sweater with a black marker instead.) / 3. Fold the green felt in half and draw a half circle on the side with the fold (like making a Valentine heart). Cut out the half circle and discard. The remaining felt should form an empty circle big enough to fit over your baby’s head. / 4. Draw wavy leaves around the now empty half circle. Cut out the leaves, keeping them all connected at their base. / 5. Fit the green felt over the neck of the sweatshirt and glue the base of the leaves around the neck’s hem. / 6. Slip the sweatshirt over the baby and voila! You can’t pick them any cuter.
FRUIT NINJA: $19
Given the popularity of the app, the Fruit Ninja will surely bring familiar smiles and compliments for creativity. If you do not have a karate uniform, don’t worry! Black pants and a T-shirt will suffice. This easy costume takes only a few minutes to assemble and scores big points for ingenuity.
You Will Need: 1 black T-shirt / 1 Martial Arts Uniform ($10) / Plastic Fruit ($9) / Hot Glue Gun
To Assemble: 1. Using a hot glue gun, glue plastic fruit all around the uniform’s shirt. / 2. Cut a strip of the black T-shirt off to tie around your child’s head. / 3. After the fruit has dried, slip on the black T-shirt, pull over the fruit-covered uniform and tie on the black headband. / 4. Go pick a fight with produce!
SUPERHERO: ($6.50 – $12.50)
While Superman and Batman kick butt, we already know exactly who they are and what super powers they possess. Why not create a new hero? Your children can make up their own super powers, wear their own costumes and colors, and fight their own kind of crime.
You Will Need: 1 pair of single-color sweatpants / 1 single-color T-shirt / 1 pillowcase / 1 basic pair of tennis shoes / 1 package of iron-on letters, shapes ($4-$10) / 1 9×12” piece of black felt ($1) / 1 12” elastic cord ($1.50) / Scissors / Hot glue gun
To Assemble: 1. Iron on the words and shapes you desire for the costume according to the directions on the package. / 2. Cut a pillowcase at the seams, making the case into a one-sided sheet – or cape. / 3. Using a hot glue gun, glue the top of the pillowcase to the T-shirt, right at the shoulders. / 4. Stencil an outline of a mask and eyeholes onto the black felt and cut around the outlines. / 5. Cut two small holes on the farthest corners of the mask. Slip and tie the elastic cord through the holes to complete. / 6. Suit up and save the world! M
Related Posts
About the Author: Jackie Grade
« Hallow-Yummy: Festive Recipes for Harvest and Halloween Students, Sports and Success »
