DIY Halloween Costume Ideas

My girls love Halloween and picking out their costumes every year.  However, I'm not big on spending money on pre-made costumes from the store.  Even growing up, we always put together a costume out of what we had rather than buying it.  I think it's much more creative and fun to come up with an idea, rather than just buying something.  My youngest did recycle one of our dance recital costumes to be a mermaid!  Always nice to get a little more use out of these things since we spend so much $$$ on them!

Last year we all decided to dress up to go trick-or-treating.  That meant I needed an outfit as well.  I decided to go as Katniss Everdeen from the Huger Games!  This wasn't too hard to come up with out of items from my closet.  I had some green pants, a black tank, a green jacket and black boots.  I found a gold pin that resembled hers at Goodwill for $.99.  I also found a bow and arrow set at the Dollar Tree.  It was a bright color so I simple spray painted it silver.  For my quiver pouch, I made a long skinny bag out of black felt and attached a black purse strap to it.  Make sure to braid your hair.  Simple!

One of my daughter's wanted to go as Olaf from Frozen!  I did buy her this Olaf hat at Target, but it's something she can wear throughout the winter, and not just on Halloween.  We paired it with a brown long sleeve T for Olaf's stick arms.  Top that with a white sleeveless shirt for his belly.  I simply pinned on black felt circles to be his buttons.  It is also pretty easy to make a tutu skirt.  Sew or pin a circle of elastic to fit your waist.  Next tie strips of tulle onto the elastic until you have filled it.  Add a pair of white leggings and Olaf is ready to go!

My oldest daughter wanted to be a cowgirl.  We pulled just about all of it out of her closet.  She wore a plaid shirt over a tank along with her jeans.  Top with a pair of boots and a cowgirl hat and you are just about ready to go!  We found a bandanna for $1 at Walmart and added a rope lasso.  You could carry your own rope if you have some in the garage, but I found hers for just a few bucks in the costume section.  Ready to lasso some candy!

I'm all for buying Halloween costumes.  However, I usuallly buy them after Halloween when they are 75% off!  That way the girls can wear them for dress up all year long.  Sometimes they will pick something out of their dress-up bin to wear for Halloween.  That way they get to wear a number of different costumes in one year if we happen to go to more than one Halloween event!  Don't forget to check Goodwill for costume props and accessories.  That's where we got my husband's awesome cheerleading outfit!  I may even have one to match!!  Happy Trick-or-Treating!

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