It is fall and Halloween is approaching fast, are you ready? What do the kids want to be? You can make some great homemade costumes without sewing. And the best part, yet is that you can give the kids exactly what they want, such as popular characters or classic characters. Here are some ideas, along with general directions to go along with them.
Robot Costume
We did this one for my son last year. All that is needed is a few simple items, such as some duct tape, a few aluminum disposable pans and a gray sweat suit. Use dryer vent material to cover the arms and legs and the aluminum pans for the front and back panels. Use the duct tape to cover an old pair of sneakers or shoes, to cover a half of a milk jug for a helmet, and to use to attach the costume). Find reflectors, knobs and assorted doo-dads around the house to make the electronics on the front panel.
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is so easy to make. Pair a collared shirt and dark pants. Then add a tie, some old glasses (you can find some plastic ones in the dollar store). For a wand, collect a stick out in your yard or use a chopstick. Draw the famous scar on your child’s forehead with an eyeliner. A cape and even the famous striped scarf can be made out of inexpensive felt or other fabric.
Makeup
Don’t worry about buying expensive costume makeup that is so hard to remove. Instead, mix some food coloring with a little bit of foundation makeup. Green for a witch or alien, black for pirate beards, pink to make little princess stars. etc. You don’t need much.
Skeleton
This is another easy costume that has a lot of impact. It requires only two items, a sweat suit and some white contact paper. You can add some black and white makeup for the face if you like, or use one of those face mask hats and the contact paper. Draw the bones on the contact paper, cut them out and then peel off the adhesive backing to attach them to the sweat suit. The best part is that you can peel off the bones and use the sweatshirt when you are done!
Click here for more articles by Mary Ann Romans.
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