Easy Halloween Costumes
With just a few days left before Halloween you have little time to sort out a costume and the good ones are probably already gone from your local party store. We've come to help and have sourced some easy Halloween costumes that will take little time and money but hopefully have just as big an impact for yourself or your kids.
Salt and Pepper Shakers
You'll Need
Garment bags
Black construction paper
Styrofoam peanuts
Black pompoms
Stainless steel colanders
Shoelaces
1. Enlarge the hole at the top of two clear garment bags so they're big enough for your kids' heads to fit through.
2. Cut holes on the sides and bottom for arms and legs. With double-stick tape, attach an "S" cut from black construction paper on one and a "P" on the other.
3. After the kids have stepped into the bags, fill the "S" with Styrofoam peanuts and the "P" with black pompoms.
4. Top with colanders tied with black and white shoelaces.
Sushi Rolls
You'll Need
4 pillows
Packing tape
4 trash bags
Styrofoam peanuts
Orange balloons
Green t-shirt
1. Place pillows around the front and back of your children's midsections; wrap packing tape snugly around the pillows to keep them in place.
2. For each child, fold 2 lawn-sized trash bags in half and affix them to the outside of the pillows, one in front and one in back, securing at the seams with packing tape.
3. Fasten Styrofoam peanuts (rice), blown-up orange balloons (fish roe) or a rolled-up green T-shirt (cucumber) onto the tops with double-stick tape.
Goldfish
You'll Need
Cupcake liners
Hooded sweatshirt
Ping-pong ball
Permanent marker
1. Cut orange cupcake liners in half and hot-glue them in layers, with the curved edges facing downward, to an oversize orange hoodie (for a toddler-size costume, you'll need about 40 liners).
2. Next, cut a Ping-Pong ball in half with sharp scissors, draw circles in the center of each half and color them in with a permanent marker.
3. Hot-glue the halves onto the seam of the hood.
Hula Dancers
These girls were transformed into hula dancers in one afternoon. What's their secret? Their leis are made of vibrantly colored gift bows; their swinging skirts, fashioned from rope-style mop heads. The dancer on the left is even a ukulele player; her instrument is made out of recycled cardboard cereal boxes, a paper-towel tube, and rubber bands.
Tools and Materials
2 rope-style mop heads
1 pack gift bows
1 pair flip-flops
2 cereal boxes (1 small, 1 mini)
1 roll paper towels
1 box brass paper fasteners
Skirt How-To
1. Cut two rope-style mop heads down their center seams to create four panels; line up side by side.
2. Cut a piece of 2-inch-wide cloth ribbon the length of the panels, plus 12 inches on each side for tying.
3. Using a hot-glue gun, apply glue to the edges of the panels; fold ribbon in half over edges.
Lei, Headpiece, and Bracelets How-To
1. Cut ribbon to desired lengths for lei, headpiece, and bracelets. For lei, make about six evenly spaced crimps in ribbon, securing each with transparent tape so it will lie flat around neck.
2. Affix self-adhesive gift bows in assorted sizes and colors to each ribbon; loop ribbons and secure ends with double-sided tape.
3. Decorate flip-flops by affixing one large gift bow to the top of each strap.
Ukulele How-To
1. You'll need a small cereal box and a mini cereal box. Flatten boxes, cut along one side of each, and reassemble inside out using tape.
2. Use a foam cup to trace a circle on the center of the small box; cut out with scissors or a utility knife. Attach 3 brass fasteners about 1 1/2 inches below hole.
3. Cut 2 inches off one end of a paper-towel tube. Use the tube to trace one circle on the top of the small cereal box and another on the bottom of the mini cereal box; cut out.
4. Attach three brass fasteners to the front of the mini cereal box. To connect boxes to tube, apply hot glue to inside edges of holes, and insert one end of tube in each. For strings, attach three long rubber bands to fasteners at both ends.
top photo: courtesy of Woman's Day
