Easy DIY Halloween Costumes

(Watch me talk about these costume ideas on Better Kansas City by clicking here and here!)

You guys, I love Halloween. Wait, let me put that in all caps…YOU GUYS, I LOVE HALLOWEEN! It’s my favorite holiday, and every year as the weather turns crisp and everything is pumpkin spice scented or flavored, I start to get excited to celebrate. There’s just something so magical about getting to pretend you’re someone else for a night AND getting to stuff your face full of mini Kit-Kat bars without judgement.

While I wouldn’t consider myself any sort of “do it yourself” (aka DIY) expert, when Halloween rolls around I often find myself in the position of being a DIY’er by force. This is because my kids have very expensive Halloween costume taste. They want the most elaborate, insane costumes, often begging, pleading and saving up their own money until they get what they want. Or, let’s face it, sometimes they pull out the big guns and beg Grandma.

However, almost every time, once Halloween actually arrives, the aforementioned insane, expensive, elaborate costume isn’t as amazing as expected. In fact, it’s usually itchy and uncomfortable. Maybe it’s too hot or too cold, but more than once (or twice!) I’ve found myself with kids on Halloween night that absolutely do not want to wear their planned costume. So then what?

Well, if you’re me, you get on Pinterest and find the easiest, most fun DIY costumes you can…and get it done! I don’t want to spend a ton of money, and I’d be happiest if we could pull something together from items we already have around the house. I also want to involve my kids, since it’s their Halloween costume! So this past weekend, in preparation for my favorite holiday coming up in a few weeks, we put together some of the best DIY costumes from around the web! If you’d like more details on how to make these yourself, click on the title of the costume below the image for additional directions! Happy haunting!

DIY Ninja Turtle Costume – I will admit, I didn’t go as all out as the original person who posted this design, but we pulled it together with some items from around the house (a sword and mask from other dress up stuff). The biggest DIY part was spray painting a roasting pan green and attaching the belt to the pan. This is definitely not a costume that lasts forever (the pan was chipped right away after my four-year-old yanked it off when we were done), but it definitely works in a pinch! Click here for additional instructions on how to make this costume.

DIY Unicorn Costume – This one did require a little more crafting than I usually take on…but it was so adorable, I’m glad we went for it! All you need is an old hoodie, felt in whatever colors you want to use, a styrophome cone (purchased at a craft store), an old headband, some pins/safety pins and a glue gun (or gorilla glue if you’re me and you can’t find your glue gun). Click here for additional instructions on how to make this costume.

DIY Clark Kent as Superman Costume – This one is so easy! Just grab an old Superman t-shirt, a dress shirt and pants, and a pair of glasses and you are good to go! No purchases necessary for this one, and it might be my favorite.

DIY Taylor Swift – This was a last minute addition to our costume list, but I sort of love it! We wanted something that we could put together easily from my daughter’s own closet without spending a dime. She’s a huge Taylor Swift fan and has been taking guitar lessons for about a year, so we decided to put together an easy Taylor costume. All you need is a sundress, boots and a little red lipstick! Sidenote: My daughter pointed out that “Taylor Swift is a pop singer now, MOM!” However, her pop singer shorty shorts and crop tops are not what I want my kid wearing on Halloween, so we decided to go for an old school Taylor instead.

DIY Royals Baseball Player – This one is another that you can pull fairly easily from your kid’s closet without spending extra money. Just grab some baseball pants, a Royals jersey (or one from your own hometown team), a hat and a bat…and you’re done! You can do this with any team or any sport. Got a kid who loves soccer? Put them in their shinguards and a Sporting KC (or other applicable team) jersey. The same goes for football, basketball or any other sport. When my son was two-years-old he refused to wear his costume come Halloween night, so we put him in his Jayhawk warm-ups and he carried around a tiny basketball. It worked out perfectly!

DIY Rocket Pack – I actually saw these on a friend’s Snapchat, and thought they were so adorable! I ended up finding a tutorial online via Doodlecraft, but I dumbed it down a little more for myself. Instead of felt, we just used red streamers and some leftover gold Christmas ribbon to make the flames. This one definitely needs to be made ahead of time, as we tried using it too early and our rockets fell right off. Give the glue some time to set, and if they just won’t stick, some silver duct tape works just as well! Click here for additional instructions on how to make this costume.

DIY Butterfly Costume – This costume is great if you have a kid who doesn’t want a lot of fuss, but still wants to participate in the fun of Halloween. Take a scarf from your own closet and tie it in the middle. Have your child wear a leotard (whatever color they’d like) and tights or leggings. You can pin the middle of the scarf to the back of the leotard, or leave it loose, depending on your child’s comfort. Have them either hold the ends of the scarf, or you can attach loops so they can slip them over their wrists. For a little extra flair, add some face paint in fun colors or sparkles or you can have your child wear a mask they decorate themselves!

DIY Halloween Jellyfish Costume – This adorable idea came directly from a friend of my daughter’s who wore this last year. The photos really don’t do it justice, as it looks so awesome in person! Dress your child in all white (obviously that didn’t happen for our little photoshoot, but I think it helps the effect of the costume) and grab a clear, plastic umbrella from your local Target or Wal-Mart (or order online). Scotch tape ribbons to the inside of the umbrella. You can use all one color or mix it up! And you’re done! For some extra pop, add glow sticks to the inside of the umbrella to light up your jellyfish at night. Or you can use battery powered holiday lights…but I prefer glow sticks, as they are much lighter and easier for your child to carry around. Click here for additional instructions on how to create this costume.

There you have it! A few great ideas for a DIY Halloween that won’t break the bank or have you cursing at your sewing machine. Not that I’ve ever actually retrieved my sewing machine from the basement…but that’s another blog post. Happy Halloween, everyone! May your mini Kit-Kats be plenty!