Thrifty Thursday: DIY Halloween Costumes

Welcome back to Thrifty Thursday!

Since Halloween is tomorrow, I’m super excited to share

some DIY costume ideas, including my son’s from this year!

These aren’t your ordinary costumes that can be found at your local party store, folks. The best part about them is that they all cost much

less than one you would find at a big retailer!

Many of you out there may not feel that you have it in you to make a costume. You tell (or convince) yourself, “I’m not creative enough and I don’t have time.” I promise you, it’s not that hard and it doesn’t have to turn out perfect. Don’t let these thoughts stop you. It’s usually a lot cheaper AND you feel a ton of pride when your little one wears it with a great big smile!

Below are 4 handmade, DIY costumes that I’m sharing with you all today. If you’ve come across any unique costume photos or ideas lately, please do not hesitate to share them with me! I would love to add them

here and highlight their awesomeness!

Check out the 4 handmade costumes below that are cute and creative.

First up…. a simple tutorial on how to make my son’s costume,

SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS.

This costume was fairly simple to make and it can be worn at any age! It was very fitting for my son since his favorite food is pasta with meatballs. In it’s entirety, this project cost less than $20 to make…a big thanks to the dollar store for having 90% of the materials I needed. If you’d like to try your hand it this for next year, you’ll need to go ahead and grab the following. Lucky me, I happened to have a few of these items already, so it saved me some trouble.

MATERIALS NEEDED

* White or cream colored onesie or shirt

* White or cream colored beanie hat

* Red bib or scarf

* White or cream colored yarn

* small styrofoam balls (at any craft store)

* Krylon short cuts spray paint in brown

* Large sized plastic bowl

* piece of cardboard

* Spray adhesive (I used 3M brand)

* Hot glue gun

* Optional: Suspenders (hold up the bowl)

STEP 1 = Grab a few toothpicks and stick them into the styrofoam balls. Place them into something sturdy. I used sanding blocks that were in my garage. Spray and let dry. STEP 2 = Cut the yarn into 12-18 inch strands (a bunch!). Glue the ends underneath the bib and intertwine them to get the look of noodles on a plate. Glue the other ends to back of the bib. Follow the same process for the hat. Glue one end underneath the brim of the hat and the other on the sides or top of the hat. There really is no exact science to this method. Just be creative.

STEP 3 = For the bowl, use an exacto knife or any other sharp utensil to cut a hole at the bottom of the plastic bowl. It might help to measure the opening prior to be sure your child’s waist will fit inside. To help hold up the bowl, I used suspenders. They worked wonders!!

STEP 4 = To create the red/white “table” underneath the bowl, I found a piece of cardboard in my house and bought a red & white checkered dish towel from the dollar store. I used 3M spray mount adhesive to adhere the towel to the cardboard. Use generous amounts to ensure that the fabric will stick. Then, trace the small opening of the bowl (you just cut) onto the cardboard piece. Cut out this hole and place the cardboard piece underneath the bowl, so the two circles match.

STEP 5 = It’s time for the finishing touches, which means it’s all about the HOT GLUE GUN. Place the meatballs on the hat and bib. Glue them all around. Next, glue the bottom of the large bowl to the cardboard “table”. The holes should match up. Lastly, add some yarn to the sides of the bowl to get the “overflowing pasta” feel. You can even glue some to the checkered table cloth!

And there you have it, a one-of-a-kind

spaghetti and meatball costume!!

Moving on to some other fabulous costumes. Do you know of any girls that are in search of the perfect costume? Well these two ideas are the best out there! Their super creative and talented mommas made them. You can’t even COMPARE these to store bought costumes. Come take a look at the beautifully designed MALEFICENT and gorgeous PEACOCK!

MALEFICENT

I mean…..WOW! There is so much to love about this costume! I like that it is easy to put on and comfortable to wear/move around in. If the weather is chilly, you can simply wear a long sleeve top or cardigan that matches the dress. Can we talk about those wings?! UHMAZING!! I love the texture that is created from each fabric piece. It’s so eye catching! I would have LOVED to wear this outfit at her age. It is fun, whimsical, and magical all wrapped into one! Jenifer did an INCREDIBLE job creating this stunning costume.

PEACOCK

There’s no way you’ve seen a peacock costume as gorgeous as this! The detail is beyond words. This is the most authentic looking costume I’ve come across, and it would be any girl’s dream to wear it! Every little detail is impossible to go unnoticed, from the matching shoes to the amazing headpiece made by Tracy. The back of the costume makes your jaw drop. This little beauty belongs on the runway with this number. Her mom, Lindsay, sure created a masterpiece with this costume! If only they had this in adult sizes, I would have my outfit chosen for next Halloween, that’s for sure!

Thank you so much ladies for allowing me to share your talent with everyone! Your daughters are lucky to have such talented moms.

And last, but not least, I thought I would share a fun couple’s costume with you all! I know there are many of you who attend parties and enter in costume contests. Well, if you’re on the hunt for something different, you might want to consider….

PINATA & THE BIRTHDAY GIRL

I made the pinata costume with A LOT of streamers. Basically, the entire outfit is different colored streamers hot glued to a hooded sweatshirt. It did take a bit of time, but I just broke it up over a week or two. The head piece is two birthday party hats tied to a headband. My husband is the “Birthday Girl”. It wouldn’t have been as amusing if he were a “Birthday Boy”. He was a really good sport about this idea. Somehow, I always manage to get him to follow along with my crazy antics. The wig and leggings were the best part! Oh, it sure was a lot of fun wearing these!

There you have it…..4 DIY Halloween Costumes that you won’t see at your store down the street!