Homemade Halloween Costumes
To be honest, Halloween has never been my favorite holiday. My parents didn’t care to celebrate and we lived out in the middle of nowhere, so we didn’t get any trick-or-treaters. The one year I remember dressing up, I went as Little Bo Peep with a hand me down costume I received from my old babysitter, with a staff to match. My mom would only take me to homes that we knew, and it rained the whole time, so needless to say, we never made it a huge ordeal.
Fast forward to my college years. Every girl I knew would obsess over what they were going to wear, beginning sometimes as early as September. For the life of me, I couldn’t understand why everyone was so enamored with such a strange holiday…where we dress up as other people and collect candy (when we’re young) or head to those underage Halloween parties in college where nothing all that great happens. Now, the friends that I had, would dress up in skimpy outfits. No shade, whatsoever, it’s just not my bag. I’m too silly to be skimpy. I’m always too cold to be skimpy. Andddd, I’m way too awkward. Know your strengths, right?!
So every year, without fail, my friends would show up as Playboy Bunnies, sexy Cat Women, nurses, or some type of animal with matching ears and a bodysuit… and I ALWAYS went comfy. And guess what? At the end of the night, I was alway warm. I was always comfortable. And I never spent more than $20 or $30 dollars on a homemade costume. So, if you’re like me and you need some ideas for a cheap costume, here are somethings you may have lying around the house:
Go Go Dancer- I wore a modest, black dress (that I already owned) with length down to my knees, tall riding boots with no heel, found a big scarf to tie around my hair. Then, I teased my locks up at the crown (higher the hair, the closer to God, right?), put on heavy eye makeup and fake lashes. I walked all over Purdue University that night without hurt feet and the only thing uncomfortable were my eyes from all the makeup and fake lashes.
Baseball player- I have always dressed more like a tomboy so I had a plethora of baseball raglans. I would take said raglan and wear underneath a Cubs baseball jersey that one of my little brothers had. I would throw on some white leggings, take black eyeliner and draw thick lines underneath my eyes, throw on a baseball hat, grab my baseball mitt, and I was ready to go.
Tree- Full disclosure… I never dressed up as a tree, but one of my best friends did and it was amazing. (She also errs on the side of comfortability). She wore brown pants, bought a green tee shirt from Target and a green beanie. On both the beanie and the tee, she hot glued fallen leaves. A time consuming project, but hilarious to boot.
Hot Air Balloon- I saved the best for last! I went to Michael’s and bought a large basket and cut the bottom out of it. Then, I attached suspenders to the top of the basket and covered them in fancy tie dye duct tape. I made a homemade shirt that said, “Balloon Rides” and bought an 'at home' helium tank, blew up 30 balloons, and attached all the balloons on a string, to the basket, and mismatched shoes for added silliness. Everywhere I went, I got compliments on creativity, and I even won a costume contest!
So, if you're like me and want something inexpensive, comfortable, or maybe hilarious for a Halloween costume this year, I hope you use one of the above ideas! If you don’t, that’s okay, too! Maybe you have a set of animal ears and a bodysuit that you’re going to wear and there’s no disgrace in that, as long as you have fun! Either way, I hope that you have a blast out there and keep warm! Happy Halloween!
