DIY Halloween Costumes

With Halloween quickly approaching, there are bound to be many people looking for some creative and fun costumes to make at home. There are plenty of quick and simple DIY costumes you can create last-minute, such as a watermelon outfit or a unicorn get-up (there are lots of YouTube videos on how to make cute costumes like those). However, if you’re looking for something a bit more challenging and unique, try these two costumes! Although they may be time-consuming to put together, the process is part of the Halloween fun, and when it’s all done, you’re sure to feel proud that you made something totally awesome.

Costume #1: Salad Fingers

If you’re familiar with this creepy YouTube cartoon, you’ll see how he’d make the perfect Halloween costume. With a huge green head, bulging eyes, jagged teeth, an unnerving British accent, and a fetish for rusty spoons, there’s no one quite like Salad Fingers, and no better day to be him than on Halloween.

Materials: Balloon, olive green spray paint, styrofoam, bowls, a newspaper, flour, water, a knife, a red white and black felt, and a sharpie.

First, make the head.

1. Blow up a balloon to use as a mold for the head (you can use a different object as a mold, but a balloon is ideal because it has a nicely rounded shape).
2. Place the balloon into a large bowl, taping it to the bowl to keep it upright.
3. Cut up strips of newspaper.
4. Mix together 1 part of flour to 1 part of water in a separate bowl to create the papier-mâché paste.
5. Dip a strip of newspaper into the paste, fully saturating it, and stick it onto the balloon.
6. Repeat with other strips of newspaper until the entire balloon mold is covered.
7. Add as many layers as you deem necessary, ideally 3 or 4 to ensure a sturdy head. Be sure to let the newspaper strips dry between layers.
8. Once the last layer is dry, pop the balloon and you’ll be left with the newspaper head.
9. Cut small holes in the head to see through.
10. Using olive green spray paint (or any paint, but spray is easier), spray all over the head, making sure all parts of the dull and gray newspaper are painted over.
11. Using red, white, and black felt, cut up different pieces and glue onto the head to form the eyes and mouth (see image).
12. Using a black sharpie, draw and color in the eye bags and eyebrows.
13. Try the head on and, if the newspaper edges at the neck irritate you, place duct tape on the circumference of the neck opening to create a smooth surface to sit on your neck.

Next, make the fingers.

From a large block of styrofoam (you can buy one from Michaels), use a knife to saw out six thin rectangles about a foot long each.

1. Sculpt and shave the edges of the rectangles until they are rounded to resemble large fingers.
2. Use the knife to create a hole in one end of each finger.
3. Using the same olive green spray paint that was used to paint the head, spray all over the fingers.

And finally, put both together.

1. Put on the head.
2. Put on the fingers (three for each hand).
3. Put on a long-sleeve green shirt and blue jeans, your best British accent, and a rusty spoon in your back pocket.

Costume #2:

Candy Crush Everyone is familiar with this addicting cellphone game. Although its time has passed, we all still remember the long hours spent sliding candies back and forth and advancing across the candy map. In addition to remembering all the stress not being able to beat a certain level caused us, we also remember the distinct image of each candy! This costume takes all the candies we see on our little phone screens and brings them to life onto you. You’ll be sure to catch passersby’s attention in this costume, whether because they think you look super cute or super wacky (which is not a bad thing in my book).

Materials: A quarter-yard of seven different colors of raincoat fabric (red, orange, yellow, green, purple, blue, brown), scissors, a pen, measuring tape, paper, a pencil, glue, little purple pompoms different colored felt (yellow, green, orange, white, blue, purple, red), velcro (to attach the candies), fluff (Crafter’s Choice 100% Polyester Fiberfill), white fabric paint, a paintbrush, tape, a black top and black bottoms, one yard of thin, and clear vinyl.

first, make the basic candies.

1.  Use pencil and paper to trace out the shapes of the candies.
2. Cut out the candies.
3. Using the candy-shaped papers as a stencil, flip the raincoat fabric inside out and on top of itself and trace the shape of the candy with a pen.
4. Cut out the shapes (keeping the fabric double-layered so you cut out two identical pieces of each shape).
5. Make 4-5 pieces of each bright-colored candy and a few of the chocolate ones.
6. Arrange each candy so that its two pieces form an inside-out candy (the colored sides are touching each other).
7. Sew the edges of the candy so that it is almost completely closed off.
8. Turn the candy so that it is no longer inside-out.
9. Stuff the candy with the fluff.
10. Sew the candy shut.

Add detail.

For Blue lollipops:

1. Cut out a strip of blue fabric.
2. Fold it into a thin rectangular strip.
3. Glue its shape in place.Glue it across the blue candy.

For purple grape candies:

1. Arrange and glue the little purple pompoms in uniform distribution across the candy.

Chocolate bombs:

1. Cut out small, circular pieces of different colored felt pieces.
2. Randomly glue the different colored dots onto the candy.

Striped candies:

1. Tape stripes onto the candy.
2. Using the white fabric paint, paint the open spaces between the tape.
3. Remove the tape to reveal crisp white stripes across the candy.

Jelly candies:

1. Fold a piece of clear vinyl in half.
2. Place candy in the center of vinyl.
3. Measure around the candy 1.5 inches and trace the rectangle.
4. Sew over the traced lines, leaving one side of rectangle open.
5. Slip the candy inside the vinyl.
6. Sew the vinyl fabric shut.
7. Trim the edges around the seam.

Finally, put it together.

1. Attach one half of two small pieces of velcro onto the back of each candy.
2. Put on your black top and bottoms.
3. Attach the other half of the velcro pieces onto your clothes.

Stick the candies on in uniform columns and rows. Most of the fun of Halloween comes from the costume, and it is so much more enjoyable and fulfilling to create your own outfit and put together your own look. No matter how you decide to go about your costume this Halloween, DIY or store-bought, look fabulous and stay safe!