DIY Halloween

There are 15 days left before Halloween! That’s plenty of time to make your own costume! Sure, you could buy one that’s ready-made, but what’s the fun in that? Use the next two weeks to invent an ensemble that is completely unique and you’ll really knock the socks off of those trick-or-treaters and costume partygoers. Here’s what I’m talking about…

Image via goodwillnne.org

The average packaged costume can cost anywhere from $30 to $90. WHAT? That’s ridiculous, right? Especially when you can make your own for less than $20 by shopping at Goodwill. Take this bank robber costume from Goodwill Industries of Northern New England (Portland, ME), for example. You’d need a striped shirt, black pants, black gloves, a black hat and black shoes. I’m willing to bet you’ve got at least three of those already. The rest can be purchased at your local Goodwill where you’ll also be helping to provide job training and placement opportunities for individuals in your community. The moneybag and mask can be easily whipped up so then all you have to do is smudge on a little red lipstick to dress it up and you’re set! I love costumes like this, too, because the clothing you do have to buy will become staples in your wardrobe after Halloween is over. Can you say the same for a flirty fire fighter costume? I think not.

Image via facebook.com/goodwilletx

When you save money on thrifted costume pieces, you don’t have to feel guilty about altering them either. I would never go to a store in the mall, buy a pair of shoes, and then take them home to paint on them, but I would totally let my creativity flow in order to update a detail for my Halloween costume if I scored it for super cheap secondhand. Here are a few inspired shoe updates that Goodwill Industries of East Texas (Tyler) shared on their Facebook page. Your imagination is the only limit when you’re scouring thrift stores for costume supplies.

Image via designimprovised.com

How about DIY décor that is peel-and-stick easy and converts just as simply back to functional home necessities on November 1st? Well, that’s my kind of décor. I’m definitely going to steal this spider wall art DIY from Design Improvised. Plain white thrift store plates with window decals – why didn’t I think of that? Dare I say that this method would work just as wonderfully with snowflake stickers and green or red plates this holiday season? Yeah, I went there.

What’s your best DIY Halloween project to date? We’d love to hear all about it in the comments below! One of my favorite parts of this holiday is seeing the cleverness of others and I don’t want to miss out on your great ideas.