Easy, Last-Minute Homemade Halloween Costumes

Halloween candy? Check.

Pumpkin carved and ready to glow outside? Check.

Home transformed into a haunted house? Check.

Halloween costume…

In my household, the next Halloween costume is decided on November 1st. And for most moms, the costume is the first thing on the list. But what if your child changes his or her mind at the last minute? Or what if you suddenly realize you need a costume for yourself?

Actually throwing together a last-minute Halloween costume isn’t as difficult as you’d think (there’s always the classic bedsheet ghost, remember). A co-worker and myself were discussing this very topic just yesterday (we’re both considering using the same costumes for our toddlers as last year). My co-worker remembered how one Halloween her mother used a frilly tablecloth as a skirt, a blouse and a hat she had hanging on the wall to make her a Victorian lady costume. A friend of mine recently got creative with a plain cardboard box transformed into a makeshift mini-table with a hole to sit on her daughter’s head as a hat. Then she dressed her all in pink and she became ‘gum stuck under the table’.

So in the spirit of this fun conversation, we’ve rounded up some fav, homemade, last-minute Halloween costume ideas (in case you haven’t figured out yet what everyone will be wearing on the big night).

• Smartypants: Grab an old pair of pants, some empty Smarties boxes and a hot glue gun. Stick the boxes on the pants and you’ve got a fun outfit (just make sure you’ve told your child to wear a silly grin when they explain the costume).
• Make-Your-Own Superhero: Empty toilet paper rolls cut down the side and wrapped with tinfoil become power bracelets your kids can decorate. Old bed sheets or towels become capes. Colourful clothing with a special ‘letter’ stuck on the chest turns your child into whatever superhero they choose to be. Make-up is always a fun final touch.
• Paper Bag Princess: Take one of those empty leaf bags and transform it into an adorable dress. Create a make-shift crown from some construction paper (that your child can decorate) and you’ve got a great costume from one of our favourite books.
• Sports Hero: Just grab that sport equipment lying around and turn your little one into an athlete. For more fun, add some crazy make-up, give them a sign to carry and turn them into sports fans!
• Road: Dress your child in grey, then create road markings with yellow duct tape up the middle. You could even stick some dollar store plastic cars on as well.
• Egg Ideas: Dress all in white. Create two big yellow circles to stick on the tummy and back. Variations include creating little devil horns to be a ‘Deviled Egg’, or paint colourful dots around and you have an ‘Easter Egg’.
• Mom or Dad: Okay, so maybe this one is a bit of a stretch (but is a great idea for older kids who can wear the clothes).