No matter if you love or hate dressing up, no one can deny that if you have a good costume (and one that you made yourself no less) your Halloween is bound to be a fun, successful night. This past Halloween weekend, I saw so many great handmade costumes and I didn’t know what to do with myself (and actually, I obviously did decide what to do because I wrote this blog about it).
So here is a re-cap of some of the best Halloween costumes I saw this year and how they were made. If you’re feeling crafty enough, you just may want to bookmark this blog post for next year’s holiday.
1. Angry Birds- This costume is super original and if done right will probably be the best costume at a party. The supplies include paper mache, paint, hot glue gun, styrofoam, and foam pieces. The entire “mask” is made from painted paper mache of whatever color you desire your bird to be and the beak is made from styrofoam. The foam pieces are used to create your eyes, eyebrows, and anything else you may need as an angry bird.
2. The Jamaican Bobsled Team from Cool Runnings- I’ve seen this costume before- typically I’ve seen boys do it, but I think having an all girls bobsled team in Arizona is a nice touch for a Halloween costume. Grab yourself some black spandex shorts and shirts, three to four of your closest friends for teammates, and some yellow and green duct tape and you’re ready to go! For a dose of extra Jamaican flavor, make your own bobsled. These girls used a dolly used to move furniture- so creative!
3. Robot- I know it’s sort of “been done” before, but I always think these types of costumes come out so cool. Grab yourself a box or two (one for the body and one for the head) and cover with tinfoil. Use other household items like bottle caps, paper, plastic cups, etc. for various knobs and switches and get your robot dancing shoes on. Beep boop.
4. Mayhem and Flo: Insurance Commercial Characters- Everyone knows the commercials. Everyone knows the characters. You’ll be original and everyone will be envious. For Flo, pick up an apron, some simple iron-ons (that say Progressive no less), some bright lipstick, and a huge smile! For Mayhem, put on your nicest suit and....dirty yourself up! Make some cuts (I saw lipstick being used for fake blood- creative!) and put on a pink headband to get the full effect!
Most years, I feel like each Halloween party is bombarded with store-bought costume buyers, but this year was definitely the year of the DIY. Definitely keep some of these ideas and tips in mind for next year!
If you have any questions or comments about the costumes discussed, or want to send in a picture of what you were for Halloween, e-mail me at fbreisbl@asu.edu.
