56 Homemade Halloween Costumes to Show off Your DIY Skills
Wow the crowd this October 31.
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If you tend to go the extra mile when it comes to DIYs, you've come to the right place. Spooky season is the perfect time to whip out your crafting materials and show off your skills with impressive homemade Halloween costumes.
Get inspired by couples costumes, iconic trio costumes, and even costumes for the whole family. Although they take a bit more effort than store-bought getups, homemade outfits give you the flexibility to dress up exactly how you want to, down to the the very last detail.
Whether you're going for silly or scary this year, we've got you covered with personalized options that are well worth the extra effort. And once you decide on your outfit, don't forget to plan your DIY Halloween decorations and delicious Halloween snacks for your bash come October 31.
Crocs
Personalize your own human-sized Croc costume with Jibbitz and all! Using a sheet of cardboard, trace and cut out the shape of a Croc using an X-Acto knife or box cutter. Cut one large hole in the upper center for your face and cut seven smaller holes around it. Cut another strip of cardboard and fold the edges to create your strap. Paint your Croc and strap with craft paint, making sure to give it a few coats. Attach your strap using hot glue and outline your Croc with a lighter or darker shade of paint so it pops. Use felt, craft foam, or paper to create your Jibbitz and then hot glue them all. Once everything is dry, attach backpack-style straps to the back of the shoe with thick ribbon and hot glue. P.S.: Don't forget to wear your Crocs!
Beanie Babies
Grab a couple friends for this cozy and adorable trio! Cut felt ears and attach them to a hoodie with hot glue. Use red cardstock to cut a heart-shaped tag and punch a hole at the edge. Tie it around your neck with red ribbon. Cover your tag with clear contact paper for a shiny look and put on a pair of oversized round sunglasses to complete the outfit.
Jewelry Box Ballerina
Take your ballerina costume once step further with this impressive DIY idea. First, you'll need an oversized cardboard box. Fold the bottom flaps and tape them inside using packing or duct tape. Cut out a large hole from the top of the box so that it fits around the child's waist. To create the look of a drawer, cut a smaller rectangle out of cardboard, folding in the ends. Attach to the jewelry box with hot glue and add a large wooden bead for a knob. Paint the whole surface of the box in a light shade of pink, adding extra details if desired. Once dry, attach mylar contact paper to the back flap to create a mirror. Add oversized bows, beads, and gemstones to the jewelry box with hot glue. Secure a ribbon strap inside the box with duct tape to wear around your neck. Wear a ballerina-inspired leotard and tutu, and don't forget the high bun.
Sriracha
Embody your favorite spicy pantry staple. Download our sriracha label template and print on iron on transfer paper. Cut out the details and iron onto a red t-shirt following paper instructions. For the bottle cap hat, use a styrofoam cone and cylinder forms. Cover the forms with green felt using hot glue before attaching the two forms together. Add an elastic strap to wear on your head and carry around some faux peppers to complete the look.
Martini Trio
Every friend in the group has their go-to martini. Why not turn it into a DIY costume idea? Trace the outline of a rainbow-type shape on a thin clear acrylic sheet. Paint a thin coat on the plastic, leaving the top five inches paint-free. Allow the paint to dry. Then, attach velcro to the overlapping section and wear the cone loosely around your neck. To create an olive cocktail, blow up two small green balloons and cut out two small red circles out of felt. Attach them to the top side of the balloon and tie both balloons to a dowel. Create espresso beans using floral foam rectangles and a serrated knife to mimic the bean shape. Create a deeper groove down the center and wipe off any dust with a paper towel. Paint the bean with brown acrylic paint and attach the beans to a headband with hot glue once dry. To create a lime, cut a circle out of dark green craft paper and attach it onto a larger green decorative paper fan with hot glue. Cut a slit where the fan opens to resemble a lime on the edge of a glass.
Tinned Fish
It feels like tinned sardines are everywhere—on decor, clothing, and even purses. Embody the trend with this homemade costume. To start, cut two large rectangles from cardboard sheets with a craft knife or box cutter. Round the edges of each corner to create a tin box shape. Cut out a rectangular opening with two fish head-shaped cut outs. Leave space in between the fish heads for your face to peek through. Paint the front and back of each rectangle with a few coats of craft paint and let dry completely. Paint details for the “tin” with craft paint. Add googly eyes, cupcake liner scales, and silver pipe cleaners to the fish heads using hot glue. Attach a roll of gray paper to the front of the tin, and add a “key” made from more pipe cleaners. Secure the two sheets of cardboard together with straps that will rest on your shoulders.
Sardine
Get your family or friends involved in your tinned fish costume as sardines! Start with a gray hoodie zip up sweatshirt. Fold foil cupcake liners in half in shades of silver, blue, and black. Layer the “scales” down the front and back of the hoodie and attach with hot glue, overlapping as you go. Cut a tail shape from gray felt, and glue to the bottom edge of the hoodie. Continue to layer the cupcake liners on the tail, and finish off the fins with silver pipe cleaners attached with hot glue. Glue a pair of giant googly eyes to the hood of the sweatshirt and trim with more silver pipe cleaners.
Cloud and Rainbow
Get your furry friend involved this Halloween and dress up as a cloud and rainbow duo! You'll need a clear bubble umbrella, polyester fiber fill, and some translucent ribbon to complete the look.
DIY Phoenix
If you consider yourself a DIYer, there's nothing more fun than designing a full homemade costume from top to bottom, especially one with a mask, wings, and all! Dress up your kids in a vibrant phoenix outfit. They're sure to stand out from the crowd.
Lip Smackers
With a cotton t-shirt dress, translucent bucket, and iron on transfer paper, you can create this nostalgic look to wear with friends. Use iron on transfer paper to add the Lip Smacker logo to a cotton dress. Then, remove the bucket handle and attach elastic to create your cap.
Charcuterie Board
Charcuterie boards are always welcome at parties, so why not take on the costume competition with these cheese-inspired outfits? All you have to do is make the grape, salami, and cheese headpieces. For the grapes, use purple ornaments and floral wire. Once each ornament is attached to a wire, twist them all together to form the bunch. Wire two small combs to the bottom to secure it on your head. Next up, cut dark red circles, squares, and rectangles from felt and hot glue them to a red beret for the salami. Lastly, make the cheese headpiece using a round cake form, craft paint, and red felt. Just cut out a bite-sized chunk from the cake form, paint the rest a cheesy color and cover the perimeter with red felt.
Daddy Long Legs and Lady Bug Costume
With just a few materials, you can take on this cute couples' look. To assemble the daddy long legs costume, you'll need a black umbrella, jumbo pipe cleaners, and white and black foam. Attach three giant pipe cleaners to each side of the umbrella with hot glue. Cut out large white circles and smaller black circles out of foam to create the eyes and hot glue them to the umbrella. Add black-foam fangs underneath each eye to complete the costume.
Make this lady bug look by cutting from the center of a red poncho to create your 'wings.' Cut circles from black felt to make the spots and hot glue them on. Then, paint two foam balls black and attach pipe cleaners with hot glue. Secure them to a black headband to form your antennae!
Washer and Dryer
Assembling this homemade washer dryer costume does not need to be a chore! Using upcycled items you might already have at home like cardboard, takeout containers, and fabric straps, you can make cute washer and dryer costumes for the kids. Start with a large square cardboard box and fold a top flap in half to create the control panel, securing with hot glue. Cut neck and arm holes, paint the box white, and let it dry. Add bottle caps and lids for buttons and knobs or draw them on by hand. For the washer, use a clear takeout container lid and some fabric scraps glued onto the front of the box. For the dryer, cut a square of painted cardboard and attach to make a door. Accessorize your look with detergent bottles, dryer sheets, and extra laundry!
RELATED: 65 Useful and Easy Upcycling Ideas for Every Skill Level
Scrub Daddy
Craft these smiling Scrub Daddy and Scrub Mommy sponges from a foam mattress topper! Begin with two large cardboard circles and paint both sides a shade darker than the foam topper. Using sharp fabric scissors, cut two circles out of the foam, about two inches wider than the cardboard. Trace and cut a smiley face from one of the foam circles. Attach both pieces of foam to the cardboard with hot glue. Attach thick ribbon straps to both circles with duct or gaffers tape. Complete your look with rubber cleaning gloves!
Nature-Themed Trio
Dress your family up with these nature-inspired costumes! For the mushroom beret, cut a variation of round circles out of the white felt and hot glue the circles on top of the beret. To create the tree headband, cut branches to your desired length and use hot glue to attach each branch to the headband. For the bug eyes, dip bubble wrap in green paint and apply to round sunglasses. Once the lenses are dry, decorate the frames with pipe cleaners and googly eyes.
Houseplant Costume
These houseplant accessories are super cute to add to an all-green fit. For the beret, cut small pieces of pipe cleaners and fold each in half. Dab a small dot of hot glue in the center and attach to the beret. If the beanie is more your style, cut 1.5-inch wide strips of light green crepe paper and 1.75-inch stripes of dark green. Curve the tops into points. Spread a glue stick all over a light green strip. Place a length of floral wire down the middle of the strip, and top with a strip of dark green crepe paper. Smooth with your fingers and let dry. Curve the strips to create a leaf effect and attach to a hat with hot glue or safety pins.
Lava Lamp
You'll be the talk of the party with this 90's-inspired lava lamp costume. Although it looks professionally made, you can recreate this costume with some dye, spray paint, velcro strips, and a few more inexpensive materials.
Tin Man
Tin Man is definitely a go-to Halloween look. You can recreate this costume for anyone in your family using just a cardboard box, silver duct tape, and some spray paint.
'Maleficent' Costume
Sleeping Beauty fans can recreate Maleficent's look with some tulle and ribbon for a costume you'll receive endless compliments on.
Scarecrow
Make a spooky scarecrow costume using clothes your child might already own plus some craft materials. You'll need a foam hat, straw colored yarn, velcro, and burlap for the finishing touches.
Amanda Garrity is a lifestyle writer and editor with over seven years of experience, including five years on staff at Good Housekeeping, where she covered all things home and holiday, including the latest interior design trends, inspiring DIY ideas and gift guides for any (and every) occasion. She also has a soft spot for feel-good TV, so you can catch her writing about popular shows like Virgin River, Sweet Magnolias, Hallmark Channel’s When Calls the Heart and more.
Laura Millar (she/her) is the assistant lifestyle editor for Good Housekeeping, where she covers home design. Prior to joining Good Housekeeping in 2024, she wrote for NBC's TODAY.com, where she covered everything from entertainment news to pop culture updates.
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