Our boy still yearns to be the talented boy wizard, Harry Potter while our daughter runs around with a bow-and-arrow wishing she was Merida from Brave. With those characters in mind, we’ve got some blockbuster DIY Halloween costume ideas this year…and they won’t take all our time or all our money to make them happen!
Harry Potter (could also be easily altered to be Hermoine Granger)
Harry Potter is a simple costume to make; all you need is a robe or cape, scarf, tie, glasses, a wand and a broom.
Harry’s robes can be made with this simple tutorial, or you can purchase a black graduation robe and print out and iron on the Gryffindor crest or cut it out and pin it on. Harry’s scarf can be crocheted, knitted or made by gluing gold squares of fleece onto a red fleece scarf. For his Gryffindor tie, take a plain red tie and paint gold lines on it. His glasses can be purchased, or you can substitute these print-out glasses for the real thing. Harry’s dark brown mop top is easy for most boys to pull off. If yours has lighter hair, there is non-permanent coloured hair spray. The wand can be made from a stick. Peel off the bark and use a piece of sandpaper to smooth down the sides. Apply varnish to the wand to darken it. The broom can be bought at Home Depot or at a Halloween supply store, or you might have one at home that looks close enough. Have him wear a white dress shirt, black or grey vest, black pants and shoes under his robe, which will also keep him warm while trick or treating.
Captain Underpants
Kids love the crazy adventures of Captain Underpants. The costume is a serious no-brainer for young boys and is very simple to pull together at a moment’s notice (which is usually how long our 7 year old gives us).
They can wear beige or white jammies, sweats or long john tops and bottoms with a pair of big white briefs over the bottoms. Fashion a cape from a red bed sheet or tablecloth, tying it at the neck (the same way Captain Underpants does). Voila. The newest character in the superhero craze.
Luke Skywalker
Luke Skywalker, legendary war hero and Jedi who helped defeat the Galactic Empire, has an easy costume. If your child takes karate, use the top of his karate outfit and a pair of beige cargo pants or chinos for the pants and you can put his winter boots on his feet. Otherwise, young Luke needs a belt, a light sabre (what young boy doesn’t have one by now?), and perhaps a remote control R2-D2 robot to keep him company(!).
Princess Merida from Brave
This feisty Disney heroine is a great costume for girls this Halloween. What proper young lady doesn’t want to let loose just a little with a fiery mane and a bow and arrow…?
You can pick up an adult-sized long jersey dress (and cut the hem whatever length you need) for super cheap. Merida wore a cape when she went out on her horse; one like this is perfect if you cut it open down the front. A flat pair of slip ons are perfect to wear with this outfit along with a woven, brown leather belt. Next you’ll need a bow and a quiver of arrows…and perhaps a wee bear (or three). The only thing left is her gorgeous hair, for which you can buy a wig, colour spray and curl hair or make a wig out of yarn.
Hannah Montana / Taylor Swift / Avril Lavigne (Rockstar Girl)
This one is great…and super easy. Raid her closet for a pair of skinny jeans and a tank top or t-shirt (off the shoulder works well here). Add a blonde wig (style dependant on which blonde crooner she wants to be) and some starlet make-up (a necessity). Pull out a cropped jean jacket, leather jacket or blazer from your own closet and add a telephone headset or sparkly microphone. If she can sing a few bars of a famous song, your wee star will treat everyone on Halloween while she tricks them into seeing Hannah or Taylor (or even Myley!) on their door step. If your daughter is doing Avril, the outfit needs to be adjusted accordingly. More black, perhaps some striped socks and some pink in her hair.
Princess Leia
Leia’s most recognizable outfit (other than the gold bikini) was the white robe we first see her in in the movie Star Wars. Simple to make out of sheets, out of a white nightgown or robe, or available to purchase, it is the largest part of this iconic costume. Next you’ll need white flats or boots, a belt, a blaster and of course the quintessential cinnamon-bun hairstyle. The hair could be styled, a wig or this amazing hat from Etsy, which would easily keep ears warm on a cool Halloween evening of trick or treating.
See how simple it can be to pull together costumes? Do you have any great simple-to-pull together costumes that you’ve done in the past? Share them with us!
