Easy Halloween Costumes: Crafting Creative Getup from Household Items

Each year, it gets more and more difficult to come up with a unique, corny or creative Halloween costume. These inexpensive ideas are sure to make your costume the hit of the party! Leave your friends wishing they had thought of this first!

Six Feet Under

This one is a great idea for new dads and moms who still haven't gotten used to the lack of sleep. The concept is a twist on Minnie Pearl's straw hat with the price tag hanging from it. To make the costume you will need: a large straw hat, six assorted baby shoes, your choice of pink or blue silk flowers, a hot glue gun, grey construction paper or cardboard, clear fishing line or string, and a magic marker.

Attach six baby shoes around the brim of the hat so they dangle down a few inches. It is easy to thread the fishing line or string through one of the shoelace holes and then back up through the brim of the hat.

Next, cut out a headstone from the paper and write an epitaph of your choosing on it. For tired new parents, "Beloved Mother" or "Beloved Father" would be cute. A simple RIP is always appropriate too. Then use the hot glue gun to attach the headstone to the top of the hat. Decorate around the headstone by hot gluing the silk flowers.

When people ask what you're supposed to be, tell them you're Six Feet Under.

Under the Weather

This is another version of the straw hat idea. With a hot glue gun, attach some white craft polyester fill (pillow stuffing) to the top of the hat to look like clouds. Hang items from the brim of the hat such as raindrops, the sun, snow, hail, a thermometer, and a lightning bolt. You can also wear a raincoat and boots if you want to.

This is a particularly cute costume idea if you use one of the umbrella shaped shade hats so that you actually look like an umbrella too.

Everything Under the Sofa Cushion

For this costume, you need a really old and dirty shirt and pants. In fact, the dirtier the better. The old dust rag T-shirt that your wife uses for cleaning the furniture is perfect if you have one. Attach anything and everything to the shirt and pants that you think you would find under people's sofa cushions. Items should be attached all around too.

Feel free to get creative! This is a great idea that can be fun for parents with small children. College students will love how it can be adapted to fit their lifestyle too.

Items you might consider: loose coins, cheese puffs, potato chips, junk mail, TV remote control, rubber bands, paperclips, some weird unknown fuzz or hair, small Lego blocks, barrettes, goldfish crackers, crayons, a sippy cup or bottle, crayons, pencils, a cigarette butt, a cigarette lighter an empty beer or soda can, a condom wrapper...and the list goes on ad infinitum.

Come on. Doesn't everyone have a funny, "remember when we found fill-in-the-blank under the sofa cushion" story?

Jingle Bell Rock

Another cute hat or T-shirt costume idea. Hot glue assorted jingle bells and small rocks all over the hat.

Rock, Paper, Scissors

Hot glue assorted small rocks and bright-colored Post-it notes on a hat or a T-shirt. Be sure to include at least one pair of plastic safety scissors. Playdoh scissors work great for this, as the points are plastic and rounded.

Feeling Froggy

This is my best friend's favorite hat costume idea. She found a hot pink straw hat and two dozen assorted colored plastic frogs that she bought at the Dollar Tree. She hot glued the plastic frogs all over the hat. She strung a few frogs onto the hat brim too. She calls it "Feeling Froggy."

Buggin' Out

Attach two dozen or more assorted plastic bugs all over a hat or shirt of your choosing.

Get Jiggy With It

Hot glue jigsaw puzzle pieces all over a green shirt and green pants. The idea is a puzzle being put together on a puzzle felt board.

Duct Tape

A small rubber duck and a cassette tape can easily attach to a hat or T-shirt for this idea.

Pitch Black

This one is cute and easy. Dress in black all over. Bring a baseball, cap, and mitt with you.

Batting Zero

This one is easy and great for ball players. Dress in your regular uniform and attach a big zero to your chest. Now, you're Batting Zero.

Weed Eater

Another fun and easy one. All you have to do is walk around with a big plastic bag of homemade cookies.

Ticket Master

Purchase a roll of bright colored "Admit One" tickets. Attach the tickets all over yourself. If you feel the need to throw in a little bit of rope, handcuffs, a whip or a chain here, go right ahead.

Pumpkin Patch

Take a plain black Pirate's eye patch and paint a bright orange pumpkin on it. If you don't have paint, a pumpkin sticker is easier. Wear it over one eye. You are now a pumpkin patch.

Bobbin' For Apples

This is another cute hat or T-shirt costume. It requires a fishing bobbin (or a sewing bobbin) and four plastic apples. The mini Christmas tree apple ornaments are a perfect size and if you don't have any in your ornament stash, the Dollar Tree and General Dollar usually have them in stock well before Halloween for little more than a dollar.

Yesterday's News

Using an October 30^th newspaper, fold it into one of the good old-fashioned newspaper hats. Wear the hat on your head. Viola! You are officially yesterday's news. If you prefer to be just old news, or even ancient news, then start saving the newspaper now!

Dead Fly

Attach a fly swatter to the front of your shirt. Make sure the plastic part is square in the middle of your chest. You can also wear wings, bug eyes, and antennae if you wish.

Pretty Please With Sugar on Top

Attach assorted packets of sugar, sweet and low, cane sugar, or Splenda to a hat. Wear the hat on your head so that you have "sugar on top." Write "Pretty Please" on a t-shirt and you're set!

This is a fantastic idea for college parties. After all guys, what girl is going to turn you down when you ask her out so nicely?

A Pat on the Back

Stuff a five-fingered glove and then attach it to the back of your shirt. If you prefer to be a pat on the head, or a pat somewhere else, just attach the glove where you like.

A Clean Slate

You will need a white shirt, a white pair of pants, a small kiddie chalkboard, and a kitchen sponge, scrubber, or little bar of soap. Inexpensive small chalkboards with tiny erasers and chalk can be purchased at the Dollar Tree, General Dollar, or Wal-Mart. Attach a cord to the chalkboard so you can wear it around your neck. Attach a sponge, scrubber, or little bar of soap to the chalkboard with hot glue.

If you need a slightly more sophisticated costume, you can always say that you are supposed to be John Locke's Tabula Rosa (A Blank Slate).

These twenty great Halloween Costume ideas are simple, but the fun and laughs can be limitless! Trick or Treat to your heart's content!