62 Super-Creative DIY Halloween Costumes Anyone Can Wear

This Halloween, you can put all your crafting focus on a mask: With the right DIY Halloween mask, the rest of your costume is a breeze. This DIY uses a carefully made shark mask. With this on your head, all you have to wear is gray clothing for a top-notch costume.

What You’ll Need:

• Large piece of cardboard
  Primer spray paint
  Gray paint
  Pink permanent marker
  Black permanent marker
  Thin elastic string
  Craft knife
  Magna Tac glue
  Gray clothes

How-to:

1. Cover the cardboard with primer spray paint and let dry completely. Without primer, the cardboard will absorb the paint and require several coats, plus a lot of dry time in between to achieve a saturated color.
2. Cut out the shark face with teeth, two pectoral (side) fins, and one dorsal (top) fin from the cardboard.
3. Paint the shark face (except for the mouth area) and fins gray. Paint the mouth area white and line the bottom of the teeth in pink marker to create the “gums.” Draw eyes and eyebrows with black marker.
4. Pierce a small hole in each of the side fins, thread a string of elastic through the two holes, and knot the ends to secure. This will serve as the mask band.
5. Glue the pectoral fins to the right and left side of the shark face. Then glue the dorsal fin to the top of the face.
6. Dress in all gray.

Craft developed by Morgan Levine

This snuggly DIY costume is both comfortable and cozy, perfect for a chilly Halloween night. You’ll need a long sleeve shirt, leggings, and plenty of cotton balls to complete the disguise.

What You’ll Need:

• White crewneck sweatshirt and pants
• White long sleeve shirt
• Cotton balls
• Black tape
• Black beanie
• Black felt

How-to:

1. Cut the arms off the sweatshirt.
2. Glue cotton balls to the sweatshirt.
3. Tape the wrist of the undershirt and ankles of the pants with thick black tape.
4. For the ears, cut ears from black felt and glue to beanie cap.

Only a few supplies are needed to create this shark’s tough skin, including a hooded sweatshirt and felt. If you’re looking for a group costume idea, get your whole family to be fish, mermaids, and scuba divers for an under-the-sea theme.

What You’ll Need:

• Grey hooded sweatshirt and pants
• White felt
• Black buttons
• Grey felt
• Hot glue gun
• Scissors
• Round cardboard cake base
• Red felt

How-to:

1. Cut and glue white felt to the front of the grey hoodie.
2. Using the white felt, cut a zigzag pattern for the teeth. Attach with glue around the inside edge of the hood.
3. To make the fin, cut the round cardboard cake base into shark fin shape.
4. Cover the cardboard with grey felt.
5. Attach with glue to the back of the grey hoodie.

Inspired by the book by Laura Numeroff, this literary DIY costume is immediately recognizable—and a great pick for any Halloween dresser-upper, especially one who has always loved reading If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.

What You’ll Need:

• Cardboard
• Brown fabric
• Hot glue gun and sticks
• Polyester fiber fill
• Brown pom-poms
• Grey and pink felt
• Headband
• White shirt
• Blue jean overalls

How-to:

1. Cut the cardboard into a 14-inch circle. If you’d like, snip a zig-zag bite into one side. Cut the fabric into a 20-inch circle. Start wrapping the fabric around the edge of the cardboard and tape it to the back of the board to secure in place. Stop about three-quarters of the way around the circle and fill the pocket between the felt and cardboard with stuffing, then tape the last portion closed. Glue on pom-poms for chocolate chips.
2. Cut two mouse ear shapes out of gray felt, then cut two smaller ear shapes out of pink felt. Glue the pink pieces onto the gray pieces to form ears, and adhere them to a headband.

Perfect for babies and adults alike, this French fry DIY costume is too-cute—and anyone can make it at home, thanks to our how-to guide.

What You’ll Need:

• Yellow shirt and pants
• Red foam core board
• Hot glue gun and sticks
• Red electrical tape
• Yellow pool noodle
• Yellow ribbon

How-to:

1. To create the French fry box, cut the foam core into four rectangles: one 13” x 8”, one 13” x 9”, and two 6” x 8”. (Note: You can adjust the size of the box as needed to fit your child; double or triple dimensions for an adult costume.) Hot glue the four pieces together to form a box shape that’s open on the top and bottom, then reinforce the inner corners with red electrical tape. Cut a curve along the top of the front piece.
2. Using scissors, cut the pool noodle into French fry strips, then glue them to the inside of the box, making sure to leave enough room for you to fit comfortably inside the costume. Cut two pieces of ribbon for shoulder straps and glue them to the front and back inside of the box.
3. Slip the box over your head, with the ribbon straps over your shoulders. Check that you have enough room to move comfortably. If needed, remove some of the fries or adjust the shoulder straps.

Take to the skies (even in your imagination) in this simple DIY Halloween costume, which takes minimal crafting but still looked well-done. If you already have a leather jacket, you’re halfway there: Just find goggles and a white scarf and you’re ready for takeoff. If you don’t have all these essentials, they’re easy enough to make—read on for the DIY instructions.

What You’ll Need:

• Brown winter hat with earflaps
• White t-shirt
• Khaki pants
• Brown crewneck sweatshirt (if you don’t have a leather jacket)
• Brown tape
• White scarf
• Furry felt fabric
• Goggles

How-to:

1. Cut the front center of the brown sweatshirt vertically from the bottom to the collar.
2. Cut furry felt in the shape of a collar and cuffs and glue to the sweatshirt.
3. Using the tape, create a trim around the sweatshirt with the furry.
4. Tape the bottom edge and center of the sweatshirt too.

The most popular brunch item can also be the best DIY costume. Keep it simple with a basic avocado motif, and no one will be wondering what you’re dressed as this Halloween.

What You’ll Need:

• White paper
• ½-inch-thick foam cushion
• Dark green fabric
• Light green fabric
• Brown dress
• Light and dark brown felt

How-to:

1. On the paper, draw a simple avocado shape large enough to cover your stomach. Trace the shape onto foam and cut out, then trace the shape onto the dark green fabric and cut out. Cut a hole in both pieces for the pit of the avocado. Glue the fabric onto the foam. Cut a slightly smaller avocado shape from the light green fabric, cut a hole for the pit, and adhere on top.
2. Cut out brown felt to form the corners of a toast slice. Attach the avocado to the stomach of the dress, then adhere the toast corners around the avocado.

Hands down, the hit of the Halloween party season. Start by decking out your little one or yourself in pink, head to toe. Add felt ears and a bottle cap/button nose. Wrap up in a favorite blanket, and you’ve got one little piggy way too adorable to stay home.

What You’ll Need:

• Paper
• Pencil
• 4 pieces of pink felt (we like E-Z felt, which is stiff and easier to work with)
• Pink headband
• Scissors
• Hot glue gun
• Large bottle cap (we used a Gatorade cap)
• Pink ribbon
• Pink button
• Newspaper
• Pink acrylic paint (water-based)
• Paintbrush

How-to:

1. Create a template by drawing one ear on a piece of paper and cutting it out.
2. Place template on the felt as your guide. Cut out 4 ear-shaped pieces of pink felt.
3. Glue around the edges of two pieces of felt. Stick each piece to the felt pieces without glue. (You’ll need two pieces of felt per ear so they are stable and won’t flop over.)
4. Glue the ears to the pink headband.
5. For the pig nose, lay bottle cap on a piece of newspaper and paint it pink. Set it aside to dry overnight.
6. Once dry, glue the button to the center of the bottle cap.
7. Glue the ends of the ribbon to the inside of the cap. Tie around head to secure.

The ballots are in: This ray of sunshine wins the crown. Dress your shining star in all yellow and then make the sash and crown from a few everyday staples.

What You’ll Need:

• Yellow dress and tights
• Yellow party hats
• Yellow headband
• Ribbon (two colors, one thin and one thick)
• Glue
• 6 sheets of yellow adhesive felt
• Letters with adhesive backs

How-to:

1. Cut five round pieces of yellow felt in different sizes.
2. Snip the tops off of six party hats. Glue these tops along the edges of the round piece of felt. Layer 2-3 round pieces of yellow felt on top of the party hats to make the center of the sun.
3. Glue the new sun slightly off center on child's dress.
4. Glue the thinner ribbon on top of the thicker ribbon. Using adhesive letters, spell “Little Miss.”
5. For the hat, cut felt into shapes that resemble the sun’s rays. Glue along the rim of the headband.

Uh-oh: Watch out for poodles! Pull out a rain slicker and Wellies and a few stuffed furry friends for a clever conceptual costume. All you need is an old umbrella and a hot glue gun to attach the toys, then just wait for the compliments for this DIY Halloween costume idea to rain down.

What You’ll Need:

• Umbrella
• Stuffed animals
• Hot glue gun

How-to:

1. Open up the umbrella and hot glue one animal at a time on the outside. Let them rest in place to dry overnight.

Think strawberry season is long gone? Think again. This unique costume is just perfect for Halloween and is one of the easiest DIY costumes to make.

What You’ll Need:

• Red long sleeve shirt and pants, or red dress and tights
• Scissors
• Paper and pencil
• Glue
• Green beanie
• Green felt
• Green pipe cleaner
• Ochre yellow craft paint

How-to:

1. Using paper and pencil, create teardrop shapes. Cut out. (This will be your stencil for the seeds.) Trace and fill in with paint all over the shirt and pants (or dress and tights for a more adult look).
2. Create leaf pattern on green felt. Cut out. Glue green pipe cleaners to the underside of the green felt. You’ll use the leftover leaves for the cap.
3. Glue leaves to collar of the red shirt or dress.
4. To make the hat, wrap pipe cleaners around tip of the beanie cap.
5. Glue leaves to the beanie cap.

This may be the most vivid, eye-catching DIY costume yet. It may look intricate, but beside the feathered skirt, you’ll just need to dress in a blue leotard or bodysuit and tights, or a long-sleeved shirt and leggings.

What You’ll Need:

• Turquoise leotard, long tutu, tights (or shirt and leggings)
• Turquoise straws
• Turquoise tissue paper
• Gold, turquoise, and blue cupcake liners
• Headband
• Pipe cleaners
• Blue mini pompoms
• Turquoise ribbon (about 1 yard)

How-to:

1. Wrap headband in blue ribbon and glue to secure on each end.
2. Cut blue pipe cleaners 2-3 inches in length and glue to headband.
3. Glue blue small pompoms to the top of the pipe cleaners.
4. To make the feathers, flatten and cut gold and turquoise cupcake liners into teardrop shapes. Glue turquoise to center bottom of gold liner.
5. Flatten and cut a small pie slice shape from the dark blue mini cupcake liner. Glue it to the turquoise liner.
6. Cut tissue paper in a rectangle (the length of a straw).
7. Fringe cut the rectangle tissue.
8. Glue one sheet of cut tissue paper to either side of a straw. Then glue cupcake liner portion to the top of the straw tissue paper.
9. Cut tutu in the front center from bottom to the waist (do not cut the waistband). Glue feathers to the tutu with cupcakes facing down in a zigzag pattern.

Inspired by the book by Shel Silverstein, this DIY costume will let anyone relive the beautiful tale of the Giving Tree. Kids can certainly wear this costume, but we love it for adults, too—no one is more giving than a parent, after all.

What You’ll Need:

• Hot glue gun and sticks
• Green T-shirt and pants
• Artificial leaves
• Artificial apple

How-to:

1. Glue the leaves to the arms and shoulders of the T-shirt.

Rule the Halloween party (or family photoshoot) with this clever mask, which looks impressive but won't actually take all day to make. Make it a full DIY costume with a dramatic black or white dress or simple shirt.

What You’ll Need:

• Gold half mask
  Gold contact paper
  Solid colored washi tape
  Black permanent marker
  Magna Tac glue

How-To:

1. Trace the eyes of the gold mask in black permanent marker.
2. Cut out the pharaoh hat’s top and two side pieces from gold contact paper. The top piece is shaped like a trapezoid (with a curved bottom) and the two side pieces are shaped like oblong triangles
3. Add stripes to the gold paper using the washi tape. Glue the pieces to the mask.
4. Cut out a snake shape from the contact paper and glue to the top part of the hat. Add eyes with black marker.
5. Dress in a solid-colored black or white top. For even more impact, wear a long white dress.

Craft developed by Morgan Levine

A bunch of faux feathers and a pair of orange boots will have you ready to waddle around the block. The hat with eyeballs and a bill are made from a baseball cap, feathers, and a ping pong ball—DIY costumes don’t get much easier.

What You’ll Need:

• Yellow sweatshirt and sweatpants
• Yellow baseball cap
• Orange rain boots
• Yellow feather boa
• Ping Pong ball
• Black marker
• Scissors
• Glue

How-to:

1. Snip feathers from the boa. Glue bunches to the sleeves of the shirt and to the chest area.
2. To make the hat, cut ping pong ball in half and color with black sharpie. Glue to the sides of the baseball cap.
3. Glue a few feathers to the baseball cap.

This is a sweet DIY twist on a classic costume that requires a few frilly strands of ribbon to make those funny bones at home. This costume works for just about any age group: You’ll just need a black long sleeve shirt and pants and white pleated ribbon. 

What You’ll Need:

• Black long sleeve shirt and pants
• White hat
• Glue
• Scissors
• White pleated ribbon (about 2 to 3 yards)

How-to:

1. Cut and glue ribbon to the shirt and pants. Cut and glue strips of ribbon for the spine, ribs, arm, and leg bones.

Take the literal route this Halloween with this literary DIY costume inspired by the book by C.S. Lewis. As a combination of the three titular features of the book, you’re sure to get a laugh from everyone who gets the costume.

What You’ll Need:

• Orange marabou feather trim (found at the crafts supply store)
• Orange shirt or dress
• Party hat
• Black felt
• Headband
• Brown craft foam
• Dark brown marker

How-to:

1. The lion: Cut the marabou trim and glue it around the collar of the shirt or dress.
2. The witch: Cover the party hat with black felt. Cut a circle that’s wider than the base of the party hat and glue it to the bottom of the hat. Glue the entire hat to a headband.
3. The wardrobe: Print the wardrobe template—it’s sized to print on an 8½ x 11” piece of paper, but you can scale up or down as desired when printing. Cut out the template, trace it onto the foam and cut out. Use the marker to add drawers to the wardrobe, then adhere it to the front of the shirt or dress.

Wondering what all the buzz is about? Cue the cutest bee on the block. This DIY costume starts with a basic black leotard or bodysuit and matching opaque tights. Dress up the leotard with yellow tape and adhesive letters. For the wings, you’ll need to hit the recycling bin and your closet.

What You’ll Need:

• Black leotard
• Black tights
• Black pipe cleaners
• 2 hangers
• Clear recycling bags
• Velcro
• Yellow tape
• Adhesive letters

How-to:

1. Using yellow tape, make three large stripes on the black leotard, both front and back.
2. Stick adhesive letters on the leotard (in any fun and random order).
3. For the wings, take two hangers and mold into the shape of wings. Cover the wings with the plastic bags. Secure around the edges with glue.
4. For the antennae, glue two pipe cleaners to the headband. Place adhesive letters on the pipe cleaners.

Prepare to blast off into the streets! Dress as a high-flying adventure seeker in all white and use duct tape to add bands around the arms and stripes down the legs. For this DIY costume idea to really take off, you’ll need a super cool power pack, which you can make from empty tubes of Pringles, two party hats, and some streamers.

What You’ll Need:

• White pants and shirt
• 2 empty Pringles canisters
• 2 wine corks
• Duct tape
• Glue
• Party hats
• Streamers in red, orange, and yellow
• Silver spray paint

How-to:

1. Cut strips of duct tape and adhere around the shirt sleeves and along the pant legs.
2. For the power pack, glue party hats to the bottom of each empty canister.
3. Attach the canisters together by gluing wine corks between both. Set aside to dry.
4. On newspaper in a well-ventilated area, spray paint the entire pack silver.
5. Cut streamers into 12-inch long pieces and layer about five pieces on top of one another.
6. Tape one stack to the bottom of each of the canisters.

For the person who lives for the luau, make sure they’re dressed for island hopping this Halloween. This Hawaiian-inspired get-up starts with a brown paper bag (or butcher paper for adults) and is properly accessorized with clusters of colorful cupcake liners.

What You’ll Need:

• Hawaiian shirt
• Bike or running shorts
• Flip flops
• Brown paper bag (or butcher paper for a DIY costume for adults)
• Cupcake liners
• Double-sided tape
• Glue
• Ribbon
• Stapler

How-to:

1. Cut open the paper bag and lay it flat. If using butcher paper, spread out a long sheet.
2. Using scissors, make 1-inch wide strips from one end of the bag to the other, stopping 2 to 3 inches from the top. Repeat all around until skirt is completely frayed.
3. Glue a longer piece of ribbon to the top of the paper (along the uncut portion) and leave it long enough to tie behind like an apron.
4. For the lei, open up five cupcake liners and staple them together in their centers. Crease them together so that they resemble a flower and glue to a long piece of ribbon.
   2. Repeat this until you completely cover the ribbon with these clusters. Tie the ribbon as a long necklace.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? It’s more like a super-easy-to-pull-together DIY costume that calls for a brave (and adorable) hero. Make this costume in a flash with supplies from the junk drawer and linen closet. Turn this into a group Halloween costume by making every member of the group a superhero for the night.

What You’ll Need:

• Pants and a shirt (or a jumpsuit) in the same color
• Bath towel (or trash bag)
• Duct tape (in assorted colors)
• Adhesive felt sheets

How-to:

1. Cut out letter of your child’s first or last name from felt. Stick to the shirt.
2. Tape towel to the shirt (around shoulders) to make the cape.

Pulling together this simple super sleuth’s disguise will seem elementary. This aspiring Sherlock Holmes is dressed in black from head to toe, topped with a cape, and accessorized with adjusted headgear. Unless you have a magnifying glass at home, a canning jar lid and a sponge brush complete the private eye’s look.

What You’ll Need:

• Black shirt
• Black pants
• Cape (preferably in a dark color)
• 2 beige baseball caps
• Black ribbon
• Canning jar lid
• Sponge brush handle
• Black spray paint

How-to:

1. Remove the center of a canning jar.
2. Glue a sponge brush handle to the canning jar lid.
3. On a piece of newspaper in a well-ventilated area, paint the handle black.
4. For the cap, take two hats and glue one inside the other with the bills facing the opposite directions.
5. Glue black ribbon on top of the hat. Make a bow.

Encourage everyone to practice better grammar with this playful DIY costume: Use an all-black clothing base and some basic crafting to make it happen. For a pairs or group costume, recruit more people and give everyone a grammar rule to enforce on their hat or shirt.

What You’ll Need:

• Adhesive letters
• Black shirt
• Baseball cap
• Gold paper
• Belt
• Plastic handcuffs
• Notepad
• Sunglasses

How-to:

1. Write “Grammar Police” with adhesive letters on the front of the shirt.
2. Attach “they’re, their, there” on the baseball cap.
3. Cut paper into the shape of a sheriff’s badge and tape it to the belt.
4. Accessorize with the handcuffs, sunglasses, and a notepad to jot down the names of grammar rule breakers.

If you’re dreaming of a magical disguise, then watch how quickly this one comes together. Start with a blue jumper or jumpsuit and add a little embellishment for an ornate—but easy—DIY Halloween costume.

What You’ll Need:

• Blue jumper or jumpsuit
• White or blue long sleeve shirt
• Scarves in various colors
• Gold party hat
• Gold jacket fasteners
• Gold round dot stickers
• Gold tape
• String
• Rug or doormat

How-to:

1. Cut the bottom half of the shirt off. (It should look like half a shirt.)
2. Make a slit down the center of the shirt, going from top to bottom.
3. Decorate with gold dot stickers, gold tape, and gold jacket fasteners.
4. Attach dot stickers to string and tape to the inside of the jacket so they dangle in the front.
5. Using the gold tape and gold dot stickers, embellish the waist of the jumper, bottom of legs, and top of the jumper.
6. Cut the top portion of the gold party hat leaving just the bottom (about 2-3 inches from the bottom).
7. Tape two scarves to the inside of the party hat, letting the scarves dangle down from the back of the party hat.
8. If you have them, tie more scarves around your waist.

Dress sharply, hang a cookie around your neck, and memorize some fun facts: Now you’re the smartest cookie on the block, thanks to this DIY Halloween costume.

What You’ll Need:

• Cardboard
• Graduation cap
• Khaki pants and a sweater, a suit, or another smart outfit
• Brown fabric
• Tape
• Polyester fiber fill
• Brown pom-poms
• Black ribbon

How-to:

1. Cut cardboard into a circle large enough to cover your chest. Trace a circle several inches larger than the cardboard shape onto the fabric and cut out. Start wrapping the fabric around the edge of the cardboard and tape to the back of the board to secure in place. Stop about three-quarters of the way around the circle and fill the pocket between the felt and cardboard with stuffing, then tape the last portion closed. Glue on pom-poms for chocolate chips. Attach strips of wide ribbon to the top of the cookie and tie them behind your neck.

Sport this mask on Halloween, and no one will be wondering what you are, even if your clothes are pretty basic. (Honestly, all you need are brown clothes or a simple brown dress to pull this DIY costume off.)

What You’ll Need:

• Plain half mask
  Feathers of various sizes and shapes
  Yellow cardstock
  Magna Tac glue
• Brown clothes

How-to:

1. Glue feathers on the half mask, making sure to define the spaces around the eyes, on the forehead, and above the nose.
2. Fold cardstock in half and cut out a beak shape (it will look something like half a heart). Unfold and then glue to the nose part of the mask.
3. Dress in a brown shirt or dress.

Craft developed by Morgan Levine

Feeling lucky? This DIY Halloween costume has a tongue-in-cheek twist. It’s designed for pregnant women, but anyone can pull off this cheerful, funny look.

What You’ll Need:

• Blue dress or oversized t-shirt
• Blue tights, leggings, or pants
• Black felt
• Hot glue gun and sticks
• Tulle in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple
• Toy coins
• Headband

How-to:

1. Cut a cauldron shape from the black felt and glue it to the belly of the dress, leaving the top of the cauldron open.
2. Cut three 4-foot-long strips of red tulle and knot them together at both ends. Repeat with the other colors. Glue one knot to the inner edge of the cauldron, wrap the tulle around the shoulder of the dress, and glue the knot at the other end of the tulle to the back of the dress. Repeat with all of the colors to create a rainbow.
3. Glue the coins to the top of the cauldron and to a headband.

One fish, two fish, red fish, rainbow fish! This colorful DIY costume is so easy to make. (The scales on the disguise are just flattened cupcake liners in a variety of colors glued to a sweatshirt.) Start with a red base layer—a sweatshirt and either pants or leggings—and add a rainbow of shades.

What You’ll Need:

• Red crewneck sweatshirt and pants or leggings
• Red hat
• Hot glue gun
• Scissors
• Black marker
• Cupcake liners in assorted colors (red, orange, yellow, blue, green, blue, purple)
• Ping Pong ball

How-to:

1. Open and flatten cupcake liners.
2. Starting from the bottom, glue cupcake liners to the sweatshirt. Begin with a row of purple, then work your way through the rainbow.
3. For the fish face, cut ping pong ball in half and add eyes with the black marker. Make sure to leave a little white on the ends.
4. Glue eyes to red cap; set aside to dry.
5. Fold four red cupcake liners in half and glue a pair next to each ball.