3 Easy “Do It Yourself” Halloween Costumes

1920s Flapper Girl:

 

Things You’ll Need:

  • spaghetti strapped, shapeless dress
  • fringe
  • pantyhose or fishnet tights
  • black heels
  • lengthy pearl necklace or white beaded necklaces
  • feather boa
  • feathered headband
  • glue/glue gun
  • garter
  • elbow-length gloves
  • sequins
  • feathers

What to Do:

Using a hot glue gun, glue the fringe to the bottom of the dress. It doesn’t matter how much or how little fringe you use, as long as it’s an amount that you like.

Next, wear a pair of pantyhose or fishnet tights that match the color of your dress. If your dress is black, wear black tights.

Use the long pearl necklace to loop around your neck and keep one of the loops much longer than the other. If you are using separate beaded necklaces, layer them to get the flapper look.

The original 1920 flapper girls wore black, flat-heeled Mary Janes, but if you don’t own any, regular black heels could take the place.

To make the flapper headband, use a headband that fits over your forehead and snaps or ties in the back. Use the hot glue gun to glue sequins to the headband in any design that you like. The more, the better.

For the finishing touch, take a feather and glue it down to the front and center of the headband. Wear the feather boa scarf and elbow-length gloves and you’re good to go!

 

Waldo:

 

Things You’ll Need:

  • red and white striped shirt
  • red and white striped hat
  • red yarn/string
  • black, thick rimmed glasses
  • satchel
  • cardboard
  • scissors
  • compass
  • glue gun

What to Do:

Once you have found the striped shirt that you want to wear, you could start working on making the pom pom of the hat. To start, cut out two donut-shaped pieces of cardboard. A 5 cm outside diameter and a 2 cm diameter hole are good measurements to go by.

Place the two pieces together and begin winding the red yarn around the cardboard. Hold one end on the outside of the ring and feed the other end through the hole, round the back and through the front again. Repeat this, working your way around the ring until all of the cardboard is covered. Continue the process and be sure that the ends are on the outside and not in the middle.

When this step is complete, take your scissors and cut the yarn around the edges. Do this layer by layer, because it will be difficult to do it all at once. Eventually, your scissors should cut through the cardboard.

Pass a length of wool between the two pieces of cardboard, around all the strands of wool, and tie it firmly together. Cut off the pieces of cardboard and any uneven strands of the pom pom. This will give the pom pom a neater look.

To avoid wasting time by sewing the pom pom onto the hat, you could use a glue gun to glue the pom pom onto the top of your hat. Apply the glue and immediately press it on to the hat firmly until it is set completely.

Your Waldo hat is now complete! You’re ready to wear your black-rimmed glasses and satchel and go trick-or-treating.

 

 Flo the Progressive Girl:

 

What You Need:

  • navy headband
  • red lipstick
  • black eyeliner
  • white polo (see, polos come in handy)
  • white apron
  • name tag
  • white pants
  • cardboard
  • glue stick
  • hot glue gun
  • safety pins
  • iron-on transfer sheets
  • ”Progressive” logo
  • I <3 insurance button
  • blue sneakers

 

What to Do:

Using the iron-on transfer paper, create your Progressive logo by visiting the Progressive website. After downloading the document, flip its orientation so that it appears backward on your screen. Print out your logo onto the transfer paper and draw a square around it. Cut out the square and align the transfer paper on your white apron.

Next, begin ironing the logo onto your costume. The iron should be on the highest cotton setting; hold the iron on the paper until the edges turn yellow.

The Progressive website also contains Flo’s name tag. You could type in “Flo” or any other name you’d like. Print the name tag on regular printer paper, cut it out, then paste it onto its fitting cardboard cutout. Repeat these steps when making your “I <3 Insurance Button”. The template can be found on the website.

Next, you’ll set up the pins for both your name tag and button. Take your glue gun, and place a large strip of glue horizontally down the name tag, in the location where you want to affix the pin. Place your safety pin on the glue, unopened and side down, and hold it there for a few seconds. Repeat these steps in the making of your button. Align these two with the Progressive logo on your apron.

For your makeup, apply black eyeliner only on your top lids and wear red lipstick. Iron your hair so that the ends are flipped out, just like Flo’s and tease the crown to get her Retro look. Add your white polo and pants and navy shoes and headband and the look is complete!

 

These ideas were adapted from website directions by Matthew Anderson, Kid Craft Central and Nicole Schwab, respectively.