Crafty Costumes

Oreo spiders make for a cute and cheap Halloween treat. 
Photo courtesy of wenderly.com

It’s that spooky time of year again. Halloween is approaching fast and almost everyone loves to dress up for the occasion. However, many people, especially college students, do not have the cash to spend on an expensive costume set from Party City. Fortunately, there are a lot of ways one can dress up for the festivities and really get into the spooky spirit without scaring your wallet. According to PopSugar magazine, “If you're an undergrad, you know how huge Halloween is every year. It's never too early to start planning for those campus parties! We've come up with a range of awesome costumes that are perfect for any college student, and the best part is they're all DIY. So in the spirit of Halloween, light your pumpkin spice candle, turn on Hocus Pocus, and get crafting!” 

When it comes to DIY costumes, make-up is a great place to start. You don’t have to go all out with zombie makeup and prosthetics like on the movies. Instead, regular drugstore staples will do in a pinch. Use eyeliner to dress up like a classic cat and create a dramatic cat-eye, whiskers, and a black nose; complete this look with cat ears from CVS or Wal-Mart, or make them yourself out of felt and a headband. Another great idea using eyeliner could be a scarecrow; use black eyeliner to paint long, thick strokes downward from eyes. Create an elongated mouth, similar to the Joker, using eyeliner and add small lines downward throughout. 

An alternative to make-up is face paint. Face paint can be purchased from almost any department store around this time of year and has the potential to completely transform anyone into any creature imaginable. Use face paint to dress up like a zombie and wear an old, ripped t-shirt. Use dark eyeshadow to mimic dark circles around the eyes and bruising on other parts of the body like the neck, arms and hands. Make sure to complete the look with a messy hairstyle and be sure to perfect that limp!   

To find your perfect Halloween attire, search through clothing at secondhand or overstock stores rather than going to the mall; try shopping at a Goodwill or Gabriel Brothers. These locations have a lot of variety and the prices are relatively low compared to Party City and other seasonal Halloween shops. 

For those that aren’t so creative, there are resources to help you create the ideal costume on the cheap side of things. PopSugar magazine explains how to dress up as Rosie the Riveter: “Get a blue button-up shirt and roll the sleeves up to your elbow. Pin back your hair with a bandanna, and create a big 1950s pin curl in front. Complete your look with winged eyeliner and a red lip.” Another few interesting and original costume ideas proposed by PopSugar were an Instagram selfie: “Get a piece of cardboard, paint the top three inches blue, and write ‘Instagram’ in white. Add your handle, and cut a window, so you can pose for pictures with your friends. Include "likes" and funny comments. Don't forget a hashtag” or a cup of Starbucks coffee: “Print out the Starbucks coffee logo, paste it onto flexible poster paper, and cross out your "name" on the other side. Wear anything comfortable and warm underneath!”

While dressing up for exceptionally cheap is especially sweet, using the extra cash to make scary Halloween treats to share with friends during parties is even sweeter. According to CookingPanda.com, oreo-spiders are fun and easy to make: “Start with a simple Oreo cookie and decorate with small round candies for eyes. Use licorice and frosting to attach legs to the body.” People have also created hotdog ‘fingers’ and entire zombie bodies made up of various foods for respective body parts. For more information about DIY costumes or Halloween treats, visit popular DIY websites like Pinterest.