Craft TuesD.I.Y with Lisa Lopez: Easy, Adorable Halloween Costumes on a Budget

With Halloween quickly approaching, it's time to start planning your kid's Halloween costumes! Given everyone's limited budget this year, spending $20+ for something your child will only get a few uses out of is a scary option. I have come up with three very easy D.I.Y Halloween costume ideas, using felt, which is only about .20 cents per sheet at the craft store. You'll also need old clothes and your imagination! The great thing about making these costumes is, you don't have to be an artist -- you can print free stencils on your computer, and you don't need to know how to sew either! Felt is also available with an adhesive backing, so you don't even need fabric glue or a glue gun in some cases. The possibilities are endless.

Here are three costume ideas using felt:

Materials you will need:

• Old T-shirts, pants, or pajama top and bottom -- now is the chance to use those clothes your little one has outgrown!
  

• Felt pieces, in an array of colors (Green tip: Opt for recycled felt, called "eco-felt")
  

• Hot glue gun, unless you are using the felt with adhesive backing, which costs about .99 cents per sheet

• Sequins and embellishments of choice
  

• Scissors

To make a PIRATE COSTUME:

*Find an old shirt and pants from your child's wardrobe

*Cut the pants to just below the knee with a rough jagged edge

*Use the white felt to cut out a skull and with the black felt, make the eye patch and hat --

glue or stick these on your shirt

*Next you can get creative and draw a beard on your child with mom's makeup or use some non-toxic face paint

*Tie a bandana around your child's waist. The hat I used cost about $2.00 at the craft store. You may also tie the bandana on your child's head instead of purchasing the hat.

To make an M&M COSTUME:

*I dressed my son in solid white pajamas, then I cut a hole in a piece of circular red felt at the top so I could slip it over his head.
*Cut another circular piece of felt the same size as the first and glue or sew these pieces together just at the shoulders so it drapes over the front and back of your child.
*Take the white felt and trace and cut out the letter "M" and glue or stick it to your red piece. *Then take 2 pieces of the red felt and cut out a hat shape -- I took one of my son's hats and traced the shape onto the felt, then cut out the 2 pieces and glued them together.

To make a 50's BOWLING SHIRT:

I simply decorated the back of an old white button with adhesive felt and embellishments.
*Trace bowling pin shapes onto white felt, cut them out and stick them on the shirt.
*Next, take the red sticky felt and cut out 2 strips and place lines on the bowing pins. You may take sequins and glue them to the edges of the pins for an added touch.
*Next, trace the bowling ball onto your black felt and stick it onto the shirt. Use the white felt to create the holes for the bowling ball. You can also put the sequins around the bowling ball edges.
*I then took the sticky letters and spelled out the name.
Pair this 50's shirt with a flouncy skirt or a pair of capri pants for a great, wholesome 50's inspired costume.

You can make so many costumes on a limited budget. All you need are a couple key pieces -- even old garments from your closet -- to use as costumes for kids. A fond memory I have is that I never knew what I was going to be for Halloween until I got home from school on Halloween afternoon and went into my mom's closet and jewelry box to piece together a costume. Thrift stores are also a great place to find inexpensive hats, and costume pieces. Another great idea is to throw a party with friends or neighbors in early October and have a costume swap! Everyone brings an old costume(s) that their child has worn in the past or outgrown, and you can trade for a new one!