Ghosts, goblins, coffins and candy...the spookiest holiday of the year is hiding around the corner waiting to jump out and say Boo! If you need Halloween costume inspiration, look no further. These parents put their fiendishly clever minds to work and made these Halloween costumes at home.
This was just a fun idea with things my toddler already had around the house. We had the wild tropical outfit, large brimmed hat, fanny pack, sandals, and socks and a trunky. Add the retro camera, and voila! A fun costume with a homage to the ever-visiting cruise ships! - Kelly B.
My oldest wanted a family Star Wars themed Halloween. His desire was Boba Fett, and I needed a mini character for my youngest.... and what's cuter than an Ewok!? A few faux fur accessories and some brown fabric sewn onto a fuzzy ear headband...and voilà! - Natasha L.
My son wanted a scary costume and asked me what I was the most afraid of. I said "ventriloquist dummies," so that's what he dressed up as for Halloween. He stayed in character the whole time. - Tara S.
Okay, so my daughter didn't ask to be Audrey Hepburn, and I might have sold Holly Golightly as "Princess Dressed in Black," but I think we nailed it down to the wayfarers (that she already had), the dress my Mom helped me "princess" up, and the Tiffany bag full of breakfast essentials. I think I love this event way too much, and she isn't going to let me have much sway for much longer. (Yay for second child!) - Kelly B.
My son's favourite holiday is Halloween. He's always put a tonne of thought and effort into his costume. When he started high school, I tried to convince him to not dress up, worried other kids would make fun of him. It turned out his whole school is super in to Halloween, and this outfit won him first prize in the costume contest! - Tara S.
My kids' undying love for all things Wizard of Oz (yes, she's supposed to be THAT scarecrow). - Deanna T.
I had this fairy costume that my mom had bought her for playing dress up. It was boring me to tears (we have done fairy), and I had limited time to get creative, so with some faux corseting, faux pearls, and flour we came up with Marie Antoinette. - Kelly B.
My daughter said she wanted to be a cat, so I turned her into a cute cat! - Jody M.
My daughter's riding school has an annual Halloween party and they get to decorate the horses, too. She wanted to be the Headless Horsewoman, and she designed the whole thing herself. - Alex D.
I grew up with homemade costumes and just love that tradition. Making sure it is easy and affordable is also a big draw for me. Here is more of my homemade halloween costume tips! - Janet M.
When my son was younger, he was obsessed with trucks. So when he asked to be a yellow truck for Halloween, I knew I had my work cut out for me. Two boxes and a LOT of yellow paint later, we had one happy boy. The funniest part was instead of people putting candy into his bag, they threw it into the back of his pickup truck. - Sharon D.
My son is a HUGE Minecraft fan... and also has a birthday mid-October. Last year, we held a Minecraft-themed party, and my husband made the Steve "head" following a culmination of online tutorials. (We're in luck - he's in the printing business!) This was used in some of our party games. My son (9 at the time) decided to use Steve as his halloween costume... and made his sword using a square punch, cardboard, cardstock, and lots of glue. It was a family project that impressed a lot of fellow trick or treaters. Amazing what you can do with a box or two! - Lindsay B.
My son was (and is) a huge fan of Terry Fox. He started raising money for the Terry Fox Foundation when he was six by running laps around the park in front of our house. So it was no surprise when he said he wanted to be Terry for Halloween. - Sharon D.
My husband and I are Studio Ghibli fans and total nerds! So a friend's mom helped me make these Totoro costumes for our 1 year old twin girls. It was fun, and they look great! - Kathleen B.
My daughter has a crazy vivid imagination and even a zombie movie trailer gives her nightmares for weeks that en with her not sleeping and then me not sleeping. Despite this she's still all about the zombie costumes for Halloween. One year my husband scoured second hand shops while I practised my make-up techniques to turn her into a Zombie Rocker Chick. - Katja W.
Our daughter LOVES Marvel movies and her favourite character is Black Widow. We put together the costume by picking through her closet, visiting a second hand store for a few missing pieces, and then spray painting plastic toys for Black Widow's accessories. What's not to love about a cool, ass-kicking, ninja, super spy ready to rid the schoolyard of evildoers. - Katja W.
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