How to Make a Last Minute Halloween Costume

So you were planning on a quiet evening at home, handing out candy to trick-or-treaters. But you were invited to a Halloween party at the last minute. Here are a few ideas for costumes you can make at the 11th hour using things you have around the house.

Instructions

1. Find some old clothes, preferably a flannel shirt, an old pair of jeans and old work boots. Grab some clothesline or rope and use it for a belt, and to tie off the sleeves of the shirt and cuffs of the pants. Stuff the shirt with rags, other pieces of clothing, tissues, or anything else that's lying around that will lend a haphazard, padded look. Use lipstick to draw some exaggerated features on your face: large eyebrows, circles on your cheeks and an exaggerated mouth. Add some straw coming out of your sleeves and the neck of your flannel. You're a scarecrow! (To add to the look, you can attached some stuffed birds to your shoulders, or other animals like rabbits to your feet.)

2. Find some old, flowing clothes, such as a floor-length skirt and a peasant blouse. Add some leather sandals. Head out into your backyard and collect a handful of autumn leaves, some pine-tree branches and some pine cones. (In most temperate zones, Halloween is the perfect time of year to do this.) If you have any artificial flowers around the house, use them to create an autumn bouquet. Find a decorative basket you can carry with you, and put in a stuffed animal of the wildlife variety. Weave some of the artificial flowers into your hair, and if you have long garlands of ivy or vines, wind them around yourself. You're Mother Nature! (This is also a great costume for people who have a pet they're going to be bringing along.)

3. Take an old, pink blanket. Drape it over your head and cut out holes for eyes. Find an old shoe of any sort and attach it to the blanket on the top of your head. You're the gum stuck on the bottom of a shoe!

4. Dress in one, solid color; black and white work the best. Use flour to whiten your hair and some makeup to make your face and lips pale. Black nail polish can be a nice touch, but isn't necessary. Gather up all the clocks and watches you can find, even the digital ones. Put on as many watches as you can; hang the digital clocks from around your neck. Make sure you have a clock to carry, and if you have a pocket watch, it'll be great hung around your neck. A cane or walking stick completes the costume: You are now Father Time!

5. Dress all in white. Use makeup to paint exaggerated facial features: wide black circles around your eyes, a wide black mouth, and an orange (carrot) nose. Use paint or makeup to draw buttons down the front of your shirt. Throw on a scarf and a hat of any sort, and you're a snowman. For an added touch, use fake snow that you spray on Christmas trees to add some "real" snow to your hat and shoulders.

6. Dress all in black. Find a box that is large enough to rest on your shoulders and fit comfortably around you. Put a hole in one side for your head, and cut off the opposite side so there is room for your legs. On the remaining sides of the box, make nine squares. (You can use paint or construction paper; whatever you have enough of.) It's a Rubix Cube!