(Photo: Courtesy ABC NEWS)ALBANY, N.Y. – With Halloween creeping up fast, many partygoers and parents are feeling the pressure, but want to avoid paying a ton of money for an expensive costume that will only be worn once.
According to research firm IBISWorld, costumes are expected to make up the largest proportion of Halloween spending, at 35.8 percent this year, and with the average costume costing $40- the bells and whistles start to add up!
DIY costumes have risen in popularity in recent years, in part due to a struggling economy, but also because they allow for the most creativity.
With a bit of clever thinking, DIY costumes can become be the most popular costumes on Halloween night.
Here are a few NEWS10 viewer suggestions on Facebook:
- Fake Christmas tree – "I took a fake Christmas tree apart and attached it to pants, shirt and hat, decorated it and put lights on and sat next to an outlet all plugged in.....sure scared people when I moved," said Robin Schumacher.
- Daisy Duke – "Cut your own jeans - wear heels or boots - curl your hair - and get a button down plaid shirt," suggested Jessica Beth.
- Charlie Brown – "Yellow shirt and add black tape in a zig-zag pattern," said Hannah Stevens Christopher.
- Scarecrow – "Overalls, fake straw from Michaels, so it doesn't itch. Sewed straw in the bottom of the sleeves, pockets, bottom of the legs, and all around the hat, for hair. Sewed a few patches on the hat and overalls. Bought a plastic crow and sewed it on the shoulder. And a pair of work boots," said Cindy Campochiaro Kopacz.
- Cereal Killer - Amanda Nelson said, "My son was a ‘cereal killer' last year. We painted a cardboard box yellow to look like Cheerios. But called it "death-O's." About 50% of the people guessed it right."
- Grapes - "Use a bunch of purple balloons to create ‘a bunch of grapes' and cut out some leaves with green oaktag paper," suggested Suzanne Peckham.
- Baby Chick – Heather Reina said, "My six month baby is going as a baby chick. A bright yellow sweat pant outfit with yellow feathers from a craft store glued all over the outfit. He looks adorable and has very light blonde hair too."
- Big Bad Wolf (with Grandma inside!) – "I was about 6 months pregnant and dressed up as the Big Bad Wolf in grandma's clothing. People asked me where grandma was and I pointed to my belly. I got a lot of laughs!!!," said Diane Durant.
- Nerd - "Nerd! A pair of big glasses, suspenders and a pair of pants with smarties candies glued on...smarty pants!," said Nicole Haugh.
- Milk and Cookies - "One year my twins were Oreo cookies and the others was a carton of milk," said Kara Hendrick.
And here are a few special ideas born of 2012 trends:
- Big Bird – Yellow head to toe and carry a pink slip.
- Honey Boo Boo – Just grab a curly wig, assume a sassy attitude, and throw out some of her phrases.
- PSY – Dance your way to a party in a suit – complete with bow tie – and don't forget your tag line, "Eeeeeyyy sexy lady."
- Clint Eastwood's chair – Grab a chair and get talking.
- Tanning mom – No, please don't go over expose yourself to the sun's rays – olive colored makeup will suffice.
- Jeremy Lin – Grab a jersey, and maybe some stilts.
- iPhone 5 – Get a little crafty with some poster board, and maybe hack up a map and glue it on for good measure.
- Ridiculously photogenic guy – Throw on a combination of jogging gear and Edward Cullen hair, the ladies won't be able to resist.
- Binders of women – Silver bracelets on your arm with two pieces of poster board sandwiching you in.
- Replacement Referee - Great idea for those who already have the costume, just walk around calling out random football jargon.
So, like Laura Hammond said on the NEWS10 Facebook page, "Dig around in your closet, and fire up the imagination. You never know what you will find!"
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