Welcome to day 4 of Homemade Costume week. This bumblebee Halloween costume looks great in person, and could not be simpler to make. A black shirt, yellow duct tape, some pipe cleaners, and a pair of dollar store wings. You can make this no-sew bee costume in about 15 minutes.

Project Estimate:

• Black hooded sweatshirt, on hand
• Yellow duct tape, $3
• 2 yellow chenille stems, on hand
• 2 yellow pom-poms, on hand
• 1/4″ elastic, $1
• Hot glue gun and hot glue stick
• Pair of bee wings from dollar store, $1

Total: $5

To make a no-sew bee costume:

I originally made this costume for Kaboose.com, a site that closed down several years ago, and unfortunately, there is no longer an internet archive of the instructions, and my version of the instructions are long-lost on my old defunct computer.

Basically, add yellow duct tape stripes to a hoodie, then hot glue pom-poms to a couple of chenille stems, then duct tape them to the inside of the hood. Curl the stems around a pencil.

Add a pair of yellow dollar store fairy wings to complete the look.

My Design Process:

I don’t know if you folks care about seeing my sketches or not, but it amuses me, so I’ll just keep posting them. My original sketch was slightly more complicated than the costume ended up — I originally envisioned a black hoodie with a yellow t-shirt over it, but when I started making the costume, I eliminated the yellow t-shirt and just went with yellow duct tape stripes. I also called for the costume to be stuffed with grocery bags (to make it more round) but I decided the stuffing was unnecessary when I put it on my model (my 4 year-old).

My craft planning process is this:

• sketch the project and label what each part is
• think through the actual process of making it and what supplies I will need
• write down the process as I imagine it (so I have “instructions” to follow)
• then take a step back and see if there is anything I can eliminate in terms of supplies or extra work
• collect my supplies (from my stash, or shop for them)
• do the project and change something (usually!)
• make sure to photograph most of the steps so I can remember how I made it

How do you plan for your craft projects? Do you have a sketchbook?

The post Make a No-Sew Bumblebee Costume appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Project Materials:

• 1 Large lawn trash bag, on hand or $1
• Silver spray paint, about $3
• 2 wire hangers or plastic hula hoop, on hand or $1
• Standard duct tape, on hand or $1
• Recycled plastic container, on hand

Total: $3 and up

p.s. I like the style of this recycled plastic bottle jetpack found over at Been There, Pinned That: Recycled Plastic Bottle Jet Pack

The post Make a Girl Space Costume appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

We’re scouring all our friends’ blogs this week to find the best Halloween costumes made from dollar store stuff. This Flamingo costume by Charlie at Attempting Aloha is one of the cutest costumes I’ve seen this year, dollar store or not. She got everything she needed for the hat at Dollar Tree, and provides a template and great instructions for the flamingo hat over hat her blog.  [how to make a flamingo costume]

Supplies: Sometimes you can find pink feather boas in the dress up toy section at the dollar store, but you might have to go to the craft store to find what you need.

Project Estimate:

• 3 feather boas , $3
  
• Googly eyes, on hand or $1
  
• Glitter foam paper, $1
  
• Foam visor (3-pack), $1
• Safety pins, on hand or $1
  
• Fake eyelashes (found in the make-up section), $1
  
• Tights, on hand or $1
  
• Skirt, on hand

Total: $6 and up

The post Make a Flamingo Costume appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

You don’t have to sew to make a cute Halloween costume. Make a quick and easy no-sew pumpkin costume out of an orange t-shirt and a few common craft supplies. This jack-o’-lantern Halloween costume works well for adults or kids, and can be made in just a few minutes, so it’s a great option for a last-minute handmade costume.

You might be able to find an orange t-shirt at the dollar store, but it’s not a guarantee. You will always find plain orange t-shirts at your local craft store, though, and they are usually $5 or less. I recommend using self-stick craft foam if you have it. You will be able to remove it after Halloween and keep the shirt for further everyday use. If you don’t have self-stick foam, plain craft foam or felt will work. Just stick the pieces on with craft glue or hot glue.

I worked on this costume with my four year-old last year. Here’s a video tutorial (and also, a really accurate depiction of crafting with kids and blogging with them, too! Check out the photo shoot at the end of the video).

Project Materials:

• Orange t-shirt, $1 and up
• 1 sheet each black and green felt, on hand or about $1
• 1 sheet self-stick craft foam, on hand or about $1
• 1/4″ elastic, on hand or $1
• 1 green pipe cleaner, on hand
• 1 green pom-pom, on hand
• Scissors
• Safety pin
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks (adults only) OR craft glue
• Recycled sturdy cardboard (6×6″ piece)
• Recycled plastic grocery bags (optional)

Total: $1 and up

How to Make:

T-shirt

1. Cut eyes, nose, and mouth shapes out of black felt or foam. Make your jack-o’-lantern facial features any shape you like! I cut two triangles for eyes and a triangle for the nose, and a half-moon shape for the mouth, with a rectangle cut out of  the flat side of the half moon for a tooth.

2. Cut green collar pieces: four or five triangles cut out of self-stick craft foam.

3. Attach the green triangles around the collar of the t-shirt.

4. Attach the facial features on the front of the shirt, just below the green triangles.

5. Cut a small slit in the inside layer of the waistband. Attach the end of the 1/4″ elastic to a safety pin, and thread the elastic through the waistband until it goes all the way around and comes out through the slit.

Cinch the elastic so the waistband is slightly gathered, but not uncomfortable. Tie the ends of the elastic together and clip excess. Tuck the knot inside the waistband.

6. Gather the sleeve the same way you did the waistband, but cut two slits, one on either side of the seam  on the bottom of the sleeve. Thread elastic into one hole and out the other, and tie knot over seam. Repeat for second sleeve.

7. If a rounder pumpkin shape is desired, stuff with recycled plastic grocery bags when child puts it on. Avoid this step for younger children and babies.

Hat

1. Cut 6″ circle out of recycled corrugated cardboard (I used a bulk cereal box). Use an old CD or plastic lid for a template, if desired.

2. Cut larger circle out of green felt. Use a bowl for a template, if desired. Note: this circle doesn’t have to be perfect, because the edges will be hidden.

3. Put a line of hot glue around the outside of the cardboard circle, close to the edge. Fold felt over around the entire edge.

4. Measure a piece of 1/4″ elastic around child’s head and under chin. Cut so elastic is snug but not too tight (ours was about 20″). Glue raw edges of elastic flat to middle of cardboard circle.

5. Cut circle of felt slightly smaller than the cardboard disc (about 5″). Hot glue over exposed cardboard and elastic.

6. Wrap green pipe cleaner around a pen to make it curly. Hot glue pipe cleaner curl to top of hat. Hot glue pom-pom over the center of the pipe cleaner.

No-Sew Pumpkin Costume Tips

Reusable Shirt: If you want to reuse the orange shirt, skip the felt and hot glue, and just use self-stick craft foam for all the facial features. Remove elastic and craft foam pieces after costume use.

What to wear underneath: wear neutral pants or leggings (black, green, or white) or tights (black, white, green, or striped) and black shoes. If your weather is cold, wear a black, white, orange or green turtleneck, long-sleeved shirt, or hooded sweatshirt underneath pumpkin shirt.

Baby Pumpkin: This costume will work well for infants or toddlers, just adjust t-shirt size (use toddler t-shirts) and avoid plastic bag stuffing.

The post Tutorial: Halloween Costume: No Sew Jack-o’-Lantern appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

How to make a strawberry costume for kids of all ages. This quick and easy Halloween costume is cute for small kids, but can be adapted for older kids or even adults. You can make this halloween costume very quickly, and I have instructions for sewing and no-sew versions. I also have a modification to make it into a onesie. I made it of felt yardage, which is quite possibly the greatest costume fabric ever, because it’s easy to sew, doesn’t have to be hemmed, and is extremely inexpensive.

When I found out my oldest son wanted to be a piece of pizza for Halloween, and my second son wanted to be a candy corn, I thought, hey! those are both triangular foods! and wondered what I could make my youngest son that would fit the theme. Suggestions from the peanut gallery (aka Facebook), were varied but I thought a wedge of watermelon would be cute. Well, when I cut the costume out, it looked like watermelon. Kinda. It also looked like a strawberry (also a triangular food!), and even a little like a hot chili pepper (before I affixed the seeds).

When I held the costume up and asked my older boys what it looked like, one said strawberry and one said watermelon. So, consider this a versatile costume you can make into any of a number of red and green fruits or veggies. Or, omit the seeds and use it for a Christmas elf costume. Or, switch up the felt colors and make other types of triangular food (yellow and orange felt for a wedge of swiss cheese, or cream and tan with toppings for pizza, orange with black spots for a Dorito, etc.).

We decided to call it a strawberry. My youngest son just started walking, but he still crawls almost everywhere he goes, so I put a piece of velcro on the bottom of the point so I could fasten the costume onesie-style and it wouldn’t get in his way when he is crawling around in it.

Project Materials:

• 1/2 yard of red felt yardage, $1.85 ($3.69 a yard)
• 1/4 yard of green felt yardage, $.92
• 1 sheet of black craft felt, $.25
• Ribbon, on hand
• Sewing stuff or hot glue stuff

Total: $3.02

These instructions are for a costume that will fit from 18 months to 3T. For larger sizes, increase the size of the triangle and rectangle.

1. Cut a triangle from red felt yardage about 18″ wide, with blunt corners. Leave about 4″ flat on the sides. Cut another matching one

2. Cut 2 rectangles of green felt yardage, 18″ wide, and about 4″ tall.

3. Sew green rectangle to top of red triangle, right sides together. Or hot glue instead of sewing. Repeat for other triangle and rectangle.

4. Fold flat sides of top of costume over, and hem or hot glue. These will be the sleeves.

5. Fold over and hem (or hot glue) diagonal sides of costume pieces.

6. Put the costume pieces right sides together. Sew shoulder seams as shown here, leaving 6″ unsewn in the middle. This will be the neck. Alternately, hot glue together.

7. Sew or hot glue bottom inch of sleeves together.

8. Cut a scoop in the front for the neck. Cut a straight line down the back about 6″ to make the hole big enough for little noggins to get through.

9. Cut two pieces of ribbon, about 12″ long. Singe the ends with a flame to keep them from unraveling. Fold over top hem of back of costume. Sandwich ribbons in the end and sew or hot glue to secure. If desired, fold over collar area and hem or hot glue.

Here’s a back view.

Cut seed shapes out of black felt, and affix with hot glue.

To modify the costume into a onesie, put a scratchy piece of velcro on the inside front point of the costume. It will stick to the other side of the costume felt (no fuzzy velcro piece necessary) and work like a onesie, fastening between the legs.

Hat: If you want to make a hat, follow my instructions for the Pumpkin costume hat over at Amazing Moms.

Other quick and easy halloween costume ideas:

• Candy Corn costume
• Pizza costume
• Last minute no-sew costumes
• Greatest Costume Hits
• Homemade Costume Week

The post Make a Strawberry Costume appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I love making costumes with felt! This candy corn costume was so quick and easy to make, and it looks so cute. I was so excited to share it with you, that I just snapped a photo of my two year-old wearing it over his jammies. He’s a huge fan of candy corn, and wanted to dress as one for his Halloween costume from the beginning. Candy corn is an adorable costume: it’s instantly recognizable and of course, it’s easy! It’s also comfortable and easy to move around in, and you can remove it in a jiffy if necessary (perfect for a school or work costume!)

I made this costume out of felt yardage (the kind you get on the bolt at the fabric store, as opposed to the small sheets of craft felt). Felt is inexpensive, easy to work with, and you don’t have to finish it by hemming. Perfect for a one-time-use costume. These instructions are for a sewn costume, but check the bottom of the post for no-sew instructions.

Project Materials:

• 1/4 yard each of white, orange, and yellow felt, $3.59 per yard
• Ribbon, on hand
• Sewing machine & thread OR Hot glue gun & glue

Total: $2.69

This costume was very simple to construct and took me less than an hour to sew. You can also construct it with a hot glue gun if you don’t like sewing. It’s basically a very simple shift dress or smock made out of felt.

I made this for my son who wears a 3T. This amount of fabric will be fine for up to a 6x. For a larger costume, get wider cuts of fabric. You might want to get a wider swath of orange, since most candy corn has a large orange section.

To Make:

1. Sew 1/4 yard strips of felt together, making sure seams are on the same side. I got the color order wrong, so if you want to be 100% authentic candy corn, sew white to orange, and orange to yellow!

Alternately, hot glue the felt strips together.

2. Cut two pieces of the striped fabric, about 24″ wide. Fold in half, and cut a diagonal. The bottom should be the full width, and the top should be about 8″ wide when folded in half (16″ wide total). Use a tape measure to keep your line straight, or eyeball it. Repeat for 2nd piece of striped fabric. You will probably have some striped fabric leftover, too.

When you unfold the fabric, it will be a trapezoid that looks like this. I cut about 4″ off the top of my trapezoid because I wanted it to be shorter on my son. Adjust the length as desired.

3. Put the trapezoids right sides together. Sew shoulder seams as shown here, leaving 6″ unsewn in the middle. This will be the neck.

Alternately, hot glue together.

4. Sew up the sides, leaving about 6-8″ at the top unsewn. This will be the sleeve.

Alternately, hot glue sides together and remember to leave sleeve holes.

5. Fold over bottom, and sew a hem. You can skip this part, but I like it because of the stiffness it gives the hem, so the corn is nice and round.

Alternately, hot glue the hem.

6. If you want, you can fold the sleeves over and hem them too, but you don’t have to.

Alternately, hot glue the hem.

7. Cut a scoop in the front for the neck. Cut a straight line down the back about 6″ to make the hole big enough for little noggins to get through.

8. Cut two pieces of ribbon, about 12″ long. Singe the ends with a flame to keep them from unraveling. Fold over top hem of back of costume. Sandwich ribbons in the end and sew or hot glue to secure.

To make a hat: Cut a rectangle of white, and wrap around head in a cone shape. Hot glue or sew seam. I didn’t like the white peaked hat look, so I folded the peak inside about 3″ to make a blunt peak.

What to wear underneath: Black, white, yellow, or orange shirt and pants, skirt, tights, or leggings.

Other Candy Corn costumes and treat bags:

• Ruffled Candy Corn Tee at Positively Splendid
• Candy Corn costume, hat, and treat bag at Chica and Jo
• Candy corn treat bags at The Purl Bee
• Oversized hands-free candy corn treat bag at A Lemon Squeezy Home by No Big Dill (who also had a candy corn week!)
• Another very cute girl’s candy corn costume at No Big Dill
• Everything candy corn (so many fun ideas) at One Pretty Thing

Other quick and easy halloween costume ideas:

• Pizza costume
• Last minute no-sew costumes
• Greatest Costume Hits
• Homemade Costume Week

The post Make a Candy Corn Costume for $2.69 appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Welcome to day 5 of Homemade Costume Week with our last quick and easy no-sew costume: the Rapunzel costume complete with long braid and tall tower. This Halloween costume is the one in the group that I wasn’t sure I could pull off, but I was excited by the concept and wanted to give it a try. There were two unknown components: the long braid (turned out just like I imagined) and the wearable tower (totally different than I planned). Find out how to make this costume over at my post at Kaboose: [how to make a Rapunzel princess halloween costume]

Project Estimate:

• 2 yards of plain cotton fabric, $5
• Duct tape, on hand
• 2 sheets of foam core board, $2
• 2 yardsticks, $2
• 1/4″ elastic, $1
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks

Total: $10

The original concept called for a box with a window cut out in the front, and arm holes in the sides. When I tried it out, the box was awkward and unbalanced on the child and it just didn’t work. I wanted to make sure the costume construction was uncomplicated, so the box idea wasn’t good enough. It could have worked with a tall, narrow box, but those aren’t easy to find and it wasn’t a practical solution.

I ended up using two pieces of foam core board attached sturdily together with yardsticks in the back to brace them together and add enough substance for the child to wear them without being afraid the foam core would disintegrate.

What are your big Halloween costume plans this year?

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