The days to get a costume and get candy are quickly diminishing, and the procrastinators (including myself) have yet to be prepared. Instead of just going out and buying a costume, I instead use my time to find out some creative ways to make my own costumes with materials that you can normally find around the house.
I've decided to share one quick and easy Halloween costume a week for the few weeks leading up to Halloween, for those of you who'd rather make a costume instead of getting one store bought.
This week's costume will be the infamous 70's Hippie which has simple instructions and looks fashionable in a dorky manner.
Materials:
- Paper Bag (Brown)
- Brown T-shirt
- Cardboard piece (Optional)
- Markers
- Scissors
- Tie-Dyed Shirt
- Headband (Optional)
- Double-Sided Tape
1. Headpiece (Optional): When it comes to the hair, what I find that works, is just leaving your hair down and wearing a funky, tribal headband. I ended up finding this cute, inexpensive feather headband around a local store:
Either way, the headband is a nice touch to make your hair just as festive as your costume itself.
2. Vest:
- Use the brown paper bag and turn it so that it is upside down.
- Use the bottom of the bag to cut a circle that would accommodate your neck.
- Make a slit that goes all the way to the opening of the bag like you would see on a best.
- Use the corners at the bottom of the bag to make arm holes that would fit you.
- Try on the vest and fix it around do that it fits well on you. Then flip the bag inside out to hide so that the folds and writing (if present) are hidden.
This is how the vest should end up looking:
3. Fringe: I like to think that no Hippie costume is complete without the fringe vest, so below are the easy steps to add one to your vest:
- Cut approximately 16 inches off the the bottom of your brown t-shirt. Then make sure to cut it so that it is in a rectangle.
- Tape the rectangle on the inner side of the vest (bottom) and cut the rectangle into skinny fringes.
Peace Pins (Optional)
- Use the cardboard piece to cut small circles.
- Decorate the circles with things like peace signs, flowers, and etc.
- Use the double-sided tape to attach these pins to your vest.
Putting It All Together:
- Put on the tie-dyed t-shirt and any colorful sunglasses, peace sign necklaces or other related accessories on to complete the look:
See you next week with another handy, last-minute costume.
