• Halloween is not just for kids any more. Nearly everyone likes dressing up, and making the costume yourself is half the fun. Besides, nobody wants to look just like everyone else, so if you plan to party and you are tired of all those ho-hum commercial costumes, try some of these homemade ideas for a truly "spooktacular" Halloween!
  
  

Twisted Traditional

• Instead of a scarecrow, be the haystack in the field. Glue straw all over a gold-colored sheet; run a thick wire hoop through one hem and a string through the other. Step through the hoop; tie the other end up around your neck; add slits for arms. A cone-shaped hat covered in straw completes the costume. Instead of a witch, be the cauldron! Cut the bottom from a large round plastic cauldron or tub; step into it and hold in place with suspenders. Glue clear balloons to your t-shirt for bubbles; add some poly-fiberfill wisps for smoke, and glue bats, "eye of newt" beads, etc. for witches brew. Black tights underneath complete it.
  
  

Couples

• Go as a pair of fuzzy dice. Use identical square boxes big enough to fit over each person's torso (with arms through holes in sides and legs and head through top and bottom). Cover with felt or fake fur and paint on spots to look like dice. Tie a rope with a bow between the two to simulate the string they would hang from. Wear black or white tights and long sleeved t-shirts underneath.
  
  

Groups

• Dress two people as the King & Queen. Have others come as Bishop, Knight, Rook or Pawns to create a living chess set. Another possibility...someone dresses as shepherd with all others dressed as sheep. Finally, have one of the group dress as a large bowl (use cloth strung on wire hoops and hold up with suspenders). Two others should be salad fork and spoon (large cardboard cutouts front and back). Everyone else is lettuce, (glue scraps of green felt to green t-shirt and tights) tomato or cucumber slices (Large pieces of felt front and back with coordinating t-shirt/tights beneath) for a "tossed salad".
  
  

Scary

• Buy two extra large pieces of pink poster board and carefully letter a "pink slip" with black permanent marker on each. Hang them front and back from shoulders with pink straps. Wear pink tights and t-shirt beneath. Nothing beats a pink slip just before the holidays for scary!
  
  

Unusual

• Cover white or any pale colored long sleeved t-shirt and tights with glued on puffs of poly-fiberfill. Wrap yourself with battery powered twinkle lights (or use LEDs), pulling the fiberfill over and around to hide the wires. Glue on a few larger cutout stars and add some of the tiny foil stars like those you got in grade school. Voila! You are a nebula. You can find more unusual ideas at Fun Times Guide for Halloween costumes you make yourself. (See Reference 1)