DIY Halloween costumes

Another Halloween is upon us as we scramble to decide what to dress up as this year. Each year there are popular costumes ranging from popular celebrities, movie characters or even book characters. This year is no different. Popular celebrity costumes include Charlie Sheen, Lady Gaga or Nicki Minaj. As suggested by the International Business Times, the Charlie Sheen costume might include tiger blood, boogers of a 7-year-old, or a 10,000-year-old brain. For the Lady Gaga costume, a new idea has come about: Go to the local deli and wear some meat! As for Nicki Minaj, it is suggested that wearing bright colors and a bad wig will do the trick.

A majority of these costumes are do-it-yourself, but chances are that any of our local Halloween costume shops would have similar costumes—or maybe even a mask to take your costume to the next level! Other popular costumes being sold this year include Angry Birds, the Smurfs, Zombies and Little Red Riding Hood. If you don't have time to make your own costume, there is a huge tent of Halloween costumes –called Halloween Express—located near Valley View Mall, close to the movie theatre and Chuck E. Cheese.

I found several creative ideas for do-it-yourself costumes, all of which are cheap and fun for those of us who wish to save some money! One of the most creative ideas was a "cereal killer." For this costume, you will need some empty cereal boxes, dirt, ketchup and plastic knives. Dress in all black and glue the cereal boxes on the clothing, then stick the plastic knives into the boxes and smear dirt and ketchup over the rest of the clothing. This is a fun, literal way to portray the not-so-funny idea of a serial killer.

Another easy idea for a homemade costume is Clark Kent. Guys, you'll need a white button-down shirt, tweed blazer, a mono-colored tie, a blue T-shirt, hair gel and thick framing glasses. Google a Superman logo, find an image, print it out and tape it to your blue T-shirt! It's such an easy way to be a superhero!

Kate Middleton is another popular homemade costume. Ladies, you'll need to find an old wedding dress (or you could attempt to mimic one of her other well-known outfits), get a dark brown wig or curl your own hair, put a big rock on your finger and wear a crown. What a fun way to make yourself into royalty!

If you're throwing a Halloween party with friends, here are a few ideas for easy decorations. It's almost a must that there would be some carved jack-o-lanterns! This is a staple around this time of year, so get creative with the designs and put candles in them! Tombstones are also another easy idea! If you can get your hands on some cardboard, cut the board into tombstone-shaped pieces, paint them gray and write on them in black marker or paint. It would also be easy to make a homemade ghost! Staple a small, Styrofoam ball to the center of a white sheet, and then hang it from your ceiling! If you don't care about the sheet, draw a face on the ghost. Make it look like the ghost is howling and the eyes are big! If you have some time to run to a store, buy some fake fingers (severed from a hand) and then a hand that is severed from an arm. You can throw the fingers in with a bowl of chips or candy, and when your guests reach for chips… well, they might find a surprise in the bowl. If you're looking for a less scary idea, collect some fall leaves from outsides and string them on fish line, then hang them from your ceiling. It will look like leaves are falling from the sky. I hope your Halloween is filled with lots of candy and a few scares!