This week, I’m having fun making Halloween costumes for my boys.  We let them decide what they want to be each year, and if we can find a pre-made costume that looks good for a reasonable price (I love resale shops), we just buy it.  If they request something out of the ordinary, I’ll try making it for them.  I have a bit of an artistic side, so it’s always a fun experiment to see how the costume will turn out.

Over the years I have found that my medium of choice is simple, inexpensive cardboard and hot glue.  Using hot glue on unpainted cardboard is easy, dries fast, and results in an amazingly strong and sturdy costume.  It’s up to you how much to embellish afterward.  I cover my creation with spray paint as it gives an even coat and dries quickly.  Then I look around for unusual items that will add that special, authentic touch.  Remember to do all of your hot glue before you paint; it will not bond painted pieces strongly.

Here are three of our recent cardboard costume creations:

Robot

What You’ll Need:

• Large cardboard box
• Small cardboard box
• Utility knife
• Hot glue gun
• Silver spray paint
  

Optional Accessories:

• Silver dryer venting
• Black cable organizer
• 2 small, rectangular gift boxes
• Battery-operated mini Christmas lights
• Upholstery nails/thumbtacks
• Antenna
• Mini drain covers

How to Make it:

1. Cut off bottom of large box and cut out holes for head and arms.
2. For small box, cut off one side for face opening and one side for neck opening.  Check fit of costume, and glue head box onto body.  (Optional:  Glue small gift boxes onto front and back for 3-D circuit board “effect”)
3. Spray paint costume and let it dry completely.
4. Look around the house for accessories!  Use silver dryer venting for arms.  Add black cable organizer tubes for accents around the base and head opening, and inside the arms to hold the metal dryer venting in place and prevent scratches.  Upholstery nails or thumbtacks look like rivets (poke into cardboard with a dab of glue).  Print out pictures of circuit boards or other graphics for accents.  A special touch is to raid your Christmas wreath for battery operated mini-lights to have your circuit boards flash.  We put the lights inside the gift boxes so that the wiring was contained and out of the way.  Just poke holes through the cardboard for the lights.  This makes it easy to see your little one at night and I’m all for added safety.

Here’s a slideshow with more details for the cardboard robot costume.  Just click a thumbnail to see a larger image and start the slideshow.

Monster Truck

What You’ll Need:

• Newspaper or large sheets of paper for pattern (download our pattern here)
• Large cardboard box (appliance size works best or several smaller ones)
• Utility knife
• Hot glue
• 2 cans spray paint (black and your child’s favorite color)
• Silver paint
• Small paint brush
• 4 large plastic drink bottles – check the bottoms to see if they look like “wheels”
• 4 screws
• 4 nuts
• 5 ft. Velcro (1 1/2 “ thick)
• White and black construction paper

Optional Accessories:

• Foam pipe insulation
• Mirrors
• Reflectors
• Flame stickers

How to Make it:

Truck Pattern (click to download PDF)

1. Sketch the outline of the truck pattern on newspaper and check length for your child.  Make sure width of truck is large enough for child’s torso and “sunroof” opening is large enough for child’s head to fit through. To download a PDF of our pattern click right here. Adjust size of pattern as needed.
2. Transfer the pattern to cardboard and cut out with a utility knife.  Cut out side windows and a sunroof, but do not cut out holes for front and back windows.
3. Fold the pieces to shape the truck and hot glue together.
4. Spray paint truck with whatever color your child likes and let it dry completely.
5. Make front and back “windows” using black and white construction paper.
6. For the wheels, cut off the bottoms of large drink containers.
7. Using silver paint and a small paint brush, paint the inside, center of the “wheels” to create the hubcaps. Let dry completely.
8. Using black spray paint, paint the inside of the wheels to create the tires. (Note: you’ll be spraying black over the silver paint on the inside of the bottle, but on the outside, you’ll see the silver hubcap and black tires).
9. Attach the wheels to the truck with a small screw and a nut.
10. To support the costume on your child’s shoulders, glue a strip of Velcro along the inside front and back windows of the truck.  Stick two long pieces of Velcro “suspenders” between them.
11. Again, look around the house for accessories!  Print out some auto logos and glue them on.  Use pipe insulation tubes for the bumpers and roll bars.  Hot glue will melt the insulation foam, so put the glue on the cardboard first and then attach the foam.  We purchased mirrors, reflectors and flames from the auto parts aisle of our local discount store, but you could use bicycle reflectors or colored construction paper.   For some nighttime color and “tricked-out” special effects, tape glow necklaces/sticks along the inside bottom of the truck.

Here’s a slideshow with more details for the cardboard robot costume.  Just click a thumbnail to see a larger image and start the slideshow.

SpongeBob SquarePants

(with thanks to my neighbor Jesse)

What You’ll Need:

• Three pieces of yellow poster board
• White poster board or construction paper for decoration
• Green paint
• Craft paint (Green, brown, black, pink, and red)
• Sponge
• Circular foam stamps in two sizes
• Large rectangular cardboard box
• Utility knife
• Glue

How to Make It:

1. Add “texture” to the three yellow poster boards using green paint, sponge and foam stamps.
2. Using white poster board and craft paints, decorate one yellow poster board as the front of SpongeBob and one as the back of him.
3. Measure location of “eyes” from the top of the poster board to match up with your child’s and cut them out.
4. Cut open holes in the side of the box for arms.
5. Cut third yellow poster board to fit on the sides and top of the box, making sure to leave the arm holes uncovered.
6. Glue all three poster boards on box.  Cover top and sides of box with pieces from third piece of poster board.
7. Cut out eye holes in box to match the eye holes in the poster board.
8. There you have it.  Or as Spongebob would say “Oh barnacles Squidward! Remember, licking doorknobs is illegal on other planets!”

Here’s a slideshow with more details for the cardboard robot costume.  Just click a thumbnail to see a larger image and start the slideshow.