Roundup of Last-Minute Halloween Costume Ideas

This week I was invited to talk about last-minute Halloween costume ideas on the BC CBC Radio show North by Northwest. Sheryl, Anna and I had a blast bouncing ideas around; it’ll air on Saturday morning and should be in the show’s podcast after that.

To get my brain in gear before we recorded, I asked for people’s favourite last-minute costumes on Twitter and Facebook. As a forever last-minute costume girl, I love knowing I’m not alone (do I have a costume set for this weekend yet? Of course I don’t). Here’s a list for your panic-easing pleasure:

• Heather over at Dollar Store Crafts has an astonishing number of inspiring posts for kids, including this, this, this octopus costume, this spider costume, and this paper-doll costume.
• Heather’s also written elsewhere about quick, simple costumes. Like this no-sew princess costume and this no-sew jack-o-lantern costume.
• For adults, my friend Jason suggests dressing as a homicidal maniac – “They look just like everyone else.”
• Miriam suggests: “Greek chiton. Fold white sheets or drapey white fabric, pin at shoulders, do hair all spiffy, wear bangles. Voila!”
• Vince is going to be himself, from a parallel universe. And possibly a zombie.
• Monica pulled off a last-minute Spiderwebs.
• Erin says, “Lawyer (evil or otherwise) is always good and easy.”
• Kristi’s recipe for a deviled egg: “Cut 2 pieces of posterboard into egg shapes. Put a big yellow circle on one. Don with horns and tail.”
• Stacelynn suggests hanging a sign around your neck that says, “This IS my costume.” Cheeky.
• A bit more involved, this superhero fleece poncho-cape is something I want for myself. Warm and comfy. Mmm.
• Shannon suggests going as your friends. Hilarious.
• Courtney says, “anything with jeans and ugg boots to be super comfy – add a plaid shirt & braids, hello lady lumberjack!
• Here’s how to make a pillowcase ghost dress – easily modified for tons of costumes not specifically girly.
• Sarah suggests: “Cotton Candy – Take a piece of paper and make a cone, put string through to attach as a hat. Wear pink (tutu preferred)”
• And for a good laugh, check out wtfshouldibeforhalloween.com. It told me I should be sexy cortizone. Hilarious. Thanks for that one, Shannon.

Tune in to the show Saturday morning for more tips and ideas (you can stream it live starting at 6:30AM PST [yikes! I know]). I wish we could talk about this stuff all the time. It was so much fun!

ETA: Here’s some more Halloween inspiration to browse through. And if you’re in search for more last minute costume ideas – you can always make a wicked costume out of cardboard.