We all know how it goes: you’re in college and you’re broke. Obviously we had heard of these miseries before, but it wasn’t until we arrived to college that we learned first hand how quickly our pockets empty. Every year we tell ourselves to save a little more, but this goal can seem quite far away at times. Especially October. Especially around Halloween. There is so much pressure around this time of year to have the best, cutest, most creative, or scariest costume. Last Halloween, we all swore to ourselves that we would save up enough money for this year’s costume, because “THIS is the year for the best costume.” Right?

Well, you’re in luck my friend. This year will be that year, thanks to Garnet&Black’s DIY Halloween Costume Guide by Betsy Pippen. We have costume ideas for groups, couples, solo-riders, and even those last-minute procrastinators.  And of course, it is always within budget.

**Special thanks to Katie Higgins, Jordan Ferrugia, Claire Brehm, Megan Kunkel, Emily Gooding, Carrie Schelhaas, McKenzie Tate, and Grant Harris for modeling in my silliest of silly costumes.

GROUP COSTUMES:

1. Teletubbies

Materials Needed:

• Four headbands
• Various colored pipe cleaners
• Tape or glue
• (Extra: Red, Green, Yellow, and Purple dresses)

Step 1: Dipsy

(A)        (B)

Take a headband and wrap one end of the light green pipe cleaner a few times around it so that it is secure (A). If the pipe cleaner slides around on the headband, you can fasten it with glue or tape. Bend the pipe cleaner in half and tie the free end around the headband (B). You can adjust the thickness by twisting more green pipe cleaners around the one fastened to the headband. You have now finished Dipsy’s symbol!

 Step 2: La La

(A)        (B)

 (C)       (D)

(E)

Just as you did with Dipsy’s headband, wrap one end of the yellow pipe cleaner around the headband (A). Use tape or glue (if needed) to add support. Facing the front of the headband, slide your fingers up the yellow pipe cleaner until you are about one third of the way up. At that point, bend the top of the pipe cleaner back down towards the headband (B). Once it reaches the headband, bend it back upward, so that the pipe cleaner is now divided into a short piece and a long piece. Use tape or glue to fasten the pipe cleaner in place (C). Wrap more yellow pipe cleaners around the existing ones to make the symbol thicker and more visible (D). You have now finished La La’s symbol! 

Step 3: Tinky Winky

(A)          (B)

 (C)

First, wrap one end of a purple (or dark blue) pipe cleaner around the headband a few times. Bring the pipe cleaner about an inch directly above where it is fastened.  Then, angle the pipe cleaner about 45 degrees to the West (from the North). Go about two or two and a half inches up diagonally, and then make the pipe cleaner a sharp bend to where it goes straight across, as if you were creating a triangle (A).

It is likely that the pipe cleaner will not make the full triangle, so you must add more pipe cleaners to finish the symbol. Keep adding more until the triangle is completed and the thickness is to your liking (B). You have now finished Tinky Winky’s symbol!

Step 4: Po

(A)  (B)

Fasten one end of a red pipe cleaner around the headband. With another red pipe cleaner, create a circle (A). Fasten these two pieces together (leaving about an inch of room between the circle and the headband), twisting the pipe cleaners to adjust the thickness (B). You have now finished Po’s symbol!

 Step 5: The Clothes

 All you have left to do now is match the according symbols to some cute clothes! These girls decided to dress up in dresses and robes to match to their symbols.

2. Scrabble Letters

Materials Needed:

• Light Brown Construction Paper
• Scissors
• Black Marker
• String or Tape

Step 1: Cut it Out, Trace it Out

Cut 1/3 of the light brown construction paper off. You will be using the bigger piece. Trace the letters you want to use with a pencil first if you would like, then use a black marker to fill them in. To find out the value of that letter from a scrabble board, you can visit http://homepages.shu.ac.uk/~acsdry/quizes/scrabble.htm .

Step 3: The Clothes

All that is left to do now is add some cute all black outfits so that the letters really stand out. Top this costume off with nerd-glasses and you’ll be cuter than ever!

3. Pretty Little Liars

The only things needed for this costume are cute black outfits and dirt. Get three other girls together (to make it even more realistic, pair the girls up to the cast member that looks most like them). For a twist, you can even have somewhere where a mask around and place sticky notes all around the party, with sly little notes signed “A.”

4. Party Animal

Don’t have time for “DIY?” Don’t worry; I’ve got you covered. All that is needed for this costume is a quick trip to the store to get a party hat and some party favors. Slap on some cute animal print outfits and those party hats, and you are ready to party like an animal!

BONUS: Beanie Baby (AS SEEN IN: Garnet&Black: Fall 2012 Issue by Michelle Phan)

• Situation: You want to be a specific animal for Halloween, but don’t want to look like all the other girls at the party.
• Solution: Keep those animal-print outfit’s on. All you need to do now is cut out a TY  beanie baby tag! For instructions, see the Garnet&Black: Fall 2012 Issue.

RIDIN’ SOLO COSTUMES: Unisex

1. Masquerade/Mardi-Gras

Did you know that Party City sells blank, plastic masks for under a dollar? Me neither. If you have one of these lying around and are in a huge hurry, all that is needed are a few markers and some creativity begging to be let out! The theme of my mask was “Mardi Gras in Less Than Two Minutes.”

2. Cereal Killer

Easy, but fun! All that is required for this costume is one or more cereal boxes (small or large), a few plastic knives, and “blood” (red lip gloss, lipstick, or red marker). Put on a black tee and shorts, tape the knives to your outfit, draw some dripping blood all over your body (or mouth), and carry around a roughed-up cereal box. Now you’re a “cereal” killer!

I hope that one of these costumes stuck out to you. If not, do not worry! You are still not hopeless. For more DIY Halloween Costumes, check out either the Garnet&Black: Fall 2012 Issue, or you can find some more hilarious costumes at http://bargainbriana.com/50-diy-halloween-costume-ideas/. Oh, and have a happy Halloween!

Images Source: Betsy Pippen

Cover Image Source: http://www.wired.com/design/2012/10/8-printable-halloween-diys/