Last-Minute Halloween Costumes for Kids

Alison Faulkner of The Alison Show turned a tangle of leftover faux webbing and a few pretend spiders into the creepy-cute Super Spider Kid costume.

Materials:

1 package of faux webbing
Plastic spiders
Martha Stewart Crafts acrylic paints
Thin paintbrush
Martha Stewart Crafts Carnival pom-pom spider stickers
Martha Stewart Crafts Dimensional Silhouettes spiders

Dress your child in all black. Stretch the web around your child by having them put their arms and legs through openings in the web as if they were putting on a shirt and pants.

Stretching the web as you go, tangle a few plastic spiders into the webbing.

To create a spiderweb on your child's cheek, use Martha Stewart Crafts acrylic paints. (They are nontoxic and water-based and wash off with water.) Paint concentric circles on your child's face with a thin paintbrush, then paint lines out from the middle of the center circle.

Use a dollop of corn syrup to stick a spider to your child's cheek or hair.

This Super Spider Kid is ready to draw some delicious Halloween candy into her web.

Kimberly Sneed of A Night Owl blog raided her junk drawer for materials to create this adorable nerd costume on the fly.

Materials:

Felt or scrap material
Thread or fabric tape
Duct tape
Pencils
Suspenders, elastic band, or ribbon
Kids’ sunglasses
White tape

To create the bow tie, simply cut a rectangle of felt or stiff fabric and gather material at the center.

Wrap with fabric tape or stitch in the middle.

Cut a smaller piece of the same felt or fabric to wrap around the center and pin to the top of the button-down shirt.

For the pocket protector, cut a pocket-size insert out of duct tape or thick paper.

Cut pencils down so that they fit perfectly to the size of the pocket insert and will stick out of the pocket.

Tape pencils down onto the insert for a quick and easy pocket protector.

If you have kids’ suspenders, great! If not, grab some elastic banding or ribbon and pin to the inside of the child's jeans for a quick and easy suspender look.

Last but not least, grab those lensless glasses. If all you have are children’s sunglasses, simply pop the lenses out and wrap the center with white tape (washi works great), and you're done!

Jenny Batt of Hank+Hunt used a few leftover art supplies to create a simple “Work of Art” costume -- perfect for kids who don’t like to change out of their favorite jeans or T-shirt (even for candy).

Materials:

Martha Stewart Craft paint
Paintbrush
Art canvas (16" x 12")
Ribbon (about 18" long)
Stapler

Place dots of paint (at least dime sized) all around the canvas.

Spread out dots of the same color with the paintbrush. Kids can even help with this step.

Continue with the other colors, blending slightly where the colors touch if desired. Clean brush between colors to get a clear patch of color.

Let the painting dry.

Measure the ribbon around your child’s neck for hanging. It should go from their upper chest, around the neck, and back to the other side of the upper chest. Trim ribbon as desired.

Staple the ends of the ribbon to each corner of the painting on the wood frame.

Hang the artwork around your child’s neck and go trick-or-treating! Later, you can hang the work of art in your child's room. For a group costume, make one for everyone in the family to create an instant traveling gallery.

Alexandra Hedin of AlexandraHedin.com created a charming sailor costume for her son using materials she swiped from the junk drawer.

Materials:

Navy-blue duct tape
Red Sharpie
Scissors
White T-shirt
Blue pants
Newspaper
Toy boat (optional)

Draw red stripes across the top “V” of the shirt with the Sharpie.

Cut duct tape in two strips the length of the entire shirt. Use half of the tape to create lines across the front of the shirt and leave the remaining tape to create stripes on the back. Allow the tape strips to cross in the front creating a “tie.” Repeat on both sides.

Bring the remaining piece of tape across the shoulders and lay it down flat on the back of the shirt. Repeat on both sides. Cut a strip of tape to connect the two pieces across the back. For more detail, add a second, thinner strip of tape on the inside of the thicker line.

Cut a strip of tape to wrap around the sleeves. Repeat on both arms.