Well you do what you gotta do when you have a low budget!

Really cool steampunk costume posted on Youtube by IdiomaticSwag, made in a few days from things he found around the house! You can't beat using junk for a good steampunk costume.

This was the super quick outcome of the main part of my Halloween costume for a costume party this year, it was put together in only a few days only using items I had around the house, including an old respirator, welding goggles, clear acrylic sheeting, leds, solder, various metal pieces, switches and wiring, and lots.. and lots.. of hot glue..the battery holders however were bought from radio shack.

What a great story! Kuddos to Etsy for allowing artists all around the word to share their creations, and make a living out of it!

Yevgeniya Kilupe, a Holocaust survivor and self-taught artist, started making masks to supplement her pension after a life of working in the factory. Around six years ago, artist Christine Jurjane discovered Yevgeniya and her otherworldly masks at a market and immediately recognized Yevgeniya’s talent. Christine introduced Yevgeniya to Linda Luse, the owner of Galerija Istaba, and they soon put on an exhibition of these fantastical papier mache “characters” to wide acclaim, eventually supporting Yevgeniya to open her very own Etsy shop.

This is genius! LOL

Via DannyChoo

LOL!

Via Celebuzz.com

Red Sonja is...

the She-Devil with a Sword, is a fictional character, a high fantasy sword and sorcery heroine created by Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith, and loosely based on Red Sonya of Rogatino in Robert E. Howard's 1934 short story "The Shadow of the Vulture".

Source Wikipedia

Mandy, a sexy cosplayer, made her first costume for Comic Con under $200! Yes she did and it looked amazing.

This is what she explained on her blog:

I made this costume myself- everything combined ended up being under $200, which is not bad if you’re particularly intense about costuming like me.

If you want to learn how to make this costume for so cheap, go over to her blog to read how she did it.

She was really right on with such a tight budget:

Richard Curtis, student at the Northeast State Community College, created these amazing greek-style masks and props for the "Oedipus Rex by Sophocles" play at the Wellmont Regional Center for the Performing Arts Theater.

For the masks, students used a combination of joint compound, boiled linseed oil, tissue paper, flour and glue. The original recipe is available here:

• Cheap toilet paper (measure the wet paper pulp, and use 1.24 cups – some rolls contain more paper than needed)
• 1 cup Joint compound from the hardware store (get “regular,” not “fast set” or “light”.)
• 3/4 cup Elmer’s Glue-all
• 1/2 cup White Flour
• 2 tablespoons Linseed Oil

For the body mutilations and bloody wounds, students used liquid latex, coffee grounds and oatmeal.

A pretty cost effective way to make fabulous masks and props for Halloween!

Source: Ultimatepapermache.com

When Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez’s “Grindhouse” hit movie theaters in 2007, I walked out of that theater knowing one day I would figure out how to dress like Cherry Darling for Halloween, machine gun leg and all. Clearly the issue with this costume is not so much in the fabrication of a machine gun as it is in the the faked disappearance of a limb from the knee down. How the hell do you vanish a leg from knee to toe?

You can go crazy and pick an colorful or patterned umbrella to give your costume even more appeal make is truly unique.

'They Live' was a 1988 movie directed by John Carpenter about "A drifter discovers a pair of sunglasses that allow him to wake up to the fact that aliens have taken over the Earth."

I found this nice tutorial to make alien masks similar to the ones featured in the "They Live" movie on MakeProjects.com that you can either view here or download.

You can do so much with cardboard...

Nicely made!

Via FashionablyGeek

Tonya Staab wanted to make a costume for her son. He wanted to be a super hero, but mommy did not think she could do it. All Flynn wanted after wall was a mask and a cae, like most super heroes. So mommy decided to make a "Super Flynn" costume.

Brilliant!

Read the story and check out the instructions here.

Check out these great tips to make a costume - without patterns!

From knights, thieves, princesses, wizards, to jesters and many more, the technique applies and applies again.

Thanks to Bellasugar.com, check out these 25 simple, cute and unique costume ideas for Halloween.

And the best part is: "all you need is a black eyeliner pencil and a little attitude"!

"Walmart is zombie central. Items needed for anyone who wishes to transform themselves into a zombie or some horrifying creature at Halloween costs only about $10."

As well as CVS, Kmart, Target, Walmart etc...

The tutorial doesn't go too deep into the steps, more an overview for each part, but it's really complete overall.

Source.

And the entire tutorial is here.

Step 1: Use existing clothes in your child's wardrobe as the base for Halloween costumes. Dark tights and a turtleneck can turn a child into a butterfly with the addition of some wings and antennae, while slacks and a button-down shirt can be a great base for a doctor costume. (See References 3)

Step 2: Invest in props that can be reused for multiple costumes over multiple years. Swords, capes and belts can be used to complete multiple costumes as your children grow.

Step 3: Look for costumes that can be altered from past Halloweens and other projects. Past plays, dance recitals and costume parties all require costumes that can be repurposed to create a new costume.

Step 4: Buy face masks made of natural latex, not polyvinyl chloride. PVC is a non-recyclable plastic that off-gasses dioxins that have been shown to cause cancer. Some PVC products may also contain phthalates, which have been linked to reproductive abnormalities and liver cancer. (See References 1, page 393)

Step 5: Search thrift stores for clothing from a different era. Bell-bottom jeans, poodle skirts and crinolines can be the basis for a great Halloween costume for a child interested in a specific period in history.

Step 6: Use materials such as cardboard, foil and paper that can be recycled after Halloween is over. Cardboard boxes in particular can be altered to create many different costumes.

Step 7: Purchase water-based theatrical face paint that is non-toxic and hypoallergenic to create scary faces. Apply the paint with natural sea sponges that can be rinsed and reused.

Believe it or not, but this skull mask was entirely made using an eyeliner pencil, and quite some creativity.

Check out some tutorials we found:

What you will need:

• 12- by 18-inch sheet of stiff black felt
• White felt
• Black knit hat
• Clothespins
• Scissors
• Glue (fabric glue)

Instructions

1. Cut two bat wings, ears, and pupils from the black felt. (You can download our wing and ear templates or draw your own.) Cut eye circles from white felt.
2. Trim the flat end of each wing to fit the contour of a black knit hat. Run a line of glue along the edge of a wing and adhere it to the side of the cap, between two rows of knitting, if possible. Reach inside the hat and pinch the fabric around the wing's edge, clamping it in place with a clothespin or two. Repeat the steps for the second wing. Let the glue dry.
3. Remove the clothespins, then glue the two ears in place using the same technique. When the glue is dry, try on the hat and decide where you'd like the eyes. Remove the hat and glue on the eyes (black circles on top of white).

From FamilyFun.

There is a link here to download a version you can print and cut.

1. Start off with a clean (happy) face…
2. I used Liquid eyeliner by MAC Cosmetics
3. Start painting P’s around your eyes…
4. You are now officially The Black Eyed Peas.

From Examiner.com

You might have seen them as party favors at weddings or baby showers, but they are also perfect as a quick last minute costume idea.

Combine the glasses, mustache and lips on a stick and Voila!

Here are some Do It Yourself tutorials and places you can buy them: - Mustache disguise - How to make a mustache-on-a-stick - Mustaches on a stick - Martha Stewart: Mustache on a stick - Etsy here, here and here.

Great idea! And as the DIYer states "ridiculously easy and cheap".

So it may be a bit obvious that I'm a die-hard Ohio State Buckeyes fan. I decided a few years ago that I would spoof our rival team's cheerleader, a team who was having a particularly rough year. It was one of the few costumes where being a little over weight actually worked in my favor. Since the team was taking a real beating on the field, I figured the cheerleaders would be a bit bruised as well.

• Find local costume swaps: costume swaps are getting more popular than ever, but watch for lice in old costumes!
• Use coupon codes: online retailers offer coupons codes and deals all season long, but especially during Halloween. You can save money or get free shipping.
• DIY and How Tos: if you are crafty and creative, take the challenge and make your own costume! You probably have all the materials and elements laying somewhere at home!
• Buy a used costume: you will find tons of deals on eBay during and AFTER the Halloween season. If you are not looking to wear the latest trendy costume idea next season, keep it classic and get a cheap costume in November for next year.
• End season sales: online retailers need to sell their extra inventory by end of year. Watch for the sales, you will find up to 90% off at most online costume retailers!
• Subscribe to the Costumzee newsletter to get more tips and updates all year around!

This is pretty funny, cheap and that will win you a first prize at a late Halloween costume contest party! We would also say, this is kind of a last minute costume idea, just grab the phone, place an order for a pizza and your all set! The only downside? You might smell like pepperoni. LOL

If you are a Futurama fan, this is for you! We discovered at Instructables, an interesting and clever DYI for Dr. Zoidberg consisting of a balaclava and mittens. Check it out!

Things you'll need

• Aran weight yarn, approx. 220m - I used “With Wool Aran, James C. Brett”
• Gauge: 17st x 26r =10cm in stocking stitch. This is a reasonably chunky aran. If you need to add or subtract stitches to compensate for gauge, you can do so in 4s for the ribbed section
• 5mm double-point needles
• 5mm circular needle (optional)
• Stitch holder (or yarn scrap)
• Darning/Large-eye needle
• Toy stuffing or scrap yarn
• Measuring tape or ruler
• Scissors