It might be spooky season, but these DIY family costumes have us smiling, not scared.
On TODAY on Wednesday morning, Good Housekeeping Style Director Lori Bergamotto shared four ideas to get the whole family in the Halloween spirit this year. Whether your crew is ready to hit the pitch with Ted Lasso or settle in for a game of Monopoly, here's how to get started:
Ted Lasso trio
Inspired by Apple TV's comedy drama? A few simple materials will have the whole family 'Believe'-ing. The only thing missing are Coach Lasso's delicious shortbread biscuits.
For the Ted costume:
Materials: Matching blue tracksuit, white visor, kids' aviator sunglasses, whistle, red duct tape, double stick tape, mustache.
How to: Print AFC Richmond logo on card stock or paper. Use double-stick tape to place the logo on the pants, visor and jacket. Next, cut the duct tape down to thinner strips in a V formation and apply the strips in a V shape on the jacket. Put it all together and you’ve got Coach Lasso!
Lori says: "My secret trick (for affixing logos) is to use Girl Scouts Badge Magic. (It) works better than anything I’ve ever found!"
For the Rebecca costume:
Materials: Camel coat, white shirt, black pants, mini purse, pink box of Chessmen cookies.
How to: Put this whole look together.
Lori says: "Tie hair back into a chic little bun and smile!"
For the Dani costume:
Materials: Blue athletic shirt, blue, gray or white athletic shorts, double stick tape, red duct tape, yellow washi tape, brown wig, soccer ball, shin guards, yellow knee socks, white iron-on letters and numbers.
How to: Using the red duct tape, make a thick stripe of red down the left side of the shirt. Outline the red with yellow washi tape. Print out the AFC Richmond logos and Dubai Air (the team’s sponsor) and affix them with tape or glue to the shirt and shorts. On the back of the shirt, write “R-O-J-A-S” and the number “14.” Get a brown shoulder-length wig, grab a soccer ball, and yell “Football is life!”
Lori says: "You can DIY iron-on letters and numbers with white felt and just stick them on with double-stick or fabric glue."
Rapunzel and her tower
New parents, rejoice! There is a functional and warm way to trick-or-treat this year with your little one dressed as the German fairytale character Rapunzel.
For the Rapunzel costume:
Materials: Yellow yarn, purple ribbon, baby carrier, purple felt, pink ribbon, pink or purple long-sleeved shirt.
How to: Make a long braid. We made an 8-foot braid tied together in the middle. You’ll want to loop the yarn about 30-40 times per braid section. Tie off the top to band it together. Do this three times because braids have three sections. Braid the three sections together trying to keep the braid tight and thick. Tie purple bows throughout the braid, but especially to tie the two braids together. Using a yellow beanie, glue yellow yarn to look like “hair” on the top. Leaving some longer strands in the back, tie the braid to the “hair” on the hat and also to the strap on the baby carrier so it doesn’t weigh on the baby’s head/neck.
Dress the baby in pink or purple long sleeves and cover the front of the carrier in purple felt or fabric. Using pink ribbon, make a corset detail with bows.
Lori says: "We chose a pink long-sleeved shirt to get a nice contrast, and make sure to put the hat on after the baby is in the carrier."
For the tower top:
Materials: Poster board, different shades of purple cardstock, burlap or faux bois trim, tape, stapler.
How to: Make a cone-like shape from the poster board to sit atop the adult's head. You want it to come down to just under their nose, so they have air space to breathe through their nose or mouth. Staple it in the back to secure. Cut out small 4-inch-by-4-inch squares of purple cardstock and tape onto the cone in a pattern.
Lori says: "In retrospect I think I could’ve used Post-it Notes and this would’ve been easier (and) quicker!"
For the wooden window:
Materials: Poster board, tan felt, brown felt, staple gun, glue gun, leaf garland, cord.
How to: Cover the poster board in brown felt, letting it hang a few inches below. Using the tan felt, strips of brown felt, and your imagination, design the wooden balcony. Frame it in both the leaf garland and the burlap/wood trim affixing with the staple gun. Affix one strip of cord to each of the four back corners and tie around the model after the baby carrier is on.
Lori says: "You want the window to be long enough to cover the baby’s feet."
For the adult tower:
Materials: Gray sweatshirt, dark gray pants, leaf garland.
How to: Wrap leaf garland in a spiral around the lower half of the pant legs. Affix with glue or staples.
Family game night
Gather 'round, it's time to game! Get the whole family involved in this game-night-inspired DIY costume set that includes childhood favorites like Monopoly, Twister, Operation and Scrabble.
For Monopoly Man/Rich Uncle Pennybags:
Materials: Black blazer, black pants, white button-down shirt, red bow tie, black top hat, white mustache, cane, bags of Monopoly money, white shoe covers.
How to: Just put it all together.
For the Boardwalk Title Deed:
Materials: Blue T-shirt, Monopoly houses, glue gun, graphic of Title Deed, cord, packing tape.
How to: We created our own spin on the title deed, brought it to FedEx Office and had it blown up to poster size, glued the Monopoly houses on it, and tied cord to the back.
Lori says: "This is an easy and statement-making costume!"
For the Operation costume:
Materials: Tan pajamas, red boxer shorts, blinking red clown nose, adhesive red and white felt, label maker.
How to: Using the Operation board game as your guide, cut out the red felt shapes and then corresponding white shapes that are smaller in size. Stick the white on top of the red and then the red on top of the pajamas. Using a label maker, write out each part and affix next to the shape. Put the nose on and you’re done!
For the Twister costume:
Materials: White sweatshirt and pants, primary color dots, game spinner, fabric glue.
How to: Arrange the green, blue, red and yellow dots in straight lines (like the board game). Glue them on, leaving a little bit of room for stretch. Affix the spinner in the middle with double-stick tape. Print a sticker or paper of the Twister logo that you affix in the lower left corner.
Lori says: "We found the game spinner on Amazon. ... Get twisting!"
For the Scrabble tile:
Materials: Tan foam core, black adhesive felt, black Sharpie, X-ACTO knife, beige dog vest, Velcro adhesive.
How to: Depending on the size of your dog, cut out squares big enough to make a statement but small enough so he/she can sit down and walk. Trace the tile letters on the adhesive and cute them out. Stick them on and don’t forget to draw in the point value in the bottom righthand corner. Affix the Velcro stickers to each side of the vest and the back of the tiles. Stick them on and you’re ready.
Mermaid
Feel free to get creative "Under the Sea" with this simple mermaid costume that is sure to make a splash.
Materials: Sparkly or sequin tank in green, green leggings, two green aprons, green and gold cupcake wrappers, glue gun, gold shoes, green foam core, X-ACTO knife, green sparkly tulle, wooden dowel.
How to: Fold all the wrappers in half and glue them onto the apron in an alternating pattern so they look like scales. Use one apron in the front and one in the back. Tie the top of the apron from the waist down. Cut out a mermaid tail from foam core and glue sparkly tulle on top. Affix the bottom of that to a wooden dowel and use it as the tail.
Lori says: "The dowel lets you walk when you need to and just put the tail 'down' when you’re in costume."
Watch TODAY All Day! Get the best news, information and inspiration from TODAY, all day long.
Related: