Huge List of DIY Costume Tutorials

I love making costumes, and tend to find reasons to create costumes year-round. Costumes do not have to be limited to Halloween but are also great for other holidays, school spirit days, community performances and themed parties! I hope you find inspiration and resources here that help with your costume creation.

I've actually created a huge costume resource with all my DIY costumes sorted by categories like DIY costumes for boys, Pixar costumes. funny costumes, etc.

Or just scroll down and see all my DIY Halloween costumes published on the blog.

How to Make a Forky Toy Story Mask

byKaren•July 11, 2019

By now most fans of the Toy Story movies will have seen Disney Pixar’s latest installment, Toy Story 4. I couldn’t help but love Forky and naturally decided to make a Forky mask. Naturally, my Forky Toy Story mask that will be quickly followed by a DIY Forky costume.

Today I am just sharing how easy it is to make a Forky mask with just a few basic craft supplies. This Forky Toy Story mask is perfect as a fun craft or the start of a Toy Story Forky costume. Don’t worry I have the Forky costume already in the works and I will be sharing that soon.

DIY Forky Mask Template

Start by finding a picture of Forky’s face that you would like to recreate online. I actually printed several different versions and had a hard time deciding which one to use. He has many expressions and after asking for everyone’s opinion on my Facebook page, I went with the smiling version of Forky.

I created a Forky template by printing a very large version of a Forky image. When I printed to fill the entire piece of regular printer paper, it wasn’t quite large enough for me. So I cropped the image in half and then enlarged each half even bigger before printing. Just be sure to enlarge each half by the same percentage (i.e. 500%) so they line back up to make a whole make. This created a nice template for the spork face shape.

I also used a large printed version of a Forky face to create a template of his blue mouth and red eyebrow. I used random circle shaped items to create his eyes. Remember he has one big eye and one small eye. After I traced his face with a pencil, I went back and lightly erased it. I could still see the facial features but didn’t want the pencil lead to show through the paint.

I outlined forky’s eyes with a thin black sharpie. This worked better than paint for the eyes because I could trace a more precise line. Then I painted his mouth and eyebrows with blue and red paint. I diluted the standard blue paint with a little white to lighten it up a bit.

I cut the small circle (pupil) out of each eye on the mask. Then I added a piece of black mesh to the back of the mask to cover each hole, taping it in place with duct tape. This results in pupils that look black but you can still see out of the eyes when wearing the mask. The last step is to use a hole puncher on either side of the mask and tie an elastic string in place. That’s it!

Forky Mask Materials

Poster Board
Red and Blue Paint
Elastic Mask Cord
Black Mesh
Black Sharpie
Pencil & Eraser
Scissors

You can always just buy a Forky Mask if you aren’t the DIY type.

Toy Story Craft

Everyone has their favorite Toy Story character but I think Forky will give Woody and Buzz a run for their money. The fact that Forky is basically a kindergarten craft come to life, I couldn’t help but come up with a fun craft project. I’ve already made Forky cupcakes and my friend Amy has an adorable Forky Christmas Ornament too.

A Forky costume mask seems inevitable for dress and Toy Story parties. And if anyone wants to be Forky for Halloween you are already halfway there with this simple mask.

How to make a Forky Costume

I am in the process of finishing up a couple of Forky costume details and will link to that post here once it’s published. But suffice to say, you will need while pants and t-shirt, plus a few more accessories to go with your Forky Toy Story mask.

Who is Forky?

Forky is Bonnie’s newest toy and is extra special. He’s a craft she made that’s come to life because she loves Forky and she considered him her toy. Basically, he’s a spork with pipe cleaner arms, googly eyes and popsicle stick feet. He is not happy to be a toy, he wants to go back to being trash. It makes for some silly moments in the movie as he constantly tries to throw himself away.

What is Toy Story 4 about?

Toy Story 4 is the latest Pixar film featuring Andy’s toys, or rather Bonnie’s toys. The whole Toy Story gang is in this film including Woody and buzz, Mr. Potato Head and Rex. Basically, the toys are on a rescue mission to find Forky and in the process run into Bo Peep and find out what happened to her after she was given away years ago. And of course, we meet a few new toys like carnival prizes, Ducky and Bunny, stunt man Duke Caboom, and old fashioned doll Gabby Gabby.

Fox in Socks Costume

byKaren•June 3, 2019

Dr. Seuss costumes are very popular during the school year from March through June as people celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday or wear book character costumes during spirit week. While we have a couple of DIY Dr. Seuss costumes, Elliot wanted a new Dr. Seuss costume idea this year. He settled on a silly and very easy one to make, A Fox in Socks Costume.

What is Fox in Socks?

Fox in Socks is a book written by Dr. Seuss over 50 years ago. It features a fox wearing, you guessed it, sock on all 4 legs. It’s a silly book that kids love and made for a super silly Dr. Seuss costume this year.

Fox in Socks Costume

The fox is red, so we went with our go-to costume base of a red hoodie with matching red pants. From there we added fox ears to the hood and blue socks to Elliot’s hands and feet.

How to make a Fox in Socks Costume

Using a paper template, I cut out fox ears from a sheet of craft foam. I recommend taping the ears in place temporarily to find the best position. Then I hand stitched the ears to the top of the hood. The color of the foam doesn’t matter because I covered it up with red duct tape to match the hoodie.

DIY Fox in Socks Costume

The ears turned out quite cute on the fox costume. I think I’ve found a new way to attach ears for DIY costumes. You could also use cardboard but I think it would be harder to sew depending upon the thickness. We kept the face paint simple with just a cute black nose.

Now its time to add blue socks. We utilized 2 pairs of blue socks we had on hand to complete the costume. I was able to fit the blue socks over his shoes, which made it convenient for walking around at school. It did, however, ruin that pair of socks by the end of the day.

Fox in Socks Costume Materials

red hoodie sweatshirt and pants
2 pairs of blue socks
black face paint
craft foam
red duct tape

More Simple Dr. Suess Costume Ideas

Easy Fortnite Costumes

byKaren•May 18, 2019

2018 was the year of Fortnite in our house, it still is actually. And as much as I dislike my kids obsessing over the game, I do appreciate the wide variety of costume options the game offers. Seriously endless skins or characters means, endless Fortnite Halloween costumes! We came up with a few easy Fortnite costumes to share, plus a few more from friends who also love Fortnite.

Fortnite Costumes | Fortnite Halloween Costumes

Easy Fortnite Costumes

There are lots of crazy, wild, elaborate ‘skins’ as they are called in the game but also some relatively simple ones as well. My boys chose Tomato Head and Dark Voyager, I created separate posts for their costume tutorials, they are a little more elaborate but still fairly simple. Besides I’ve figured out how to make them, you can now just follow my tutorial for those Fortnite Halloween costumes.

Fortnite Halloween Costumes: Rapscallion

When it came to my own costume, I picked an extremely simple Fortnite costume, Rapscallion. Rapscallion looks like an old-timey burglar to me. You’re likely to have most of the clothing items on hand or could easily borrow it. The most important Rapscallion costume piece is the black and white striped shirt. Then you add black pants, black boots, and a few accessories!

Rapscallion Fortnite Costume Supplies

black and white striped shirt
fitted black pants – tactical pants work well
black fingerless gloves
a black band for upper arm
black knit cap
eye mask
black boots
A homemade tech wrist device

Rapscallion Fortnite Costume wristband accessory

The device that Rapscallion wears on her wrist looks like some sort of tech/screen interface thing. I kept my version of it very simple. I created my version using black stretchy fabric, cardboard and black and bright blue duct tape.

Fortnite Costume: Bunny Brawler

My mom ended up with an epic Bunny Brawler costume in my humble opinion. She was leaning towards the bunny Fortnite skin because she already had a white costume onesie that she wore for her Wampa costume a few years ago. Then we found an easter egg shaped basket at a thrift store and knew that it was destiny. 😉 The easter egg basket was a really lucky find because it was October, nowhere near Easter. We added two simple straps to create the easter egg backpack that Bunny Brawler wears.

Bunny Brawler Fortnite Halloween Costume Supplies

white costume onesie (or bunny suit)
bunny ears and tail
white mitten
face paint
pink grenade
duct tape
fake bullets
white bunny slippers

back of white bunny suit with easter egg backpack

There is a little DIY action going on with this costume. Like I said earlier we turned an Easter egg shaped basket into a backpack by adding a string for straps. My mom bought a basic weapon toy set and spray painted the grenade pink. Then we added some pastel washi tape to the grenade. Cardboard and duct tape created the bullets and bandolier straps.

Fortnite Costumes: Skull Trooper

My stepdad is usually willing to participate in our family Halloween costume theme but he prefers very low key costumes. And it’s hot in Arizona, so he always opts for shorts, so a full-on skeleton bodysuit was not in the cards for him for his Skull Trooper costume. However, he was totally willing to go with a skeleton t-shirt and a skeleton mask. I think if we had talked him into a white balaclava, it would have made his costume next level.

Dark Voyager Fortnite Costume Idea

There were only a few store-bought Fortnite costumes available last year, Dark Voyager was one of them. It was fun to see a few other Dark Voyager costumes out on Halloween, even if they weren’t as cool as my DIY Dark Voyager costume.

Finding a black motorcycle helmet was the hardest part of the DIY, if you could borrow one then you are halfway there for this costume. A black jumpsuit and duct tape is the bulk of the costume. We ended up finding one cheap at a used sporting goods store. The rest of the details come together pretty easily.

DIY Tomato head and Dark Voyager Fortnite Halloween Costume or Fortnite Cosplays

Fortnite Halloween Costumes: Tomato Head

I’ve grown to enjoy working with paper lanterns which is great because a red paper lantern was the best (easy and inexpensive) way to create the Tomato Head head. This costume required a little more DIY than most of the other Fortnite costume ideas but it turned out pretty good. Want to make your own? Head over and check out how we made a Fortnite Tomato Head Costume.

Doggo Costume Idea

We added a Doggo costume to our list of Fortnite costume tutorials. He turned out pretty cool and you could do a pretty quick version of it with a pug mask, orange hoodie and duct tape. Check out the Doggo Costume tutorial for more details.

More Fortnite Halloween Costumes or Fortnite Cosplay DIY

We weren’t the only family that had a crazy Fortnite Halloween. Don’t miss a sweet Drift costume and Zoey costume from Guide 4 Moms.

More Fortnite Costumes For Girls

Looking for a few more Fortnite cosplay or costumes for girls? As a boy mom, I tend to focus on boy costumes and don’t do a lot of DIY other than for me. Luckily there are great Fortnite Halloween costumes available for boys and girls, including these cute options below:

Where to buy Fortnite Costumes

So you aren’t a DIYer? There are plenty of places to buy Fortnite costumes this year. I’ve seen full costumes or key Fortnite Halloween costume accessories at Target, Sprit Halloween, Amazon, and Party City.

What Fortnite Costumes are you making this Halloween?

DIY Spider-Man Noir Costume

byKaren•April 21, 2019

Have you seen Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse yet? It is such a fun movie, so fun that when Elliot asked for a Spider-Man Noir costume for a school performance, I had to say yes. 😉

Ok, I don’t really need an excuse to make a costume. You know me, I’d make costumes every day if I could. 😉

How to Make a Spider-Man Noir Costume

My favorite kind of costume is a simple one, using items we already own or can borrow. This Spider-Man Noir costume is the perfect example of that. We only had to order one thing for it and it is something we can use again when the boys go snowboarding again.

DIY Spider-Man Noir Costume

Spider-Man Noir is an alternate dimension Peter Parker, he looks like a 1930’s private investigator complete with a fedora and trench coat. His ‘noir’ dimension is black and white, with shades of gray. There is no bright red or blue Spider-Man outfit.

Spider-Man Noir Trench Coat

I think the key piece of the Spider-Man Noir costume is a black or dark gray trench coat. I initially tried to find a trench coat at local thrift stores but didn’t have any luck. Luckily I did have a long black coat that could work, it sort of looks like a trench coat on Elliot. Otherwise, I might have bought this boys trench coat on Amazon.

Spider-Man Noir Fedora Hat

Spider-Man Noir always wears a black fedora hat. We already had one on hand, Elliot’s always been a fan of interesting hats. I did attach a black ribbon along the edge to cover up the color details on this particular hat.

If you are looking for a Spider-Man Noir costume for a little kid, you might check out this little spy kit outfit complete with a trench coat and fedora hat.

Spider-Man Noir Costume Mask and Goggles

Spider-Man Noir wears a black face-less mask with goggles. The one thing we had to buy was this black snow/bike face mask. One of the boys will the face mask when snowboarding next season, to help with the wind and cold.

The mask only has eye holes which we covered up with a pair of black swim goggles we borrowed. There was a little white plastic on the edge fo the goggles that I covered up with a sharpie. Luckily we borrowed them (probably permanently) from my dad but he wouldn’t care about the sharpie enhancement anyway.

Spider-Man Noir Costume Materials

Underneath, Elliot wore a black t-shirt and pants which we already had. So you see, this costume really was easy to pull together.

Black pants
Black shirt
Dark grey or Black trench coat
Black Fedora
Black Ski face mask
Swim goggles

Spiderman Noir Costume

If you haven’t watched Spider-man: Into the Spiderverse yet, go watch it and then come back and tell me if I should make another costume from that movie. I think a Spider-Ham costume might be fun to make…

Mr. Brown Costume For Dr. Seuss Day

byKaren•February 8, 2019

Need another Dr. Seuss costume idea besides the Cat in the Hat or the Lorax? Check out this simple Mr. Brown costume we made last year for Dr. Seuss Day.

This costume is pretty simple to pull together with a few basic pieces of clothing. A brown shirt and brown pants are the base of this Dr. Seuss dress up idea. We swapped brown pants for khaki pants since we already had them.

Mr. Brown Costume Tie

Mr. Brown has three signature costume pieces. The first one is a big bright blue bow. It’s sort of skinny and flappy vs. a more structured bowtie. I found a ribbon in just about the right color that I pinned on to the brown shirt.

Mr. Brown Costume Hat

The brown top hat was the hardest part of the costume because we don’t own any top hats. 😉 Luckily I found this fairly simple hat tutorial. It’s made from about 1/2 yard of brown felt and a little hand sewing. I promise it wasn’t too hard using the instructions.

The last piece of the Mr. Brown costume is a mustache. Quinn opted out of the mustache idea but I know you can find simple stick ones at a discount store.

Mr. Brown Costume Materials

brown t-shirt
khaki or brown pants
blue ribbon for a bow tie
brown top hat
mustache

By the way, Mr. Brown pairs really well with a Cat in the Hat costume!

More Book Character Costumes

Dark Voyager Fortnite Costume

byKaren•January 14, 2019

I am a such a sucker for Halloween costumes themes that I gave in and agreed to Fortnite Costumes this year. I am not a huge fan of the game but it does offer a million different Fortnite Halloween Costume options. After Elliot chose Tomato Head, Quinn opted for a Dark Voyager Fortnite costume.

DIY Fortnite Costumes

Elliot had already picked a Fortnite costume that wasn’t super easy. Thankfully the Dark Voyager costume turned out to be much easier than the Tomato Head Fortnite costume. Thankfully, there wasn’t vinyl or paper lanterns involved in the Dark Voyager costume.

Dark Voyager Costume

The bulk of the Dark Voyager Fortnite costume is a black jumpsuit and duct tape for the details. Because I like to DIY costumes on a budget, the hardest part for me was finding a black jumpsuit and a motorcycle helmet second hand.

If you are a mechanic or know someone that wears black coveralls then you can borrow them. A long-sleeve jumpsuit of some sort also works. I ended up finding one of those costume onesies at a thrift store that I was able to repurpose. It was a solid black cat costume, so I just cut off the hoodie and tail.

How to make a Dark Voyager Costume

I referenced a screenshot of Dark Voyager from the Fortnite game while I added strips of brown and orange duct tape to the arms, legs, and chest of the costume. The control box on the front of the costume was just a small cardboard box with a few details.

Fortnite Dark Voyager Costume

Borrow a black motorcycle helmet if you can. Otherwise check out craigslist, yard sales, etc. We have a sporting goods store that sells used equipment and I was able to find a basic helmet for about $15. I cut the bottom section of an old black t-shirt off and attached it to the inside of the helmet with velcro. This helped cover Quinn’s neck and create the illusion of the space helmet look that Dark Voyager wears.

Black boots and black gloves finished off the costume. We borrowed a pair of black snow boots and bought black industrial gloves at the dollar store. Use orange duct tape to add details to the black boots. If you use parchment paper when drawing your designs, it will be easier to cut the duct tape because it prevents the scissors from sticking to the tape.

Dark Voyager Fortnite Costume Materials

Black coveralls or adult onesie
Black motorcycle helmet
Orange, brown, black duct tape
Black boots
Black backpack
Old black t-shirt

DIY Dark Voyager Backpack – Optional

A plain black backpack is a great addition to the costume because you can see the straps when looking at the Dark Voyager character. It can also double as a trick or treat bag.

We decided to go the extra mile and model the backpack after ‘back bling’ from the Space Explorers set on Fortnite. It just took some cardboard, tubing and duct tape to add details. I didn’t love how it turned out and it wasn’t very durable.

Fortnite Halloween Costumes

Family costume themes are one of my favorite holiday traditions. Fortnite offered plenty of Halloween costume ideas. From elaborate Fornite skins or costumes to simple ideas, there really is plenty of options for any large group that wants to dress up together in the same Halloween theme.

The boys’ costumes were fairly detailed but the rest of our Fortnite costume ideas were fairly simple. I’ll be sharing another post with SUPER easy Fortnite costumes soon. If you like the look of DIY but not the time or work involved, check out some of the fun Fortnite options on Etsy I found including a pink bear head and drift mask.

More DIY Boys Halloween Costumes

DIY Olaf Costume

byKaren•January 10, 2019

With Frozen 2 opening later this year, it’s time to update this adorable DIY Olaf costume post. Olaf is definitely our favorite characters from Frozen, and I am guessing he will be super popular again this year for Halloween.

Homemade Olaf Costume

Originally I came up with this easy Homemade Olaf costume so the boys could have it in their dress-up box at home. You couldn’t find Olaf costumes in stores yet. When my boys were little they used to dress up in costumes all the time and it was so adorable. They don’t do it as much anymore, except on rare occasions like spirit week at school and of course Halloween.

My obsession with costume hoodies actually started with the Lorax costume I made a few years ago, and I’ve made quite a few over the years now. But I am pretty sure this Olaf costume hoodie is my absolute favorite.

Custom Sweatshirts as Costumes

Why do I love hoodie sweatshirts costumes? Well, it’s pretty easy to create a custom sweatshirt featuring a pop culture character. This is especially true for cartoon characters when they feature one color predominantly. A hooded sweatshirt is a great starting point when creating a DIY costume.

Plus, depending upon how elaborate the costume is, your kids can often wear custom sweatshirts to school. In fact, stores sell character sweatshirts all the time now.

Baby Olaf Costume

Elliot was 4 when I made this costume and he is super adorable in all the pictures. I may be a little biased. 😉 He was in preschool at the time but you can see it would be easy to create a toddler or baby Olaf costume simply by buying a white baby hooded sweatshirt.

Adult Olaf Costume

I still have this adorable Olaf costume and might pass it on to my little nephew in a few years. In the meantime, we may need to make a bigger version for my boys. All you need to do to create an adult Olaf costume is start with a white adult hoodie.

How to make a DIY Olaf Costume Hoodie

I made this costume freestyle with just a few craft supplies and a white hoodie sweatshirt. While I ran into a few kinks making it, I worked them all out so this should be an easy Olaf costume tutorial for you.

Add Face to Olaf Costume Hoodie

Start by cutting Olaf’s eyes, eyebrows, and buttons out of the black, white, and brown felt. In order to get the shape and size right, I utilized this Olaf printable to create an Olaf Eyes template. For this costume, I cropped just the face and printed it out at 250%. Depending on the size of the Olaf costume you are making, you can adjust the percentage to make the face bigger or smaller.

How to sew an Olaf Costume

After cutting out the felt, I used hot glue to layer the black and white felt and create Olaf’s eyes. When it was time to attach the eyes to the hood of the sweatshirt, I opted to sew it on. I was concerned about the placement of the eyes with the eyebrows and I could easily undo the stitches and adjust the placement if necessary.

Olaf’s buttons are a little bigger than his eyes, so cut out 3 black circles a little bigger than the eyes in my template. I used a hot glue gun to attach the buttons to the front of the sweatshirt. The button placement felt less critical and I wasn’t worried about messing it up. If you want to make this costume temporary and reuse the white sweatshirt again, then I’d recommend sewing instead.

Add Olaf’s Hair

I used 5 brown pipe cleaners to create Olaf’s hair. I twisted two pipe cleaners together to create stiffer strands of hair because my pipe cleaners seemed flimsy. I did this twice to create the 2 taller pieces of hair. Then I folded the last pipe cleaner in half and twisted it together to create the shorter strand of hair.

I combined all three strands of hair by twisting them together at one end. Then I bent the end to create a short 90-degree turn. I used white duct tape to tape the hair to the top of the hood. Once attached, simply shape your strands of hair to mimic Olaf’s twigs. I did end up cutting a small portion of the right pipe cleaner off so that it was shorter than the middle strand of hair.

Make Olaf’s Carrot Nose

After multiple attempts of creating my own carrot nose, I found this carrot template which worked great. Once you cut your triangle out, stitch up the side of the carrot. Then you can stuff the carrot with pillow stuffing, fabric scraps, whatever you have on hand.

I didn’t want to simply pinch the base of the carrot closed and sew it shut. I think it’d take away from the overall look of the carrot. Instead, I cut out a little circle of white felt with a rectangle hanging off the end. You want the circle to be about the size of the carrot base, then you can sew it on.

You can see my sewing skills are pretty basic but totally acceptable for costume making. Don’t be afraid of using a needle and thread when necessary! A little white felt rectangle became Olaf’s teeth. I attached it just below the nose. Wrap two wood skewers in white duct tape then used duct tape to attach nose to the stick.

DIY Olaf Costume Materials

Are you ready to make your own homemade Olaf snowman costume? Check out the list of materials I used below and get started!

White Hooded Sweatshirt (These hoodie jammies would be adorable)
Felt: Orange, Black, Brown, White
Brown Pipe Cleaners
Pillow Stuffing
White Duct Tape
2 Wooden Skewers

Is Olaf a Snowman?

Yes, Olaf is a snowman.

Who is Olaf?

Olaf is Elsa and Anna’s snowman friend come to life in the movie Frozen. He becomes their adorable sidekick in the movie and happens to love summer.

What Movies is Olaf in?

We first met Olaf in Disney’s Frozen, when Elsa and Anna’s snowman creation came to life. Olaf was hands down most people’s favorite character and has been seen a few more times since then. He appeared in the Disney short Frozen Fever which played before Cinderella in theaters. Olaf’s Frozen Adventure was a holiday-themed short that opened before Coco in theaters.

This year Frozen 2 arrives in theaters. It will be a full length animated film featuring Elsa, Anna, Olaf and all their friends from Arendelle.

Where to buy Olaf Costumes:

When I first made this DIY Olaf costume, almost 5 years ago, there weren’t any Olaf costumes in stores yet. Of course, now you will find custom Olaf creations on Etsy, mass-marketed options at big box stores during Halloween and Amazon sells a variety of options year round.

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Do you wanna build a snowman?

Don’t miss this HUGE list of over 75 Olaf ideas including my friends’ projects, Sara’s Olaf T-shirt and Allison’s Olaf running costume.

DIY Jyn Erso Costume

byKaren•October 6, 2018

My go-to Star Wars costume is usually Leia on Hoth. A strong female hero, in comfortable clothing, wins me over every time. Last year I changed it up, picking another hero in comfy clothes with a DIY Jyn Erso costume instead.

Jyn Erso was the key character in Rogue One, helping the rebellion steal the plans for the Death Star. I really liked Rogue One, so dressing up as Jyn for Halloween made sense.

Plus interviewed the actress that plays Jyn in the movie, Felicity Jones, during the Rogue One press event. It was an extra connection that made dressing up as Jyn extra cool.

Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd.

Jyn Erso Costume

My favorite type of costume is the one I can make from things I already own or borrow. I already owned a few things that could work for a Jyn Erso costume. Add in a few more key pieces and it was pretty easy to pull off a Jyn Erso Halloween costume.

DIY Jyn Erso Costume

My Jyn costume started with dark gray pants and a dark grey shirt that I already owned. And while I usually need to buy or make something for every costume, I prefer to do it on a budget. I don’t have $1,000 to spend on a professional costume.

Jyn Erso Jacket

I bought a lightweight infinity scarf at my local dollar store. And my dad gave me a utility vest he planned on getting rid of. Neither was the right color, so I used brown RIT dye to darken both items. Or you can just order this vest and scarf on Amazon.

I also folded the vest under to shorten it up a bit using brown duct tape. A piece of red duct tape helped with more vest details.

Jyn Erso Cosplay

I added a pair of brown gloves from the dollar store and then cut the fingertips off for a more accurate look.

I wish I had time to make a Kyber crystal necklace that was my one regret with this costume. This wasn’t available at the time but you can now easily order one with Prime!

Jyn Erso Blaster

I wasn’t interested in carrying her blaster but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to have one. Check out this blaster or this one.

I did make a holster to wear using a leather belt and some leather material. Read my Han Solo tutorial for tips on how I made it. Or just buy one. 🙂

My Jyn Erso costume was the perfect fit for our Star Wars Halloween costume theme last year. Plus being comfortable and budget-friendly made it a win in my book. Will I dress up as another Star Wars character this year? Time will only tell….

DIY Fortnite Tomatohead Costume

byKaren•October 2, 2018

My kids have joined the Fortnite craze and as a result, I have made my first DIY Fortnite Costume. Perhaps there are more Fortnite costumes on the horizon, we shall see. For now, check out this fun Tomato Skin Fortnite costume.

How to make a Fortnite Costume in Real Life

The bulk of Tomato Head Fortnite costume is regular clothes with a few modifications and an oversized head made from a large paper lantern.

Homemade Fortnite Costume Materials

First, you need green pants and a green long sleeved shirt. We bought a green sweatsuit at Target that works pretty well. The sweatshirt and pants match each other and could be used again when the weather is cooler. The sweatshirt does have a hood but I thought it was a good compromise since green pants aren’t super easy to find.

I used duct tape to add orange around the wrists of the sweatshirt. And a piece of brown duct tape to create the patch on the left leg of the sweatpants.

How To Make a Tomatohead Costume

An embellished red tank became the pizza jersey by adding strips of white duct tape. I also bought a purple polo at a thrift store and cut off the collar. Then I hand sewed the purple collar to the neck of the red tank.

The last detail is a pizza graphic on the center of the tank. Not just any slice of pizza, a slice of Hawaiian pizza! Download my Fortnite Pizza graphic here. I considered printing it on sticker paper but ended up just printing it on cardstock and using double sided tape to stick it on the jersey.

How to Make a DIY Fortnite Costume

We covered shin guards with orange duct tape and cut the tips off a pair of purple garden gloves to create the fingerless glove look that Tomato Head wears.

I splurged on a new-ish pair of boots since Elliot didn’t have any. They were in great shape and only $12. They are perfect for the costume and can be worn again.

DIY Tomato Head Fortnite Cosplay Costume

The hardest part of the Tomato Head Fortnite costume is the oversized tomato head. I decided to go with an extra large paper lantern to create the head, I’ve created a few paper lantern projects, so I’m fairly familiar with them.

I couldn’t find a large red paper lantern locally, so I ended up painting a 16″ white one with red acrylic paint first. If you go that route make sure you wait for the paint to be completely dry before moving on to the next step.

I cut a hole for his head on one side of the paper lantern directly in the middle. You can’t use the existing holes on the top or bottom of it without comprising the integrity of the paper lantern.

Use cutting pliers to snip the wires before using scissors to cut the hole. I suggest making a smaller hole and gradually making it larger as needed.

Cover the edges of the hole with red duct tape. This prevents the wires from poking you and also from the hole from ripping further.

I used green pipe cleaners and felt to create the leaf and stem top. I used a simple leaf graphic I found online to use as a template. Then push a little of the stem through the head and cover it with red duct tape on the inside to hold it in place.

I then used my Cricut to cut the Tomato Head face out of vinyl. The top of the paper lantern had the smaller pre-existing hole, so that’s where I placed the vinyl stickers to create the face. There was a small hole left between the two eyes that you can see out of when wearing the Tomato Head.

Cut your own Tomato Head face with this Cricut file. Or you can use this image as a template for making the face another way.

Paper mache is another way to make the round head. I am just not a paper mache girl. If you are interested in trying paper mache, check out this youtube video for a Tomato Head I found.

Tomato Head Fortnite Skins Costume Accessories

I used a plain red backpack to create Tomato Head’s pizza basket. I used black duct tape cut in half lengthwise to create the edging. Then added a piece of black construction with the same pizza graphic from the shirt. It will double as a candy bag for trick or treating!

More Fortnite Skins Costume Ideas

What are some other fun Fortnite costume ideas? I asked my kids and they think the following characters would all make cool Fortnite costumes: Drift, Ragnarok, and Raptor.

How to make a Zoey Fortnite Costume

A Zoey Fortnite costume starts with a bright green wig. Then you can embellish a cold shoulder hoodie and leggings. Don’t forget to add gold spurs to a pair of simple gold sandals.

How to make a Havoc Fortnite Costume

One popular and possibly easy Fornite costume to make would be a Havoc Fortnite costume. He relies on a military gear and lots of grey camouflage. These are items that you may own, be able to borrow or find at a thrift store.

Or go the easy route and buy online. I found a grey camouflage sweatshirt, grey camouflage pants, grey camo beanie, heavy duty black gloves, and black bandolier. You could DIY a couple of big red pieces of ”ammo to add to the bandolier.

How to make a Drift Fortnite Costume

Making a Drift Fortnite costume for Halloween is fairly easy because there are Drift costume masks available to purchase. The rest of the Drift Fortnite costume is easy to pull together, check out this Drift Fortnite costume tutorial for details.

Quinn hasn’t picked a Halloween costume yet, so I might have another Fortnite costume on my docket this month!

Don’t miss our other costume made from a paper lantern:

DIY Poe Dameron Costume

byKaren•September 12, 2018

We love the new Star Wars characters introduced in Star Wars Force Awakens. I couldn’t resist creating a BB-8 costume a few years ago, he is the cutest little droid. Speaking of cute, I happily made Quinn a Poe Dameron pilot costume last year.

DIY Star Wars Costumes

Star Wars costumes are sort of our favorite. So before you read about how I made Quinn a Poe Dameron costume, consider checking out Elliot’s Ezra Bridger costume or this post with lots of ideas including Leia on Hoth and a fantastic Wampa costume!

DIY Poe Dameron Costume

The base of our Poe Dameron pilot costume is just a basic X-Wing pilot costume we found at a thrift store. I originally wanted to find orange coveralls but lucked out in the costume section instead. The X-Wing pilot costume already had black and silver details on the bottom of the pant legs.

DIY Poe Pilot Costume

I started by adding gray fabric straps to simulate the belt and braces of the Poe’s pilot uniform. I also added straps around the pant legs to hold the ‘signal flares’. I made a few signal flares by covering cardboard tubes with silver duct tape.

Poe Dameron Pilot Vest

I found a white puffer style vest at a thrift store and modified it a bit. To keep the DIY simple, I folded the sides and ends of the vest in and taped it with white duct tape. This created a thinner short style vest, more similar to Poe Dameron’s Pilot Vest.

Then I used my Cricut cutting machine to cut out an Alliance Starbird using black adhesive vinyl. You could also just use scissors to cut the design out of black duct. Parchment paper makes cutting duct tape much easier.

Poe Dameron Pilot Costume

I finished up the Poe Dameron Pilot Vest with his pilot box. I covered a cardboard box with white duct tape and added details with duct tape and sharpie markers.

I attached a strip of white felt to the box and then sewed the ends of the felt to each side of the vest. The last detail was a piece of black corrugated piping coming from the bottom of the box.

I found the black piping in the landscaping section of the hardware store. We bought a length just long enough so the end could fit into his pocket.

Poe Dameron Pilot Helmet

The last piece of the costume is a Poe Dameron Pilot Helmet. I think you could DIY something using a plain black helmet. I found a fancy electronic one on Craiglist for a deal and decided to splurge a bit.

This Poe Dameron pilot mask is also a more practical option for kids that don’t want a full helmet. It’s easier on the budget as well.

More Star Wars Costume Ideas

DIY Ezra Bridger Costume

byKaren•September 8, 2018

Now that Star Wars Rebels is over, sharing Elliot’s DIY Ezra Bridger costume is sort of bittersweet. The boys loved Star Wars Rebels which is why Elliot asked me to make an Ezra Bridger costume for him last year.

Star Wars costumes are our favorite Halloween theme. Last year we expanded our Star Wars characters a bit and made three new costumes: Jyn Erso, Poe Dameron and Ezra Bridger.

Peter stuck with an old standby Boba Fett which is easy to pull off with a costume shirt and helmet.

DIY Ezra Bridger Costume

The Ezra Bridger Costume was a fun costume to put together. It was all about finding a few key pieces of clothing and then modifying it a bit.

I always try and use clothing we already own or can borrow before buying things. And when I do buy, we start at thrift stores before moving on to discount stores.

I don’t find screaming deals on Amazon but I can find just about anything on there so it’s my last stop when sourcing costume supplies.

Ezra wears a lot of orange and brown, so that’s where we started. I really wanted to modify orange pants with a brown leg but orange pants weren’t easy to find.

I ended up adding a brown pant leg to the left side of a pair of orange shorts Elliot already owned. Then we added a white knee/shin guard to the right side. You could buy something like this or just make one using cardboard and white duct tape like I did.

Ezra from Star Wars Rebels Costume

The easiest part of the costume was a long sleeve orange shirt. I had to DIY the brown and yellow vest. Ezra’s vest has longer sleeves than a typical vest, so I modified a brown sweatshirt.

I cut the basic shape of Ezra’s vest from the sweatshirt then used yellow duct tape to ‘finish’ off the edges and add detail. I think it turned out fantastic especially as an easy DIY no-sew option. I love duct tape.

DIY Ezra Costume Accessories

Don’t forget Ezra needs a backpack to carry all of his stolen gadgets. We borrowed my dad’s fishing backpack. I thought the boxy shape and neutral color was perfect for the costume.

Elliot also insisted on dying his hair blue just like Ezra. We used a blue hair spray type dye which was quite messy, naturally, Elliot loved it. 😉

Fingerless gloves and Ezra’s signature lightsaber blaster finished off the look. Elliot splurged on the Ezra lightsaber blaster on our trip to Walt Disney World that year. I think it’s what inspired his costume choice.

I loved how our Poe Dameron and Ezra Bridger costumes turned out! If DIY isn’t your thing, don’t forget about the adorable homemade options on Etsy!

No Sew Prince Charming Costume

byKaren•August 14, 2018

After making Elliot a Hiro costume sweatshirt recently, I figured I’d be out of the costume making business for a little while, at least until the fall. Elliot must have had other plans because he randomly asked for a Prince Charming costume.

All the talk about princess costumes at his preschool must have triggered his request. With Disney’s live-action Cinderella now in theaters, I figured a prince costume would make a fun and timely blog project too!

**Want to download a printable copy of this tutorial? Check out my costume ebooks.**

Looking for a DIY fairytale costume for little boys? This homemade Prince Charming costume tutorial is an easy DIY idea, perfect for a baby, toddler or even an adult. It's a no sew and perfect for Halloween or a trip to Disney World or Disneyland. #Halloween #Costume #PrinceCharming #Cinderella

More Boy Prince Costume Ideas:

You don’t have to make a Prince Charming costume, I have a few more boy prince costume ideas you can choose from including Snow White’s prince and the Beast!

Snow White Prince Tutorial

Beast Costume

DIY Prince Charming Costume

No sewing machine? No problem! I came up with a super easy NO SEW Prince Charming costume that anyone can make. Seriously, my own sewing skills are based on nine weeks of 7th grade home economics.

And look how amazing my costume turned out! Check out my little Prince Charming on our swing set.

You can also buy a few elaborate ones already made. Check out this blue and gold version from YaffieDreams or this red and gold version from MackAboo both are pricey but if you’d rather just buy one, they are cute options.

How to Make a Prince Charming Outfit

That being said, if you are a seamstress or no one with mad skills, you need to hop over to this amazing tutorial and follow it instead. Everything is handmade and she details out each step in her tutorial. Both her design and mine are based on the Prince Charming version you see at Disneyland or Walt Disney World

Are you ready to make your own Prince Charming costume? You need to pick up a few supplies. I try to use items we have on hand first, so I always raid our closets and craft supplies before heading to the store. Don’t forget you can shop at thrift stores, consignment shops and borrow things when possible as well.

We don’t dress up much so I didn’t have a spare white shirt in Elliot’s closet. I hoped to find a button-down white shirt at a local thrift store but never did. I ended up buying the perfect white shirt on Amazon though. It was sateen (a fancier look than plain cotton) and no pockets.

Diy Prince Charming Costume shirt and pants

I did find a pair of shiny red track pants in Elliot’s dresser which worked well for my prince charming pants. They had a stripe down the leg but that wasn’t a big deal because I planned on added gold ribbon down the leg anyway.

DIY Prince Charming Costume Ribbon and Embellishments

Buying the gold ribbon and trim was a little tricky. I went down to my local fabric store and just kept referring back to the picture on my phone. I ended up using red fleece as my accent fabric because it doesn’t need to be hemmed.

My first plan was to just run gold ribbon down each pant leg, covering the athletic stripe. Unfortunately, my ribbon wasn’t wide enough. So I used my seam ripper to remove the athletic stripes from each leg. Once that was done, I used heat n bond to attach my gold ribbon down the length of each pant leg.

DIY Prince Charming Costume Mandarin Collar

Originally I wanted to buy a white shirt with a mandarin collar to use for the costume. I didn’t find many mandarin options for little boys and none at a reasonable price so I just made my own. To create a mandarin collar on a regular button-down shirt, just cut away the collar just above the top button. The existing seam around the collar serves as the hem.

I removed the regular buttons and hot glued the gold buttons on the front of the shirt. They were a little too big to fit through the existing button holes so I opted to add velcro down the edge of the shirt. Bonus, it made the shirt easy for little hands to put on and remove.

DIY Prince Charming Costume Ribbon Collar Detail

For the collar detail, I layered red ribbon, gold ribbon, and gold trim together with my glue gun and then attached it to the collar with the glue gun.

I used red felt to cover the ends of the shirt sleeves and then used heat n bond to attach it to the cuffs. I added one gold button to each sleeve with my glue gun.

DIY Cinderella's Prince Charming Costume Shoulder Detail

For the shoulder detail, I sandwiched the gold fringe between two pieces of red felt using my hot glue gun. Then I attached each fancy shoulder piece to the shirt.

DIY Prince Charming Costume Shirt Detail

The fancy gold detail on the front of the shirt was the hardest part for me. I hot glued each loop, one at a time and that seemed to work ok. After all 6 were done, I hot glued the finish pieces to the shirt.

Cutting the red felt to make the belt was also a little tricky because I am scissor challenged. I can never cut a straight line. I might have had to cut out several strips before I thought it was “good enough”. You definitley want to use very sharp scissors though.

I attached a length of the pant striping (that I removed from the pants earlier) to give the belt a little substance. You could use anything, maybe even doubling up on the felt if you want. Then I added gold ribbon to embellish it. I opted for velcro on each end for belt closure.

Need an adorable prince costume for your favorite little (or big) guy? Check out this no sew Prince Charming costume tutorial. It's an easy DIY, perfect for Halloween or a trip to Disney World.

That’s it. I think it turned out quite cute and honestly way better than I expected. I have new found respect for my hot glue gun. It rocks! Ready to make your own prince charming costume? Check out the list of supplies below.

No Sew Prince Charming Costume Supplies:

Button Down White Shirt –this shirt is perfect
Red Pants (We used shiny track pants like these pants)
Gold ribbon and trim
6 Gold Buttons
Red Fleece
Glue Gun
Iron
Heat n Bond
Scissors

I think a blue and silver version similar to Prince Kit in the Disney’s new live-action Cinderella would be a fun version of this costume too! I think Prince Eric from the Little Mermaid is my next prince costume goal.

Looking for more easy costume ideas? Don’t miss my other costume tutorials!

Huge List of DIY Costume Tutorials

DIY Forky Mask Template

Forky Mask Materials

Toy Story Craft

How to make a Forky Costume

Who is Forky?

What is Toy Story 4 about?

What is Fox in Socks?

Fox in Socks Costume

How to make a Fox in Socks Costume

DIY Fox in Socks Costume

Fox in Socks Costume Materials

More Simple Dr. Suess Costume Ideas

Easy Fortnite Costumes

Fortnite Halloween Costumes: Rapscallion

Rapscallion Fortnite Costume Supplies

Fortnite Costume: Bunny Brawler

Bunny Brawler Fortnite Halloween Costume Supplies

Fortnite Costumes: Skull Trooper

Dark Voyager Fortnite Costume Idea

Fortnite Halloween Costumes: Tomato Head

Doggo Costume Idea

More Fortnite Halloween Costumes or Fortnite Cosplay DIY

More Fortnite Costumes For Girls

Where to buy Fortnite Costumes

Other Video Game Halloween Costumes

What Fortnite Costumes are you making this Halloween?

How to Make a Spider-Man Noir Costume

DIY Spider-Man Noir Costume

Spider-Man Noir Trench Coat

Spider-Man Noir Fedora Hat

Spider-Man Noir Costume Mask and Goggles

Spider-Man Noir Costume Materials

Spiderman Noir Costume

Mr. Brown Costume Tie

Mr. Brown Costume Hat

Mr. Brown Costume Materials

More Book Character Costumes

DIY Fortnite Costumes

Dark Voyager Costume

How to make a Dark Voyager Costume

Fortnite Dark Voyager Costume

Dark Voyager Fortnite Costume Materials

DIY Dark Voyager Backpack – Optional

Fortnite Halloween Costumes

More DIY Boys Halloween Costumes

Homemade Olaf Costume

Custom Sweatshirts as Costumes

Baby Olaf Costume

Adult Olaf Costume

How to make a DIY Olaf Costume Hoodie

Add Face to Olaf Costume Hoodie

How to sew an Olaf Costume

Add Olaf’s Hair

Make Olaf’s Carrot Nose

DIY Olaf Costume Materials

Is Olaf a Snowman?

Who is Olaf?

What Movies is Olaf in?

Where to buy Olaf Costumes:

Save on Disney Tickets & Packages

Do you wanna build a snowman?

Jyn Erso Costume

DIY Jyn Erso Costume

Jyn Erso Jacket

Jyn Erso Cosplay

Jyn Erso Blaster

More Star Wars Halloween Costume Tutorials

How to make a Fortnite Costume in Real Life

Homemade Fortnite Costume Materials

How To Make a Tomatohead Costume

How to Make a DIY Fortnite Costume

DIY Tomato Head Fortnite Cosplay Costume

Tomato Head Fortnite Skins Costume Accessories

More Fortnite Skins Costume Ideas

How to make a Zoey Fortnite Costume

How to make a Havoc Fortnite Costume

How to make a Drift Fortnite Costume

More Questions about Fortnite Costumes

How to get a Fortnite costume for free?