Homemade Halloween Costume Ideas: 5 Easy DIY Outfits For Men, Women And Kids

A fun or scary Halloween costume doesn't have to come at a hefty price and can be made at home without requiring a great deal of effort. While some costumes take minimal creativity, there are plenty of options that can be put together fairly quickly and still be a hit on Oct. 31.

Here are five out-of-the-box ideas for do-it-yourself costumes, ordered from hardest to easiest to pull off:

Pinata

Buy a simple dress and several crepe paper streamers in various colors. Cut the bottom of the crepe paper every inch or so to create a long strand with a fringe on one edge. Lay it out on top of the dress and trim to the right length. Working carefully, use fabric glue to attach the top of each streamer to the dress, making sure the bottoms hang free and overlap. Do this until the entire dress is covered, then let dry. Add party hats for ears. Read the full instructions here on Simply Whisked.

LEGO Brick

Take a large box and remove the bottom (where your legs will go). Cut a hole for your head and arms, then spray paint the box to the color of your liking. While it's drying, take six empty cans of cat food or tuna and use a glue gun to write "LEGO" on the top of each one. Spray paint the cans the same color as your box, then glue them on. Let dry. Check out the full instructions here at Stimeyland.

Jellyfish

Purchase a clear bubble umbrella (get one here for $19.50). Take several spools of ribbon in aquatic colors like blue and silver and cut them to varying lengths. Tie one end of each around the umbrella's metal spokes and let the other hang free. Decorate the umbrella as desired, and you're done. See the full instructions here on Giggles Galore.

Emoji

This DIY costume can't get any easier. Cut a circle out of yellow poster board and tape a Popsicle stick to the back as a handle. Make two large hearts out of red paper and attach them as eyes. Use a marker to draw the mouth, and there you have it — an emoji mask. Read the full instructions here at Good Housekeeping.

Identity Thief

This getup is for the truly lazy. First, dress in all black. Then, using a black marker, fill in fictional characters' names on a few pages of adhesive name tags (get some here for $4.83). Stick them to your outfit, throw on sunglasses and you're done. See an example here at Almost Supermom.