I can’t speak for the whole Blair Candy family, but for me, Halloween season is truly the happiest time of the year. Some might argue that fall is actually the season, and Halloween just a day in the fall. But I feel that all the splendors of fall are more a part of Halloween than Halloween a part of them. I love it all – every fallen leaf, every motion-activated monster decoration, every delicious bite of Jello eyeballs. Sipping apple cider while waiting in line for a hayride wearing an old sweatshirt and feeling butterflies in my stomache anticipating the haunts ahead – this is my idea of the perfect moment in the perfect season. And with fall (aka. Halloween Season!) being the most fleeting times of year in the Northeast, it is of the utmost importance to treasure every day before the first flakes of winter make themselves known.

Counting myself among the most dedicated candy fans I know, one might reasonably assume that candy is my favorite aspect of the Halloween season. But it’s not! Don’t get me wrong – I love Halloween candy. And I think it’s absolutely amazing that it can be had for free with a simple knock on the door! But it is Halloween costumes that have the highest position in my Halloween heart. And making my own Halloween costumes, for all my crafty shortcomings, is something I enjoy to the fullest, for this is a craft where creativity trumps flawless execution.

If you’ve never created your own Halloween costume, I ask that you at least consider giving it a go this year. It doesn’t matter if you aren’t a skilled seamstress, or if it takes a few tries to get the hot glue gun to actually work, this is about fun and imagination! It’s about making something memorable that reflects your personality, and this is possible no matter who you are and what your interests. Need a few ideas to get the creative juices flowing? Here’s a couple that are more awesome and affordable than anything you’ll find at the costume shop that also include clever use of candy!

Piggy Bank Costume –  Like most costumes, there’s more than one way to make this work, so feel free to take the general idea and make it your own. If the weather will be colder on Halloween night in your town, consider using a pink sweat suit as the foundation for your bank. If it will be warmer, lightweight pink pants and a pink tee will work as well. The only supplies you’ll need for the majority of the costume are a marker and some sort of adhesive. The marker will be used to write ‘Piggy Bank’ on the front of your costume, and to draw a coin slot on the back. These steps are optional if you’d like your costume to be a bit more of a mystery.

Apart from a piggy mask – which can be purchased from a party store or made from fabric, foam, cardboard or any number of materials – the only additional component is Bubble Gum Candy Coins or Chocolate Coins. If you’ll be celebrating Halloween somewhere cooler, either should work well. If it will be warm, bubble gum coins will likely be your best bet. Use your adhesive of choice to affix the coins to your sweat suit, ensuring at least one is stuck near the coin slot on your back ready to drop in! If you want people to be able to enjoy the candy or gum on your costume, double-sided tape should work well. If you want to keep the candy on your costume all night and don’t plan to eat it, fabric glue might be a better solution. Just keep in mind that this costume is more likely than not to be a one-season solution, as it will be difficult to wash with the glue and/or tape residue. However, we encourage you to think of something fun and fresh each year, so that will only force you not to rely on last year’s costume next year! Just buy your sweat suit from a discount store, and the whole costume should cost you less than $25.

Money Tree Costume – Continuing with the money theme comes the money tree, a simple but fun costume that answers a resounding ‘Yes!’ to the favorite rhetorical question of moms everywhere, “Do I look like I’m made of money?” For this costume, like the last, we are providing the ideas to spark your imagination, but encourage you to add your own special touches to really make it shine.

Start with brown sweatpants and a green sweatshirt, and pick up some fabric leaves from your local craft store. If you want to save some time, see if the store offers leaves that are strung together, connected by small plastic loops. If so, you won’t have to use as much glue as you can wrap the leaves and only add glue as needed to keep everything together. Again, you’ll need an adhesive, and if you were able to find strung together leaves, regular tape should work quite well. For the ‘money’ aspect of your money tree you’ll need Jumbo Money Lollipops, strawberry lollipops with a bubble gum center whose wrapper resembles American dollars. Simply attach the sticks of the lollipops to the plastic spacers between leaves with the tape, letting them dangle like fruit from a tree. Space them out as much as you’d like, and decide ahead of time if you’ll be letting people ‘pick money’ from your tree. If so, don’t tape them too tightly. If not, be sure to bring some extras along so temptation doesn’t get the best of them!

Do you have any homemade costume ideas to share? We’d love to hear from you in the comments!