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Not wanting to spend a lot on the latest and greatest costumes available at your local party store? Fear not. These easy DIY costumes can be made with things you have around the house - and are sure to make your child the best-looking trick-or-treater on the block.

Got Boxes?

Large cardboard boxes can be turned into many different costumes. Just cut off the tops and bottoms of the boxes and add straps across the shoulder area. You can decorate them with paint, felt, glitter, ribbons, etc. It's inexpensive and gives you an excuse to hang out with your kids. Here are some ideas of what you can make:

• Popcorn box - use cut up foam for popcorn
• Legos - make a matching hat with real Legos
• Recycling Bin - add empty juice bottles sticking out of the box and paint it green
• Gumball Machine - use rubber balls for gumballs
• Robot - spray the box silver and use flexible aluminum dryer tubes for arms and legs
• Gift Box - cover it in wrapping paper and add a giant bow to the front
• Pair of Dice - spray the box white and use felt or markers to create dots for the dice

Bag This!

Bag of Jelly Beans. Cut leg openings in the bottom of a clear yard bag, have your child step into the bag, fill the bag with small inflated balloons, and gather the top of the bag around the chest area with a ribbon or twine.

Cowgirl or Pocahontas. Crinkle paper grocery store bags so they look like leather. Cut the bags apart and create a skirt, vest, dress, etc. You can sew the paper bags together with a sewing machine or secure them with duct tape on the inside. Cut smaller pieces to create fringe.

Attack of the Spiders. Cut black garbage bags into 10-inch circles. Crinkle up the leftover bag into small balls, place the ball in the center of the 10-inch circle, gather the bag around the ball and tie with a black piece of yarn. Cut eight legs from excess bag surrounding the tied area. Glue odd-sized googlie eyes to the spiders. Make as many as you wish. Attach to a "normal outfit" with safety pins.

Get Clean!

Dirty Clothes. Use an old plastic laundry basket and cut out the bottom to fit your child, add straps with rope for shoulder supports and fill with laundry. You can fashion a hat out of an old detergent bottle to match.

Chicken. Have your child wear a yellow outfit and use yellow kitchen gloves for chicken hands and feet. Add feather trim around the costume for extra pop.

Wings

Household coat hangers and panty hose can be transformed into many different styles of wings. They are easy to make and kids really love decorating them. Here are some ideas about what you can make:

• Angel - add gold glitter to the wings and wear with a white dress
• Bat - paint the wings black and wear with a black jumpsuit
• Fairy - add feathers and rhinestones to the wings and wear with a frilly dress
• Ladybug - add polka dots to the wings and wear with a red jumpsuit
• Bee - paint stripes and add fuzzy trim around the outer edge
• Butterfly - paint the wings to resemble a monarch and wear a black jumpsuit
   

Got Old Clothes?

We all have old clothes lying around. Use them to make:

• Pirate - make a pirate with an old vest, sweatpants and a school shirt
• Fairy Princess - use an old party dress to create a princess in no time
• Punky Mummy - old bed sheets can be transformed into a funky mummy
   

Step-by-Step Pirate Instructions:

What you'll need:

• old, white, long-sleeve, button-down shirt (a couple of sizes too big)
• pen
• scissors
• six 5/8-inch eyelets or grommets
• eyelet setter
• hammer
• leather cording
• black sweat pants
• GLOW AWAY Paint by Plaid
• old vest
• two scarves
• optional: needle and thread and pirate themed buttons
   

What to do:

1. At the top of the shirt, just inside the button placket for the top three buttons, mark the placement for three sets of eyelets or grommets (three running vertically down the left side of the button placket and three directly opposite those on the right side of the button placket).
2. Snip a very small hole where the marks were made. Insert the male (larger shaft) end of an eyelet through the front of the shirt. Click the female portion of the eyelet where the male portion extends on the backside of the shirt. Insert an eyelet setter into the back portion of the eyelet and pound with a hammer on a hard surface. The teeth of the male portion should clasp the female portion. Continue for all six eyelets.
3. Carefully cut the button placket just outside of the stitch lines so that the stitching remains intact. Cut from the collar to the second button, across the placket and up to the collar. The edge of the collar can also be snipped just outside the stitching line to create a frayed look.
4. Lace leather cording through the eyelets to create the pirate's open-throat shirt. Cut the bottom of the shirt to the appropriate length for your pirate. To make the sleeves, cut off the cuffs and re-stitch them to the sleeve a few inches above the bottom of the sleeve to form a channel. Thread leather cording through the channel and tie around the pirate's wrist.
5. Swap the buttons on the vest for pirate-themed buttons.
6. To make the pirate pants: Cut the sweatpants to be approximately 6 inches shorter. Cut a frayed edge into each leg. Apply stripes of the glow-in-the-dark paint for added effect and for safety.

Step-by-Step Fairy Princess Instructions

What you'll need:

• old party dress
• artificial flowers on stems
• safety pins
• scarf in a coordinating color
• head band
• hot glue and hot glue gun
• 1 yard each of two colors of tulle
• satin ribbon
• large artificial flower stem
• glitter glue, rhinestones, glow-in-the-dark paint
   

What to do:

1. Remove the individual blooms from the stems of artificial flowers. Remove any plastic parts from the flowers and safety pin flowers to the hem, skirt and neckline of the dress. Pin the flowers such that the safety pin remains on the outside of the garment so that it is more comfortable to wear and helps prevent any pinpricks.
2. Use hot glue to attach additional flowers to the center portion of the scarf. This will be the waist sash. Use hot glue to attach flowers to the center portion of the headband.
3. To make the wings: Cut the tulle into pieces that are 36" x 18" (smaller fairies may need smaller wings and this size can be adjusted). Lay alternating colors of tulle in a stack. Cinch in the center and tie with a satin ribbon. Pin the wings to the back of the dress.
4. Wrap the end of the large artificial flower stem with leftover satin ribbon to make a flower fairy wand.
5. Embellish any elements of the costume with glitter paint, rhinestones, and/or dimensional glow-in-the-dark paint (optional).

Step-by-Step Mummy Instructions

What you'll need:

• old bed sheets
• 1 pair black thermal underwear
• black cotton gloves
• black ski cap
• black FOLKART craft paint
• spray bottle
• lots of safety pins
• scissors
• 8-inch piece of string
• plastic drop cloth (optional)

What to do:

1. Tear the sheets into 2-inch strip "bandages."
2. Mix 2 tablespoons of black craft paint for every 1.5 cups of water and fill spray bottle with mixture.
3. Prepare to "age" the bandages by laying the 2-yard lengths outside on the grass or on a plastic drop cloth inside. Randomly spray all the pieces with the solution, refilling the spray bottle as needed.
4. Pin bandages on thermal underwear, gloves and hat. It's handy to have your child wear the outfit while pinning. When one strip ends, simply pin another to the end and continue wrapping. This can be a long process, so try using just enough pins to get a general fit while it's on your child, then later lay the pieces on a table and add more pins to really "punk out" your mummy. The more pins, the better!
5. While pinning, it's OK to leave some small areas blank, without bandages. You can also try leaving the last 3-5 inches of a few strategically placed bandages unpinned; like at an elbow or knee, and then fray them with the scissors. These spaces and tattered ends create character, making your punk mummy all the more ghoulish.

Cathie Filian and Steve Piacenza created, produce and co-host the popular lifestyle show, "Creative Juice," on DIY Network & HGTV. Check out their mini-series, "Witch Crafts," on DIY Network this month. To learn more about Cathie and Steve visit - www.cathieandsteve.com.