How can I reuse or recycle … things to make a Halloween costume?

A jack-o-lantern carved out of a pumpkinSince it’s Halloween tomorrow, how about flipping this crazy blog-concept on its head for a change?

Anyone got any good ways to reuse or recycle bits and pieces from around the house to make Halloween costumes?

Recipes for fake blood? Gore? Green ooze?

What about ways to make realistic witches’ warts, zombie-ish decaying flesh or fake spider webs?

Go crazy : )

(Photo by cybersnot)

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15 Responses to “How can I reuse or recycle … things to make a Halloween costume?”


  1. cadan123 says:

    Recipie for fake blood:
    Take some old out of date flour, mix it with old out of date water (if there is such a thing), and add some old out of date red food colouring.

  2. Paulalala says:

    I dressed my son up as a mummy for Halloween. I used full sheets around his body and legs as an underlayer which menat we didn’t have to waste as many bandages to complete the look.

  3. Sack36 says:

    I once got some chicken wire and stuffed everything that was on my floor at the time. I came as my room…

    A variation could be to attach everything you can find that is not recycled and come as a land fill.

  4. Golden Phoenix says:

    Leftover Red food colouring and corn syrup or glucose syrup makes good (but sticky) fake blood. Beware that younger kids may try to eat you :D

    For great witches warts paint your face green and then roll a single rice krispie (one of thoses stale leftover ones in the bottom of the box) into the wet paint on the palette. Stick to your face with a little more wet paint.

    For incredibly realistic and horrific burns take a little vaseline and smear it over the affected are, now take an old red lipstick and do the same again making sure to blend it slightly with your finger to make the skin look shiny, weepy and sore.

    Now take the stub of an old candle and light it, drip the melted wax onto a surface it can easily be removed from (greaseproof paper or tinfoil is great) so that you get individual blobs. Once solidified remove them from the surface and stick to the “burn” for hideously blistered skin.

    If you want that “charred” look then take your candle stub and use it to smoke something like a knife, allow to cool and then take the soot and smear it into the vaseline.

  5. michelle says:

    one i was a clown so i bought a clown outfit!! duh!

  6. Lesley says:

    Not exactly re-cycling, but last year I was a witch in a country park event, and I was showing the kids real Fairy Liquid (do you know how many fairies they have to squish to make one bottle?)

  7. chelsea grace worsfold says:

    micheal mayers
    old black trousers and shirt (or jacket) rubbed with talcum powder, paper mache mask, white paint, cardboard carving knife with foil and paper mach handle

  8. s and a says:

    i made a punkin

  9. s and a says:

    i went as a buda

  10. sami says:

    another good kind of fake blood is to mix equal parts instant chocolate pudding and raspberry/red jell-o mix in water until it is the right consistency. to get good “burnt” skin, burn the edges of a marshmallow, rip off the pieces you want, and the sticky side will adhere to your skin. it looks like black, scarred skin. Apply the blood to your scars and it looks gruesome. By the way, for those of you wondering how this is eco friendly – using these kind of materials reduces packaging as fake gory stuff at the store comes in nasty plastic bubble packages and such.

  11. Shorty says:

    Old clothes and a hat=Scarecrow. =3

  12. Silky straight wigs are very popular because many women do not want to constantly straighten their own hair
    to achieve the look.


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