Homemade Halloween Costumes

Well Halloween is just around the corner now, coming in at the end of October and with the economy still reeling, with 9.7% unemployment and no end in sight, it is time to consider ideas for homemade Halloween costumes. Instead of wasting a ton of money buying made in China junk, try this simple idea for a cool homemade Halloween costume: The Phantom of the Opera.
It sounds really complicated, but it isn’t. Especially for adult men who may have their old tux from their wedding lying around. The biggest part of the costume is in fact the tux. If you don’t have one, a black suit might work, especially if you can lay your hands on a bow tie. The other parts of this costume are fairly simple.
You will need the half mask of the phantom for your homemade Halloween costume. The easiest thing is to simply buy one; they can be had for just a few dollars at most novelty shops. Or, if you are feeling creative, buy yourself some white oak tag (heavy cardboard like paper used for school projects – it can be found at most craft stores) and start by cutting an oval face from the material. Most oak tag pieces should be big enough to let you make several of these, so don’t worry too much if you don’t get it right the first time.
Once you have your oval, you want to create a wavy line across the middle, to match the phantom’s face. You can easily see examples of this using Google’s image search (just search for Phantom of the Opera Mask). A key tip here is never to have a hard cut with your scissors. In other words, if you fully clamp your scissors down, you will create a tip, which you don’t want. Keep the scissors moving the entire time until you’ve sliced the entire mask in half. A simple string or sturdy rubber band can be used to hold the mask in place.
Next, you’ll need a cape. This is fairly simple as well. Go out and buy yourself a piece of black cloth from any fabric store. You can either sew the edges to create a cape, or do what I do: use a glue gun. To have a little more fun with your cape, you can also buy some other color of material to put on the inside and create a lining. In order to tie the cape around your neck, you need to fold over the top and either glue or sew it down, leaving enough room for a rope or tassel to be threaded through the top of it.
Put on your cape, your tux and your mask and you’ve got your homemade Halloween Costume ready to go. Now to find your love as the Phantom!