DIY Halloween costumes have always kinda been my “thing”. I have nothing against store-bought ready made costumes, but I just love making them myself. I also love that I can save money this way too, which is great for my wallet! There are a few stores that I would consider “staples” when it comes to costume supplies, and at the top of that list is Party City. They have a great selection of ready-made costumes, but they also have a HUGE offering of items for piecing together your own costumes and Halloween looks. The price point is great, and there are tons of accessories, wigs and wearables in every theme and color imaginable. I was there browsing for my own costume just last week when I happened to spot the cutest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle accessories for girls, and I knew I just had to scoop them up and make something out of them!
Kaia is a girly girl, but when it comes to Halloween I think there is a line between fashion and function that needs to be drawn. It sometimes gets down into the 50’s on the big night, and there is no way I am going to let her shiver in a tiny fairy costume. Sure, it might look adorable, but it just isn’t functional. There’s also the issue of movement and play ability she would gladly choose a frilly princess dress, but that isn’t going to work at the carnival bounce house or giant blow up slide. So, while frilly costumes are adorable, the only thing she can do in them is stand there and look pretty which doesn’t work for this very active little girl. Luckily, thanks to the accessories I found at Party City and my imagination, I whipped up something that has a major cute factor! The whole thing cost me less than $30 too!
Here is what I used to make this costume. You can find everything you need (minus the t-shirt) HERE.
- TMNT Shell Pouch (Party City)
- TMNT Arm Warmers (Party City)
- TMNT Leg Warmers (Party City)
- Green opaque tights – These should be a few sizes bigger than your child wears (Party City)
- Oversized green t-shirt (This is a TMNT shirt of her brother’s)
- Simple red foam mask (Printable stencil below)
So obviously the most important thing here is comfort, and after that I wanted to make her look like the actual character without having to put her in a full on turtle suit (because that totally isn’t cute) so I kept everything simple. The green oversized tights acted more like leggings because they weren’t stretched super thin, and they matched her leg and arm warmers perfectly!
Speaking of leg warmers, aren’t they adorable? And the arm warmers? Perfect. They look cute plus they keep her little hands warm too!
I paired her costume with some red chucks she already had, and while I wish they would have been green I didn’t want to go out and buy a pair just for the costume. The red still looks great though! The shell is adorable and super lightweight, plus it’s easily removable for quick fun!
Moving on to the last necessity – the mask. I drew mine by hand so bear with me. Here is what you need:
- 1 red foam sheet (or whatever color turtle you’re going for). You can find these at any craft store for less than $1 each.
- Sewing needle
- elastic string (measure to fit your child)
- scissors
- printable mask stencil below
So what you’re going to do is print out this stencil first and then trace it onto your foam sheet. Yes, the edges are a little rough, but it’s hand drawn and you can eliminate them when you cut it out.
After you have it cut out, take your sewing needle and poke a hole in both sides around the outermost edges to run your string through. Lastly, run your elastic string through the holes and tie on each side and then you are finished!
Wasn’t that super easy? Kaia looks adorable in her new TMNT costume, and I love that I got to make it myself (with the help of some adorable accessories of course)!
So now that you have the idea, head out and pick up your supplies today! Not a TMNT fan? Don’t worry, Party City has tons of other Nickelodeon characters to choose from!
Want even more fun? On October 15th at 9pm EST, head over to Twitter for the Nickelodeon #SpooktacularSweeps party! You’ll have the chance to win a $100 Amex gift card and more!
