Ask the Readers: What Is Your Favorite DIY Halloween Costume?

Editor's Note: Congratulations to Beth, Susan, and Candace for winning this week's contest!

Costume retailers are out in full force now, but with so many DIY costume tutorials on the web, you can save some cash by making your own. From bubble wrap jellyfish to balloon grapes, your next Halloween get-up is only a click (and maybe some duct tape) away!

What is your favorite DIY Halloween costume? Have you worn this costume before, or made it for someone else? Will you dress up this Halloween — if yes, what will you be?

Tell us about your favorite DIY Halloween costume and we'll enter you in a drawing to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card!

Win 1 of 3 $20 Amazon Gift Cards

We're doing three giveaways — here's how you can win!

Mandatory Entry:

  • Post your answer in the comments below. One commenter will be randomly selected to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card!

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Giveaway Rules:

  • Contest ends Monday, October 27th at 11:59 p.m. Pacific. Winners will be announced after October 27th on the original post. Winners will also be contacted via email.
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Good Luck!

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Elena

My favorite diy costume is pumpkin

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Mary Happymommy

I saw a homemade Raggedy Ann costume once that I was very impressed with.

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Julie Wood

I am not dressing up this Halloween. But my favorite costume is when I dressed up as a Scary Witch!

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Gina

I don't dress up for Halloween but if I did I would just make a mask from a paper plate or paper bag.

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Rachel

Definitely balloon grapes -- my mom did this for me and my two younger sisters when I was around 8 years old. People thought we were "Fruit of the Loom!"

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All black.

Quotes from poems safety pinned everywhere

= Poetry in motion!

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KelR1

My favourite DIY Halloween costume when I was a kid was a princess one. I wore one of my favourite dresses and made one of those medieval-type hats out of a construction paper cone with one of Mom's gauzy scarves coming out the top and looping up through the bottom. (Does this make sense?! Hopefully someone knows what I mean. lol) Quick, simple, and it must've been cute because a boy around my then-age said, "Look at the pretty princess!" when his parents opened the door at a house I was trick-or-treating at. So he knew what I was supposed to be and thought I was pretty. Win-win! :) I will not be dressing up this year, but my dogs might!

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Nicole

My favorite DIY Halloween costume was Mary Poppins when I was a kid.

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Ashley

Making a costume for Halloween has always been a favorite part of the holiday. to highlights that I put together from scratch were Jemima from the show "Cats" (where I had to cut and style a wizard wig into a Cats' style wig, with an inventive use of acrylic paint to color the hair and hold the ear shapes), and Trini the Yellow Power Ranger a couple years ago.

This year I am trick or treating with my niece, who is the newest iteration of the Pink Power Ranger. I wish I still had the costume, but alas I will have to settle with the Yellow Ranger t-shirt my sister got me for Christmas a few years ago.

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Ernest S.

I've made some serious mummy costumes with just some toilet paper and tape. They don't last too long, but definitely cost effective!

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Liisa

My mom made my sister into a sheep by taping cotton balls to a white top/bottom. It was hilarious, especially since a cotton ball would drop off every few steps! ;)

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Rebecca B. A. R.

I remember my mom putting a black trash bag on me and using yellow tape for the stripes to make a bee costume--with cardboard wings!

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Guest

My favorite and easiest diy costume is being a judge by using my old graduation gown. I have been this before, but probably won't be it this year, as I have another costume I'm going to repeat.

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Betty

I made so many Halloween costumes for my daughter, but my favorite was Little Bo Peep and the sheep. The front of the costume was Bo Peep, and when she turned around, the back was the sheep. She had so much fun that year.

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Stacie Martin

I always liked the bubble gum dispenser made of balloons. My son (8) was a Lego last year, and it was a hit at his school:)

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Beth

At age 4, I rocked a cardboard box ladybug costume--spray painted red with black spot. My mom also sewed many other costumes-- a native American dress out of burlap, a pumpkin out of orange fabric, etc.

My favorite is my son's this year: he's going as a football player out of items we have at home--baseball pants, soccer socks, and an OSU football jersey that he got for his birthday. With a little eye black, he's ready to go and we've save a lot compared to the pricey athletic costumes. (And in Ohio, he'll be wearing his winter coat anyway....!)

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lisa

my favorite DIY costume is a gypsy!

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Christie

Oh, there are so many! I love the red bridesmaid dress that I recycled and with it and a great royal red cape I became the Queen of Hearts. I also love the fun non-costume with a box of cereal with a plastic knife in it (Cereal killer, you know). My daughter sews her own costumes and this year is going to be Anna from Frozen. (Pretty awesome if you ask me!) Last year I was Queen Christirella, this year I'm just a brunette Elsa to my daughter's Anna. Should be tons of fun!!

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Dee Dee

A Farmer- just some coveralls

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Mary W

My son was a license plate. He made it out of large cardboard box and painted both sides to be an exact replica of our state license plate. He wore it like a sandwich board. His costume was wildly popular!

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Susan P.

When I was in elementary school, my friend and I made a cardboard car with the sides cut from a large appliance box. It was supposed to be the car from "My Mother, the Car" TV show. We made handles on the inside so we could walk inside of it and carry it. Our school had a Halloween parade around the front of the school and everyone dressed in costumes. Ours was a big hit!

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Candace

My favorite DIY costume was when I dressed as a fall tree. I collected fallen leaves, and and velcro'd them to my leotard and leggings!

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Diane

You can make a cute kids Dalmation costume by using white sweatpants & sweatshirt & gluing on black felt spots. Also, a black cape can be used for lots of costumes~ such as Batman, wearing black sweats & making a batman yellow & black symbol from felt.

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Happy Love

For one party, I glued some fall colored leaves to an old shirt and went as a tree. One other person at the part was Paul Bunyan so we got our picture taken together.

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Bethany M

I used a borrowed chef hat and carried a pot when I was little.

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Louly

My daughter wanted to be a bat last year, and that costume was pretty easy to make!

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Guest

I made myself a robot costume out of a cardboard box with aluminum foil decorations. It was cheap and really cute!

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Lynda

my favorite diy costum is a black trash bag over my body = raisin

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Carmen

I just finished making my daughter a homemade Arial (The Little Mermaid) costume.

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BRB

I always think the purple balloons safety pinned all over with a leaf hat creating a bunch of grapes is really cute on kids.

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Liz

I was mac and cheese with a friend one year!

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Matt

Draw a pumpkin face on an orange shirt.

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Tabathia B

I would say a ghost or a pumpkin

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Thomas Murphy

My favourite DIY Halloween costume is a ghost