Shop your Kids’ Closets for Halloween Costumes!

DIY HALLOWEEN Costumes FOR FREE

Looking for last-minute Halloween Costumes? Look no further than this inspiration for shopping your kids’ closets for these super cute looks!

Star Wars Jedi Luke Skywalker: All it takes is a Karate uniform top, a bathrobe or bed sheet (or you can buy a Jedi cape inexpensively here), some khakis and a pair of boots – and a blue light saber, of course. Here is how I envisioned the costume:

Shop your kids' closets for Halloween - Star Wars Jedi Luke Skywalker| Five Marigolds

Shop your kids’ closets for Halloween – Star Wars Jedi Luke Skywalker| Five Marigolds

And here’s how it looked on Dub.

Shop Your Kids' Closet for Halloween Costumes | Jedi Luke SkyWalker Star Wars | Five Marigolds

 

Sock Hop – I love this look for a brother and sister! The boy look is super easy, of course. For the girls, I paired a pink tutu pettiskirt with a cardigan, scarf and some black Mary Janes. Either cut out your own “poodle’ or grab a really inexpensive one online. Add some cute glasses for a final touch!

Shop your kids' closets for Halloween Costumes 50's Sock Hop | Five Marigolds

Here’s how it looked on my little one (Yeah…that was before her hair was done, but the only happy look I got. Toddlers!):

Shop your kids' closets for Halloween Costumes 50's Sock Hop | Five Marigolds

 

Baby Jazzerciser: This goes down as my favorite costume yet and it’s super easy. Just pair a baby onesie with a bright cut-up onesie,  legings or tights, some baby legwarmers or Baby Legs (or cut up some old socks) and use a knit baby headband for, well, the headband. I actually cut the elastic tops off of some baby socks for the little baby wristbands! My mother sewed an adorable boom box to complete the look. You can get something similar here or here.

Shop your Kids' Closets for Halloween | Baby Jazzercize Jane Fonda | Five Marigolds

Here’s how my little one rocked it:

Shop your Kids' Closets for Halloween Costumes | Jazzercize Exercise Baby | Five Marigolds

 

Baby Kitty Cat: This one can’t get any easier. Combine a black baby onesie with black leggings or tights, and maybe a cute matching fur vest or black tutu pettiskirt, and you’ve got yourself a kitty cat! Add the finishing touches of a black nose and whiskers using eyeliner, and don’t forget the kitty ears! You can currently buy kitty ears headbands at the Target Dollar Spot, online here, or you can make them on your own. Use a thin feather boa from the dress up pile, and cut it up to make “fur” wrist cuffs and use as the tail.

Shop your Kids' Closets for Halloween | Baby Kitty Cat | Five Marigolds

 

Pink Poodle: Similar to the black cat costume above, this costume starts with a pink leotard and tutu. I completed the look with a DIY Poodle Headband and faux fur cuffs.

Copycat Chic: DIY Pink Poodle Costume Pottery Barn Halloween Costume | Five Marigolds

Shop this look: Pink top or leotard, tights, tutu pettiskirt, ballet slippers

Copycat Chic: DIY Pink Poodle Costume Pottery Barn Halloween Costume | Five Marigolds

Looking for more last-minute Halloween Costume inspiration? Find more ideas for shopping your own closet here and here.

 

Shop your kids’ closets for Halloween

Shop your kids' closets for Halloween | Five Marigolds

Shop your kids’ closets for Halloween | Five Marigolds

Shop your kids' closets for Halloween - Luke Skywalker| Five Marigolds

Shop your kids’ closets for Halloween – Luke Skywalker| Five Marigolds

Star Wars Birthday Party – Invites And Thank You Postcards

My final post in the Star Wars birthday party series is to share the custom invitations and thank you cards I designed.

Each year, I’ve been lucky that my children have chosen Halloween costumes that match their birthday party themes for the following year. Dub chose to be Darth Vader, so I used his Halloween costume for the front of the invitation. I created a simple background in PhotoShop, and used the free Star Jedi font.

Custom Star Wars Birthday Party Darth Vader Invitation | www.fivemarigolds.com

I used the same background on the back, added the party details, and created a Darth Vader silhouette.

Custom Star Wars Birthday Party Custom Thank You Postcard | www.fivemarigolds.com

During the birthday party, I made sure to get one shot of all of the kids in the photo booth, wearing their jedi robes and using photo booth props. I used this image for a custom thank you postcard. On the back, I created a simple template that Dub could fill in himself. I love the idea of the postcard because it helps him learn the proper etiquette of showing thankfulness.  Sincere, personal, and to the point! And, it’s a little less expensive to mail 🙂

Finally, just to prove how much I utilize those Halloween photos, I also used it for Dub’s Valentine’s card. I wonder if he’ll be sick of Darth Vader by this Halloween?

Star Wars Darth Vader Valentine | www.fivemarigolds.com

Star Wars Darth Vader Valentine | Five Marigolds

See also:

R2D2 Star Wars Cake | Five Marigolds

Star Wars Birthday Party, Part I

Star Wars Storm Trooper Favor Bags | Five Marigolds

Star Wars Birthday Party, Part II Party Favors

Growing up, we didn’t really “do” favor bags. I suppose that’s why I’m really into them when planning parties for my kids. Presents for everyone, just for attending?! I wish grown-up parties would adopt this practice!

I wanted to do something fun for these Star Wars birthday favors, with at least a few items that would get used beyond the ride home from the party. But, of course, I didn’t want to spend a lot of money.

I created these goodie bags for around $3 each, total.Free Printable Star Wars Birthday Party Storm Trooper Favor Bags | www.fivemarigolds.com

Free Printable Star Wars Birthday Party Storm Trooper Favor Bags | www.fivemarigolds.com

To create the actual bag, I used inexpensive white paper bags from the grocery store. I searched for the keywords “storm trooper silhouette” and found an image I like. I downloaded this free Star Jedi font and added the words “You’re a trooper” to the 5.5″x10.5″ template I created in PhotoShop. Read to the end of this post for the free printable!

I printed the image directly on the bags. To do this, you need to go into your printer settings and create a custom paper size and paper texture. I used a small piece of painter tape to secure the base flap to the bag so it wouldn’t jam in the printer.  It took some trial and error before I felt like they were printing a clean image, without a lot of extra printer ink. I was going for inexpensive though, so despite a few rough printouts, these captured the look I was going for.

Here are the bag contents:

Star Wars Lego Birthday Favors | www.fivemarigolds.com

Knowing all the boys are really into Legos at this age, I really wanted to include some. I explored a lot of avenues, but almost everything was going to be a budget buster. I’ve heard of some creative moms creating their own little sets using the Pick a Brick section at the Lego store, but at $14.99/bucket, it was going to be a little more than I wanted to pay, and I wasn’t even sure if I could really build a believable spaceship.

I found my solution on ebay and Amazon: there are tons of people looking to unload Star Wars Advent Calendar kits or individual toys. I was able to score a lot of 11 for $1/each including shipping. Even better, each little kit came with building instructions – far better than what I would have been able to do myself using Pick a Brick. For those of you who have messaged me about being unable to find these deals on ebay, you can still find them here for less than $2 per favor!

I created my own hangtag using the same Star Wars font with a message from Yoda, “Do or do not, there is no try” along with a thank you message.

Star Wars Lego Advent Calencar Birthday Party Favors with Printable Tags| www.fivemarigolds.com

In addition to the goodie bags, we had a Jedi Training academy. We gave each little guest a Jedi vest made with an unused bed sheet we didn’t need and clothesline rope.

Star Wars Birthday Party Jedi Costumes | www.fivemarigolds.com

We also created the pool noodle lightsabers that are all the rage on Pinterest. We cut pool noodles in half using a serrated bread knife and decorated the ends with black and silver duct tape. Each little guest was given one to defeat some balloon storm troopers and then take home.These were the biggest hit of the party (literally, there was one bloody nose incident!).

Star Wars Birthday Party Jedi Training Course with Balloons and Pool Noodles | www.fivemarigolds.com

No party is complete without a little craft, so we also had a Build A Droid work station that they seemed to enjoy. But not quite as much as the pool noodle light sabers, of course.

Star Wars Build a Droid R2D2 Craft | Five Marigolds

Build a Droid Star Wars Craft

I had a lot of fun creating a fun party all the kids would enjoy. Planning a Star Wars party for someone special? I’m sharing the free printable Storm Trooper Favor Bag Design to my subscribers!

Free Printable Star Wars Storm Trooper Favor Bags | Five Marigolds

 

Star Wars Lego Birthday Party Favor Bags | www.fivemarigolds.com

UPDATE: Due to so many requests, I’m making the Storm Trooper Party Favor Bags available as a free printable: Download Storm Trooper Favor Bags Template

Are you planning to use them for your upcoming party? Please take a moment to tell me about it, below!

See also:

R2D2 Star Wars Cake | Five Marigolds

Star Wars Birthday Party, Part I

Star Wars Darth Vader Invitation | Five Marigolds

Star Wars Part III: Custom Invitations and Thank You Postcards

Super creative ideas for Star Wars Birthday favors with Legos

Star Wars Birthday Party, Part I

When Dub predictably requested a Star Wars theme for his 6th birthday, I’ll admit I was a little excited. I’d already been brimming with fun ideas for his party, but when he insisted on his first “friends” party, I was stumped. Our home just isn’t big enough for entertaining larger crowds, and I didn’t really want to do a Chuck E Cheese type of party. So, we decided to hold it at his dad’s industrial garage. I’ll share the details of this party in a series of posts. This post will focus on the Boba Fett Buffet. First, I started with the settings. I bought inexpensive tablecloths from the Dollar Store and I bought a starry sky backdrop that I used behind the buffet and for a photo booth.

Star Wars Birthday Party Photo Booth | www.fivemarigolds.com

Star Wars Birthday Party Boba Fett Buffet | www.fivemarigolds.com

 

I downloaded a light saber paper craft from starwars.com (the handle for Yoda’s light saber) and used it to roll up the plastic tableware in red and blue napkins. I got the kids involved here, assembling the proper tableware and rolling it up, and I finished it off with the handle.

Star Wars Birthday Party Boba Fett Buffet Light Saber Napkin Rings | www.fivemarigolds.com

Star Wars Birthday Party Boba Fett Buffet Light Saber Napkin Rings | www.fivemarigolds.com

 

Next, I designed some creative table tents in PhotoShop to label the food: Yoda Soda, Death Star Salad, Hunger Destroyer, Vader Veggies, DroidDrink, and more. For the Droid Drink, I bought the mini water bottles from Costco. I used this free download to wrap each bottle with an R2D2 label.Star Wars Boba Fett Buffet R2D2 Water Bottles Droid Drink | www.fivemarigolds.com

Since my husband’s business is a limousine company, we decided to leave in their limo party bus and play Star Wars on the sound system. On the outside, we set up a little table with popcorn in festive containers to create a movie theater experience, which the kids loved. The bus has a music synchronized laser show that really added a little something to the Star Wars experience.Star Wars Birthday Party Dark Side Movie Theater | www.fivemarigolds.com

Star Wars Birthday Party Dark Side Movie Theater Party Bus | www.fivemarigolds.com

Star Wars Birthday Party Dark Side Movie Theater Party Bus | www.fivemarigolds.com

While I admit, leaving the bus in the garage was mostly practical and was helpful for setting the theme, I didn’t have high hopes that among all the activities that 15 6 year old boys would sit down and watch a movie. I was so wrong! They loved this feature and spent a surprising amount of time watching the movie. Finally, the creme de la creme: the R2D2 cake. A very talented friend (who just opened her own restaurant!) made this for us, and it was as delicious as it was spectacular to look at. The kids waited for me to cut it up, as they all had very specific parts of R2D2 that they wanted to eat.

 

Star Wars Birthday Party Custom R2D2 Fondant Cake | www.fivemarigolds.comThat concludes the food portion of our Star Wars birthday party. Stay tuned for more on our photo booth and Jedi Training activitites! Looking for more Star Wars birthday party ideas? Find my Pinterest inspiration board here.

See Also:

Star Wars Storm Trooper Favor Bags | Five Marigolds

Star Wars Birthday Party, Part II Favor Bags

Star Wars Darth Vader Invitation | Five Marigolds

Star Wars Part III: Custom Invitations and Thank You Postcards