Halloween is a time for friends, candy, and staying up late. But what really gets children and adults alike in the mood for Halloween is finding a costume. “You can dress up and be someone you’re not, and it’s fun to be someone else, since you’re yourself the other 364 days,” said 7th grader Ashley Howell. Searching for the perfect costume is a tradition that many people partake in. But for some breath-taking costumes, it takes a bit of work. By making your own costume, you don’t have to follow the rules of the pre-packaged costumes. Plus, some do-it-yourself costumes are simple and look amazing, too!

There are so many possibilities for costumes, but some of the most popular characters to dress up as this year are Star Wars characters. The seventh Star Wars© movie, coming out in December, will be an inspiration for many people. The brave and pretty Princess Leia is definitely one of the most famous Star Wars© characters. In the first movie, “A New Hope”, she wears a white long-sleeved, ankle-length dress, and white boots. For her signature hairstyle, she wears two buns on opposite sides of her head. Another easy Star Wars costume is Jedi© — all you need is a brown bathrobe. Wear tan pants, a cream colored shirt, hold a lightsaber©, and you will be one with the Force©!

Superheroes will always be popular — who wouldn’t want to dress up as a super-human? To be a feminine version of your favorite superhero, all it takes is a superhero shirt with your hero’s logo on it, tights and a tutu of the main colors of your superhero. For example, Superman’s© colors are blue and red. It’s also a breeze to make a cape. Just get some old cloth–for a long cape, use an old bedsheet, whereas a bath towel would be perfect for a shorter cape. Cut a semicircle in the piece of cloth so it comfortably fits around your neck, and tape the cape to the shoulders of your shirt by the two strips of cloth on either side of the semicircle.

Captain America’s© costume is fairly simple. For your starting materials, get a blue long-sleeved shirt and blue leggings or pants, and long red gloves. For his signature star and belt, get some white and red felt, and cut out the belt and star. You can either glue the star and belt to the shirt or sew it on. For the mask, get blue felt, and cut a big piece out of it that can fit over the top half of your face. Cut the eye holes out of it, and use the white felt to make another, smaller star. Glue or sew that to the forehead of the mask. For the shield, find or cut out a circular piece of cardboard, and paint on the stripes and star.

Other popular superheroes to dress up as are the Incredibles©. Making an Incredibles© costume takes almost no work at all. Find red leggings, black shorts, and red long-sleeved shirt, and a black mask. Either use duct tape or print out the Incredibles© logo, and tape it to your shirt. Dressing like a superhero is as easy as flying is for Superman©!

But what about the most popular beings that are Halloween’s main attraction? Yes, the witches, zombies, werewolves, vampires, and the ghosts.

All you need for a good witch costume are some leggings (striped or black), a simple black dress or black blouse and skirt, and of course a witch hat. Add some black pointy-toed heels or boots, and a broom or maybe a wand. The traditional bedsheet ghost costume sometimes just won’t cut it, so you can wear a white shirt and shorts, or a plain white dress, and drape a white bedsheet around you, leaving your head exposed. Then use white face paint to give yourself an unearthly look, and finish off with a more professional-looking ghost costume. For a simple vampire costume, all you need is a flowing bedsheet cape and white face paint. Boys should dress finely in a dress shirt, nice pants, and a vest, whereas girls should wear a pretty blouse and skirt (preferably in dark colors). Finally, buy a cheap pair of vampire fangs–you can find them almost anywhere!

Halloween is a festive time, and to really get in spirit, it’s best to find a costume. Making your own costume is like going on a scavenger hunt, looking for the perfect accessories to tie your costume together. But whatever your plans are for Halloween, the most important thing is to have fun!