"Two simple costume ideas that are great for both kids and adults are 'The Cat in the Hat' and a witch," says Herndon. Several years ago, says Herndon, her brother came for a visit on Halloween. Short on time, Herndon had him purchase a black shirt and pants. With red and white felt to make the hat and a small amount of black fabric to make a tail she built around a coat hanger, Herndon finished off the costume using a pair of white gloves.

"For the witch, just about any black dress paired with striped socks or tights and black boots or shoes will do the trick," she says. For the hat, Herndon suggests picking up an inexpensive hat at any Halloween store (there are usually lots of these left, even after Halloween).

Another great costume for an adult is a cobweb. Pick up some cobweb printed fabric and make a poncho out of it by cutting a hole in the center for your head and wear with black clothes. For men, get a shirt that has spiders on it. For ladies, pick up a pair of spider covered tights (available at Halloween or specialty hosiery stores). For an added touch, buy a big furry spider from the decoration aisle and attach it to your head with hair pins or elastic as if it's the spider in the web.

For the minimalist, a scary face is a simple way to go on Halloween. There are many good one-time-use inexpensive latex scarves available in all sorts of shapes and sizes these days, says Herndon. To enhance the "boo" factor, Herndon uses the following fake blood recipe (not suitable for eating, she cautions):

1 ounce red food coloring
1 tablespoon blue food coloring
2 ounces water
1 pint light corn syrup
Combine ingredients. Scare at will.

To learn more about The Art Institutes, visit www.artinstitutes.edu/nz.

The Art Institutes is a system of more than 35 locations located throughout North America providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.

Courtesy of ARA Content