How to Make a Deer Costume

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Each Halloween I ask my girls what they would like to dress as. I give them a budget allowance and let them come up with a few creative ideas. Last year, my youngest daughter wanted to be the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz. The costume was easy to make and it came out perfect. You can find the DIY Tin Man instructions here —-> Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz. This year, my daughter decided that she wanted to be a deer. There was no rhyme or reason for her decision but she knew that she wanted to be a deer so I came up with a plan on how to make a deer costume. 

This costume cost me around $35 to make. If I had better researched the cost of the supplies then I may have been able to spend less. Below is what you will need to make a deer costume. Some items you may have in your art cabinet or in your child’s wardrobe. 

• brown leotard
• brown leggings
• 1/2 yard fur fabric (found at Walmart)
• headband (found in the arts and crafts section of Walmart for $1)
• 1 piece tan felt
• 1 piece of brown felt
• roses or any flowers of choice
• tulle (optional)
• elastic for tutu (optional)
• hot glue 
• face paint

• Place the leotard on a flat surface. Lay the material with the fur side down on the leotard. Trace the design for the deer stomach, making sure you go to the bottom of the leotard. Cut the material, place paper or cardboard inside the leotard and hot glue the fabric with the furry side up. 
• Cut 6 or 7 uneven round circles from the leftover fur material. Hot glue those to the butt of the leotard.
• Optional: Tie strips of tulle to a piece of elastic and hot glue the elastic strip above the deer’s bottom. You can also hot glue a strip of flowers across the band. I wasn’t going to add the tulle strip but decided to so that my daughter’s bottom was better covered and so that it would add color to the outfit. 

DIY Halloween Costumes for Kids 

• Cut a strip of dark brown felt, as you wrap the felt around the headband, hot glue it. 
• Cut the shape of 2 ears from the dark brown felt. 
• Cut the shape of 2 smaller ears from the tan felt. 
• Hot glue the tan piece of felt onto the dark brown piece of felt. Pinch and hot glue the bottom corners together and then hot glue each ear onto the headband. 
• Hot glue the roses along the headband between the ears. 

• Use face paint to create the perfect deer look. We used brown base paint, along with painting the tip of the nose black. We also added white dots along the cheeks and forehead. 

Bella loved her deer costume and it was not only perfect for Halloween but also perfect for Storybook Character Day at her school. Since she was a female deer, we decided that she would be Bambi’s girlfriend, Faline. 

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