Homemade Halloween costumes: Bethany Hamilton costume, shark costume, hippy costume

Making your own Bethany Hamilton/shark victim costume is easier than it seems. Be a Seoul Surfer for Halloween!

You can also do a less scary version by tucking your arm in your shirt.

After a few thousand searches for "3 blind mice costumes" which was on my Halloween in Korea post in 2010, I've decided to publish another post about homemade Halloween costumes. This year I celebrated Halloween in Los Angeles and made two Halloween costumes. 

Trace your hand for a perfect fake bloody arm for the shark.

The second costume I made was for Bethany Hamilton. Bethany, if you are reading this you are amazing! I grew up surfing in San Diego, California and you are an inspiration. To make a Bethany Hamilton costume or a shark victim costume you will need to find an old surfboard. I had an abandoned one laying around. To cut the shark bite into the surfboard you need to find old gardening shears. I found that jabbing them into the board made cool shark-like indents. Next you need to make a mangled arm. I made a full-sized arm that went into my boyfriend’s shark costume’s mouth which he bought online. I also made a small “nub” for my arm which was bitten off. First trace your arm on cardboard. Cut out the arm shape, and then apply cardboard and paper to make it 3 dimensional. Once it looks like a real arm you must cover it with paper mache. To make paper mache just use a bunch of glue mixed with water and dip the newspaper into the liquid before covering the cardboard arm. After it dries, you may paint the arm and “nub” with acrylic paint and use watercolors to make a dripping blood effect!

Next paper mache the hand.

The Bethany Hamilton/Shark costume is great for couples. The boyfriend can be the shark and the girlfriend can be the victim. Since Korea loves couples outfits, you will fit right in while stealing the show. My costume won 1^st place for the scariest costume contest at a Halloween party we attended in Los Angeles! This year Seoul Surfer came out and touched the hearts of everyone. Many people didn’t know that I was trying to be Bethany Hamilton and just referred to me as the Soul Surfer girl.

Good luck with your costume! If you replicate one of these please send me pictures and I will post them!

Paint the arm and nub with acrylic paint.

Cut a shark bit into a surfboard using giant sheers.

Other members at the costume party.

Take old white shirts and paint a peace sign!

The first night my boyfriend and I went out in a homemade hippy costume. If you want to keep your Halloween very cheap this is an easy option. I took two old white t-shirts and painted giant peace signs on the front using acrylic paint. You can use any colors you want, but I found that smearing neon pink, yellow, and blue together made the best effect. Then find an old vest that you have and throw it on over the shirt. Take any fabric and wrap it around your head covering the middle of your forehead. And finally find some weird jewelry lying around and throw it all on. If you have white pants or linen pants they will also add to the “hippy effect.” Seoul will love your hippy costume when you complete it by raising your hand and giving a big piece sign. 

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