Designing your child's, or for that matter your own pirate Halloween costume this year is neither difficult not time consuming, only requiring a healthy dose of imagination and a little time scrounging up all the raw materials. Most of the items you'll need you probably already have around the house and what you don't is easily obtained. Let's take a look into just how to recreate Black Beard, Long John Silver, Jack Sparrow, or whichever bloodthirsty cutthroat you are fond of!



To start off with, you will need the two most basic pieces of any good pirate costume: a pair of old black pants and a bright colorful blouse that is flashy and attention getting. A gold or red blouse is usually your best bet. An interesting scarf will work well as a belt for your adventurous pirate. The black pants will eventually be cut off and fringed to match the character better.

For the blouse, if you happen to have an old one in your closet that is very colorful, shiny and a bit oversized for your fledgling pirate, then you won't have to go hunting for one. The key here is to have flowing blousy sleeves and something flashy and easy to move in.

If your pirate is fortunate enough to be the captain of this heinous bunch of high seas bandits, then you'll have to come up with a hat of some sort. Felt and cardboard can do wonders with a makeshift pirate's hat, and if your pirate is simply a common cutthroat, then a flashy, (probably red) bandana will do just fine.

You can also fashion a hook for a hand with cardboard and some craft paints, and you can also come up with various weaponry this way. Be careful to make your broadswords non-lethal. Tin foil over stiff cardboard should do the trick nicely with a few added painted touches.

No self-respecting pirate would be caught dead without some pirate booty; Preferably gold. Any old, gaudy costume jewelry will work just fine, and if you don't happen to have any lying around the thrift stores will. A well-placed earring is a nice touch, as well.

Some other accessories that can truly liven up your pirate costume this Halloween are an eye patch and well applied face makeup. You might choose to give your pirate a black beard, a blacked out tooth, or a plastic bird attached to the shoulder.

Coming up with a fantastic pirate Halloween costume doesn't have to be time-consuming or expensive. Scour your closets and you'll find most of what you need, with the rest available for only a few dollars.