This year my husband and I decided we would take Halloween easy and wear one of our costumes from previous years. However, when I came across this awesome disco ball costume from Studio DIY, I knew I wanted to try to make my own.
Here is what I used to make this costume (this post contains affiliate links which means I receive a commission if you shop through my links at no additional cost to you):
- 36 inch balloon (these are harder to find, I bought this one)
- flour
- water
- lots of newspaper
- silver spray paint
- holographic adhesive vinyl (or you can use holographic bird tape and fringe it)
- silver ribbon/trim
- stapler
- balloon inflater (this is awesome to have because you can create a balloon garland in less than 30 minutes)
Optional items:
Create the Disco Ball Base
In order to make your Disco Ball costume, you want to make sure that you create a sturdy base with paper mache. The hardest part of this DIY for me was inflating the balloon. I had no idea how scared I was of balloons popping until this. In order to make sure the balloon is inflated to 3 feet; place two chairs 3 feet apart and the inflater in the middle of the chair. Inflate the balloon until the sides touch each chair.
Use a drop cloth to help with cleanup (paper mache is messy!). Place your inflated balloon on a planter or box to help keep it from moving. Create your paper mache mixture by using two cups flour and two cups water. Mix the flour and water together, keep adding water until there are no clumps. Cut up newspapers into long strips. Then place the strips one by one into the mixture and squeeze out the excess. Adhere the strips onto the balloon. I used three layers for this disco ball costume, but it tore in some parts so I would definitely recommend doing more (4-5). I was pressed for time and did not let the layers dry as well as they should. If I were to do it again, I would lay down the three layers and let dry overnight and then add additional layers and let dry again for a day.
Once the paper mache is dry you will feel how strong and sturdy the ball base is. When the base is firm and has at least 4 layers on it, you can deflate the balloon and then cut out the top for your head and shoulders. We started small and slowly cut more of the top as needed. The bottom was already open (I didn’t paper mache it all the way) and I cleaned up the bottom by evening it out with a Dremel rotary cutter. You can use a knife or scissors too! The hole at the bottom should be big enough for you to walk/waddle comfortably.
Decorate Your Disco Ball
Once I tried on the disco ball and made sure it was even, I used silver spray paint to even out the color. Another reason I wish I did more layers is because you can use a piece of fine sandpaper to even out any bumps or lumps. Mine was definitely more bumpy than I would have liked.
Cut out adhesive holographic vinyl in two inch squares. I used a paper cutter (I have had this one for years and it’s under $10) to do this to keep everything even and save time. Stick on the squares in a mosaic pattern. I also added some hot glue with my glue gun to make sure the squares stayed on.
Cut two pieces of ribbon/trim to serve as your straps. I glued the straps on and then used a stapler to attach (I stapled each side multiple times to ensure that I didn’t have a costume malfunction)!
And that is how you can make your own disco ball costume.
With love,
Shahla
Shirine Tavakol says
You’re goals! Especially when it comes to Halloween costumes! Love this idea and your easy-to-follow tutorial.
shahla says
Thanks so much Shirine!