Making a homemade trick or treat Halloween bag can be the last thing we think of, but it is often a simple and easy way to ramp up a costume and make the trick or treating a bit more fun.

Kids (and many adults) put a lot of thought into putting together the perfect costume, complete with mask or face paint, wigs, and accessories. 

The trick or treat bag is often an afterthought.

But just as a great handbag is the perfect accent to any outfit, an awesome trick or treat bag can enhance any costume and it can be another fun Halloween activity to do with your kids.

Some of these ideas are from scratch, some are decoration ideas using existing bags to give you a head start. 

TIPS TO MAKE AN EASY HOMEMADE TRICK OR TREAT BAG

* Use some Halloween-themed fabric to sew a simple bag.  You can whip one up in no time with a sewing machine, or they can easily be sewn by hand if you don't have one.

* Find a plain, solid-colored tote bag to dress up.  You can decorate it to your liking by sewing or gluing on embellishments, or with fabric paint.

* Use a plain brown paper shopping bag, or an inexpensive gift bag.  Either one can be decorated simply with markers, or more elaborately with embellishments and glue.

* Use a bucket instead of a bag.  I love this idea. You can catch kids' beach buckets on sale at the end of the summer for cheap, and they're easy to embellish.

* Match the bag to the costume.  This applies not only to color, but also to the theme of the bag.  If it's to go with a dog costume, for example, you could make a dog face on it, or add some silver bone charms.

* Add some glow in the dark accents.  A great idea for any trick or treat bag to keep all the kids visible and safer. And it adds a spooky touch. Some options include fabric paint, foam decals and stickers. 

Do you need some ideas to get you started? 

Here are a few simple homemade or gussied up Halloween trick or treat bag ideas:

* Jack-o-lantern bag – Buy an orange gift bag.  Cut three triangles out of black construction paper for the eyes and nose, and cut out a smiling mouth.  Glue them on for a quick and whimsical trick or treat tote.

* Princess bag – For girls who are getting all dolled up for Halloween, a bag fit for royalty is in order.  You can make one in short order by putting stick-on gems (or using a Bedazzler) on a pink canvas tote bag.  Use satin ribbon to make some pretty bows to stitch on.

* Spider web bag – Find some fabric with a spider web pattern to use to sew a tote bag.  Paint over the web pattern with glow in the dark fabric paint, and embellish with plastic glow in the dark spiders.

* Monster bag – Decorate a plain grocery or gift bag to look like Frankenstein, Dracula, or another favorite villain.  Use construction paper, markers, googly eyes, and whatever else strikes your fancy.

* Witch Bag – You could make an upside down witch hat with handles that corresponds to the colour accents of the costume or try a round, black witches cauldron. It could be done by taking a plastic pumpkin trick or treat basket from the store and covering it with black material that is sewn as a tube and elasticized on the top and bottom.