DIY Three Easy Halloween Pumpkins

Pumpkins, pumpkins, everywhere...and not a pie to eat!

I'm starting to worry that the proliferation of foam pumpkins may jeopardize the real pumpkin industry!  Egads, say it isn't so!



Hopefully, Starbucks popular Pumpkin Lattes are picking up the slack.  Though 'carving' and 'eating' pumpkins are two different things so my logic is probably flawed.

I hate to think of pumpkins going the way of turnips*.

I do love pumpkins.  I love to eat them.  I love to carve them.  I get excited as soon as I see them on roadside stands in September each year. 

I, too, have fallen under the spell of the fabulous carving friendly foam pumpkins at the craft stores.  They're every where this year, have you noticed?  I love the idea of being able to repurpose them as trends come and go and of them not turning to a moldy mess by Halloween.  These three pumpkins were shown in a recent segment on DIY on the FLY on WBIR Channel 10 Knoxville's Live at Five at Four.  Here's a link to the segment!  And below are instructions to make some Easy Pumpkins of your very own! 

Saucy Netted Pumpkin
Medium sized white foam pumpkin
Black netting
Black rose and spider stems
4 thumbtacks

Tools
Carving knife
Scissors
Wire cutters

Carve off pumpkin lid, wide enough to accommodate flower stems.  Cut flower stems short enough to fit inside of pumpkin snugly.   Measure netting to fit around pumpkin wrapping around bottom and into center with a 1" edge, cut.  (This should be a square shape.)  Wrap netting around pumpkin, securing with four thumbtacks inside edge of opening.  Gather the netting so it's fanned out around pumpkin neatly, this is very easy to do!  Insert flowers.  Cut a little more netting to tuck between the blossoms. 

Ta da!

Simply Silver Pumpkin
Small Dollar Store foam pumpkin
Fringed wired ribbon
Krylon Styrofoam spray paint in silver (this is usually found in the floral section)
Double sided tape

Place pumpkin on a large plastic sheet outdoors.  Spray all sides of pumpkin with silver paint.  Allow to dry.  Wrap double sided tape around center of pumpkin.  Wrap ribbon around tape, tie into bow.  Cut off excess.  (I added a little glittered crow and some text from an old book.)

Hey why not do a series of metallic pumpkins like these for a shelf or centerpiece?  I'm just sayin'.

Glittery Good Pumpkin
Small Dollar Store foam pumpkin
Silver acrylic paint
Silver a/b glitter
Foam or stencil brush
Water

Water down a small amount of silver acrylic paint just a little bit.  Use a stencil or foam brush to add paint to surface of pumpkin, the idea is to add more paint in spots and less in others so it has a striated or striped look.  While paint is wet, sprinkle generously with glitter, working in sections.  Work over manilla folder so you can tap excess glitter back into jar.  Allow to dry.

These would be lovely in a variety of colors.  Try masking off areas with tape for a striped or dotted effect, peeling off tape after paint and glitter have dried.

(* Fun fact with Madge: when the Irish and British Immigrants brought their Samhain traditions to America, they'd been carving turnips and beets into Jack o' Lanterns.  Jack o' Lanterns deriving their name from the story of Stingy Jack (of the lantern) who had tricked Satan and was therefore denied entrance into heaven and hell. Satan, having the last laugh, tossed an ember to Jack to light his way  while wandering Earth in search of eternal rest.  Jack put the ember into a carved turnip creating a makeshift lantern.  Lacking turnips, the immigrants discovered the pumpkin made a most wonderful substitute.  Aren't you glad you read this drivel?  Hee.)