DIY Funky Pumpkin

Hi guys! Today I wanted to share a fun pumpkin I made last year to go with my halloween decor. I was inspired by the fabulous pumpkins made by Heidi Kenney of My Paper Crane. If you aren’t familiar with her site, go check her out here! My mom and I made a bunch of pumpkins like hers. I used mine for a wreath. My mom uses hers to decorate the mantel in her sunroom. I thought it would be fun to make a bigger monster pumpkin with a diorama in its mouth. Here is what I did:

• Materials:
• Craft Pumpkin (I made mine from a solid foam pumpkin and gutted it, but you can always make it easier and get one that is already cut out for filling at Michaels.
• Paint and Paintbrushes
• Small Christmas ball for nose
• Moss
• Mini pumpkins or gourds
• Little mushrooms or other tiny things to add inside the mouth
• Berry floral picks for the little pumpkins
• Hot Glue Gun and Hot Glue
• Carving knife and box cutter(optional)
• Painting tutorial at My Paper Crane Here

Here are a couple pics of the other pumpkin things we made:

Here is what I did for my funky pumpkin:

First I drew on the area I wanted to make into the mouth. Then I traced around it with the box cutter to slice open the outer “skin.” Next I used the carving knife and cut out chunks and scooped out the mouth with a small metal spoon. This took some work, which is why I say It would be easier to get a diorama pumpkin that already has the inside cut out. They would make it simpler but you do have to consider the amount of room you have to make the face when buying one already cut.

Once your mouth of your pumpkin is cut out, paint the inside of the mouth with black craft paint. Go ahead and paint the eyes and mouth of your pumpkin too. My Paper Crane has a good tutorial on painting the pumpkins here. Paint your small pumpkins or gourds too.

Once the paint is dry, you are ready to glue. Glue your moss down inside the floor of the mouth of the pumpkin. I also added some moss around the stem on top. Punch a hole in the pumpkin where you want his nose. Take the hanger off the christmas ball and glue it in the nose hole. You can cut the berries off the floral picks and glue them on for noses for the little pumpkins too. Glue your mini mushrooms and mini pumpkins in the mouth and on top of your pumpkin to finish.

This funky little guy sits on a galvanized pail next to my front door to go with the wreath I made too. I hope you all will go get some pumpkins and make some of these cuties to add to your fall and halloween decor too! Heidi’s pumpkins have to be one of my favorite craft projects ever! I’ll be back next week with more diy fun!

xoxo, Ashlee