It is finally fall here in Ohio. The leaves are turning, the evenings are getting a bit chilly, pumpkin patches and apple farms are in full swing, and you just got catalog in the mail for Halloween costumes. Now 5 years ago, this catalog was a source of joy and begging for the most uber costume he could find. Now, I have a catalog with no shriek of excitement.
No worries!!! I can turn this catalog into my own Halloween decorations and there is plenty of time before Trick or Treat to get my house decorated.
For this project, you may need to hit your local craft store.
Supplies needed:
one catalog, a pencil or wood skewer for rolling, white glue, scissors, a pumpkin template, wax paper, paintbrushes (2-one for paint and one for glue), orange paint, orange glitter, ribbon (I used green).
Makin’ the Punkin’
Take the staples out of the catalog and cut the pages along the main fold. Then cut each page in half lengthwise.
Using your pencil or skewer, start rolling on half up making a tube. One sheet is too thin and flimsy to hold together so when you are about 2 inches from the end of your roll, lay a second sheet down and keep rolling.
With about 1” left of the sheet, place a small line of white glue on the edge and roll to seal. Let the rolls dry for about an hour. You will need about 14 rolls for this pumpkin.
When the rolls have dried, it is time to cut them up. Cut the rolls into sections about the length of your fingernail (about ½”). You should get 5-6 sections from each roll.
Place the Pumpkin template on the table and lay the wax paper over the top. Feel free to use the downloadable template with this article or find an outline that you like. You will want it to be a bit simple as you will see when we start making the pumpkins.
Make sure the wax paper is quite a bit larger than the template since you will be using it for glue and paint. Tape the wax paper on the corners if that helps keep you lined up with the template.
Dip the side of one of your sections into the glue and join it to another section following the outline of the template. If the Pumpkin template is complex, the rolls get hard to assemble.
Keep repeating this until you have all the sections joined in the shape of your pumpkin. The glue will collect a bit at the bottom. That is why we did this on the wax paper, so it is easy to remove. When dry, gently peel wax paper from the back of the pumpkin.
Painting Time
Using the same piece of wax paper, squirt out a small bit of orange paint. I do like the Studio 71 acrylic paint for this because it is smoother and gives easier coverage. You can pick this up at most craft stores. Using your “paint” paintbrush (not to glue one), paint the whole surface of your pumpkin. It is okay if the catalog shows through a bit.
Paint 2 coats on your pumpkin and let dry. You will see some of the magazine come through and that is fine. You are upcycling after all.
Time to Shine
Once the pumpkin is dry, it is time to make is sparkle. Use your second paintbrush for this. The brush is one you don’t really care about. It can be missing bristles or completely lost its shape, or one of those inexpensive plastic ones that comes with kid’s craft kits. It will be used for glue; not one you would ever want to put in paint again.
Place the pumpkin on a piece of paper – you will thank me later – and place a glob of glue in the upper corner.
Get a decent amount of glue on the brush and brush the glue along the edge of the pumpkin. Work quickly so the glue does not dry before you can get the glitter on.
Use the shaker dial on the glitter and shake out glitter to cover all the wet glue.
Gently take your pumpkin off and using the paper like a funnel, pour excess glitter back into the container (unless you want an orange-tastic glitter mess all over).
When your pumpkin is dry, flip it over and repeat on the other side so both are nice and sparkly.
Cut about a 12” piece of ribbon and thread it through on of the holes in the stalk part of the pumpkin.
Upcycle mini lesson and pumpkin hanger created by RenKroDesigns. Check out more Eco-friendly artwork and ideas on Facebook or Instagram.
