At-Home Pumpkin Decoration

I made a decorative pumpkin to show that it is possible to make cute, decorative items with common household supplies. I cannot spend a lot of money at the store for decorations, so it feels good to create something with ingredients from home. I enjoy doing crafts because it allows me to express my creativity, which I do not often do with my busy lifestyle. I find creating projects with my hands to be relaxing and self-fulfilling. Crafts provide a sense of accomplishment when I complete them, and I enjoyed doing this so much that I would like to share it with the rest of you.

I made a pumpkin decoration craft because my favorite season is autumn, and I love all things pumpkin! The bright pumpkin has realistic bumps and a texture that mimics a real pumpkin. This craft will be a great addition to my kitchen!

Everyday household items are needed to complete this project.

1. Grocery sacks/trashbags
2. String/yarn
3. Glue
4. Aluminum foil
5. Salt
6. Water
7. Orange and brown paint
8. Paintbrush
9. Mixing bowl

To begin the craft, you will stuff trash bags or any trash into a grocery sack. Make sure there are enough bags to fill the entire sack. There should not be any open area inside the bag.

Shape the stuffed bag like a pumpkin, then tie the grocery sack shut.

Next, you will tie four pieces of string around the pumpkin super tight. This will split the pumpkin into eight sections. You will also tie the "stem" with string and cover it with aluminum foil (shaped like a pumpkin stem).

Now, we will create a paper mache paste. You must mix flour, glue, water, and a little salt. There are no exact measurements for each ingredient. I did equal parts of water and glue, a cup of flour, and a pinch of salt. Make sure that the paste is liquid and has a thin consistency.

After making the paste, you will use the paper mache paste to cover the entire pumpkin structure with book pages. Warning: this part is messy!

So far, the pumpkin should look like the image provided above. Let the pumpkin dry for 24 hours.

Now that the first paste coat has dried, it is time to make the second paste. You will mix flour, orange paint, glue, and a tiny bit of water. Make sure this paste is thicker than the first one. I used equal parts of ingredients but more flour. It is perfectly fine if there are chunky bits of flour—this will give the pumpkin a realistic pattern.

Using the paste you just made, paint it onto the pumpkin. There is no method for this. It worked best when I used a paintbrush. The amount of paste depends on the coverage you want (I wanted it to be thicker and more textured, so I drenched my pumpkin in the paste).

You must let the second layer dry for 12-24 hours (putting it before a fan will reduce dry time).

Once the pumpkin is dry, you will use brown paint to paint the stem. Again, there is no method for doing so, but be careful not to let the brown paint drop onto the orange base, or it will not come off.

Finally, the pumpkin is dried and painted orange and brown. I added a bow for extra decoration, but you can spice it up with any additions. Now put it on a counter to decorate!