When Michaels asks you if you want to participate in a community pumpkin decorating sweepstakes, how can you say no? Right? And here’s the fun part…I didn’t have to use a real pumpkin! No seeds, no gunk, no potential for rotting! The contest (enter the #TrickYourPumpkin sweepstakes here, folks for a chance to win a $250 Michaels gift card and a bounty of Plaid products!) asks crafters to use one of Michaels’ craft pumpkins which are available in stores now!

But then there’s the burning question of how can I decorate my pumpkin in a way that I’ve never tricked it out before! I’ve carved, I’ve etched, I’ve painted, I’ve dressed ’em up in costume. So I decided to reference a place of inspiration that is far and away more me than any Pinterest board could ever be…my book, PROJECT KID.

Thumbing through the book I thought yarn-wrapping, nah. Stickers, nah. A robot? Maybe. And then I found my hot-air balloon (page 134 for those with the book). And that was it! It would be a huge challenge to do this with a real pumpkin, so the craft pumpkins are the perfect solution because they are hollow and super lightweight. And I love how the basket becomes the container for the most important part of Halloween…the candy!

Here’s what you need:

• Celebrate It 9″ Craft Pumpkin (I painted mine white)
• Ashland metal container
• Burlap
• Fishnet stockings
• Paint
• Paintbrush
• Dowels
• Lime Green 7/8″ ribbon
• Black 1 1/2″ ribbon
• Hot-glue gun
• Buttons
• Scissors
• Styrofoam
• Tissue paper
• Twine

1. Use the ridges in the craft pumpkin to create the stripes of your balloon. Paint every other one in the color of your choice. Let it dry.

2. Paint 4 dowels black and let them dry. (I keep a piece of styrofoam handy to dry painted sticks and what-not.)

3. Cover your basket or tin in burlap using a hot glue gun. Trim edges neatly.

4. Once your pumpkin is dry, slip fishnet stockings over the pumpkin.

5. Trim around the stem at the top of the pumpkin, and secure cut edges on top and bottom with hot glue if needed.

6. Glue 1 1/2″-wide ribbon around the center of the pumpkin.

7. Glue the thinner ribbon at about 8 points around the pumpkin, creating a swag with the ribbon.

8. Glue buttons on top of where the green ribbon meets the black ribbon.

9 Use scissors to make 4 holes on the bottom of the pumpkin about 3″ apart in a square formation. Push painted dowels into holes.

10. Stand dowels in square tin—use styrofoam to keep them in place if needed.

11. To make the sandbags, crumple tissue paper into ping-pong ball sized wads and wrap with orange tissue paper. Tie a string around the top of the bundle and hang from inside the balloon.

October 15, 2014| Everyday Crafts, Holidays