Playful Pumpkins: Part 1

Pumpkins, meet toys. Toys, meet pumpkins.

Give your Halloween pumpkins a different twist by introducing them to your kids’ favorite or discarded toys. Excerpted from a feature I styled for Parents Magazine, here are two clever ways to turn pumpkins into creative homes for plastic animals.

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Boo Zoo

To craft this miniature zoo cage, cut a rectangular opening out of the pumpkin’s front, discard, and scoop out the insides. Stick in an animal figure and use painted wooden skewers to make the cage. For the sign, top a toothpick with strips of craft paper.

mouse and cheese pumpkin diy

The Big Cheese

Inspire a few squeals of disgust with this toy-mouse-infested “cheese.” To make it, scoop out the pumpkin’s guts, carve circular holes into the flesh, and coat on yellow acrylic paint to make it look like Minnie’s favorite snack.

Check out the October issue of Parents for more awesome Halloween crafts! Photos by Dane Tashima.

September 18, 2017| Animals, Decor, DIY Home, Halloween, Holidays


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