No gourds are harmed in the making of these fake-o’-lanterns.
Instead, glued-on decorations keep the process fun for even the
littlest boys and ghouls.
Bat-o-lanterns
Stage a spooky scene by assembling a colony of these winged creatures made from miniature pumpkins and craft foam.
YOU WILL NEED:
– Black acrylic paint
– Ornamental (miniature) pumpkins
– Black and white craft foam
– Hole punch
– Glue dots
– Black duct tape
– Toothpicks
– Wooden skewers
1 Cover your work surface with a drop cloth or newspaper, then paint the pumpkins. Allow them to dry completely.
2 For each bat, snip two identical eyes from the white craft foam and use the hole punch to make pupils. Adhere the eyes to the pumpkin with glue dots.
3 Cut matching pairs of ears and wings from the black craft foam (our wings are about 6 inches long). Attach the ears by taping a toothpick to the back of each one, leaving about 1 1/2 inches of the toothpick exposed, then inserting it into the top of the pumpkin.
4 Finally, tape a skewer to the back of each wing, leaving a 2-inch point exposed, and push it in place.
Freaky Faces
Your youngest holiday revelers will love these kooky characters that are more silly than scary.
YOU WILL NEED:
– Pumpkin (any size)
– Old magazines or catalogs
– Glue dots
1 Cut a mismatched pair of eyes and ears, a nose, mouth, hair and any accessories from magazine or catalog pages.
2 Adhere the features to the pumpkin using glue dots. For ears that stick out (such as those shown here), cut an extra tab that you can fold back, then use glue dots to secure the tab in place. Display your pals in a covered area to protect them from the elements.
Frank ‘n’ Friends
Dried citrus rinds and toolbox items give this seasonal squash – and his companions – their un-naturally good looks.
YOU WILL NEED:
A craft knife a hole punch, and glue dots, plus …
For Frank:
– Spaghetti squash
– Two limes
– Black craft foam
– Toothpicks
– Large bolts
– Black permanent marker
For the mummy:
– Small pumpkin
– An orange
– Black craft foam, scrap
– A roll of gauze, 3 to 4 inches wide
For the Count:
– Small pumpkin
– A large orange
– A lime
– Duct tape
– Toothpicks
– Black craft foam, two sheets
For the Witch:
– Acorn squash
– A large orange
– A lime
– Black craft foam, two sheets
– Aluminum foil
For all the monsters:
1 Use a craft knife to cut a circle of rind from the top and bottom of an orange or lime for the eyes (a parent’s job). Cut a slit in the remaining peel and remove it intact to use for ears, teeth, and other features. If you’re making the witch, reserve the larger pieces of orange peel for the hair.
2 Clean the fruit from the rinds, then use scissors to snip out your character’s facial features, as shown. Cut them a little larger than you want; they will shrink as they dry. To dry the pieces, bake them on a foil-lined cookie sheet at 175 degrees for 20 minutes, then allow them to air dry for about 1 1/2 hours (or until glue dots will stick to them).
3 Use a hole punch to make a pair of pupils from the craft foam, then adhere them to the white side of the rind eyes with glue dots.
4 Attach all the pieces with glue dots, as pictured. To make the ears stick out (for Frank and the Count), tape a toothpick to the back, leaving about 1 1/2 inches of the toothpick exposed, then insert it in place.
Finishing Touches:
For Frank: Cut the hair from craft foam and attach it with glue dots (use the diagram, right, as a guide). Bore a hole on each side of the squash with a pencil, then insert the bolts. Use a permanent marker to draw the teeth.
For the Mummy: Wrap the pumpkin in gauze, using glue dots to attach the fabric as you go.
For the Count: Cut a collar and hair from the craft foam (use the diagram, right, as a guide). Wrap each around the pumpkin and attach them with glue dots, as shown.
For the Witch: Cut a mouth from craft foam. To make a hat, cut the shapes shown below from a piece of black craft foam. Roll the half-circle into a cone with a base slightly larger than the center of the ring, and secure the edge with glue dots. Tuck the cone’s base into the center of the ring. For the buckle, double-fold a sheet of foil to create a square shape. Snip out the center, then adhere it to the hat with glue dots.
