Looking for fall decor inspiration? These pumpkins are a low cost, easy craft to create. You could even paint faces onto them or other designs to make them unique! The paper mache can be a bit messy, but if you lay newspaper down, then it makes the clean up much easier.
I made a bunch of these for a craft night at the library, so I don't think I'll do paper mache again for awhile, but it's such a fun craft! This would be a great activity for fall with a group of friends (or family)!
Materials:
Plastic bag (any shopping bag will do)
Poly-fil stuffing (similar stuffing will work also)
Liquid glue (Elmer's glue works great)
Container for the glue (disposable cups work great)
Plastic stirrer for glue mixture
Newspaper (LOTS of it)
String or thin yarn
Scissors
Painter's tape
Instructions:
Start by making the base for the paper mache. To do this, start by stuffing your plastic bag with the poly-fil. If you want a smaller pumpkin, cut the bag in half before stuffing. Once the bag has been stuffed, tie it into a knot at the top, securing the stuffing in the bag.
Cut four equal pieces of string. Wrap one tightly around the bag before knotting it at the top, near where the bag knot is. Repeat wrap and knot the other strings around the bag. It should start to look like a pumpkin now. If there are any weird spots where the plastic is sticking out or bunching up, feel free to use some painter's tape to hold it in place.
Take all the strings from the top, along with the bag handles that were knotted at the top, and wind them together. I braided mine. Use a piece of tape to secure the bundle of string and plastic. This will be the stem. Tape all around the stem, and then cut off the top where you want the stem to end. Tape the top.
Now that the base for the paper mache is done, you can mix up the glue. Take a plastic cup and fill it about halfway to three quarters full of glue. Then, fill it the rest of the way up with water. Stir well.
Take a sheet of newspaper and begin tearing it into small strips (about 1/2 inch wide and 1-2 inches long). You want to tear them because the torn strips adhere better than if you were to cut them. Continue tearing the paper into strips until you've used almost the whole sheet.
Submerge the newspaper strips in batches of 3 to 6 into the glue mixture. Once the cup is full, you can start placing the newspaper strips onto the paper mache base you made earlier. Continue placing the newspaper strips until the top half of the pumpkin is completely covered.
I recommend waiting and letting the top half of the pumpkin dry, before finishing up the lower half. This should take at least a day or two.
When the whole pumpkin has been paper mache-d and everything is completely dry, you can begin painting the pumpkin. I painted mine a classic orange and brown, but you could use any color! Let the pumpkin sit until the paint has dried. Enjoy your finished pumpkin decoration!
Comments