Punkin' head

I love making new things from old stuff

Hi!
Well, things around here are looking very Halloweenie!
My neighbor and BFF Gianna was wavering between being a dragon and a knight.  So cute! I love to help out with costume dilemmas! I gave Allie, her mom, an old blouse that was silver and sparkly for her knight's chain maille cowl. And found G's dragon costume at a resale shop. Afterward I had my favorite Kindergartner Gianna over to help me with this great, simple holiday project. I found it in Family Fun magazine, and embellished it.

Today's project is:

Jar Pumpkins

You will need:
~old jars, no lids (labels off)
       pickle, olive, jelly, etc.
~orange paint (acrylic or tempera)
~green raffia, green silk leaf
~votive candle or battery candle
~painter's tape, or masking tape

To remove the labels, I soak a paper towel and wrap around the jar. Let it stand for a few hours, re-wetting periodically. The label should come off easily. You can use a single edge razor blade to scrape off any remainder.

Cut eye, nose and mouth pieces from the tape and adhere to the dry, clean jar.

Paint over the whole thing, on the outside. Not the bottom, but do the top edge.

When it dries, remove the tape to reveal the face. I sprayed it with fixative to help keep the paint from scraping off, but you don't need to do this, if you are careful with surface.

Take the green raffia and wrap around the top several times, and tie securely. Take a leaf and glue gun it to the raffia. (optional).

Put the candle or battery operated candle in and let the punkin' glow! The painting part is so easy, any age can do it. Gee had a ball, and loved her pumpkin family (she made four different sizes). These look great on the front porch steps, or grouped on the fireplace mantel.

tip of the day:
If you ever buy a cake or pie or veggie tray and it has a sturdy plastic lid, don't throw it away. Take off the paper. This is great for using under a large planter pot to catch the excess watering.  I have used these for a salad or casserole that I am taking to a potluck, and don't care if I get the container back.  It holds candy for Halloween trick or treaters and lots of other uses. Be creative and recycle!
that's all for today!
Dee