Pumpkin creature

Hands-on time: Less than an hour.
Total time: Less than an hour.
Skill: Easy and kid-friendly.
Cost estimate: $13 each.

Materials & Tools

• 3 pumpkins in assorted sizes from, small, medium to large
• Large terra-cotta planter
• 2 small crab apples
• Hammer and nails
• 1 grape cluster
• 3 small pinecones
• 2 flower stems (I used Sedum known as Autumn Joy)
• Gardening clippers and scissors
• Assorted leaves
• Newspapers
• Green and orange acrylic craft paint
• 1-inch craft paintbrush
• Raffia and ornamental grass
• Assorted small gourds for accents (optional)

Pumpkin creatures can be a real scream for ghouls and goblins that come calling on Halloween night, and they're less messy than pumpkin-carving. The kids can help with this project after school while they wait for trick-or-treating. These decorative pumpkin creatures are fun and easy to create.

Start by removing the stems from the two larger pumpkins, and then stack all three up in a large terra-cotta planter, from the biggest one to the smallest. Use crab apples for the eyes and a grape cluster for the mouth. Place the flower stems between the top and middle pumpkins for the arms. For the buttons, use the small pinecones. Use hammer and nails to secure all these items to the pumpkins.

Next, make a leaf-pattern skirt to cover the planter. Cut out a piece of craft paper to fit around the planter, and lay it down flat on your work area. Place some leaves, vein-side up, on top of newspapers. Paint some green and some orange. Then rub each leaf onto the craft paper to make the imprint. Continue randomly until the paper is completely covered with the leaf impressions, and let dry. Drying should only take about 15 minutes (use a hairdryer to speed up the process).

Wrap the decorated paper around the planter, fastening it in place by tying raffia around it. Slip ornamental grass into the raffia as a garnish. Add small gourd accents around the planter for extra panache.

Variations

• You can add a carrot nose to your pumpkin creature, or even a scarf. For the arms, you can basically use any fall foliage, or even just branches.
• There are no bones about it, this Halloween project is a hoot. You can add creepy spiders, bugs, and webs to complete the trick. Use your imagination to make this project bizarre, funny, or as spooky as you want.