Pumpkin
Papier Mache!
Every year we spend a fortune on
pumpkins. Then we make a huge mess carving them, but since display
pumpkins don't really have good "meat" and baking pumpkins don't
make great jack o' lanterns ..... we throw away the innards.
Then, as the pumpkin rots on the front porch, or the squirrels and other
critters sneak up to gnaw on them, we have to explain to the little ones
why they can't keep them.
Alternatively, we can have permanent pumpkins (which do cause a storage
problem!) Instead of dropping between $7.00 and $20.00 on the ones you buy
... why not spend a messy afternoon or two with the kids?
You will need:
Balloons (the rounder the better)
Paper mache mix OR newspapers, flour and water
Something to stand them in to dry
Paint - lots of orange! some green and brown Instructions:
Blow
up the balloons to pumpkin size. Cover them with paper mache (either
following the manufacturer's instructions, or by mixing flour and water to
a gloopy liquid and stripping newspaper to layer on the balloon with the
flour paste) to make a roundish shape. Let them dry. Some products let
you bake the object at 150 degrees to get it dry the same day. Remove the
balloon. Add more paper mache to reshape until you are satisfied with the
size and shape of your pumpkin.
Bonus: if you like, before the paper mache gets too thick, cut out a jack
o 'lantern face.
When the pumpkin is well and truly dry,
paint!
I've bought orange spray paint, and then several shades of orange craft
paint. I sprayed the pumpkin orange, and then used the other shades to
make it more realistic. It was less expensive, and less time consuming,
than painting the whole thing orange and didn't risk getting the pumpkin
soggy.
If you've made a stem, use the brown and green to paint it.
TADA - pumpkins! And they'll be there next year too! Or, since they were
cheap, you can do it again next year (and if you store the paint properly,
you can use the left-overs.
Helen Pope
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