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Decorating for the Halloween holiday can be a lot of fun. However, sometimes there isn't enough money in the family budget for elaborate store-bought Halloween decorations. Instead of buying your holiday decorations, try making some of these cute Halloween pumpkin paper cutouts to decorate your home. They are also great for embellishing handmade greeting cards, gift bags and even your child's school lunch bag. If you make a number of pumpkin cutouts in various sizes, you'll have plenty to decorate your entire home. Although the photo shows a traditional orange pumpkin, you can also use white or cream colored paper to make "ghostly" white pumpkin decorations. Or, get creative and make Frankenstein pumpkin cutouts from green paper, or purple monster pumpkins. You're limited only by your own creative abilities and artistic talents.
Materials Needed:
- 1 piece of orange paper (construction paper or scrapbook card stock works well)
- 1 piece of black paper (same type and weight as the orange paper)
- Small scrap of brown paper (for the stem)
- Small scrap of green paper (if you want to add tendrils and leaves)
- 1 piece of plain white paper (card stock also works well)
- Several scrapbook "dimensional spacers" (small foam squares or circles with adhesive surfaces on both sides)
- 2 google eyes for each pumpkin
- Fine-tip black marker
- Other embellishments if desired (such as glitter, paint or other marker colors)
- Pencil
- Quick-dry tacky craft glue
- Small utility or craft knife
Instructions:
Sketch a pumpkin shape on the plain white piece of paper or card stock. This will become your pattern template. If desired, create a variety of different pumpkins shapes. You can also fold a piece of paper in half and draw one half of a pumpkin, cutting the shape out so that both sides of the shape look the same. Draw the pumpkin shape without the stem. Then, draw a second pattern for the stem.
Using the pumpkin template that you just created, trace it onto the back of your orange paper, so that you won't have to worry about erasing the lines later. Then, use the pencil to draw a jack-o-lantern face onto the pumpkin. Keep the face detail simple so that it is easy to cut with the craft knife.
Cut the pumpkin shape out using sharp scissors. Then, use the craft knife to carefully cut out the pumpkin's facial features.
Using the same pumpkin template, trace it onto the black paper. Do not draw a face on the black pumpkins shape. Cut the shape out with sharp scissors.
Trace the stem template onto the brown scrap of paper and cut out.
Turn the orange pumpkins shape upside down on the table. Apply several dimensional spacers, making sure they are not visible from the front. Then, peel the top layer off of the spacers, exposing the adhesive surface.
Place the orange pumpkin shape on top of the black shape, pressing down firmly so that the dimensional spacers stick securely.
Use quick-dry tacky craft glue to attach the google eyes to the part of the black background that shows through the eye openings.
Use craft glue to attach the stem. Add leaves and tendrils if desired.
Add lines and other details using a fine-tipped black marker.
Add any other embellishments as desired.
Professional designer Jessica Ackerman, writes for WallDecorandHomeAccents.com, and specializes in decorating with southwestern metal art decor and asian metal wall art.
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