Halloween Pumpkin Craft: Recycle Old Foam Pumpkins with Decoupage

Some of my foam carved pumpkins are over 10 years old, and in recent years I've pulled them out of storage to find pieces broken off and the carving is no longer recognizable. Before I throw anything away, I always try to find another use for it. Waste not, want not, right?

I've given my old pumpkin a decoupage treatment with pretty fall colored papers. It's a cheap Halloween craft. It's an easy Halloween craft. I'm in love with it and plan to make a growing collection of these rescued broken foam pumpkins.

I went for a rustic, patchwork style since it fit with my country-style interior and my raggle-taggle gypsy Halloween screen porch theme. You can apply different style papers or colors to vary the pattern to come out with different looks:

• Use white lacy print paper for a shabby chic pumpkin.
• Try green typing paper and decoupage on some facial features like eyes and a nose.
• Disney fan? Decoupage it with a solid color then with cut-out images of Disney characters.
• Make a statement on recycling by using newspaper to decoupage it.
• Re-cover it with orange for a fresh, new paper pumpkin to paint.

You Will Need:

• An old foam pumpkin or two
• Masking or painter's tape
• Elmer's glue
• Water
• An old plastic container for mixing
• A stick or plastic spoon for mixing
• Cheap craft paint brush
• Paper
• Clear acrylic sealer (optional)

Instructions:

1. Tape over carved areas to give your pumpkin a smooth surface.
2. Mix about 3 parts Elmer's glue to 1 part water in an old container. You could use other white craft glue if you have it, or Mod Podge, but I like the quality of Elmer's for the price.
3. Optional- brush the glue mixture over the tape and cover it with strips of orange printer paper. Then brush more glue over the paper to seal it. I did this because some of my papers are transparent and I didn't want to see big blue blots through them. If your papers are opaque, you can skip this step.
4. Rip papers into strips. It is easier to get smaller strips to lay flat on a rounded surface than a single, big piece. I chose some coordinating Turkish card making paper I happened to have in marbleized patters. I also used an autumn theme print tissue gift wrap paper.
5. Brush some glue on the back of a strip of paper, and on the pumpkin. Lay it down and stroke it with your fingers or a craft stick to smooth it out. You want it to conform into the pumpkin creases and lay flat.
6. Continue adding strips of paper, mixing and matching if you want. Slightly overlap them. Smooth them out as you go. Cover the entire pumpkin, including the stem if you like.
7. Let the first layer of glue dry. Brush it again with the glue mixture and let it dry. Brush it one last time if desired to give it a good, solid seal.
8. Optional- take it outdoors and spray it with a clear acrylic matte sealer (non-yellowing with UV protection). Let it dry 24 hours, spray again. 24 hours later, spray again. This will give it a moisture resistant coat if you want to keep your pumpkin outside, though it's not recommended to leave it out in the rain.