Recycle an Old Fence Section into a Primitive Yard Jack O'Lantern

Make a big statement in your front yard this Halloween by painting a primitive Jack O'Lantern face on an old section of weathered fence boards.

I noticed this old section of fence when my oldest son was cleaning an area behind the garage. He had thrown it in a pile designated for trash. I immediately knew I could use it. I save everything, so I got an exasperated look. Yes, I've seen that look before. I knew if I was going to get my hands on this wood, I was going to have to transform it right away. This project took me a few days to complete, but it could have easily been done in a day, if I hadn't had other commitments.

I had a gallon of pumpkin orange exterior flat house paint mixed a couple of years ago for many of the projects I paint for fall craft shows. It was more economical to purchase a gallon than to buy all the little bottles that craft paint usually comes in. If you don't want that much orange paint, you can have smaller amounts mixed. I used acrylic enamel for the details on the Jack O'Lantern. All these paints will stand up to the weather very well.

Step 1
You will need a three board section of old weathered fencing. Each board is 7 1/4 inches wide and approximately 6-feet tall. If your don't already have a section, cut two, 22 1/2-inch long pieces of old 2x4s for the back cross slats. Lay them horizontal and spaced 34 inches apart. Cut three 7 1/4-inch wide by 6-foot long weathered fence boards and lay them vertically over the cross slats with each of the cross slats an equal distance from the ends of the fence boards. Use wood screws to attach the boards to the slats.

Step 2
Paint the front of the fence using orange exterior flat paint to make you pumpkin base. Allow the paint to dry and repeat if necessary.

Step 3
Cut three, 12-inch tall triangles with a bottom base 6 3/4 inches wide from newspaper. Cut a 11 1/2-inch wide by 21-inch long rectangle from newspaper. Using the picture as a reference, draw a large 6-inch thick smile shape the entire length of the newspaper rectangle and cut out.

Step 4
Arrange the triangles on the painted fence for the eyes and nose. The eyes are both 8 inches from the top on the two outer boards and the nose is 26 1/2 inches from the top on the middle board. Place the mouth on the board with the center top of the mouth 11 inches from the bottom of the nose. Trace around the shapes. Paint inside the shapes using black acrylic enamel paint.

Step 5
Draw around an old CD inside the bottom section of each eye. Paint the circle shapes using off-white acrylic enamel paint. Paint the off-white paint on the inside of the mouth. Follow the shape of the mouth, but paint 3/4 to 1 inch in from the edges.

Step 6
Place a drinking glass with an opening approximately 3 inches in diameter upside down and centered on the off-white pupil of an eye. Trace around the glass and repeat on the other eye. Paint the inside of the circles using black acrylic paint.

Step 7
Stand a 2-oz. paint bottle in the center of the black pupil of an eye and trace around it. Repeat on the other eye. Paint the inside of the circles using off-white acrylic enamel paint.

Step 8
Mix a small amount of black acrylic paint with water to make an inky consistency. Using a fine liner artist brush and the inky mixture, paint small stitch lines around the edges of the off-white eye circles and the off-white mouth, 1/8 inch from the edges. Paint a long smile line in the center of the off-white mouth. Paint vertical 1-inch stitch lines across the smile line.