I love Halloween. I love the parties, I love the trick-or-treating , I love the crafts, I love decorating with my kids and I love to carve my Jack-O-Lantern.
What I do not love though, is the mess left behind on November 1, when the Jack-O-Lantern starts to rot on my front porch.
So I have combined two of my favorite Halloween activities – decorating with my kids and carving pumpkins – into one easy super-fun activity using paper-mache to make a long-lasting Jack-O-Lantern that won’t rot.
Paper-mache is a great material to work with – kids love getting sloppy and I love having a way to repurpose newspapers and junk mail circulars into something that will last for years and spark the memories of creating them with my kids them every year I take them out. The project is easy and will take about 1 or 2 days total, to let the paper-mache get totally dry.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
- Paper-mache paste – for the easiest recipe EVER, click here. Seriously, it’s easy. Super. Easy.
- Easy to clean work space and aprons (very important)
- 1 Large Balloon – 10 inch diameter (depending on how large you want your jack-o-lantern)
- Water based paint in Orange, Green and Yellow
- 1 Flameless candle or tealight or LED light string
- Small round cake pan – ideally half the size of the inflated balloon
- Masking tape
STEP 1: Clean the work area and make the paste
Once you have your batch of paper-mache paste and mound of cut up paper, you are ready to go!
STEP 2: Create the form
- Create the form by blowing up the balloon until it reaches about 10 inches in diameter (measured across the balloon). Round balloons work best to avoid giving your pumpkin a weird shape.
- Tie off balloon – the tie of the balloon will be the top of your pumpkin, where your stem will be.
STEP 3: Applying the first coat
This is where the fun stuff is – and there will be mess. Make sure to have aprons on and plenty of covering over your work area. It’s also a good idea to have a bowl of water to the side for rinsing hands. If your kids like hands on mess-making fun, they will love this!
- Dip strips of paper into the paste, removing excess by pulling strip between your index and middle fingers. This will make it easier to work with on the balloon and minimize mess and waste.
- Apply strip to the balloon, smoothing out any air bubbles underneath.
- Cover the entire balloon with strips making sure there are no gaps in the coverage.
- Tip: Food coloring will help here, especially if the color contrasts with the balloon. For example: Orange food coloring with a blue balloon will help you see your gaps.
- After covering the balloon, take any remaining paste and spread a coat over the balloon with a basting brush. This will give the first coat some extra strength when it dries.
- Set the finished balloon onto the cake pan with the balloon tie/stem up. The cake pan will keep the heavy balloon suspended and allow it to dry without rolling around or falling over. Sort of like drying Easter Eggs.
- Tip: If possible, position the balloon so that is rests a little on the bottom of the pan. The weight of the balloon resting on the pan will form a smallish flat spot on the bottom that will make it easier to display the finished pumpkin.
Step 4: Dry time
- Set the pumpkin in a dry, room temperature area to dry for at least a day or two.
- Actual drying time will depend on how thick the first coat was applied, how thick the paste was, how dry and warm the room is.
- Tip: Do not put the pumpkin outside in the sun or in an oven to dry faster. If it gets too hot, the heat will cause the air in the balloon to expand, pushing out the paper-mache and creating coverage gaps which will cause the pumpkin to collapse when the balloon deflates.
- Pumpkin will be dry when there are no spots visibly darker and/or softer than the rest of the pumpkin. If an area looks darker or you can push in on it, it needs more drying time. A good test is to wait until the bottom is entirely dry – once the bottom is dry, the rest of the pumpkin should be as well.
Step 5: Second coat and making the stem
- Add second coat (optional and may not be required).
- If your pumpkin feels flimsy or can be easily pushed in on in some places, then the walls may be too thin and you may need a second coat. If so, repeat Step 3, and you should only have to apply a second coat that is maybe one strip of paper thick.
- Creating the Stem:
- Make a small batch of paste using Step 1
- Crunch a few strips of paper together and bend them into a hook for your stem
- Tape the stem to the top of your dry pumpkin using masking tape
- Dip strips of paper into your paste and cover the masking tape so they will not show on your finished pumpkin.
- Use a basting brush to brush paste onto the area covering the masking tape, and to cover your stem.
Step 6: Final drying
- This should about a day to make sure your second coat and stem are completely dry.
Step 7: Carving and painting your Jack-O-Lantern
- Using a kitchen knife poke a hole around the stem, as if you are carving a real pumpkin. This will cause the balloon inside to deflate, but your pumpkin should retain its shape. Continue carving around the stem, creating a whole large enough to insert a flameless tealight or candle or LED light string.
- Continue carving the face of your jack-o-lantern
- Paint your Jack-O-Lantern: Orange for the exterior; Green for the stem; and Yellow for the inside. The Yellow will accentuate the light source inside and help give the Jack-O-Lantern a nice glow.
After the paint is done drying, insert your flameless tealight, candle or LED light string and proudly display your creation!! Your kids will love it, and you will love taking it out every year and the memories you made with your kids.
Please post photos of your Jack-O-Lantern. We would love to see and share your unique takes on our paper-mache pumpkin!