Did you know that because pumpkins were abundant during harvest, they became tied to Thanksgiving feasts as a symbol of gratitude and plenty? In the early days, pumpkins were hearty, stored well through winter and could be baked, roasted or made into pies. In fact, early pumpkin pies were actually pumpkin shells filled with sweetened, spiced milk baked in hot ashes. Yum!
Well, we won’t be using real pumpkins for this project, but we will be creating a cute fall décor piece we can bring out year after year.
Supplies:
- Fake white pumpkin (the Styrofoam paper mâché kind)
- Old book or newspaper
- Mod Podge
- Paint brush
- Ribbon (optional)
- Hot glue (optional)
Basic Instructions:
1. I prefer to start with a white pumpkin when using book scraps. If you don’t have a white pumpkin, you can paint yours and let it dry first.
2. Tear ¼ to ¾ inch wide strips of your book pages or newspaper.
3. Use a paintbrush to apply thin lines of Mod Podge where you want your first strip of paper to stick to the pumpkin, working from top to bottom.
4. Apply the paper strip, then apply more Mod Podge on top to seal it in.
5. Repeat this process, overlapping your strips as you go so they lay as flat as possible.
6. Add a bow to the top with hot glue or super glue (optional).
Tip: Use the back end of your brush to help push the paper down into the pumpkin’s creases. It helps to let it dry slightly before smoothing out the creases and wrinkles.
