Festive Pumpkin

I like this pumpkin project because it is so versatile.  It could be made and used for Halloween decor but it also makes a festive Fall decoration or excellent Thanksgiving centerpiece.  The first thing is to choose a pumpkin that is the size and shape you like.  Next, cut a diamond shaped template from paper and trace around it with a pencil or marker placing pattern about halfway between the top and bottom of the pumpkin.  Draw directly on the pumpkin and space the diamond about an inch apart.

Next you will place a circular pattern of dots around the top of the pumpkin where you will drill holes.  I used a bowl to get a perfect circle and put a dot directly above each diamond pattern and then another dot evenly spaced between the next dot that was above the next diamond.

Cut the bottom of your pumpkin.  Use a sharp knife and try to cut through to the other side as level as possible.  Make your cut below the diamonds you have drawn on your pumpkin, perhaps an inch or two below them, leaving enough of a bowl at the bottom for a candle.  Hollow out the inside of your pumpkin using an ice cream scoop.  You can discard the seeds and pulp that you scrape out or cook what you remove if you want to.  Scoop the inside out leaving the surface inside as smooth as possible.

The next step is to drill the holes that encircle the top of the pumpkin and also the ones that are drawn between the diamond around the middle..  Use a bit that is a little smaller than the glass marbles you will be gluing over the holes.

I used a dremmel tool to drill through each point on the diamonds.  You could probably use an ice pick or anything sharp.  Having a small hole at each point makes it easier to cut the diamond out.  Using a small carving knife cut from corner to corner, removing the diamond shapes.

Put the top of the top of the pumpkin back on top of the bottom.  Here is a picture of my pumpkin after I have done all the drilling and carving.  Be creative.  You could drill another circular row of holes below the diamonds if you have room.

Have a selection of flat glass marbles, a glue gun and some extra glue sticks.  Squeeze some hot glue directly on to the pumpkin around each hole and quickly cover the hole with a flat marble.  Next you will use some glittery paint to outline each marble and further secure the marbles to the pumpkin.  If you do not do this the marbles will start to pop off as the pumpkin dries and shrinks.  The hot glue only holds them long enough for you to place the marbles and glue them with the paint.  Use the kind of paint that comes in small squeeze bottles with a a decorating tip.  It is the kind that people buy to decorate tshirts and other fabric projects.

Let the paint dry so you do not smear it when you add the wire.  You may also choose to outline the entire diamond with paint or just put dots of glitter paint in all four corners of your shapes.  I also smeared a little glitter on the stem of the pumpkin.  I used more glass marbles to go in the diamond cut-outs but it was very difficult to get the wire wrapped around each marble without it coming off.  Next time I will use some pretty beads about the same size so that I can run my wire through the center and secure it better.  Leave enough wire on each end to run it into the top and bottom of the diamond shape.  The wire penetrated the soft inside of the pumpkin without any trouble.  Spiral some wire around a pencil, slide it off and stick it into the pumpkin at the base of the stem. You may choose to put a small bead at the end of each wire spiral if you want to or choose a green wire instead of the gold.  Finally, carefully lift off the top of the pumpkin and put a candle inside.  The warm glow from inside and the lightcoming through the colored glass marbles makes a beautiful sight!