Sunday, September 18, 2011

DIY Dollar Store Illuminated Pumpkin




Gotta love a project that comes entirely from the Dollar Store.
This DIY illuminated pumpkin  is just that.
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Here is how to do it...




Gather your materials from your local dollar store:  A couple of balloons, white glue, some twine and some twinkle lights if you don’t already have some kickin’ around. You might want to use a pair of thin rubber gloves too.
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I used two plastic containers.  One to pour the glue into the other to hold the inflated balloon.
Blow up the balloon to the size you want your pumpkin to be. I intend to make a couple more in different sizes to accompany this one.
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Pour some white glue into one of the containers.  I used a foam brush to paint the entire balloon with glue, although you really don’t need to use the foam brush you can use your gloved hands.  Cut a good length of twine and dip the entire cut piece into the container with the glue.  Cut it as long as possible but not too long so that it gets all tangled up.  Start gluing your glue covered twine to the balloon starting at the bottom. Make sure to tuck your loose ends in behind the other twine nice and neatly.  Go in all different directions, leave some obvious holes, it doesn’t need to be perfect.
Leave a hole at the top and at the bottom of your balloon.  Just get your fingers in there and pry the wet twine apart into a nice neat hole at both ends.  The top hole doesn’t need to be too big, just big enough to insert a stick or stem.
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The bottom hole should be slightly bigger.  Big enough to place your pumpkin over a battery operated tea light or to insert your twinkle lights.
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Run your glue covered hands (and they will be) over all the twine, then place back on your container and allow to dry.  Remember to turn it around so the bottom dries too.
When your pumpkin is ALMOST dry (mine took about 2 hours)  it will still be slightly pliable.
Pop the balloon.  Be warned that your twine will still be stuck to the balloon and the entire pumpkin might seem to cave in, but you’ll be able to get it back into shape.
Once the balloon is out of the pumpkin, take your hands and make an indent at the top to form the top of the pumpkin, where you will eventually put your stem. After you get the correct shape allow to completely dry, twine will be very hard.
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So now your pumpkin will be stiff and have a hole at the top and bottom
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At this point you can paint your pumpkin whatever color you choose. I chose two colours.  I sprayed mine with the dark bronze first and them lightly sprayed it with gold.  Both paints I already had on hand.  Glitter would be great as well, if you’re a glittery type of person.
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For the lights, you can certainly use a small string of twinkle lights the way they are, but I found them a bit too green this way.
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So I took some black spray paint and sprayed the cord being careful not to spray the lights.  I didn’t get the entire cord black, just enough to take away some of the green.
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Insert your lights into the bottom of the pumpkin, allow them to bunch up.
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At this time of year it’s not hard to find a branch or twig.  The half dead tree in my yard provides me with twigs and dead branches all the time.  Insert the stem, glue it in place. Stand back and enjoy.
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The lights cast the most amazing shadow on the wall
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And with my black framed picture behind it.
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I think I’ll make a couple more.  I hope you give it a try.
fall leaf





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75 comments:

  1. Love the twine pumpkin and how the shadows from the lights!

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  2. Oh I love that!! Will have to try it myself!

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  3. so cute... I would love to make one.. I hope I have enough time to do it :) thank you.

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  4. Thats adorable, how did you get the stick to stay in the top though, did you use a hot glue gun? or did you somehow wire it into there?

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  5. *Jumping up and down* All I need are the lights!
    I so love this. Will be sharing your post on my blog!
    Thanks

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  6. Wonderful project, looks kind of easy. Do you know in google reader, none of your pictures showed up? Wonder why.?

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  7. It looks terrific. I will definitely give this a shot.

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  8. What a clever idea, I love the twine and how it twinkles!

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  9. Wow! This is such a great idea. It looks so much like a premade pumpkin I have made out of vines, but better because I love the look and texture of the twine. I may borrow your illuminated idea to use with mine though. This is such a fantastic project. Great job!

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  10. Great project, Lisa! You've actually brought me back in time with this. I did this type of craft when I was a kid growing up in Brooklyn, but I have no idea what it was we made. I may have to give this a try!

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  11. Kim... I will probably edit the post to include this, but for now... The stick was hot glued to fit the hole. You can do whatever works for your project. The hot glue is probably the safest bet though.
    Thanks
    Lisa

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  12. This is cute as a button..I just MIGHT be able to carry this one off. Uh, how does the stick stay in the top hole?
    oops, I just saw...hot glue. Ok

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  13. Wow... this is so pretty AND rustic at the same time! Love it!

    Donna

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  14. I just saw these in a couple of catalogs for a ton of money. Now I can make one for next to nothing. Thanks so much for the tutorial :)

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  15. I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!! How much is it??? Oh wait is it for sale??? :)))))))))))

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  16. Scatter...whom you'll see in comments above...posted a link to this and I am so glad she did. I can't wait to make one with my granddaughter!

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  17. Love it!! Thanks for showing how easy it is. I wanna try it!

    Pinning on pinterest. :)

    Cheers,
    Tracy Screaming Sardine

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  18. Love it! I'm posting this to Pinterest. Thanks for the tutorial!
    --Jill
    from Jill Made It

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  19. Wow, this is one of those All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten projects -- but totally glammed up! LOVE it!

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  20. Great idea! I actually just pulled out a similar pumpkin and mini-lights separately yesterday and now I know what to do with them!

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  21. Oh my gosh! So fun! I am ABSOLUTELY
    going to do this! Your tute was awesome. :)

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  22. This is a great idea. Will have to give this project a try. Love the way it looks with the lights inside.
    I would love it if you could stop by my 1st Linky Party that started today and link one of your projects (this would be a great one!). I always look forward to receiving your posts in my in-box.
    www.projectqueen.org

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  23. I love these pumpkins that you see in the stores, however I refuse to pay that much money for one. Now, I can make my own a lot cheaper :).

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  24. Ohmygoodness, what a gorgeous pumpkin! It looks soo cute, I bet it's even better at night! Thanks for the tutorial :)

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  25. This is beautiful! I LOVE it!!! Thanks for sharing!!

    evie @ brown paper packages

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  26. Fantastic DIY! You did a great job. Thanks for the awesome tutorial.
    Hope to see you on my blog:)

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  27. How cool is that!! I just may have to try this one out myself! Thanks for the great tutorial.

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  28. This is such an adorable idea! I may have to give it a whirl! :D

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  29. This is awesome!! I absolutely love it. I just made some yarn/twine pumpkins but there twinkly one take the cake!

    New follower. Stop by and visit us @ http://everything-underthemoon.blogspot.com

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  30. This is amazing!!! I saw your post from Knockoff Decor's FB page, and I am so glad I found your blog!!!

    I will be bragging about you over at my blog and linking my readers back to this FABULOUS tutorial!!!

    http://www.lovetaryn.blogspot.com

    Love,
    Taryn

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  31. How wonderful! I'm going to try making these this weekend!

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  32. Amazing! This is gorgeous! I can't wait to race to the Dollar Tree after work and get started on one of these! I'm going to post about this amazing tute! Thanks again for sharing.

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  33. Lisa,

    What a lovely project. I may have to make one of those.

    Thanks for sharing. visiting from Knockoff Decor.

    Cherie
    http://dragonfliezcreationz.blogspot.com

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  34. FABULOUS!! I'm going to feature this on my "link love" post for tomorrow morning. :)

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  35. Just pinned that cute little pumpking as fast as my fingers could hit the buttons! Darling idea. Looks like Pottery Barn!

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  36. Fab-u-lous!!! What a great idea. Chique and stylish.

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  37. Hi Lisa! You have just been awarded with the Versatile Blogger Award! Your blog is an inspiration. To find out more about this award check out this post: http://perfectimperfectionsbyjeanne.blogspot.com/2011/09/versatile-blogger-award.html

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  38. This is amazing, Lisa! What a simple craft, yet the finished project looks spectacular.

    Thanks for linking to Time Travel Thursday. Hope to see you again this week.

    Liz @ The Brambleberry Cottage
    http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/

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  39. Love this!!! I made one of my own and blogged about it today! You can check it out at:
    http://sandysewz.blogspot.com/2011/09/another-fall-project.html

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  40. Thanks for the great tutorial - here from Knock Off Decor and currently have my pumpkin drying in the garage right now! I can't wait to see the end result sitting on my mantel for fall! (And my 4 yr old daughter LOVED helping me with this craft - thanks again!)

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  41. Absolutely love this! Easy and inexpensive - my kind of project! I pinned in on Pinterest and will be trying it soon.

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  42. love it! will be trying this!

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  43. Lisa, I love this idea, thanks for sharing. I made a version of my own, and linked back to your tutorial. Thanks for the inspiration.
    http://www.lifeisaparty.ca/2011/twine-pumpkins/

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  44. What a great project! :) I've featured this post on Craft Gossip here:
    http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/illuminated-pumpkin/

    If you would like a "featured by" button, you can grab one here:
    http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/grab-a-craft-gossip-button/

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  45. I love your pumpkin! And it is easy enough for my grandkids to make some :) Thanks for sharing your instructions! I can't wait to make some!! My hometown has the Ohio Pumpkin Festival every year and what a great decoration to put on the porch!!

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  46. You could also use those little tea lights in the bottom so it glows from the inside out :) We are doing something similar for Halloween, but using glow sticks for an eerier effect!

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  47. Wow! Super clever! It looks great!! Thanks for linking up to The "Autumn Décor" Talent Scouting Party at WhisperWood Cottage!

    P.S. Please send an email when the party button is added! :)

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  48. This is such a great idea! Thanks for the great tutorial, I'm definitely adding it to my fall to-do list :)

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  49. What a clever idea. Looks awesome. Thanks for sharing. I can't wait to make one.

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  50. I tried doing this and it didn't work. =[ the twine kept coming off, so i tried a different glue. Still no luck. Do you have any suggestions or tips? I really want to make it!!


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    1. Hi there
      I'm sorry you're having troubles with it. I believe the answer may be to use more glue. The twine has to be loaded with glue... so much so, that the twine just about looks white. Don't worry it will dry clear.
      Dip the twine in the little cup of glue, leave as much glue on as as possible, and wrap. When you've wraped, smear the excess glue all over. Put some more on if you have to.
      Wrap in all different directions so twine will cross over itself to secure it down. Hope this helps!
      Lisa

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  51. opps my email is alinka7xx@gmail.com


    http://alinka7xx.wordpress.com/

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  52. Love this ~ I'm featuring it today on my site with full acknowledgement of you as the originator. Have a wonderful weekend!

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  53. So Cute! I blog over at http://2crafty4myskirt.blogspot.com/ This Thursday I will be posting a round up of handmade pumpkins. I plan to include this project with a link to your tutorial. Please let me know if you are not OK with that. Great work!

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  54. Love this idea and will definitely try, thank you

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  55. Awesome tutorial! I love the grapevine pumpkins but they are sooo expensive! This is a great substitute...thanks for sharing!

    Have a great week!
    Amy
    www.homesweetthriftyhome.com

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  56. Brilliant! I love the way this looks. I purchased my supplies today to make my own. Thanks for the tute.

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  57. This is awesome! Grapevine pumpkins are so expensive and I was looking for a way to make one without breaking my budget! I will definitely be giving this a try!

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  58. I love your projects. Could you make a printable set of directions available for us?

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    1. Hi there. I just did up a pdf version for someone else and would be happy to send it to anyone who wants it. Please send me your email address.
      Thanks
      Lisa

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  59. I am getting married this fall. I love the look of the vine pumpkins, but they are so expensive. I found these and can't wait to make them. I do have two questions though:
    1. If I were to make them now, they would hold up until fall, correct?
    2. Would it matter if I used fabric glue or just regular glue? Would both work?

    Thanks!

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    1. Hello Liz. I have had mine for several years now, and it's still good as new. They should hold up for years and years if stored properly.
      I can only vouch for the white craft glue as I did not use fabric glue. I'm not familiar with how hard or stiff the fabric glue gets. The white craft glue will definitely work. Have fun with yours!

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  60. I'm heading to Dollar Tree now! I needed several centerpieces for a fall-themed party but didn't want to spend a bunch of money to make the number I need. This should be just perfect! Thanks.

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  61. The photo is great! However, I tried to make the pumpkins last night and followed directions to the letter. After the balloons were popped, the twine collapsed. So disappointed. The directions sound easy and I will try again. But for those whose projects popped, don't give up!

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    1. Angelita... I'm sorry to hear that. Maybe you could have inserted another balloon inside and blew it up inside your form ?? In any case.. mine took about 2 hours to get it almost hard, but pliable enough to make the indent. Depending on how much glue you use, it might take longer. Get it to the point that its hard, but you will still need it to have a little give so you can indent the top. Monitor it every half hour after 1.5 hours. Please try again..I'm sure it will work.

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  62. I absolutely love this pumpkin. The colors you used have really made it worse, especially with the lights!

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