Halloween Décor

• Take a paper bag and stuff it with old newspapers, leaving a few inches at the top.
• While filling, shape them so it's round or oblong. Tie the top with string, leaving a few inches of the top of the bag for the stem.
• Scrunch the top so that it looks like a pumpkin stem. Using poster or spray paint, color the "pumpkin" orange, leaving the "stem" as is.
• For an eerie effect, use glow-in-the-dark paint.
• Decorate your haunt with a bunch of them to create a pumpkin patch.

• Cover your work area (a countertop, table, or floor) with newspapers or a sheet of heavy plastic.
• Decide whether you will be cutting the top or the bottom off of the pumpkin in order to remove the seeds. If you cut a hole in the top, you'll have an easy way to vent the heat from a candle. If you cut off the bottom, you'll have easier access for an electric light cord.
• Cut a hole about 6 inches in diameter
• Draw the jack-o-lantern design on a piece of paper and transfer the design to the pumpkin.
• After drawing the circular area for the lid (or bottom), begin cutting with a knife or pumpkin saw.
• Cut the top out holding the knife at a 45° , with the tip of the knife pointing toward the center of the pumpkin, so that the lid has a surface to sit on and it won't slip through the opening into the pumpkin.
• Choose which side of the pumpkin will be the "front". Then on the backside make a mark with a pen or cut a slit in both the lid and the adjoining pumpkin edge to mark how the lid should be realigned after carving.
• Pull out the strings and seeds. Scrape this material away from the sides and the bottom with a heavy serving spoon.
• Continue scraping till the pumpkin is free of all seeds and strings.
• Draw a face or other design onto the pumpkin. Do a casual pumpkin with a freehand design or trace a pattern especially designed for pumpkins.
• Carve the design on Pumpkin with the help of a knife or some other suitable implement.
• Test the look of your design by inserting a votive candle or flashlight into the pumpkin. Dim the room's lights to get the full effect. You'll be able to see where additional areas may need to be carved away or expanded to better showcase the design.