Completed.

                            







this is the completed "Jack O' The Lantern".  The Light does not photograph well.

Jack O' The Lantern (part 4) Lighting

Now it's time to light your pumpkin.  You can use a Christmas village light (I got mine from Walmart's Christmas section)

You could also use LED candles or LED tea candles.


Carefully cut a keyhole shape in the bottom of your pumpkin.

This is how to put the Christmas light in:
You can use any color, I painted the clear light.  Yellow paint works, Maybe Orange.
one coat of paint will do.

Place light in the center of the bottom and tape it down.


     

                         

Mark for two holes on both sides of the cord

Jack O' The Lantern (part 3) The Mask

Now we make the mask.
This part is optional
You can use crafting foam sheets, cloth, felt, or cardboard.

I used some scrap cardboard.

To make the mask line up I used some old paper and taped
it over the lit Jack O'Lantern.

Trace your best mask shape over the eyes and cut out the pattern

Tape it to the mask material and trace it.
Cut it out and adjust to your  liking.

                           

Now you can paint the mask.

Jack O' The Lantern (part 2) The Hat

Here's where we make the witch hat. This step is optional.  You can put any hat on your pumpkin.

This is where the poster board comes in.  It can be any color.  I have chosen to paint it black.


I used fan covers to make the big circles. The first circle is going to be 18 inches (45.72cm)

Lay the fan cover or another big circle in the middle of the poster board and trace it.

 Carefully cut it out with scissors.

Next cut about halfway down from the bottom, then cut halfway from the side

 

The circle should have a quarter removed.

Take one side of the gap and fold or roll to the other side making a cone.  You can adjust it to the  size of your pumpkin.

                                         


After adjustments, you can glue or tape the cone together.

Jack O' The Lantern (part 1)

project concept

I have been waiting for this project for 5 years.  A Jack O' Lantern project based on the"Big Jack" or "bandit pumpkin" blow mold.

For this project you will need:

• Foam crafting pumpkin (from Michael's, Walmart or probably any craft store)
• Two sheets of large poster board, any color (optional )
• paintbrushes
• Orange, Yellow, or Apricot colored paint (craft section of Walmart or craft store)
• Black paint 
• String
• Felt or sheets of craft foam (optional)
• pumpkin carving knife or carving tool
• scissors
• glue
• marker or pen

This could a fun project for the weekend.  It should take about 2 to 4 hours to complete. If you have children, maybe they could help.

Maybe a black cat too

Let's start with the Jack O' Lantern.  The design of the face is up to you.  For this project I am going with a classic pattern.

Now when using a knife or any blade, make sure you exercise extreme caution.  Take your time when carving the face.  The foam could be hard or soft.



If the knife made rough edges on the shapes, use a file, rasp, or sandpaper to make it smooth.  This will be messy.



Now here's an optional step.  I like to paint the carved edges golden yellow or orange to look like a real pumpkin.

Hard to see, but the edges look real

     

Next time: The Witch Hat

Headless Horseman Selfie

Last October I was fooling around and wondered if  the Headless Horseman would take selfies.  one of these days I hope to get a Hessian uniform and do this right.

Now here's a swing jazz version of "The Headless Horseman" by Kay Starr