Spooky Cute Pumpkin Spool

By General Crafts Contributor Michelle

DIY Spooky Cute Pumpkin Spool  - These would make great place card holders!

Celebrate the arrival of fall by creating a whimsical little pumpkin decoration using air dry clay and a wooden spool.   He’s so cute it’s spooky!

Spool 2

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own pumpkin spool:

  • DAS Air-Hardening Clay.
  • A two-inch styrofoam ball.
  • A wooden spool.
  • Acrylic craft paint in various colors.  I used brown, orange, black, and white.
  • Crackle medium.
  • Paint brushes.
  • Yarn.  I used black and orange.
  • Scissors.
  • A small stick.
  • Ultra-fine transparent glitter.
  • Sulyn Vintage Sparkle Glitter in Slivered Tinsel Town.
  • Hot glue gun and glue sticks.
  • White glue.
  • Crepe paper, rhinestones, or other small embellishments.

Spool 3

The first step to creating your pumpkin is to cover the styrofoam ball with a thin layer of clay.  It doesn’t have to be perfectly smooth, the ball just needs to be evenly covered.

Spool 4

Next, roll some small “snakes” of clay and begin attaching them around the ball, top to bottom, to form pumpkin ridges.

Spool 5

Use your fingers to press the edges of the ridges onto the surface of your pumpkin, smoothing them as you go.  I like to keep a small dish of water nearby so I can dampen my fingertips as I work, I find it makes smoothing the clay much easier.   Your pumpkin doesn’t need to be completely free of lumps and bumps, they add character to your finished piece, so don’t get too wrapped up in making it perfect.  Once you have added your ridges, take a small stick and push it into the top of your pumpkin (and into the styrofoam to anchor it) for the stem.  Let the clay dry according to the package directions.

Spool 6

When your clay is completely dry, paint the pumpkin a dark reddish brown color.  This will be the undercoat  color for the crackle finish.  Let the paint dry, and then apply a coat of crackle medium to your pumpkin, and let it dry according to the directions.

Spool 7

While you’re waiting for the crackle medium to dry, you can begin decorating the spool your pumpkin will sit on.  Using  yarn, I wrapped alternating stripes of orange and black to cover my spool.  I began each stripe by wrapping the yarn around the spool once, tying a knot (and leaving a long tail on one side), and then wrapping the yarn around the spool a couple more times, finishing each stripe by tying off the yarn using the tail I left in the beginning.  Trim the tails.

Spool 8

When your crackle medium has dried, apply your orange paint over the whole pumpkin in a single coat. Fill in any places you missed immediately, and try not to brush back over what you already painted, as that can disturb the crackling process.  Let your pumpkin dry completely, and then hot glue it to your spool.

Spool 9

Using a small brush and your black paint, give your pumpkin a face.

Spool 10

I painted my basic face in black first, let it dry, and then added more detail after using orange and white.

Pretty Pumpkin Spool

When your face is dry, apply a very thin coat of white glue to your pumpkin, and then dust it with your clear ultra-fine glitter.  Let that dry, and then finish your pumpkin by embellishing it with tinsel glitter around the stem, and any other sort of pretties you desire.  To embellish my spool, I made a small crepe paper rosette with tinsel glitter on the edges and a vintage looking rhinestone in the center.

Make one spooky cutie to decorate your shelf, or a whole pumpkin patch!

Happy Crafting!

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