As an avid “pinner,” I recently saw a fun Halloween craft that involved using duct tape to decorate pumpkins. The photos were so cute, but the fact that the directions specified using real pumpkins bothered me, because all that expensive tape would be wasted and dumped in the landfill when pumpkin rotted.
My “green” twist on this project is replacing real pumpkins with plastic or foam versions that can be stored and displayed for many years to come. If you get tired of them, simply re-decorate them down the road. They can literally be used forever.
The cost of this project was about eight dollars for one completed pumpkin. This included the price of the pumpkin and a roll of tape.
This project is suitable for ages 13, up, and help may be needed to rip the tape. It’s easy and quick. Our 17 year old exchange student was happy that it didn’t take a lot of time away from his socializing with friends. Instant-gratification is the goal with teens these days!
The only supplies needed are a faux pumpkin (can be any size, shape, weight), and some fun varieties of duct tape. Our pumpkins were about 25” round and required only about half a roll of “Duck” brand duct tape.
The project is simplified by tearing several long pieces of tape ahead of time, as rolling the tape directly onto the pumpkin is a little more challenging.
To decorate: Just start at the top of the pumpkin with the end of your strip, and press down along the crease between each “bump” of the pumpkin, taking time to press the tape into the crease as you make your way down.
Once all the creases are covered, rip strips of tape to fill in the gaps where pumpkin is showing. We found ripping the strips in half suited the size of the gaps. This will vary depending on the size and shape of your pumpkin.
To finish, we did a few small pieces around the stem, to fill in gaps.
Are you trying this project? We’d love to hear how it worked for you.
