Pumpkin Luminaries
by Amanda Formaro
[originally from Kaboose.com]

Greet your trick or treating friends this year by lining your sidewalk or window sill with these glowing pumpkin luminaries craft you made yourself! Set aside a rainy afternoon for this fun and rewarding pumpkin craft.

What you'll need:

• Glass jars (we used canning jars available at the grocery store)
• ½ yard orange fabric
• Scraps of yellow fabric, small amounts needed
• Scissors
• White craft glue
• Old paintbrush
• Small bowl
• Water
• Black felt
• Tea light candles OR miniature flashlights

How to make it:

1. Begin by washing the jars and removing labels, if any. Dry completely.

2. Cut or rip orange fabric into strips approximately 3” long and 1” wide. They don’t have to be perfect.

3. From the yellow fabric, cut out eyes, noses, and mouths to put on your pumpkin faces.

4. Make a decoupage mixture by putting equal amounts of water and white craft glue into a bowl and mixing together.

5. Using your old paintbrush, apply some decoupage mixture to a small section of the jar.

6. Place the orange fabric on top of the glue, then apply a small amount of glue mixture on top of the fabric, securing it to the jar.

7. Continue with this process until the jar is completely covered in orange fabric. Overlap pieces as you go so that there are no open gaps.

8. Apply yellow facial features to your pumpkins with this same method and allow to dry completely (overnight is best).

9. When jars are dry and can be handled without damaging your work, measure out a piece of black felt to fit around the mouth of the jar.

10. Cut out the piece of felt and glue around the outside of the rim.

11. Place a miniature flashlight or a tea light candle inside each jar. (Make sure an adult lights the candle, and display it in a safe place.)

Tips:

1. Flashlights are safer than candles, so if possible use this alternative. Miniature flashlight will fit nicely into a jar and, provided the batteries are fresh, will burn all night long.

2. This can be a rather long project. It’s perfect for a rainy day when kids can’t play outside. You may want to cut the fabric scraps for them ahead of time and have them invite friends over to do the project with them.

3. Only small amounts of yellow fabric are needed and aren’t even completely necessary. You may also use black felt for the facial features as the yellow is only visible during the day and not at night while the pumpkins are illuminated. If you use yellow, don’t purchase anything larger than ¼ yard, unless you plan to use it for another project. Look for remnants on sale at the fabric store or ask a friend if she has any lying around you can have. Yellow felt is also an inexpensive alternative.

4. These jars can also double as fun holders for wrapped candy during the daytime hours.