Make Kooky Pumpkin Creatures

You'll need classic orange pumpkins in all different sizes to make this honey bear.

How-Tos
1. To make the body, attach a medium-size pumpkin to a larger pumpkin with a 3/4-inch wooden dowel (use a drill to make holes in each).
2. For the arms and legs, cut the top off of orange gourds, hollow out, and attach to pumpkin body with 1/2-inch wooden dowels.
3. Use Jack Be Little pumpkins for the face. Cut one in half for the ears, cut two in half for the eyes (use the pumpkin tops with stem). Make bear's snout with a small orange pumpkin, halved and hollowed out. Attach to head with bamboo skewers.

No need to be slow and steady in crafting these quick and easy critters.

Tortoise How-Tos
1. Start with a large pumpkin stem side down and carve lines in the "tortoise's shell" with a fruit and vegetable corer.
2. To create the eyes, slice two Jack Be Little white pumpkins in half, and secure to medium-size pumpkin with bamboo skewers. Quarter one orange Jack Be Little pumpkin and discard inside to create the eyelid. Secure with hot glue.
3. Etch mouth shape using a fruit and vegetable corer.
4. Place four Jack Be Little pumpkins for feet and one small squash gourd for tail.

Hare How-Tos
1. Attach two white pumpkins together with 1/2-inch wooden dowel (use a drill to make holes in each).
2. Use a melon baller to create eye sockets and press a straight pin through a black pom-pom into the center.
3. Hot-glue strands of raffia under a cranberry for whiskers and nose.
4. Cut the tail ends off of two gourds and attach to the head with skewers as ears.

A gourd with a long, curved stem becomes a purr-fect cat body and tail. Use teeny white turnips for the mice.

Cat How-Tos
1. Attach pumpkin to gourd with a 1/2-inch wooden dowel (use a drill to make holes in each).
2. Cut two triangular gourds in half and attach to top of pumpkin with skewers as ears.
3. Etch eye and mouth shapes using a fruit and vegetable corer, and attach black pom-pom to eyes with straight pins.
4. Hot-glue strands of raffia under a black pom-pom for whiskers and nose.
5. Place two small gourds at front of body for paws.
6. To make the mice, peel and shape turnips into a egg shapes. Cut small triangle shapes from a separate turnip and pin on as ears.

Black chenille-stem legs and cranberry eyes bring acorn-squash insects to life.

Ant How-Tos
1. Connect three acorn squash together with a bamboo skewer.
2. Use a melon baller to create the eye sockets, and then stick a straight pin through a cranberry and into the center.
3. Dig two small holes in the top of the "head" with a pointed object and insert chenille stems for antennae. Twist six chenille stems together and hot-glue to the bottom of middle squash.
 

Use pumpkins, gourds, and fall leaves to make this magical creature.

Dragon's Breath How-Tos
1. Find a white oval shaped gourd, or paint one white.
2. Attach two mini pumpkins to the top as eyes.
3. Use a green gourd at the base for front legs, and cut off the tops to help it stand.
4. Glue the cut pieces of the green gourd onto your mini pumpkin eyes.
5. Use long, windy gourds for the body of the dragon -- make sure you cut your gourds where necessary so they will stand on their own.
6. Attach two funnel-shaped flowers for the nostrils and a few colorful leaves to serve as dragon?s fire.

Whooo could resist such a beautiful pumpkin creation?

Owl How-Tos
1. Carve out the beak and eyeholes.
2. Use hot-glue to affix sunflower seeds around the eyes.
3. Stick craft sticks into the top for ears and the bottom for feet, then attach sunflower seeds with glue to embellish.

Set up these eight-legged creatures around your house.

Spider How-Tos
1. Paint a mini pumpkin black and let it dry.
2. Attach four chenille pipe cleaners across the top of the pumpkin with glue and bend to look like legs.
3. Glue on googly eyes and paint on a mouth.

Dress your pumpkin up in a penguin suit to add a little class to your decor.

Penguin How-Tos
1. Draw an outline of a peanut shape on the front of your pumpkin using a pencil.
2. Paint the area inside the peanut shape outline white and paint the rest of the pumpkin black.
3. Cut two semi-circles of orange felt for the beak (about 3" wide for an average sized pumpkin), four teardrop shapes in black for the wings (about 6" long), and four semi-circles in yellow for the feet (about 3" wide).
4. Sew the two pieces of felt together for the beak, wings, and feet, leaving a hole to stuff with cotton.
5. Once stuffed and sewn shut, hot glue the pieces into place, and add two Googly eyes.

Bring a little outer space to your indoors with this alien pumpkin.

Alien How-Tos
1. Paint your pumpkin white.
2. Cut out ascending sizes of circles from different shades of green felt, and glue them together.
3. Cut out a 1-inch white circle and attach to the front of your green felt circles.
4. Add eyelashes and a smaller red felt circle for the pupils.
5. Draw on a mouth and fangs with black marker, and add some red marker blood drops for an extra scare.

Add this Momma Pig and baby piglets to your yard.

Pig How-Tos
1. Paint your pumpkin pink, leaving the stem untouched.
2. Just above the stem of the pumpkin, use white and black paint to create eyes and eyelashes.
3. Cut a white Styrofoam circle in fourths, painting the outer shell pink.
4. Spiral a pink pipe cleaner and attach it to the back of the pumpkin to create a tail.

Use some autumn gourds to make a flock of kooky birds.

Bird How-Tos
1. Find a gourd that has the right shape -- fat and bulb-like on the bottom with a curved beak on top.
2. Add two pushpins to the bottom for feet.
3. Glue googly eyes to two pushpins, and attach them near the "beak" of the gourd.
4. Use a pushpin to poke holes around the gourd, and add some colorful feathers wherever you want.

This pumpkin is the purr-fect addition to your Halloween d?cor.

Cat How-Tos
1. Carve two U's for cat eyes, a triangle for a nose, and a smiling cat mouth.
2. Poke holes three holes on each side of the nose and thread your black pipe cleaners through, making the whiskers wavy at the ends.
3. Cut two triangle ears out of black construction paper and glue them on the top of your pumpkin.
4. Add a festive Halloween bow to the stem as a final touch.

Carve this pumpkin pooch in a few easy steps.

Dog How-Tos
1. Using a large pumpkin as the body of your puppy and shave off the front of the pumpkin until it has a flat surface.
2. Cut four lines in the belly to serve as your puppy's legs.
3. Add a smaller pumpkin on top of the body, and paint on a face with eyes, a nose, mouth, and whiskers.
4. Using gourds, glue on a tail, two ears, and paws.

Make these super easy and super cute mini ghosts.

Ghoul How-Tos
1. Paint two bell-shaped gourds white.
2. Using black marker, draw on a face with black eyes, a nose, and a toothy grin.
3. Cut four bean-shaped arms out of white felt, and attach them to your gourds with white pushpins.
4. Cut a black sombrero hat out of black felt by gluing a circle to the top of your gourd, and adding a disc-shaped brim over it.
5. Embellish with Halloween-themed balloons or decorations of your choice.

Bring your pumpkins back from the dead with this delicious looking decoration.

Zombie How-Tos
1. Paint your pumpkin an earthy green color, drawing a smiling mouth with a slightly darker shade.
2. After cutting off the top of your pumpkin, use the top-most nub and glue it on as a nose.
3. Clean out the inside of your pumpkin, and carve out two upside-down U-shapes to make eyes. Paint the center of the eyes white.
4. Cut two ovals out of earthy green construction paper, and attach them with glue as ears.
5. Add green pipe cleaners to the nose to make whiskers.
6. Finish off with a chef's hat and checked tablecloth, and your pumpkin's done!

Your kids will love this no-carve pumpkin owl.

Owl How-Tos
1. Stack two pumpkins -- a slightly larger one should serve as the base.
2. With yellow construction paper, cut out and glue on two circles for eyes, four teardrops for wings, and a diamond for the nose.
3. Cut out and glue on two triangles for ears from the same yellow paper, pinching the two points of the triangle to create a curved look.
4. With orange construction paper, cut out a heart shape and attach it over the eyes and ears.
5. Add two small black circles from construction paper for the eyes.

Use paint and construction paper to craft this clever-looking cat.

Cat How-Tos
1. Stack two pumpkins -- a slightly larger one should serve as the base.
2. Using yellow paint, add two cat eyes, a nose, and a smiling mouth.
3. Cut out two curved triangles from yellow construction paper, and glue them on as ears.
4. Use black marker or paint to make a wavy line inside the yellow eyes.
5. Glue on three sticks to each side of the nose to make whiskers.
6. Add two mini-pumpkins that will serve as paws.

Let your kids cart their pumpkin pup while they trick-or-treat.

Dog How-Tos
1. Lay two pumpkins side-by-side on a wagon, one laying on its side and the other upright.
2. With yellow paint, add a mouth, nose, and eyes to your dog and use black marker or paint to finish the center of the eyes.
3. Cut dog ears from yellow construction paper and attach with glue.
4. Cut strips of yellow construction paper and glue the ends together to form a ring. Make sure you link each strip before closing the circle.
5. Add mini pumpkins for paws and gourds for the hind legs.

Copyright © 2011 Meredith Corporation.