Halloween Craft Project: No-Carve Owl Pumpkin

Trade gooey, messy, complicated carving for this simple, colorful owl pumpkin made from basics in your craft stash, upcycled jar lids, and dried pumpkin seeds. It will look spectacular perched on your windowsill, porch, or mantle.

What You'll Need:

• 2 to 3 colors of felt (including orange)
• 2 large jar lids
• 2 large buttons
• 2 googly eyes
• Hot-glue gun (for adults only!)
• Tacky glue (for kids)
• Scissors
• Roasted pumpkin seeds
• Colorful feathers

Make the No-Carve Owl Pumpkin

Reserve roughly 20 minutes to assemble your googly-eyed bird. Using these steps, follow along with the video above! (Also, if you're wary of using a hot-glue gun, note that the eyes and wings can be assembled with tacky glue, if preferred. Just make sure to use the hot-glue gun when the pieces are glued to the pumpkin itself!)

Step 1: Start with the Eyes

1. Trace the flat side of the jar lid twice onto your first color of felt. Cut out both circles and trim slightly until they fit into the open side of the jar lid. Glue felt into jar lids.
2. Cut two matching circles from a contrasting piece of felt that are about 3/4-inch to 1-inch in diameter smaller than the first circles you created. Glue the smaller circles on top of the larger circles.
3. Glue a large button on top of each of the two felt layers, and glue googly eyes in the centers. Set the eyes to the side.

Step 2: Make the Wings

1. Cut a large felt wing big enough to cover the sides of the pumpkin, reaching from close to the top edge to the bottom of the pumpkin. The shape of this wing is similar to the shape of a crest. Cut a second crest shape about 1/2-inch smaller on all sides and glue the smaller one on top of the larger one.
2. Glue roasted pumpkin seeds to the wings, about 20 per wing for a medium sized pumpkin.

Step 3: Assemble the Bird

1. Hot-glue the eyes with felt to the front of your pumpkin, then glue the wings to either side.
2. Glue feathers into the crevice between the top of the jar lid and the pumpkin to make the owl's eyebrows.
3. Cut a small orange felt triangle and glue in place as the beak.