Halloween: fun pumpkin decorations

Total Time 1 hourAges all-ages

Dried citrus rinds give this seasonal squash -- and his companions -- their un-natural good looks.

What you'll need

• Craft knife
• Hole punch
• Glue dots
• Spaghetti squash
• Two limes
• Black craft foam
• Duct tape
• Toothpicks
• Large bolts
• Black permanent marker

How to make it

1. 
   First, decide if you want to make Frank or one of his creepy friends.
2. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Use a craft knife to cut a circle of rind from the top and bottom of an orange or lime for the eyes (a parent's job).
    Cut a slit in the remaining peel and remove it intact to use for ears, teeth, and other features. If you're making the witch, reserve the larger pieces of orange peel for the hair.
3. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Clean the fruit from the rinds, then use scissors to snip out your character's facial features, as shown. Cut them a little larger than you want; they will shrink as they dry. To dry the pieces, bake them on a foil-lined cookie sheet at 175 degrees for 20 minutes, then allow them to air dry for about 1K hours (or until glue dots will stick to them).
4. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Use a hole punch to make a pair of pupils from the craft foam, then adhere them to the white side of the rind eyes with glue dots.
5. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Attach all the pieces with glue dots, as pictured. To make the ears stick out (for Frank and the Count), tape a toothpick to the back, leaving about 1K inches of the toothpick exposed, then insert it in place.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Finishing touches for Frank: Cut the hair from craft foam following the diagram at right and attach it with glue dots. Bore a hole on each side of the squash with a pencil, then insert the bolts. Use a permanent marker to draw the teeth
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
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7. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Finishing touches for Witch: Cut a small mouth from the craft foam. To make a hat, cut the shapes shown at right from a piece of black craft foam. Roll the half-circle into a cone with a base slightly larger than the center of the ring, and secure the edge with glue dots. Tuck the cone's base into the center of the ring. For the buckle, double-fold a sheet of foil to create a square shape. Snip out the center, then adhere it to the hat with glue dots.
   
   
8. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Finishing touches for the Mummy: Wrap the pumpkin in gauze, using glue dots to attach the fabric as you go.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
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    Finishing touches for the Count: Cut a collar and hair from the craft foam, following the diagram at right. Wrap each around the pumpkin and attach them with glue dots, as shown.