Handmade Halloween - Buffalo Check Pumpkins

Stacy Davis
by Stacy Davis
7 Materials
$5
1 Hour
Easy
This Halloween I have been on the hunt for the elusive Buffalo Check Pumpkins. I know they exist because I have seen them all over Instagram but I haven't been able to find many where I live. One morning I spent 3 hours going from store to store just to try to find one or two. Most stores didn't have any and the one store that did have one... it was a tiny overpriced pumpkin. I just chalked it up to not having any this year. I had picked up to Dollar Tree pumpkins earlier in the season and they have been sitting around waiting for inspiration to strike. Then one morning in Michaels, I spotted a buffalo check bandana and an idea began to hatch. I thought about the 2 Dollar Tree pumpkins and this handkerchief cut into strips and that is the story of how this tutorial came to be. icon
This is why it pays to wander the aisles at Michaels. Who knew? Buffalo Check bandanas and that red one is pretty cute too. I might have to go back and get that if I can find some more pumpkins.
I used two Dollar Tree Pumpkins, Duck Brand Carpet Tape (super sticky strong double sided tape that is usually near duct tape in hardware section.) scissors and 1 bandana from Michaels. I also used some paint, hot glue and jute twine that are not shown here.
I removed the stem. It was super easy... just held in place with a toothpick.
Next I unrolled lengths of carpet tape onto the bandana leaving space between each section to cut with a scissors. At first, I was making small lengths the size of the pumpkin but working with long sections and cutting to fit was much easier.
I would then peel off the backing to reveal the second sticky side of the tape. Start at the top and work to the underside of the pumpkin. Also, I decided to paint my second pumpkin white first because the orange showed through. I alternated sections and then came back around and filled in missing sections.
I spray painted the first stem black and that was a fail. With great sadness, I watched it disintegrate before my eyes. The second one, I painted with black craft paint and sprinkled with glitter while it was still wet.
All done! Pretty cute. This one was painted white before covering with the fabric strips.
The first pumpkin is on the left. See how the orange shows through. The pumpkin on the right was painted white first. (The coverage didn't seem good but in the end it doesn't show through.) I might take the twine stem off and replace it with a tree branch "stem". Such an easy project and now I have two buffalo check pumpkins. The pumpkins were $2, the bandana was about $1.20 after my coupon and I had the carpet tape. So, all in all, very budget friendly. The burlap sack jack o lantern is a no-sew project that I will be posting soon!
This is what the carpet tape looks like.
You can find the tutorial for the burlap jack o lanterns here on Hometalk too.
Most of the pumpkins here originated at the Dollar Tree. I made the two jack o lanterns and bought the last two for $4 and less than $4 from a local craft store. Their Halloween decor is 70% off. Super affordable decorating can be on trend too. I feel like I am winning when I can decorate tastefully and not break the bank.


I do love pumpkins! Just a note... these are not outdoor friendly. My porch is very damp overnight and they don’t look quite as good as they did before I forgot them outside over night. So I recommend that you keep these decorations inside only.
Happy Halloween!
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  • Terry Lynn Terry Lynn on Oct 20, 2018

    I am curious about the shiny blue/green pumpkin in the last picture. How was that done?

    Thanks

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