Can you believe it’s already October?! I feel like I just finished decorating for fall and then BAM…now it’s time for Halloween! Honestly, I’ve never been a huge fan of Halloween in the past but now that I have kids, it’s different. I still don’t like the scary or gross decorations, but I do like the more benign, maybe a little bit spooky but in a cute way, type decor. My kids take after their father in that they adore decorating for Halloween, so now I do my best to make it a festive affair inside and out. But there is one thing that I still am not a huge fan of: jack-o-lanterns. 

Don’t get me wrong, I love how they look when they’re done (and done well). But the mess of the carving part is what gets me. It’s a lot of work, a huge mess, and then they rot outside on your porch for the next few weeks attracting bugs and rodents. Who needs that? 

So last year I decided to do something a little different: a shadowbox pumpkin! I think it is SO MUCH BETTER than traditional jack-o-lanterns and it’s so much easier too! I loved this easy project so much that I wanted to share with you how I made it. It’s still one of mine, and my kids, favorite Halloween things to decorate with.

DIY Shadowbox Jack-o-Lantern

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Here’s what you’ll need:

• Large fake pumpkin (I got mine from Michaels with the hole in the front already cut out; you can buy a whole fake pumpkin and use and exacto knife to cut a large hole out of it if you need to).
• Gold glitter spray
• Battery operated tea light (I got the kind that flickers)
• Image of your choice cut out on black cardstock (I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut my spider, but you can trace and cut with an exacto knife)
• Clear thread and sewing needle

What You’ll Do:

First, cover the outside of your pumpkin with paper and tape to protect it from overspray.

Then spray the inside of your pumpkin with the gold glitter spray. I had to spray three or four thin coats to get good coverage.

After the spray paint has dried, take your sewing needle and make two small holes side by side at the top of the pumpkin, right at the base of the stem. Also, poke a small hole in the top of your cardstock cutout.

Thread your clear thread first through the hole in your cutout. Then take the ends of the thread and poke them up through the holes at the top of the inside of the pumpkin, pulling them through the outside of the pumpkin. Pull the ends of the thread as far as you need to make sure your cutout is hanging in the center of the large opening of the pumpkin. Tie the ends of your thread into a few knots and cut the excess (I also anchored my cutout to the sides of the pumpkin using clear thread so it wouldn’t twist and turn so much; this is optional).

Finally, place your tea light into the pumpkin and watch it shimmer and glow! 

Isn’t it neat looking? My son thinks it’s cool because it’s a “HUGE SPIDER, MAMA!” My daughter thinks it’s pretty because all the gold glitter sparkles. And I think it’s awesome because there’s no mess and I can reuse it year after year. Yay!

Are you a traditionalist when it comes to carving pumpkins or do you prefer the no-mess alternatives?