How to Make a Pumpkin Glow Lamp Using Fabric Decoupage

In keeping with the autumn harvest season, pumpkin ornaments adorn many homes, both indoors and out. Making glowing glass pumpkins is an innovative way to create a pumpkin-themed craft that will also serve to illuminate your porch steps and your front door, or simply serve as eye-catching decorations for your home.

Things You'll Need

• Jars (your preference for size)
• Rubbing alcohol
• Paper towel
• Scissors
• 8" of orange material/fabric
• Yellow material or craft paper scraps (enough for the pieces)
• Black felt
• Small mixing bowl
• White crafting glue
• Water
• Paintbrush
• Small flashlight or tea light candles

Instructions

1. Select jars in sizes of your own choice. Canning jars are a suitable and widely available option for this craft. Wash the jars carefully to remove any labels or markings on them. To remove any oils, pour some rubbing alcohol on a paper towel, and wipe the entire outside of the jar.

2. Tear or cut your orange fabric into strips measuring approximately 3" long and 1" wide. This enables easier handling of the fabric, as you will be working with smaller sections at a time. Depending on your own preference, tearing gives an added homemade/casual look, while cutting the fabric maintains perfection and neatness.

3. Cut out three triangles out of the yellow material - 2 for the eyes and 1 for the nose. Cut out a mouth shape as well. Make sure that these are proportional to the size of jar that you have chosn to use.

4. Measure around the mouth of the jar, and then cut a strip of black felt to fit that measurement.

5. Mix a decoupage solution of half water and half white glue. Mix thoroughly with a paintbrush until it is the consistency of paint. You may need to add more glue or water, but maintain the half/half ratio.

6. Apply a small amount of the decoupage mixture to the glass jar, and place a strip of the orange cloth over it, followed by another light application of the decoupage mixture over the strip of cloth. This helps to hold the cloth in place until it dries.

7. Repeat this process until the entire jar is covered, with no holes showing through. You can overlap some of the pieces, but opt for as thin a coverage as is possible.

8. Add the yellow pieces to create the face. Apply a small amount of the decoupage mixture to the jar and place the yellow pieces over it. Cover each piece with a light layer of the mixture too.

9. Glue the strip of black felt around the mouth of the jar once the rest of the glue has dried.Place a tea light candle or a small flashlight inside of the jar.

Tips & Warnings

• Experiment with the shapes of the eyes and mouth to create different moods for your face, such as a smile, frown, scream or gap-toothed grin.

• Do not allow children to carry lit candles around inside of the jar.