Squash Crafts
Autumn brings cooler temperatures, colorful foliage and a variety of squash -- pumpkins, butternut, acorn and many more. Not only can you use squash in an array of different recipes and dishes, but you can also use it as a seasonal decoration. Display these starchy vegetables as is around your home, or turn them into decorative crafts.
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Carved Squash
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Many people celebrate the fall holiday of Halloween by carving a face or image into a pumpkin. But you can also carve jack-o-lanterns into butternut squash, multi-colored carnival squash, buttercup squash or any other squash with a relatively flat bottom. If you don’t want to wait until Halloween to carve squash, turn them into luminarias. Simply scoop out the flesh, carve a pattern such as a lace pattern into the shell and stick a candle in it. Or turn a squash into potpourri by cleaning out the flesh, rubbing the inside of the shell with autumn spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, and putting a candle in it.
Candleholders
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Turn baby boo pumpkins into seasonal candleholders for tapers and tea candles. Baby boo pumpkisn, also known as miniature pumpkins, resemble large pumpkins except they are much smaller. With a sharp knife, cut a circle the size of the candle, scoop out the flesh and insert the candle. If using miniature pumpkins for taper candleholders, make sure the candle fits tightly into the hole or else the candle will fall over. Baby boo pumpkins usually come in orange and white, but you can paint the little squash any color that you’d like.
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Creatures
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Transform medium- to small-sized squash -- any variety -- into insects, aliens and other creepy, crawly creatures. This is a great craft for kids as well as adults. All you need is a variety of craft supplies such as acrylic paint, wiggly eyes, rhinestones, pipe cleaners, pom-poms and tacky glue. For example, turn a miniature pumpkin into a spider by painting it black, adding some wiggly eyes, and using black pipe cleaners as legs. Let your imagination run wild.
Squash-men
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Don’t wait until winter to build snowmen. Instead, build squash-men this autumn. Assemble different-sized squash just as you would snowmen, using skewers to hold each squash in place. Don’t be afraid to mix squash varieties. For example, use a pumpkin on the bottom, a buttercup squash in the middle and an acorn squash for the head. Glue on almonds, carrots, pine cones and twigs to make the face. Poke holes into the side of squash and insert sticks for the arms. Decorate the squash-men with real clothes such as hats and scarves.
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References
Resources
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