I wish I could say today’s project idea is my very own, but I actually found it in a free home ideas magazine from Lowe’s a few months ago. Still, I was so pleased with it when I tried it out that I knew I had to share it with my readers, giving full credit where credit is due, of course. (Click here to see the project on the Lowe’s website.) Here’s how the project worked out for me:
Time: 20 minutes
Cost: $10
Supplies:
- Pumpkin in your choice of size or shape – I used a small pie pumpkin about 6 inches in diameter. Cost = $2
- Cut Mums in any colors you like – The project recommends at least 100 for a small pumpkin and 120 for a larger pumpkin. It ended up taking me 92 blooms to cover my pumpkin. Cost = $8.
- Scissors and an awl for poking holes. (A Phillips head screwdriver could work in a pinch.) I had these tools so they cost me nothing.
The Process:
- Begin by using the awl to poke holes all over the pumpkin. Don’t worry about making neat rows – it really won’t matter later. I poked the holes about half an inch apart. Poke all the holes at once before you begin inserting flowers. It’s much harder to work around the flowers once they’re in the pumpkin.
- Trim the flowers to about 2 inches and strip all the foliage from the stems. Poke the stems down into the holes. Check the pumpkin for bare spots and poke extra holes for flowers as needed. My pumpkin had a pretty short stem that got lost among the blossoms, so I poked a stem with a few leaves into a hole on top. That’s it – project done!
The flesh and moisture inside the pumpkin keeps the flowers fresh for about 4 days. You can set the pumpkin on a decorative plate if you like, but it’s not necessary as the flowers keep the pumpkin juices from leaking out. Jill’s Tip: When you’re done using it for decoration, strip off the flowers, cut up the pumpkin, and put it outside for critters to enjoy.
Looking for more creative pumpkin ideas? Noelle over on the Southwest page has a great idea for a Pumpkin Bouquet and Stacy on the Editors’ Blog has nature-inspired Pumpkin Stencils for you. If you’ve got more great ideas for making the most of pumpkin season, drop by the comments below and share!
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Jill, this is fantabulous! I love it!!!
Normally I dislike mums. This makes them kinda acceptable. Nice color choices.
That turned out absolutely beautiful, Jill!
my idea is to actually plant the mum in the pumpkin, thus: cut top of pumpkin, scoop out contents and save for the birds. Fill pumpkin about half full with good potting soil, plant a chrysanthemum in it, water nicely, and put it outside your door or near it….it will be beautiful for most of the winter depending where you live, and when it begins to fade, just plant the entire thing in the ground in your yard!
My stepmother made one of these and brought it to a party I was having to use as a centerpiece. It was beautiful!