The idea to use a pumpkin as a material for crafts first came up with a fairy from Charles Perot's fairy tale. But seriously speaking, the wild varieties of this berry in dried form served as dishes, a vessel for water or a lamp from ancient times.
Today, craftsmen who create various home decorations or elements of festive decor from vegetables are still present. For example, the article "Pumpkin Carriage" will bring a lot of pleasure to your children. In autumn, you can also make other decorations from leaves, cones, acorns, clusters of berries and other gifts of nature.
What is needed
First of all, you should decide on the choice of pumpkin. It should be as regular as possible round in shape and with a pronounced surface relief. Depending on the craftsmanship, the pumpkin may be white or bright orange in color.
You will also need:
- sharp long knife;
- glue gun;
- paper towel;
- old newspapers or other waste paper;
- spoon or scraper;
- paints (aerosol and acrylic);
- awl;
- elements for decoration.
Wheel material
In order to make a completely fabulous pumpkin carriage with your own hands (for a master class, see below), squash or large squash may also be required. They are suitable for making wheels. In addition to them, some craftsmen use metal caps, bottoms of plastic bottles or other round objects for their work. To make wheels for pumpkin carriages, wire or flat jars of canned fish, such as containers for sprats in oil, are also suitable. In the latter case, they should remove the front wall, and on the back - cut holes in order to put the wheels on the axle.
Pumpkin preparation
First of all, the fruit should be dried. To do this, carefully open the pumpkin by cutting off the “lid”. Then, with a spoon, thoroughly clean the pulp and stuff the pumpkin with crumpled newspapers.
With all diligence, you can never know for sure whether the fetus will rot or not. That is why the masters advise to dry immediately 2-3 pumpkins.
Newspapers need to be changed from time to time, as they will absorb moisture from the walls of the fetus.
If there is no time to dry the pumpkin, you need to try to clean the flesh as thoroughly as possible.
Pumpkin carriage: step by step instructions
The manufacture of such a fabulous crafts is carried out in the following order:
- stencils in the form of carriage windows are cut out of cardboard;
- apply them to the surface of the pumpkin and apply a contour to the surface of the fruit;
- carefully remove excess parts of the walls of the berry with a knife.
How to make a pumpkin carriage with your own hands: a workshop on making wheels
We proceed to the most interesting stage in creating a vehicle for Cinderella. So:
- if the pumpkin is small, toothpicks are taken as an axis for the wheels of the carriage, and if large, skewers;
- depending on the material chosen for the wheels, a hole is made in the middle of the metal caps, the same is done with squash or slices 2 cm thick, cut off from ordinary zucchini of large diameter;
- push the resulting "details" on the "axis";
- create a basis for carriage installation (see photo);
- for greater stability, it is recommended to supplement the design with two crossed toothpicks.
Dressing
When making a pumpkin carriage with your own hands (the master class is presented above), it is very important to decorate it correctly.
For example, with a glue gun, you can glue the windows of the carriage around the perimeter with gold galloon or metal decorations. Craftsmen can also paint Cinderella's vehicle and paint it with bronze paint.
If squash is chosen as the material for the wheels, then they should be “silver-plated” or “gilded” using an aerosol can.
Additional details
Craft "Pumpkin Carriage for Cinderella" will turn out even more beautiful if you supplement it with figures of horses. In this case, you will also need to make a harness from silver wire. Alternatively, a pumpkin carriage can be made, from the window of which Cinderella herself looks out. To do this, the girl’s image must be printed on a printer, cut, pasted into the “window” and coated with colorless varnish.
Shabby Chic
If you do not know how to make a pumpkin carriage, then pay attention to the original craft using musical paper. This element of decor is suitable for a wedding in the style of shabby chic. It will turn out if you decorate a pumpkin prepared in the same way as described in the previous master class using musical paper. Having finished pasting the entire surface of the pumpkin, you need to make wheels or remove them from a children's toy car of a suitable size, and then paint them with white paint. Then, the craft should be decorated with artificial flowers in bed colors, as well as lace, organza or tulle.
"Carving" carriage
Those who have the skills to cut shapes from vegetables and fruits can create an original vehicle for Cinderella from pumpkin. The answer to the question of how to make a pumpkin carriage in this way depends entirely on your imagination. You can decorate it with fine carvings or depict a princess figure with a prince in a window. It is also possible that the wheels are cut from a pumpkin, like the coachman seat.
Other autumn crafts
A pumpkin carriage, the step-by-step instructions for the manufacture of which you already know, is not the only option for decorating your home with materials that can be found in large quantities after harvesting and the beginning of leaf fall. For example, you can make:
- Decoration for the door. To create beautiful wreaths for the house is very simple. This will require an armful of colorful fallen leaves, dried naturally, clusters of berries and squash. First you need to cut a wheel of the desired diameter from thick cardboard. Then stick leaves and berries on it with a glue gun. Squash are mounted on pieces of wire and fixed on a ring. At the end, complement the composition with dried clusters of berries and intertwine with a satin ribbon, for example, bright scarlet. If you want the wreath to be more festive, previously pumpkin squash can be painted with bronze paint. This decoration for the door can be made in another way. For example, a cardboard ring can be tightly pasted over with acorns, and at the edges decorate with colored iron autumn colored leaves. Bunches of berries or bright ribbons will help to complete the composition.
Hedgehog. If you are going to make a craft with a child, it is better to choose a simpler option than a magic pumpkin carriage. In the kindergarten, at the exhibition of children's works it is better to take a funny hedgehog from the blossoming cones. To make it, you need a plastic bottle of dark brown color. It should be cut in half (across) and pasted with cones, leaving the narrow part free. Then, pupils of black paper are glued onto two white caps. The resulting "eyes" are fixed on the "face" of the hedgehog. A black spout cap is put on the neck of the bottle. An apple made of papier-mâché or a real one, fixed on the back of a hedgehog, will help make the craft even more natural.
- Deer. For such a craft, elongated cones will be required, sawed wood 3-4 cm thick, acorn and twigs. You should also have a glue gun on hand and three beads for the eye and nose. The cones and acorn must be fastened in such a way that they depict the neck, head and body of a deer. Then you should stick the horns and legs, to simulate which twigs are suitable. When the figure is ready, it must be installed on a wood cut covered with colorless varnish, using pieces of plasticine and stick on the eyes and nose.
Now you know how to make a fabulous pumpkin carriage with your own hands. A master class on creating other autumn crafts is also known to you, and you can please your children and decorate the house.