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How to make a fun pumpkin totem pole perfect for Halloween

Create an amazing plastic pumpkin totem pole for your front porch. Turn inexpensive plastic pumpkins into Halloween decorations that wow!Create a fun pumpkin totem pole for a quick and easy Halloween decoration! DiY instructions for making your own weathered plastic pumpkins too!

Plastic Pumpkin Totem Pole

You know those bright and cheap plastic pumpkins you always see at the store? The pumpkin pails that are only about $1 apiece?

What if I told you that you can turn those fake pumpkins into an amazing plastic pumpkin totem Pole?!

I am a huge fan of quick and easy decorations.  The idea of having to store large decorations for an entire year is not appealing. While this one isn’t quite as cheap as the Spiderweb Wreath, it won’t hurt your wallet and can be created in an afternoon.

You can leave it up all season, and then toss it when the snow starts falling.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase an item, we may receive an affiliate commission.

No time to make this plastic pumpkin craft now? Pin it for later!

If you can’t make this pumpkin craft now, pin it to your crafts ideas board on Pinterest and it’ll be here for when you’re ready.Create this fun glowing pumpkin totem pole with plastic pumpkins. #twitchetts

How to weather fake pumpkins.

  • You don’t need much ink to weather your pumpkins. Usually, one dip of the brush can cover the whole thing.
  • Paint in vertical strokes and make sure to add the ink all the way up the rim of the plastic pumpkin.
  • Don’t forget to place something heavy in the bottom pumpkin.
  • Add lights to the pumpkins so people can see them all day and all night!

Assembling your DIY stacked pumpkins

Below is our step by step tutorial for creating these stacked pumpkins. Feel free to print it for easy reference.

Yield: 1 Totem Pole

How to make a fun pumpkin totem pole perfect for Halloween

Create a fun pumpkin totem pole for a quick and easy Halloween decoration! DiY instructions for making your own weathered plastic pumpkins too!

This is such a great activity for Halloween!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Active Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Difficulty Medium

Materials

Tools

Instructions

    How to weather fake pumpkins:

    If you don't want your pumpkin pails to be weathered, you can skip this and go straight to building your pumpkin totem pole. However, I love the way they look weathered...

    1. Pour yourself a little bit of the black ink, have your foam brush handy, and a few dampened paper towels. You want the paper towels wet, but not dripping.Create a fun pumpkin totem pole for a quick and easy Halloween decoration! DiY instructions for making your own weathered plastic pumpkins too!
    2. Start by painting with your ink down the creases of the pumpkin. Then add a light coat over the whole thing.Create a fun pumpkin totem pole for a quick and easy Halloween decoration! DiY instructions for making your own weathered plastic pumpkins too!
    3. Once your pumpkin pail is covered, immediately take your damp paper towel and wipe off most of the ink. Use a downward swipe from the top to bottom. Work your way around the entire pumpkin.Create a fun pumpkin totem pole for a quick and easy Halloween decoration! DiY instructions for making your own weathered plastic pumpkins too!
    4. Then start the next pumpkin!Create this fun weathered plastic pumpkin to use in your Halloween decor this year! This easy Halloween decoration can be created in minutes and used year after year!

    Assembling your DIY stacked pumpkins


    Play around with the color order of your pumpkins until you like your stack.

    1. Place something heavy in the bottom pumpkin. We refilled a used water bottle and threw it in there. If you are placing yours somewhere that might get a lot of the wind you could add a few bricks.Create a fun pumpkin totem pole for a quick and easy Halloween decoration! DiY instructions for making your own weathered plastic pumpkins too!
    2. As you stack your pumpkins add a few beads of hot glue around the seam where the two pumpkins meet. Again, depending on the location of the decoration is how much glue you will want to use.Create a fun pumpkin totem pole for a quick and easy Halloween decoration! DiY instructions for making your own weathered plastic pumpkins too!
    3. Finally, find a good spot for your weathered plastic pumpkin totem pole! Since my kiddos are still pretty young we don't do too many scary Halloween decorations so this works out perfect for our family.Create a fun pumpkin totem pole for a quick and easy Halloween decoration! DiY instructions for making your own weathered plastic pumpkins too!

    This thing is seriously cute!Create a fun pumpkin totem pole for a quick and easy Halloween decoration! DiY instructions for making your own weathered plastic pumpkins too!

How to add lights to your pumpkin totem pole

This was My Man’s idea so I have to give him credit…

  1. Using an Exacto knife, I cut an X in the bottom 5 of the 6 pumpkins. Then one whole out the back of the one at the base.Create a fun lit pumpkin totem pole for a quick and easy Halloween decoration! DiY instructions for making your own weathered plastic pumpkins too!
  2. Add in some white lights and bingo… It glows at night!Create a fun lit pumpkin totem pole for a quick and easy Halloween decoration! DiY instructions for making your own weathered plastic pumpkins too!

More Halloween projects you will love!

If you loved this outdoor Halloween decoration, share it by pinning or sharing it on Facebook.

We are thankful for every share! Each time someone shares our posts, our site grows and we are so thankful that we can continue to create unique and simple projects for kids. Know a friend who’d like this plastic pumpkin totem pole? Please share it on Facebook or save it to your favorite craft board on Pinterest.

Create a fun pumpkin totem pole for a quick and easy Halloween decoration! DiY instructions for making your own weathered plastic pumpkins too!

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