Repurposed and Recycled Pumpkin Lantern

I was inspired to create this project after seeing several metal ribbed pumpkins that held battery powered candles.  It looked like something I could create with repurposed pieces I already had at home. 

I love finding inspiration out in the world then figuring out what I could repurpose, recycle, or reuse to create similar at home. 

As you are reading please visit the bold links for more Homeroad information and the products I used for this project. 

Here is one of the pumpkins from Kohls that inspired me.  

While this pumpkin was a great price to begin with, repurposing and recycling was on my mind. 

I began with the wooden slats from a broken roller shade.

I used a few of these slats to create this farmhouse style lantern recently. 

Today I'm going to create a pumpkin with 4 more slats. 

I began by soaking the slats in my sink. 

I bound the pieces up into a circle as they became more flexible and let them sit for a few hours. 

When the slats were pliable enough to bend I punched holes in both ends of each slat with my heavy duty hole puncher. 

If you haven't ever used a heavy duty hole punch, you're in for a treat. They punch through thin wood and thick cardboard! 

Game changer for sure! 

I let the wooden slats dry overnight bound up in a circle. 

Next, using a piece of raffia, I tied all the slats together at the top lacing through the holes and around the slats until they felt secure. 

At the bottom of the pumpkin I hot glued the slats together to form the bottom of the pumpkin. 

Now it was time to make a stem. 

I recycled a brown paper Amazon mailer and twisted it into the shape of a stem, you could also use a brown paper bag. 

I cut the bottom of the stem so it would spread out and then hot glued it to the top of my pumpkin. 

Next, I used another piece of the brown paper and twisted it into a tendril then glued it under the stem. 

I used one more piece of the paper mailer to twist into a circle and attach to the bottom of the pumpkin to create a base. 

In the center of the bottom of the pumpkin I hot glued a small white dish to hold a candle.

You could also use a wood slice to hold your candle. 

I used a flameless candle to sit in the center of my pumpkin. 

You can decorate the base of the pumpkin with fall leaves and berries or leave it plain. 

You could also tie raffia or a bow at the top of your pumpkin but I am choosing to leave mine simple. 

I think my pumpkin looks just like my inspiration piece and I'm thrilled with the results. 

I repurposed, recycled, and reused for this project and it almost cost me nothing to make. 

Please pin for later --->>

READ MORE: REPURPOSED PUMPKINS

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READ MORE: FALL PROJECTS