DIY Pumpkins And Ghosts
For these Halloween decorations we made (3) 4×4 Ghosts and (3) 4×4 Pumpkins that can be used anywhere around your home without taking up a lot of room and with these simple steps they are quick and easy to make. During our build we had the luxury of using Milwaukee M18 Cordless tools but please use any variation of these tools that you may currently own to complete your project.
Material List:
(1) 4x4x8′
(1) Scrap 1×2 or 2×4
3″ Wood Screws
Orange Paint
White Paint
Dark Stain
(2) Foam Paint Brushes
(4) Plastic disposable Cups
Burlap Ribbon
Tools Used:
Milwaukee M18 FUEL HIGH DEMAND Cordless Miter Saw
Empire Rafter Square
Milwaukee Inkzall Marker
Milwaukee 25′ Tape Measure
Milwaukee M18 Cordless Impact Driver
Milwaukee Black Inkzall Paint Markers
Getting Started
The first step is to lay out the cuts on the 4×4. We made our Ghosts and Pumpkins 12″, 16″, and 20″ long and have 2 of each size. Using the Milwaukee 25′ Tape Measure a mark was made on the 4×4 at 12″, 24″, 40″, 56″, and 76″ with the Milwaukee Inkzall Marker, by using these measurements the full 8′ 4×4 is used. The Empire Rafter Square was used to square up our lines to make it easier when cutting on the miter saw.
Making your Cuts
Using the Milwaukee M18 HIGH DEMAND Cordless Miter Saw the pieces were cut on the marks to give us the start of our Ghosts and Pumpkins.
A scrap 1×2 was cut to a length of 2″ for the stem of each of the pumpkins. If you would like to use a scrap 2×4 for this you may, the nominal width of a 2×4 is 3-1/2″ wide so you can cross cut the 2×4 at 1-1/2″ and then just use 4″ wood screws instead of 3″ wood screws to attach it later.
Time to Paint
With the (6) 4×4 pieces and (3) 1×2 pieces cut we added some orange and white paint to the disposable cups and watered down the paint so the grain of the wood will be visible through the paint. Once the desired look was achieved one of each size 4×4 was painted white and orange and the pumpkin stems were stained with the foam brushes.
When the paint was dry to the touch the Milwaukee Black InkZall Paint Markers were used to draw in the eyes and mouth on the ghosts and the segment lines on the pumpkins. At this point the Ghosts have been completed and can be moved to a location to allow the paint to fully dry.
Adding the Finishing Touches
The Stems were attached to the pumpkins by drilling a 3″ wood screw from the top down into the 4×4 with a Milwaukee M18 Cordless Impact Driver. The burlap ribbon was tied around the stem of the pumpkin to add the finishing touch and they were placed with the Ghosts to fully dry.
Once the paint has dried you can position them around your home or yard to get the maximum effect of the Halloween season.
