Halloween decor doesn't always have to be dark and scary. To lighten the mood, transform a pumpkin into a vintage gumball machine and add a splash of color to your front porch.
From:Ryan Reed 
From:Ryan Reed
The first thing you should do is cut the stem of the pumpkin with a knife. Be sure to cut off enough of the stem so that the saucer can rest on top of the squash without wobbling.
However, don't throw away the part of the stem you removed, save it for later use.
For safety reasons, always cut away from your body.
From:Ryan Reed
Using your glue gun, add a dab of glue around the edge of the red planter saucer. Place the saucer on top of the pumpkin where the stem used to be and press down for a few seconds until it feels secure.
Do you remember the stem you cut? Add glue to the bottom and attach it to the top of the saucer so it looks like it grew out of the pumpkin and right through the lid.
Don't use too much glue on the saucer. The contact area between the lid and the gourd is small, so avoid excess and use a thin line of glue.
From:Ryan Reed Turn the red planter over and add a line of glue to the bottom of the planter. Pick up the pumpkin and place it on the base where you just added glue and press down for a few seconds until it feels secure.
From:Ryan Reed With the lid and base of the gumball machine on, you can see how much area of the pumpkin you need to cover with the gumballs. Add a dot of glue to a piece of gum and start at the top. Try to go around the pumpkin as straight as you can and be careful not to burn your fingers on the hot glue!
I went with smaller gums, which took a while to stick, but you can go with larger gums to save time.
From:Ryan Reed
Tear off a sheet of aluminum foil and with your black marker, trace a circle on the sheet. Write 25¢ in the center, and then cut out the circle.
Next, draw an arc with your marker to serve as the opening where your gumballs will "slide in" and cut them out as well.
Use your glue once more and add some dots to the back of the coin slot and bow, and secure them to the red planter that is now the base of your gumball machine.
Use anything around the house that is the right size to trace a perfect circle on the foil. I used a salt shaker but anything will do.
As much as you want to, you must not eat the gum or allow others to do so. The glue I used is not edible and should not be consumed.
