Mock pumpkins are a great option for living pumpkins because they won't rot and you can save them to use year after year.
(3) moving pumpkins, different sizes
hot kitchen knife
pliers
pencil
autumn leaf
large brass hooks
(1) filament twinkle lights
footed urn
gooey clay or sticky wax (optional)
t pins
Artificial bittersweet vine or garland
1. Decide on the position of each gourd, bottom, middle, or top.
2. Starting with the bottom pumpkin, draw a circle around the top of the pumpkin that is large enough to fit through the bottom of the center pumpkin. Use the hot knife to cut off the top of the squash.
Note: Artificial pumpkins are hollow. They can also be carved with a sharp knife.
3. To make the topiary, you will be cutting a circle out of the bottom of the top gourd, then you will cut a circle out of the top and bottom of the middle gourd, and finally you will cut a circle out of the top of the bottom gourd. .
4. Trace roughly around the fall leaf on the bottom pumpkin in several areas, turning it in different directions to resemble falling leaves. The leaves only need to cover the front 3/4 of each pumpkin. If you are turning in a design on a pumpkin, you need to use a dry erase marker. That way, if you screw it up, you can erase it and start with a clean slate.
5. Using the hot kitchen knife, cut out all of the leaf shapes. It is necessary to tighten the band of the heated electric knife with pliers from time to time to prevent the blade from slipping out of the tool handle.
6. On the center gourd, draw a circle around the bottom of the gourd that is large enough to fit into the hole cut in the bottom gourd. Draw a second hole around the top or pumpkin that is just big enough to fit into the bottom of the top pumpkin. Cut out these two circles.
7. Draw a variety of sizes of swirls on the front three quarters of this pumpkin. Cut out swirl shapes with hot paring knife, squeezing blade as needed.
8. On the top pumpkin, draw a circle around the bottom that is large enough to fit into the top hole in the center pumpkin. Cut out this circle.
9. Again, draw a variety of sizes of swirls on the front three quarters of this pumpkin. Cut out swirl shapes with hot paring knife, squeezing blade as needed.
10. On the inside of the top of the top gourd, screw in a large brass hook.
11. Fold the strand of twinkling lights into equal sections so that it is about the same length as the height of the three pumpkins. Allow a little extra length for the plug end.
12. Gather the pleats opposite the end of the stopper and place them on the cup hook.
13. Feed the pendant lights through the center gourd, resting the top gourd on top of the center gourd. Place the middle pumpkin on the bottom pumpkin, hanging the lights inside the bottom pumpkin. Reach into one of the cutouts on the back sheet and pull out the plug.
14. Place the bottom pumpkin, with all the pumpkins stacked on top, on top of the urn. Use sticky wax to secure each gourd.
15. Starting at the bottom, wrap the garland around the pumpkins using T-pins.
