MINI JACK-O-LANTERN CRAFT FOR YOUR DORM
Every October my family and I would carve jack-o-lanterns in preparation for Halloween. But when I came to live in a dorm here at Mount Holyoke College, I realized I couldn’t continue with this tradition. Yeah, fire hazards and decomposing fruit are a big N-O when sharing a living space. Carving a pumpkin just isn’t possible in a college dorm.
Then I remembered a funny little craft I used to do with my sister when we were kids, mini jack-o-lanterns! It’s a festive way to decorate your windows or your desk this time of year. My roommate gets a kick out of them, and I’ll be sending some to my friends at their respective colleges. And now I’ll be sharing how to make them with you.
For this project you will need an acorn, acrylic paint in white and orange, a paintbrush, and a black sharpie pen. If you don’t have any of these artist materials with you, I’d recommend asking a friend, checking your resources on campus, or hitting up Amazon. Other than that though, local trees should be stocked up with acorns for your use.
First, if your acorn still has its top attached, take it off. This tiny pumpkin will need to stand up on that side.
Then, you’ll need to prime your acorn. Priming is necessary so you can achieve a strong vibrancy of color without having to layer too many coats. Take your white paint and paintbrush and apply the paint to the acorn until there is a nice, even base. Let it dry.
Next, paint the acorn orange. This may require a few coats of paint, depending on the opacity of the paint, to avoid streaking. Let it dry.
Finally, use the sharpie to draw on the face of your jack-o-lantern. I gave my pumpkins happy expressions, but feel free to have yours be angry or scared or whatever else!
There you have it, a mini jack-o-lantern for your dorm room. I think they are the perfect way to decorate such a small space for halloween, and I hope you have fun with it.
Hope you have a spooky Halloween!
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