Pumpkin Patch Garland

By: Kathleen George for STYROFOAM Brand Foam

Bring a little bit of autumn's color into your home all year round with this cheery orange pumpkin patch garland. Show it off on your front door, wind it around your banister, display it on your fireplace mantel, or even hang it in a window. Find this autumn craft project in the Thanksgiving Crafts eBook, featuring 30 craft projects for decorations, table accents and more.

Materials:

STYROFOAM™ Brand Products:
- Balls, assorted 2-1/2", 3", and 4"
- Pumpkin Patch Garland pattern
Craft knife with sharp blade
Tape measure
Rubber bands
Orange tissue paper
Olive green twisted paper ribbon
Dark green floral tape
Light green floral tape
Masking tape
Green floral wire
Pencil
Fine-line black marker

Steps:

Press each foam ball firmly on a flat work surface to flatten bottom
.
Mark center top and bottom of each ball. Refer to diagram to divide each ball into six equal sections by placing three rubber bands around the foam, crisscrossing them at top and bottom. Mark sections with a fine-line marker.
Using a craft knife, cut a V-shape groove approximately 3/8"-1/2" deep at each mark, forming pumpkin ridges. Rub cut edges of foam with a pencil to smooth.
Neatly wrap orange tissue paper around a foam pumpkin to cover, bringing edges of paper to center top. Tightly wrap masking tape around excess paper at top to create a stem and then trim stem at an angle. Press tissue paper into ridges with your fingers for added definition. Repeat for each pumpkin.
Wrap pumpkin stems with dark green floral tape. Glue and insert a 6" wire into foam next to each stem. Curl wires around stems for vines, letting them extend at top.
Bend an 18"-24" length of wire in half. Twist wires together two times 3" from center to form a hanging loop for garland.
Overlap another wire onto ends of wire loop and wrap with light green tape to begin forming garland. Continue wrapping with tape approximately 8" or to end of overlapping wires.
Attach pumpkin to garland by wrapping vine around wire (refer to photo). Wrap top of vine around your finger or a pencil to curl. Wrap tape around garland where pumpkin is joined for reinforcement.
Continue wrapping wire garland with tape, adding pumpkins evenly spaced. Extend garland with additional lengths of wire as needed.
Follow Step 6 to add a wire hanging loop to opposite end of garland.
Untwist and flatten paper ribbon. Using pattern, cut desired number of leaves from paper ribbon. Add leaves individually and in clusters to garland by wrapping short lengths of floral tape around their base.