Sculptamold Votive Pumpkin

Create a Halloween pumpkin votive candle holder from AMACO. All you need is a candle, some fun wire and AMACO sculptamold. It's easy and fun.

Materials:

• AMACO Sculptamold 3 lb. 41/8" Clear Glass Votive
• Tea-Light Candle or Small Battery Operated Light
• FunWire™ (any size or color)
• Fettling Knife or Trim Knife
• Acrylic Paints: Light Orange, Dark Orange, Light Green, and Dark Green
• 2 Q-Tips
• Scissors
• Small Brush (your choice)
• Cardboard (4" X 4")
• Wax Paper or Aluminum Foil
• Pencil
• Sharp Craft Knife

Instructions:

1. Lid: Place glass votive upside down on the cardboard square. Trace outline around the votive opening. Cut out the circle with scissors and test for fit. It should be just large enough to sit on the glass votive without falling inside. Cut a piece of FunWire™ about 5" long and fold in half. Twist wires together from fold down to within 1" of ends. Leave ends untwisted. Bend ends away from each other and 90° angle to stem. Place ends flat on cardboard circle center, with twisted wire standing straight up. Mix enough Sculptamold® (about the size of an orange) to cover the entire surface of the cardboard circle and the twisted wire. Form the Sculptamold® into eight ridges that meet at the middle and create a stem around the twisted wire. Set aside and let dry.
    
2. Votive: Place the votive upside down on wax paper or foil. Mix enough Sculptamold® to cover the entire outside surface of the votive including the bottom. Form the eight ridges around the votive to match up with the ridges on the lid. When the Sculptamold® is about half dry (approximately 1/2 hour), turn over and press the bottom down firmly onto a table top to be sure it will sit flat. Then allow to dry completely (one or two days, depending on the thickness of the Sculptamold®).
    
3. Jack-o-lantern: When dry, draw the Jack-o-lantern’s face onto the Sculptamold®. Use a sharp craft knife to cut on the lines you just drew. Cut down to the glass. Remove the Sculptamold® from the openings you just cut. If any tearing occurs along the cut edges, mix small amounts of Sculptamold® and use the fettling knife to smooth and repair. Build the edges flat and smooth to show the thickness of the walls of the pumpkin. Let dry.
    
4. Use window cleaner on a Q-Tip to clean the glass that shows through the eyes, nose, and mouth, of any excess Sculptamold®.
    
5. Paint: Paint entire outside surface of the votive a Dark Orange, including the lid. Be sure not to get any on the glass openings (if you do, you can scrape it off later when it is dry with a knife). Paint the stem a Dark Green. Let dry. Paint underside of the lid a Dark Orange and let dry. Paint the ridges a Light Orange. Leave the recessed parts as Dark Orange. Paint the raised surfaces of the stem with the Light Green. Leave recessed areas Dark Green. Let dry.
    
6. Clean the inside glass with window cleaner and paper towel.

Note:

1. THE LID MUST BE OFF TO BURN A CANDLE. The lid can be on for a battery operated light.