DIY Project: Make a Milk Jug Halloween Pumpkin

If you’re looking for inexpensive Halloween crafts to make with your kids, this homemade jack-o-lantern may be just the thing! Challenge your family's creativity, and see who designs the best haunted faces.

All you need is a clean milk jug and some art supplies you might already have on hand. Once complete, your "pumpkins" will be the perfect DIY Halloween craft to decorate your home.

Ready to get started? Here’s how you can bring your own milk jug pumpkin to life:

What You’ll Need:

• Newspaper or some sort of workspace cover
• Clean plastic milk jug
• Sharp scissors
• Craft paint designed for plastic (When choosing your paint, look for one made specifically to adhere to plastic, such as acrylic paint. It’s easy to clean up, and when it’s dry, it becomes semi-permanent.)
• Paint brush or sponge
• Flameless tea lights

Additional supplies may include:

• Black permanent marker
• Glue gun
• Craft foam
• Mini feather boa
• Googly eyes
• Felt

Instructions

Step 1: Wash out your milk jugs and let them dry.

Step 2: Gather all necessary and additional craft supplies that you’d like to use.

Step 3: Use the scissors to poke a hole in the lower backside of the milk jug, below the handle. Cut out a circle that is large enough to fit your tea light or holiday lights, about 2 inches or so in diameter.

Step 4: Paint your pumpkin. You may want to use a spray paint, or you can paint the milk jug with a brush or sponge paint it, which is what we did. Wait for the first coat to completely dry, before adding a second coat or decorating.

Step 5: Once your pumpkin is completely dry, it’s time to decorate it! Here are some suggestions:

• Draw an outline of a silly or spooky face with the permanent marker, and let your kids color in the face.

• Cut out face shapes (eyes, mouth, eyebrows) or other designs from craft felt or foam and glue them on to your pumpkin with the hot glue gun.

• Use other fun craft supplies to decorate your pumpkin. For example, you may want to give your pumpkin googly eyes, or you can give your pumpkin a green stem by using a green feather boa or more craft foam.

Step 6: Turn on your tea lights and place them inside your pumpkin.

Looking for more DIY Halloween crafts? Try our super-simple costumes. And if you had fun giving milk jugs a second life, try turning them into watering cans. Enjoy!