Garden Style DIY Jack O Lanterns

Need a creative (& easy) Halloween decor idea? These adorable garden inspired DIY jack o lanterns are crafted with foraged foliage and thrifted finds. Fun project to do with kids!

To be honest, I never really enjoyed carving pumpkins when the kids were little. I was just the cleanup crew, since it’s such a sloppy job. Which is probably why these easy to make garden inspired jack o lanterns were so fun. All you need is a glue gun, and you get to forage for nature, too!

If you’re looking for a creative Halloween project to do with some kiddos (or by yourself), give these Garden Style DIY Jack O Lanterns a try. They’re fun and will make your Halloween doorstep happy and cheery!

Garden Style DIY Jack O Lanterns

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Gather Your Crafting Materials

All you really need for this fun project is a hot melt glue gun and scissors. And of course pumpkins. You may want a bucket or bag to gather your foraged natural materials. You can also dig out your Thanksgiving cornucopia to use as a witch hat for your jack o lanterns. Now is a great time to score them at the thrift store.

Thrifted Cornucopias for Halloween?

Yes, for the last couple of years I’ve been seeing cornucopias used for Halloween as witches hats. They really up the cuteness when you pop one on top of a pumpkin. I just happen to have several vintage versions and a couple of woven ones. Being able to use them for another holiday legitimizes storing them all year.

It’s always fun to pick up a handmade cornucopia and find someone’s name on the bottom and when they made it;) A couple of mine are handmade and a couple are vintage pottery planters.

How to Craft Your Garden Inspired Jack O Lanterns

I found a great variety of fantasy pumpkins at Trader Joe’s and a few at Walmart. First I tried on their cornucopia hats for size.

Next I hot glued “hair” on the jack o lanterns. Foraged grasses, reindeer moss and Fall leaves gave them each a different personality.

Garden Flowers for Halloween Decor

I picked the last of the garden flowers to use as facial features. Take petals off of half of a flower for cute eyes. Spent sunflowers and coneflowers with dark brown centers worked well, too. It’s so fun to see each one’s personality emerge!

When you’re done, melt all the glue strings away with a hair dryer.

The Whole Family of Halloween Decor

This family of cute garden inspired jack o lanterns is anything but spooky. They will make your Halloween doorstep charming and welcoming. You could string lights through your display for nighttime interest. After Halloween, peel off the decorations and enjoy the pumpkins as harvest decor for Thanksgiving.

These would be a fun project to do with kids, because it’s always fun to forage nature. Their imaginations can come up with creative ways to use the natural materials for the pumpkins’ facial features. And no sharp knives are involved!

Of course you could just enjoy making them yourself as a little crafty stress relief, like I did;) Our yard is so beautiful with the Fall colors right now; I needed a good excuse to take pretty pictures.

For more Halloween and Fall Craft ideas:

“Stenciled Cobweb Mirror DIY”

“Upcycled Vintage Quilt Witch Hat DIY”

“16+ Upcycled and Repurposed Fall DIY Craft Ideas”

Hope you had as much fun seeing these cuties as I had making them! Definitely a fun, festive way to enjoy the season, especially if you don’t enjoy the spooky side of Halloween.

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