Pallet Pumpkins

Fall is my favorite time of year. Don’t get me wrong I like the prettiness of falling snow but could really do without the cold. I enjoy how everything comes back to life in the spring but the wind just gets me. I like everything summer brings but the heat just takes it out of me. But Fall, the combination of the moderate temperatures with the fresh briskness of the morning air, aahhh just perfect! You don’t get that any other time of the year and lets not forget to mention the amazing colors the plants change as they get ready for the cold. The trio of Pallet Pumpkins is great to use from Halloween through Thanksgiving. And in my house anything that has a duel purpose is an automatic win with my husband. The few items he has to figure out how to store and move back and forth when changing decorations the happier he is!!;)-  

The first part of this project is the hardest part, taking the pallet apart.  I have a nifty device that makes it a little easier but it’s still a chore. Once the pallet is taken apart I turned each piece so that the nails are sticking up and with the help of a hammer I hit each nail so that the head of the nail on the other side is sitting up and is easy to grab with the claw of the hammer. It's a repetitive task but I did this with each piece until all the nails are out.  
 

Earlier I had my husband draw out 3 different size pumpkins on my kids roll of art paper, he is  much better at drawing then I am, hints why he's doing it! I cut the pumpkins out so I had a pattern to trace onto the pallets. I laid out the pallet pieces next to each other in 3 groups that each of my patterns fit on. I then taped the patterns down and carefully traced the outline of my pattern onto the pallets. Remember there isn’t anything holding the pallet pieces together so they might move on you. Once I had my outline I measured for braces,  I made sure they fit inside my outline.  Once I had my measurements, I  then cut them out of 1x2. You can use pallets pieces if you want, I just had some scrap 1x2 that worked perfectly so I used those. After I cut them to the right size, I first glued then screwed them to the pallet pieces inside my outline. I aloud the glue to dry for about an hour before moving on. 
 

With the glue dry I turned to my band saw and cut out my pumpkins along the outline I had traced earlier. Once each one was cut out I lightly sanded the edges to even them out but they don’t have to be perfect because the pallet pieces aren’t perfect.  I used small pallet pieces for the stem which I glued and screwed into place as well. 

Now it’s time to paint!! I dry brushed orange on the pumpkins and green and brown on the stem. I love the coloring that pallet wood has so I didn’t want to cover it all up. Almost done! I added a cute raffia bow to the stem to add a little charm and they are ready for the porch or whatever spot you have in mind!

Thank you for spending time with me and until next time....

Addie