Have you seen a book pumpkin?

I have to admit something. I am not a very skilled crafter. It is one of the reasons I feel much more comfortable in a kids activities setting…people aren’t expecting professional results!

But I love to craft!

Finding really easy crafts that turn out with limited skills {that are also inexpensive} is sometimes difficult, but Kids Activities Blog sponsor (via Burst Media)  Dollar Tree’s Value Seekers Club is filled with ideas that I can actually pull off!

I tried the book pumpkin!

Isn’t it adorable?

I followed the directions found in the Value Seekers Club – they have new ideas each month that can be made from items that you would find at Dollar Tree.

How to Make a Book Pumpkin

It was great to upcycle an old paperback book I had around the house adding some paint from Dollar Tree that cost just…a dollar!

Materials:

• old paperback book
• orange paint
• paint brush
• water
• scissors/sharp edge cutter
• stick
• rafia
• marker
• glue or paperclip

Steps to Make a Book Pumpkin:

1. Trace 1/2 a pumpkin on the outside of the book with a marker – think 1/2 a heart like you would do for Valentines.
2. Use scissors or a exacto-like knife to cut the book along the traced line.  I ended up sectioning the book into several segments (and it doesn’t have to be perfect because you can trim later).
3. Dilute orange paint with water – equal parts paint & water.  And paint just the outside edges of the pages.
4. Grab a stick from outside and use it as a pumpkin stem.
5. Glue the book in a fan around the the stick or attach book covers with paperclip.
6. Add rafia.

This is a great craft for older kids. I was surprised at how easy it was to complete. The only modification I made was to thicken the stick pumpkin stem with several additional stick pieces.

Check out this craft and others. The Value Seekers Club is free and has resources like: Printables, Recipes, Decor, Crafts, & Frugal Fun. The club is the loyalty program for Dollar Tree. What I love is everything is simple and inexpensive since everything at Dollar Tree is a dollar.