Would you believe these were once dollar store foam pumpkins?
Last night while making dinner, I glanced over at the pile of cornhusks in our compost pail and was struck by inspiration. I laid the husks flat on paper towel to dry overnight, and got to work decorating my pumpkins this morning. I hot-glued the husks from four ears of corn onto this pumpkin.
I left several extra inches of husk loose at the top, which I then wrapped with hemp twine to create the stem. I made the curly vines by wrapping pieces of husk around a chopstick and drying them in a warm oven.
After decoupaging strips of fabric onto this pumpkin, I glued pieces of husk in the grooves. I made another twine stem, and then added pieces of curled husk, acorns from the back yard, and several dollar store leaves.
If you want to try this yourself, here is a tip that I learned the hard way. You do not want to let the husks get completely dry or they will be too brittle to work with. But if this happens, all is not lost. Soak them in a bowl of warm water for a minute or two and they will be soft and pliable once again. Inspiration can come from the strangest places, even the trash!