Build and light up a pumpkin votive tree with Craft Twinkles®.

SUPPLIES

• water container
• palette or plastic plate
• paper towels
• scissors
• masking tape
• fan brush
• 10" foam pumpkin
• small and medium brushes
• FrogTape®
• wire
• wire cutters
• rocks
• scrap paper
• votive candleholders

INSTRUCTIONS

NOTES:

Some steps may require several coats. Allow to dry between steps.

Save some spare wire to use to make tree sections sturdier or to add to the aesthetic.

1. Paint the entire pumpkin in Slate Grey. Let dry.

2. Paint the entire pumpkin in Silver Craft Twinkles. A fan brush is ideal for painting with glitter.

3. Cut several strands of wire of each gauge at arm's length and wind them together. (Make twisting easier by stabilizing the wire under your foot or the leg of a table and twisting it by hand.) Use more of the largest wire so it's stronger for later use, but wind smaller strands with it for aesthetics. Do this five times.

4. Paint all of the wires in Lamp Black.

5. Fold the end of the wire over in a loop with the strands fanning out. This will keep it secure when it's inserted into the pumpkin.

6. Use your scissors to cut/punch a decent sized hole in the center of the pumpkin and five smaller holes around it. Fill the pumpkin with rocks through the center hole until the pumpkin is fairly heavy.

7. Cover the center hole with tape and insert your strands of wire.

8. Set the pumpkin down on a surface that can be made messy. Pull all five wires up toward the stem and begin to weave/wrap around each other extending upward.

9. Keep extending upward about 5" to 6" in height. (You may wish to use the additional wire set aside earlier to wrap around the "trunk" and make this more secure.)

10. Start to extend the wire out in at least five different directions. At this point, you can unravel some of the wire from its individual strands to start branching out. You will also need to unravel at least one strand from each of the five main branches to use for wrapping the candles.

11. In five areas closest to the trunk in the round, twist the wire several times so that it becomes sturdy enough to hold the candles. (See photo.) Wrap the wire around each candle and then twist on the other side.

12. As you are building, leave the candles in their respective spots to keep the piece balanced. Continue twisting the remaining wires around each other and branching out or slightly forward until you are satisfied with the design. Trim the wire pieces that are too long, and use that wire to make smaller branches to attach.

13. Once the tree is assembled, wrap the pumpkin in scrap paper and paint the entire tree in Lamp Black. Let dry. Once it is dry, apply Black Craft Twinkles to the entire tree. Allow to dry.

14. Paint the votive candleholders with Lamp Black and Slate Grey, making a mix of the two for the center stripe.

15. Create an ombre effect from Lamp Black to Slate Grey. (This is done easily by creating a light and dark mix of the two colors and quickly blending the paint while it is still wet. Using several brushes for each color/mix will also make this easier.)

16. Paint the votive candleholders with Black Craft Twinkles blending up to the Slate Grey.

17. Paint the votive candleholders in Silver Craft Twinkles, blending down to the Lamp Black. Let dry. Once dry, wrap the candleholders in scrap paper, insert them into their respective spots on the tree, and then remove the paper. (This will keep them from scratching.)

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