Faux Metal Pumpkin

Remember making paper strip pumpkins as a kid in school? This is yet another DollarTree aluminum sheet pan project that's so similar to the paper ones. There are so many different things you can do with the aluminum sheets because they are so lightweight and flexible. I am not in the mood for fall but I am doing an open market at the end of August so I think that I should have some fall items. These came out really cute and kids could easily make this with help using the glue gun. The sheet pans come in a pack of 2 for $1 and I used one sheet pan to make 2 pumpkins so it's basically 25 cents per pumpkin!

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You will need:
aluminum sheet pans from Dollartree
mod podge
paint
hot glue gun
rusty wire - it's worth the purchase! I use it all the time and I might have some in the craftroom, in the basement and in the kitchen...
ribbon - I used the Dollartree ribbon
stick for a stem

Cut the edge off the sheet pan so you have a rectangle that is completely flat. It's easier to work with this way. Paint your sheet pan with craft paint, spray paint, milk paint, chalk paint or whatever you have on hand. I used acrylic paint and then sealed it with mod podge. I didn't cover the whole thing and I wanted it streaky. I'd recommend not doing it on a 92 degree day with 100% humidity but what do I know? It took 24 hours to dry! You'll want to seal your paint with something so it doesn't chip right off of the aluminum. You could use a spray sealer too.

Cut into strips. Mine are about one inch but some are wider and some more narrow than others. This material is really easy to cut so kids could do it.

You'll want to set up your strips before gluing. It's almost like an asterisk. I used 5 strips for one and 4 for another.

Now it's time to glue! Starting at the bottom, put a dot in the center to glue all of your pumpkin strips together. Use something to push down on each strip because they get super hot! The aluminum foil is very thin.

Now curl up your strips so that you can start to attach them at the top. You could use a spray can to gently roll them or just do it by hand.

Put a dab of glue on one strip and find the other end to attach it to like this.

Once you attach your second strip, you'll want to glue those two rings together to hold it all in place at the top.

Keep going until it looks kind of like a pumpkin and they are all glued in tight.

Using a small stick, glue your pumpkin "stem" to the center of the top.

I used the Dollartree burlap and lace ribbon but I cut it in half because I wanted it to be thin and it's like a 2 for 1! I tied this around the stem then added my rusty wire. To curl it, I wrapped it around a sharpie.

So cute, right? I want to do some white ones next!

I also made some faux metal flower magnets by tracing a little flower design on one sheet pan and doubling it up for texture. I was able to get 6 out of one pan. I glued the layers together, added a glass pebble to the center and put a magnet on the back. I curled up the top petals just a bit. We also cut out some little hearts with the scraps so those are drying and I'm debating on pins or magnets for those. The possibilities are endless!