Teal Pumpkin Project Topiary

I’m back again with another fun craft to help show my support for the Teal Pumpkin Project and you’ll want to make one, too!

If you’re not familiar with the Teal Pumpkin Project, homes with teal pumpkins on their porch during trick or treating let families and kids with food allergies know that house has non-food treats for them. I know it’s easy to not worry about food allergies if you or your kids don’t have them, but for those families who do, Halloween night can be terrifying for a whole different list of reasons that don’t involve ghouls and goblins. So, if you’d like to participate, you can make a project like this Teal Pumpkin  Project Topiary, print out a pre-made sign, or you can just buy a ready-made teal pumpkin.

If you’re wondering what exactly is considered a non-food Halloween treat, that’s a great question. It’s entirely up to you, but if you really think about it, these kids still want fun, Halloween treats, not toothbrushes and pencils, lol. Think of the small toys and items you’d get in a birthday party goody bag, but Halloween themed. It could be anything from mini tubs of Play-do to spooky LED lighted rings to funny little ducks dressed up for Halloween. Just imagine what children would be excited to get besides candy. Okay, more on that down below, let’s get started on your topiary!

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Teal Pumpkin Project Topiary Materials

• 3 Small Foam Pumpkins
• Small Planter
• Black Spray Paint
• Teal Paint (or Teal Spray Paint)
• Black Felt Letters
• Jumbo Chenille Stems
• Chopstick or Wood Dowels
• Hot Glue Gun
• Paintbrush

Teal Pumpkin Project Topiary Steps

1: Paint the three pumpkins with the teal paint. I had regular acrylic paint on hand and brushed it on, but if you need to buy paint anyway, you may as well just get teal spray paint. Be sure to pull the stems off of two of the pumpkins first before you start painting. If you spray paint, you’ll want to cover the stem on one of the pumpkins.
I found these orange foam pumpkins at Dollar Tree, they’re kind of famous for how many ways people make them over, lol. And because of that, they can be hard to score sometimes, though, so Amazon has your back if you need to find some.

2: Spray paint the metal planter black, but don’t bother painting the inside, no one will see it. You could also just use black acrylic paint here, too, but you’d need to seal it with a clear coat if you plan to keep it outside. Rain likes to dissolve acrylic paint, especially on metal.

I got this planter at Ikea for less than $1 and I’ve linked to the exact ones above, but it may be more economical to just grab a metal planter from the dollar store when you’re there looking for those foam pumpkins.

3: Break or cut one chopstick or dowel in half. Poke one stick into the center top of one stemless pumpkin as shown. 

4: Place the next pumpkin on top of this dowel/ stick and poke it into the second pumpkin, “predrilling” a hole then pull it back off. Apply a circle of hot glue around the top of that first pumpkin where the glue will touch the next pumpkin. Now carefully but quickly place the second pumpkin back onto the dowel/ stick and slide the pumpkin down until it’s secure.

5: Take the second half of the dowel/ chopstick and poke it into the top center of the second stemless pumpkin about halfway. 

6: Now for the third and final pumpkin (the one with the stem) do the same as you did in Step 4 by “predrilling” a hole, hot gluing the top, then sliding the third pumpkin back into place.

7: Next you’ll hot glue the black letters onto the pumpkins, one letter per pumpkin, spelling out B-O-O. Mine came with an adhesive back, but I know from experience that won’t last very long, especially outside, so hot glue them up!

8: Put a ring of hot glue around the top edge/ lip of the black metal planter. Quickly stick the pumpkin stack onto the planter, making sure that plenty of the pumpkin is sticking to the planter. Then hot glue your jumbo black chenille stems around the base of each pumpkin where the two pumpkins meet.

Optional: you can also add a couple of creepy spiders with hot glue if you like.

That’s it! This Teal Pumpkin Project Topiary craft is pretty quick and simple to complete and is super easy to customize to a larger or smaller size to suit your needs. Now all you need to do is grab some non-food treats to hand out to the eager trick-or-treaters. Amazon has some great options to choose from like these fun toys:

 If you really do want to participate, but don’t have time or cash to craft a teal pumpkin, simply print out this Teal Pumpkin Project Flyer for free and post it on your front door. Trust me when I say there will be plenty of eager kids hoping to find some non-food treats (along with their smiling and terrified parents) who will be very grateful for your efforts.

Any effort you make for the Teal Pumpkin Project can help these kids with severe food allergies still be able to enjoy such a fun-filled holiday and your thoughtfulness won’t go unnoticed and is deeply appreciated.

If you are wanting to make something to support the TPP but fear a topiary might be too much to handle, I know you can definitely handle making this Glittered Polka Dot Teal Pumpkin!

Glittered Polka Dot Teal Pumpkin

If you just want something to hang on your door but want still make a project, then my DIY Teal Pumpkin Project Sign is right up your ally!

DIY Teal Pumpkin Project Sign