The pumpkin that'll induce fear year after year. Turning a Funkin (fake foam pumpkin) into a genuinely creepy Halloween decoration. Allow me to introduce you to the Pumpkin diorama. Or as I like to say ...
A decade ago when I was first starting out as a blogger, a magazine emailed me to ask what I would do with a "Funkin" (fake foam pumpkin). They were getting ready for their next year's Halloween issue and wanted to feature bloggers' ideas. This was it. This was my shot at being featured in a magazine and getting great exposure for my new blog.
I can't remember what magazine it was, just that THIS WAS MY BIG BREAK.
I immediately emailed them back saying if it was hollow, I would cut it open and make a creepy Diorama inside. I clicked send and waited for the response. And then just like in the movies ... I never heard from them again.
I guess the magazine didn't like the idea. I liked my idea so much that I made one just for myself. And you of course.
The pumpkin diorama is one of the most shared and copied posts I've ever done. Because it's GREAT. 10 years later and I STILL can't be humble about it.
I love it with all of my heart and the first knuckle of my baby toe.
The absolute BEST part about it is you can do ANYTHING. Scary, cute, childlike, eerie. I go for creep, but you could also turn one into a cute woodland scene, or turn it into Cinderella's carriage.
Whatever you want.
You can be as detailed as you want as well. I went so far as to fray the rope on the noose, put dirt on the ground and use battery operated mini lights to light up the skulls. But I didn't go so far as to clean up blobs of hot glue. 😂
I also cut a little hole in the astroturf so I could pop a mini light up from there. I then stuck the skull on top and BOOM you've got a glowing skull.
To create your own Pumpkin diorama there are only a few tips you need ... make sure you have a foam pumpkin that's hollow inside and ... actually it's just the one tip.
I got my pumpkin at Michaels and I was shocked to see they still carry the exact same ones. At the moment (mid-October 2021), it looks as though they're sold out in Canada but do have them in stock in the US.
A few more tips to make things easier for you ...
Decorating a Pumpkin Diorama
The creepy crafty pumpkin that will instil fear year after year!
Materials
- Foam Pumpkin (hollow)
- Halloween props/items
- Mini lights* (like copper string lights)
Tools
- Hot glue gun
- Drill or hole punch (if you use mini lights you need a hole at the back of the pumpkin to feed the lights through)
- Drywall knife, or serrated knife for cutting the hole in the funkin.
Instructions
- Cut a piece of cardboard and cover it with fake grass (purchased from Dollarama in craft section) and put it in the base of the pumpkin. This makes a flat, level surface to stand things on. You could also use scrap fabric, carpet or dirt instead of grass.
- Put everything where you want it, and then hot glue it in place. Fiddle with things, move them, adjust them.
- Make a creepy tree by hot gluing sticks together.
- When looking for stuff to put inside be creative. The cat sitting on the skull is from inside a glass Halloween snowglobe from Dollarama. I bought it, took it home, smashed the glass and took the cat out.
- If you're going for realism, be careful about your proportions. You don't want a cat that's bigger than your skeleton. Or maybe you do.
- Let your props guide you. I discovered the tiny skulls I had (bought from Dollarama) had holes in the back of them that were just big enough to fit a mini light in. So I abandoned my original idea (to use the mini lights as stars), and used them in the skulls and around the inside of the pumpkin instead.
Notes
* If you use mini lights try to find ones that are on a timer so the Die-O-Rama will come on at the same time every night, and go off at the same time. It just makes life easier and batteries last longer.
Recommended Products
I'm an Amazon affiliate some I get a few cents when you buy something I've linked to.
Total Cost - $30
A lot of the things I used to build the Die-o-rama I already owned so it didn't actually cost me $30. I already had the bat, the lights, the grass and a few other things. But if you were to duplicate mine exactly and owned none of the materials it would cost you around $30 provided you have string, cardboard and twigs.
This post has 70,000 shares and counting. One of the people who shared it was Elvira: Mistress of the Dark. She Tweeted it. To have your little Halloween craft approved and tweeted by Elvira is like being a yoga instructor in a strip mall and having the Dalai Lama retweet your daily affirmation.
Take that magazine I can't remember.
I have something better than a magazine feature - I have Tweet cred.
If you make a Die-o-rama send me a pic. & I'll feature it on my Instagram Page.
Wanna see a Behind the Scenes shot? It's fairly pedestrian. Just a shot of me while I was working on my Die-Orama years ago at the dining room table in the middle of the night. I look like a celebrity in it.
Erica
You are so good at what you do.....wow, that looks incredible!!! My nine year old son stared in amazement....so cool! So clever! Cheers, E
Karen
Thank you ma'am! And son. :) ~ karen
Nicola
Love, love, LOVE it!
Patti
LOVE. IT.
candace
The frayed noose was a nice touch! You are super.
Barbie
Wonderful Idea! I'am going to make my own version of this! My son has a pumpkin contest at his school each year that he LOVES and is always looking for great ideas! (maybe I should say the "parents" have a contest) LOL!!! I will take a picture of ours and send it to you!
dana gault
I am not easily impressed. I'm basically all "meh" about what I see in the blogosphere. However, I have always loved your blog (decidedly not meh) in fact, your die-o-rama is the BEST thing I have ever seen in the Halloween craft idea department!!! Almost as scary as photoshopped eye makeup!
sera
I love it! Every year on the Saturday post of Thanksgiving (US) I go to a diorama party. You have to bring a diorama in order to enter and there is a big unveiling at midnight. It's tons of fun and so many people get really into it!
Karol
Faaaaaabulous dahling! This was my year for shadow box decorations, and now I'm inspired to do a pumpkin die-o-rama
Reg
Fabulous. Looks great lit up and unlit.
Alex
Karen that is seriously kick ass! I know my kids would absolutely love that if they saw that on your/someone's porch. I'm so pinning that.
Kate S.
You have the best ideas. Seriously. I'm totally inspired to take your idea and put my own spin on it now. Off to find foam pumpkins...
Annie Kip
Awesome, Karen! Really creative and new! Martha will be jealous!
Robbin
I L-O-V-E this! I am going to make this with my son and put it on my porch. It will be a nice addition to our spooky but fun decor!
Thanks for the great inspiration!
Wendy
Love this! Just pinned it and am off to suggest it to Craftzine.
Melissa
Wendy, I have you on my RSS feed... and now, I see that you are a fan of Karen's. I like random connections - and thought I would share :D (And I love those sweet paintings you've done from books). Super lovely and so well rendered.)
Nancy Blue Moon
WOW!!! Way better than any of Martha's ideas..I will be on a search to find the stuff to make one..I would send a picture of it to that magazine that passed your suggestion up..It is obvious that they don't know what our Karen is capable of!!..Also that's cool how you can put your makeup on with the Photoshop..
Brenda J. M
Very Ghoul!
Maureen
Brag away, because this is really impressive!
Michaela {au naturel design}
This looks amazing!!! I love the details and your creativity. I'm still trying to come up with a costume :(
FLP
So much better than the chocolate diorama that the kid in the Simpson's ate. Eerie.
marilyn
amazing