Visit http://patchworkfromhome.com/ for more info

1. Pumpkins are a staple of autumn. Whether Halloween or
Thanksgiving, pumpkins undoubtedly play a large role in
either autumn holiday. With a little imagination, there are
some creative ways to use dowel to craft pumpkin projects
for your home.

2. If you enjoy designing your own floral arrangements,
purchase some artificial flowers of various sizes and
shapes, being certain to select autumnal colors. Orange,
gold, yellow, deep purple, burnt red, and any other
accenting color that reminds you of autumn are great
ways to go. Then, using your selected flowers, design your
own arrangements.

3. When the arrangement is done, add a touch more of
autumn by carving a craft pumpkin and using dowel.

4. Choose a dowel sized appropriately for the project.
Consider the overall size of the floral arrangement, as well
as the size of the craft pumpkins. Make cuts to the dowel
as required to meet the specific desired size. Before
making the cut, however, consider whether or not you
would like for the dowel to extend through the top of the
craft pumpkin and, if so, how much dowel you would like
to show on the top half of the pumpkin.

5. Once this is determined, carefully insert the dowel
through the bottom center point of the pumpkin.

6. Consider adding creative touches to the wood dowel
before fixing it in place. If you decide to accentuate the
dowel, first remove it from the pumpkin. There are several
things that can be done to make it more crafty. It can be
painted, wrapped in ribbon or both. Whichever you may
decide, be certain to allow sufficient time for the paint or
hot glue to dry once the paint or ribbon is applied.

7. Reinsert the dowel into the craft pumpkin, secure either
end (if applicable) with a small amount of hot glue, allow
it to dry and then insert the pumpkin into the floral
arrangement.

8. The same concept can be applied to a Halloween craft or
floral arrangement. With a Halloween motif, however,
consider first painting, or carving and painting, a face on
the pumpkin that is characteristic of traditional pumpkin
carving. Get the whole family involved by allowing your
children to design or paint the pumpkin faces. Consider
designing incrementally sized pumpkins, and use an
appropriately-sized section of hardwood dowel that will
accommodate a pumpkin topiary. Other creative touches
may be added as well. Consider affixing a plastic spider to
a craft pumpkin, adding a witch and broom, or using string
or cotton batting to replicate a cobweb.

9. These are just a couple of ideas for using pumpkins, one of
autumn's most distinctive items, in a creative way. Use
your own creativity and a few very inexpensive supplies,
available at most local craft supplies stores, to add your
own personal touches and make something that can be
displayed year after year.

10. http://patchworkfromhome.com/