Light Up Pumpkin Jack-o-Lantern

I’ve mentioned it before and I’ll mention it again. One of my favorite places to go for both crafting inspiration and supplies is Habitat ReStore. And for some reason this year, I can’t stop making Halloween decor with vintage light fixtures. This time, I’ve turned one into light up pumpkin jack-o-lantern.

Habitat ReStore almost always boast a sizable collection of vintage light fixture or glass light globes. And I’ve certainly made my fair share of light-up Halloween decorations from them, like these little ghost lights…

But for this project, I needed a round light fixture. The kind with a little metal finial on top was key.

This darling little gem was perfect for my upcycling idea. He reminded me of Cinderella’s carriage. Which, of course, was transformed from a pumpkin.

And whoosh, just like that, I knew what this vintage light fixture’s fate would be. A light up pumpkin and jack-o-lantern!

This post contains affiliate links for your crafting convenience. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. All blue, bold, and underlined text is a clickable link, either to a product or to a related post.

Making a Light Up Jack-o-Lantern from a Light Fixture Cover

First, I unscrewed his base and cleaned him up a bit. 

Had there been wires and/or insulation in the socket, I would have removed that, as well.

Next, I needed to sketch out a jack-o-lantern face. But I didn’t want to freehand draw directly on the glass. So, I grabbed some scrap paper and a pencil.

Truth be told, sketching out a Halloween jack-o-lantern face on paper was still a gamble because drawing is not something I’m skilled at. But I did my best, first tracing around the width of the glass light globe. Then, I filled in the circle with a traditional jack-o-lantern grin.

Once I had my template sketched out, I simply cut out the pieces and arranged them on the light up pumpkin. Next, I taped them in place and traced around them in pencil.

Then, I outlined and filled in his eyes, nose, and mouth using black acrylic craft paint.

And just like that, my light up pumpkin and jack-o-lantern was nearly done!

Lastly, I needed to add the actual “light up” or part of my Halloween jack-o-lantern. And that would come in the form of an LED battery operated candle that I placed on the base.

Light Up Pumpkin and Jack-o-Lantern

This is how the light up pumpkin looked BEFORE I turned on the LED candle…

And THIS  is what the jack-o-lantern light looked like when I turned on the candle and flicked off the lights.

HOW FABULOUS IS THAT? And so easy to make…

Unlike the real thing, this light up pumpkin won’t rot under the October sun (a real problem for those of us in the South!). And talk about a no-mess jack-o-lantern, too. It really doesn’t get any easier than this.

And, if you find a plain or clear light globe- have no fear! Spray it down with frosted spray paint to give it that opaque glow, and simply glue a drawer knob to the top for your “stem”! You’ll get the same effect as this light up pumpkin.

I was also lucky enough to find a larger version of this light fixture cover, albeit without the “stem”. Check out how I upcycled it as a Halloween moon!

Craft on!

S

Want to be notified when I publish my next upcycling project tutorial?

Please subscribe here.

Join me on Social Media:

 

 

 

 

 
PIN ME!