Halloween is just around the corner, and it’s time to start thinking about decorating your home. If you’re a gardener at heart, you may be searching for spooky decorations that are inspired by nature. A Venus fly trap made from a foam pumpkin is a perfect choice for you. Think along the lines of Audrey II in The Little Shop of Horrors. This unique decor item not only adds an eerie touch to your home but also celebrates the beauty of carnivorous plants.
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While it may appear complicated at first glance, creating this is surprisingly simple. You don’t have to possess extraordinary artistic skills either. So let’s get spooky!
Supplies needed:
- foam pumpkin
- hot knife
- green spray paint
- red acrylic paint
- white acrylic paint
- green acrylic paint
- yellow acrylic paint
- tomato twist or thick fake plant stem (sunflower stem would work)
- fake leaves
- glue gun
- wire
- puck light
Step 1: Draw the Design
Figure out where the plant’s mouth is. I chose to put the mouth on the base of the pumpkin and left the pumpkin stem on the “back” of the Venus fly trap. I used a Sharpie to draw the mouth of the pumpkin. The mouth should have sharp teeth and a triangular shape, just like a real Venus fly trap.
Since I was spray painting the exterior, I knew it would cover up the Sharpie (and the many changes to what I was drawing 😂). If you plan to use acrylic paint, it might be better to use a pencil.
Step 2: Cut the Pumpkin Mouth
Use the hot knife to cut along the line. Or the line I chose to follow in my case…
After purchasing a “few “hot knife” options, I found one on Amazon that was simple and worked perfectly. It also came with other cutting tool tips for some future projects I have planned. You can also use an X-Acto knife, but the hot knife makes it so much easier.
While I was cutting the mouth, I also drilled a hole in the back close to the pumpkin stem to insert the stake (see below about attaching the stem).
Step 3: Paint the Pumpkin
Now that your plant has a mouth, you can start painting!
Spray paint the exterior of the foam pumpkin with green paint.
I picked up Colorshot spray paint in Cash for the green exterior from Michael’s. I think the color turned out perfectly and the coverage was exactly what I was looking for! You can also purchase the Colorshot spray paint through Walmart or Amazon! Here’s a similar green color from Lowe’s. I absolutely love how the color turned out.
Make sure to apply the paint evenly across the pumpkin and let it dry for at least a few hours. I opted for more time and broke out spraying the top and bottom so I didn’t have any part of the pumpkin stick when I put it down to dry.
For the inside of the mouth, I used red acrylic paint. You could also blend red and white if you want a softer color inside.
To draw the “lips” around the mouth, I blended a combination of bright green, yellow, and white acrylic paints. Once your paint dries, use white paint to add teeth.
Step 4: Attach the Pumpkin to the Stem
I picked up a Gardner’s Blue Ribbon tomato twist stake from Home Depot for my stem. The stake was already green (bonus) and sturdy since I’m placing Mini Audrey II outside (in a protected area on the porch, but still outside). You can also find a sturdy fake sunflower to use as the stem.
I chose not to paint the leaves much. I did a quick shot of the Cash Colorshot Spray Paint. You can completely spray paint them if you like or if the leaves aren’t exactly the color you wanted.
Step 5: Install the Pumpkin
Where will you be placing your pumpkin? By the fence? Sitting in a planter? My pumpkin will be sitting in a tall (deep) planter by the front door, so I didn’t need anything additional to install my pumpkin. But depending on location, you might need to make sure you insert the stem deeply or attach it to the fence if you are concerned about the stability.
Step 6: Attach The Leaves
With the stake attached to the pumpkin, you can now attach the leaves to the stake. I purchased a stem of leaves from Michaels. Twist each section of leaves with green garden wire or hot glue the leaves along the stem. Feeling extra fancy? Make a “feed me” sign and attach the sign with a bit of ribbon. I picked up a blank unfinished hanging sign from Target and painted it.
Step 7: FINISHING TOUCH
For the finishing touch, I added a multicolor battery-operated puck light inside the mouth to give it a red glow at night! It’s the perfect addition to the spooky decor.
Your treat-or-treaters will adore your spooktacular decor! I had such a great time creating these Halloween decorations.
If you make the Mini Audrey II Venus Fly Trap, please share it with me on Instagram or Facebook!
