I’m sure you’ve heard of woodland sprites, but did you know there are sprites in your vegetable garden? Unlike the Woodland Sprites, Punkin Sprites only visit this dimension during the time of the last harvest. Once the last pumpkin is picked, and the last row of corn is harvested, Punkin Sprites go back to their home.

Happy and playful, Punkin Sprites sing songs to make pumpkins and other squash grow big—in fact, they are a bit competitive, but it’s all in fun! Celebrate the joy of autumn by making your own little Punkin Sprite!

Materials:

Craft Pumpkin
Beads or Buttons for eyes
Silk Flowers or Moss for eyebrows and hair
Craft Paint and Sealer
Epoxy Clay of your choice *See notes on working with epoxy clay
Protective Gloves—craft/hospital/work gloves
Pop-Up Cleansing Cloths
Adhesive or Glue Gun
Wax Paper to protect work station while working with epoxy clay
Craft Knife
Awl or Skewer
Paint Brushes or Foam Brushes
Pencil

Preparation:

Prepare your work surface by placing wax paper on your table to protect it from the epoxy clay.

If unfamiliar with epoxy clay, please read notes at the bottom of this post.

(Clay dries quickly; when making the eyes, nose, ears, etc… mix only enough clay for one item at a time.)

Step One—Making a Face

Begin by marking placement for the eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. Once you have decided on the placement, lightly score the pumpkin to ensure a good epoxy adhesion.

Beginning with the ears, mix a small amount of Part A epoxy with equal amount of Part B. work the two parts together until pliable and tacky. Form this into the desired shape for the ear and press it into place. Make any adjustments needed to the shape and set the pumpkin aside. Repeat for the second ear.

For the eyes, you’ll be making three parts. One is the foundational piece or back of the eye into which you will press your bead or button. Then you will make an upper and lower eyelid to help keep the bead in place.

Mix a small amount of clay and smooth out into a flat, almond shape. Press that onto the pumpkin. Press your bead or button into the clay.

Next, mix a small amount of clay and separate it into two parts. Roll each into a small tubular shape to go just along the upper and lower lid area on the eye. You want it to cover the bead just a little bit to help keep the bead in place. Work the eye until you like the result. If any clay gets on the bead you can use a cotton swap dipped in soapy water or alcohol to remove the residue.

To make a nose, mix up a small amount of clay and work it into a ball or tube shape. Press this onto the pumpkin, smooth down the edges to blend into the face and finish forming a nose. 

Form the mouth by molding the clay into the basic shape you want, pressing this onto the pumpkin and molding the lips into shape with your thumb and forefinger. Be sure to smooth the edges onto the pumpkin so the mouth looks like it is part of the face, like you did with the nose.

Once all your facial features are in place let them cure for at least twenty minutes.

Step Two—Painting

At this point your pumpkin and your clay are probably different colors. Before painting the features of your Punkin Sprite, I recommend an all-over base coat in a light color such as Onion or Mushroom. This will help your painted features to be more uniform in color.

Once the base coat is dry, continue to paint the face and ears. Once finished be sure to seal the paint with the appropriate sealer.

Step Three- Hair, Eyebrows and other Accents

How you attach your Sprite’s hair and eyebrows depends on the materials you are working with. For instance, I wanted to work with silk stems. To get the look I wanted for the hair I punctured the pumpkin at the stem and used a skewer to enlarge the hole. I then applied a bit of craft adhesive (you can use your favorite craft glue or a hot glue gun) and inserted the stems. The eyebrows are simply leaves from the same silk stem, cut to length and glued on.

Give your Sprite even more personality with a hat or other accessories!

*Notes—Epoxy Clay

Epoxy clay (or two-part epoxy adhesive) can be found in craft stores by the jewelry supplies or at your local hardware store by the plumbing supplies. They work the same way but have different textures and curing times…and smell. The jewelry clay is smooth and warms quickly in your hand. It has a longer work time and a better smell. You can expect to pay about $12.00 for two 1.6 oz tubs (parts A & B). Plumbing clay has a more granular texture and an industrial-type smell, you can expect to pay about $6.00 for a 2 oz tube containing both A & B. In my example, I used plumbing epoxy for the ears and jewelry epoxy for the other features.

Epoxy clay dries quickly and once it is dry it is pretty much permanent, so please protect your table…and floor!

Gloves are recommended as the clay may irritate skin. Keep some cleansing cloths nearby to wipe off hands and any tools you use.