How to Make Clay Pot Jack-o-Lanterns

During a recent trip to the Pediatricians office, I was intrigued by the jack-o-lanterns they had decorating their office waiting room. The jack-o-lanterns were actually large clay pots, turned upside down and painted to resemble carved pumpkins. They had painted faces and a stick stuck through the drain hole to look like the stem of the pumpkin.

I decided that it would be fun to try and imitate the pots myself. After all, the jack-o-lanterns we make with our real pumpkins end up rotting on our porch within a couple of days of carving them.

The first step was finding the clay pots. Since this is not gardening season, our Wal Mart did not have any in stock. But after some searching in other stores, I did find some.

Next, I primed all the pots and spray painted them orange.


Then, I used stencils to create the different faces of jack-o-lanterns. I used a Sharpie marker to outline the features...

...then used black and white craft paint to fill in the outlining.

I found it best to let the craft paint dry and apply a second coat. After all the features were like I wanted them, I sprayed the entire pot with a clear, protective coat.

Here they are, ready to decorate the front porch without fear of rot!