Ready for Halloween mischief!

• Pumpkin
• Knife; drill and large drill bit; or small, round cookie cutter
• 5-inch-long piece of 1/4-inch dowel
• Pencil sharpener
• Paintbrush
• Acrylic paints in black and white
• 3 artificial crows
• Scissors
• Ruler
• White paper
• Tracing paper
• Round pencil
• Black marker
• Medium-gauge wire; nail
• Raffia or straw

1. Download the free plan for this project. (Downloading requires free Adobe Acrobat software.)

Crow's Hideout Sign Plan

Download Adobe ACrobat

2. Cut a round circle in the pumpkin on the lower half as shown in the picture. You can use a knife, a drill and bit, or a small, round cookie cutter.

3. Sharpen one end of the dowel in a pencil sharpener. Paint the dowel black and let it dry. Add white dots by dipping the handle end of a paintbrush into paint and dotting onto the dowel. Let dry. Insert the sharp end of the dowel just below the cutout. Attach a crow to the perch. Firmly press the wire feet of the remaining crows into the pumpkin top where desired.

4. To make a "Happy Halloween" sign, cut a 5x1-5/8-inch piece from white paper. Trace the lettering, above right, onto tracing paper. Place the traced pattern under white paper and hold up to a window for light. Use a black marker to copy the lettering. Outline the paper edges with marker. Poke two small holes in the top of the sign as shown. Cut a 5-inch length of wire. Curl it by wrapping around a pencil. Push the ends of the wire into the holes in the sign and twist to secure. Insert the nail into the pumpkin to hang the sign. Fill the drilled hole with raffia or straw.