How to Make a Jack-o-Lantern Rug

This project was inspired by an old, rust-stained rug that was hanging around the office. Rather than throw it away, I decided to make it into a Halloween decoration. I chose the jack-o-lantern design because, in addition to being the most iconic image associated with the holiday, it is also the easiest to draw. By following the directions below you can make a fast and easy decoration for your Halloween party or haunted house.

For this project you will need

• An old, light-colored rug or piece of carpet.
• 2 Cans of Simply Spray Burnt Orange Upholstery Paint
• 2 Cans of Simply Spray Navy Blue Upholstery Paint
• 1 Can of Simply Spray Hunter Green Upholstery Paint
  
• 1 Can of Simply Spray Midnight Black Upholstery Spray
  
• Scissors
• A tape measure
• Masking tape
• Some old news sprint and cardboard

At this stage, mine kinda looked like
 Master Control Program from Tron.

1. First, prep the area you'll be working in with newsprint. This will keep any paint that misses the rug from staining your floor.
2. Next, using the measuring tape, find the center of your rug and map out the eyes, nose, and mouth of your jack-o-lantern with your tape. You can use the scissors to trim the tape into shapes more unconventional than the standard triangle should you desire.
3. Once you have the face constructed, map out the border of the jack-o-lantern and similarly outline them in tape. Now, set your cardboard around the borders of the jack-o-lantern and inside the outlined mouth, nose, and eyes.
4. Now you're ready to add your first color of paint. The first coat will use two cans of burnt orange paint which will make the face of the jack-o-lantern. Remember to shake you can thoroughly before removing the safety tab and spraying. After adding the first coat of orange, let it dry for a half hour before adding a second coat. 

   

    There, that's more like it.

5. Once the second coat of orange has dried for about a hour, remove the cardboard and tape around the eyes, nose, and mouth. Now, add new tape over the orange paint at the borders of the eyes, nose, and mouth, leaving the unpainted area inside each structure exposed. You may want to use cardboard to cover the orange paint at the borders if you're worried about your tape being too thin.
6. Now, using midnight black paint, fill in the eyes nose and mouth with two coats as before.
7. Once the eyes, nose, and mouth have finished drying, remove the tape that outlines the face of the jack-o-lantern and use new tape to outline the stem of the pumpkin. When it's complete, give this area two coats of hunter green.
8. Now that the jack-o-lantern is complete, you're ready for the last color of paint. Remove the tape around the stem and apply new tape to the outside edge of the jack-o-lantern and its stem. Once it has been prepped add your final two coats of navy blue around the edges of the jack-o-lantern, filling in the background of the rug.