Party Pumpkin Keg

I have something extra special to share with you today!  Not only do I have an awesome DIY project to show you but I’ve also joined up with Kelly from Cobwebs, Cupcakes & Crayons to partake in her newly formed Collectively Creative project.  The idea is that multiple bloggers choose one central topic and everyone publishes a post at the same time on the same day.  It’s a great way to experience new bloggers and see related posts!  Guess what the very first topic is?  Halloween!  Perfect timing, right? 🙂  At the bottom of this post, there are links to all of the others bloggers that are joining in on the Collectively Creative fun!  Their posts range from Halloween themed centerpieces to Halloween striped cookies so be sure to check them all out!

For my Halloween post, I’ve decided to blog about a DIY Party Pumpkin Keg.  One of Jon’s co-workers sent him this link mentioning how cool the pumpkin keg looked.  Next thing I know, Jon is telling me we should do it and I’m out searching for the perfectly shaped pumpkin.  Alas, I found the perfect flat bottomed 15lb pumpkin that I was searching for.

For the first half of this project, all you need is your pumpkin, duct tape/painter’s tape/masking tape, scissors, and spray paint.

This is the point where you can let your creative streak shine and don’t tell me you don’t have one because everyone does!  Using your tape and scissors, create your design on the pumpkin.  Moment of honesty – I originally attempted to make a chevron pattern but found that it was surprisingly hard to keep it symmetrical so I went with a more simple diamond pattern.

Tip:  Just wanted to remind you that the part of the pumpkin that is taped will be the part that is orange.  The rest of your pumpkin will be the color of your spray paint.  Sounds like common sense but I’m just throwing it out there.

Once you’re satisfied with your tape job, head outside with your pumpkin and your spray paint.  I had some leftover metallic brown spray paint from my wine corkboard project which I thought would work well.  Make sure to spray your pumpkin evenly and then let it sit for an hour or two.  Once it’s no longer tacky, bring it inside and let it dry overnight.

Tip:  It really is important to let it dry overnight – The longer the better!  Jon found that when he was carving and scraping, some of the spray paint was coming off on his hands.  Luckily, they were all small flecks but I’m sure we should’ve let the spray paint dry longer.

When your pumpkin is completely dry to the touch, remove the tape to reveal your crafty design!

Time to carve your pumpkin top and remove the guts.  Considering we’ll be filling our pumpkins with beer, this is definitely the grown-up version of traditional pumpkin carving!  I have to give credit to Jon for doing the carving on this one.

Tip:  Make sure to carve the top off at an angle so it doesn’t fall through when you place it back on.  It also makes for easy clean up if you carve your pumpkin in the sink.

Now comes the tricky part… attaching the spout.  Luckily, Jon’s into home brewing so he already had one of these lying around but I’m sure you could easily find one at a home improvement store like Lowe’s or Home Depot.

Start by tracing the circle end of your spout onto a paper towel.  Cut out the center and hold it up to your pumpkin.

Tip:  It’s really helpful to have two people working together at this point.

While one person is holding the “stencil,” the other person should slowly and CAREFULLY cut the hole into the pumpkin.  Keep in mind that you don’t want to hastily cut this hole because it should be a tight fit for the spout so that none of your delicious beer leaks out.

At this point, Jon and I found that once we inserted the spout into the hole, it wasn’t deep enough to completely go through the pumpkin in order to screw the stopper on the back.  Jon had to carefully scrape down the inside with a small spoon.

Tip:  Be EXTRA careful because you don’t want to scrap right through and collapse your pumpkin.

After a lot of careful scraping and spout readjusting, the spout was finally in snug and there were no leaks!  I was a proud girlfriend!

Finally, it’s time to pour some beer into your pumpkin keg  – We chose Sam Adam’s Pumpkin Ale.  Ahhh, so refreshing after the hard work.  Jon ended up taking this party pumpkin to a football party but it would obviously be a great addition to a Halloween party or even Thanksgiving!

Tip:  In order to keep the beer cold longer, you could make beer ice cubes ahead of time and drop them in as needed.

Party Pumpkin Keg

Inspired by Celebrations

You Will Need

• 1 pumpkin that sits completely flat
• duct tape/painter’s tape/masking tape
• scissors
• spray paint
• small spout
• pen or marker
• pumpkin carving knife
• spoon
• beer

What to Do

1. Using tape and scissors, create your design on the pumpkin.
2. Once you’re satisfied with your tape job, head outside with your pumpkin and your spray paint.  Make sure to spray your pumpkin evenly and then let it sit for an hour or two.  Once it’s no longer tacky, bring it inside and let it dry overnight.
3. When your pumpkin is completely dry to the touch, remove the tape to reveal your crafty design!
4. Carve your pumpkin top off and remove the “guts.”
5. Trace the circle end of your spout onto a paper towel.  Cut out the center and hold it up to your pumpkin.
6. While one person is holding the “stencil,” the other person should slowly and CAREFULLY cut the hole into the pumpkin.
7. If necessary, scrap down the inside of the pumpkin until the spout pokes through.
8. Screw on the back of the spout.
9. Pour cold beer in your party pumpkin and be prepared to impress people!

Now I’d like to introduce you to the 8 other fabulous bloggers with Halloween themed posts today:

• BOO and Buttons, Tricks and Treats
• DIY Halloween Centerpieces
• Oreo Spiders and Mummy Juice Boxes
• Have Fun Making Monster Munch For Halloween!
• Halloween Striped Cookies
• Divine Pumpkin Roll Recipe
• From My Family To Yours: Six Strategies for Trick or Treat
• Trick-or-Treat Neat

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Tags: adult, beer, carving, carving pumpkins, craft, decoration, DIY, Do it yourself, grown-up, Halloween, homemade, keg, party, project, pumpkin, Pumpkin Ale, pumpkin carving, Sam Adams, spout, spray paint, Thanksgiving

• October 22, 2012
• DIY Projects
• 49 Comments