Sometimes the simplest supplies make the best projects! This pumpkin started with a flat wire pumpkin wreath form and ordinary brown paper.

I crinkled the paper to soften it and then worked the strips through the wire form to create that chunky, woven look. Once the entire form was covered, I added a simple paper-covered stem and finished it with a sunflower and greenery.

It is inexpensive, lightweight, and one of those projects that looks much more complicated than it actually is.

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Supplies You’ll Need

You don’t need much for this one:

• Wire pumpkin wreath form
• Brown kraft paper, packing paper, or recycled brown paper
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks
• Scissors
• Floral picks or greenery
• Sunflower or another fall flower
• Optional paint or wax if you want to change the color of your finished pumpkin

I especially love projects where you can use packing material you already have instead of buying another craft supply.

Prepare Your Brown Paper

Start by cutting or tearing the brown paper into long strips.

Crumple each strip really well with your hands. This softens the paper and gives it all those wrinkles and folds that make the finished pumpkin so interesting.

The strips do not have to be perfectly smooth or identical. The crinkled texture is what gives this project its rustic look.

Start Weaving the Pumpkin

Begin working the paper strips through the sections of the flat wire pumpkin form.

Continue weaving and overlapping the paper until the wire is covered. When one strip ends, add another and keep going.

I used a little hot glue where needed to keep the paper in place.

Don’t worry about making every strip perfectly straight. You want the pumpkin to stay evenly shaped, but the paper itself should remain loose, crinkled and textured.

Keep Building the Layers

This is one of those projects that starts out looking questionable. 🤪

Keep going!

As you add more paper, the wire disappears and the woven pumpkin begins to take shape.

Move around the entire form, filling any areas where too much wire is showing. I went back over some sections with additional pieces of paper until I was happy with the fullness.

Don’t pull the paper too tightly. Leaving some wrinkles and dimension makes the finished pumpkin much more interesting.

Wrap the Pumpkin Stem

Once the body of the pumpkin is covered, wrap brown paper around the wire stem.

I kept mine slightly twisted and curved rather than making it perfectly straight. It fits the rustic look of the woven paper.

Add Your Fall Embellishments

Once my woven pumpkin was finished, I could have stopped right there.

But you know me. 😂 I added a sunflower and soft greenery near the stem. It gave the brown paper just enough color without covering all that beautiful woven texture.

You could also use:

• Fall leaves
• Dried hydrangeas
• Lamb’s ear
• Raffia
• Berries
• Acorns
• A simple ribbon
• Small pinecones

Or leave it completely plain for a more neutral fall look.

Watch the Woven Paper Pumpkin Video

Sometimes a weaving project is much easier to understand when you can actually watch the hands moving through the process.

Watch my full woven paper pumpkin tutorial on YouTube here:

You’ll be able to see how I positioned the strips, worked them through the wire frame and built up the texture.

One Pumpkin — So Many Different Looks

What I really love about this project is how easily you can change it.

My original version had a beautiful sunflower with soft sage greenery, but you could make one completely neutral with cream florals, give it a more traditional fall look with orange and rust, or even tuck little dried flowers into the weaving.

And because the base is simply paper, it is incredibly lightweight.

Who would ever guess it started with packing paper?

Save That Packing Paper!

This may be your reminder not to throw away all that brown paper that comes inside shipping boxes.

Sometimes the best craft supplies are already sitting in the recycling pile.

I love finding ways to take something ordinary and turn it into seasonal decor, and this woven pumpkin may be one of my favorite examples.

Would you have guessed this pumpkin was made with brown packing paper?