Transform Pool Noodles Into A Whimsical DIY Pumpkin Trellis For Halloween

As the calendar approaches Halloween, every day, the night creeps in earlier, chillier, and less inviting. A bit of spooky cute lighting that's equally appealing in daylight is just what your porch needs to get into the "spirit." A towering trellis overgrown with sliced pool noodle faux vines and dappled with glowing (flameless) jack-o'-lanterns is a precious project for your porch, yard, or garden.

Make one of your own with five pool noodles, a collection of seven to none (more if they're on the small side) carveable foam pumpkins in a few different sizes, and a 6-foot tall garden trellis like one of these LZRS 2 Pack Rustic Iron Arch Trellis. You can also easily DIY a simple trellis with a grid of wooden branches or bamboo poles. You'll also need battery-operated LED tea lights, foam-covered garden wire, thick-gauge crafting wire, a serrated knife, scissors, brown or coppery spray paint, and optional faux leaves. A small serrated knife is one of the best tools to use when cutting a pool noodle, and it will also come in handy for carving the foam pumpkins.

With the serrated knife, slice away a thin section about 2 inches wide from the length of a pool noodle; it should look irregular and organic like a vine and be close to the length of the noodle itself. Using the knife or scissors, continue slicing the remainder of the pool noodle into similar-sized pieces, and give the other noodles the same treatment. Bundle together four or five "vines" with craft wire. Leave excess wire at each cut end to form into pumpkin vine curlicues. Repeat this process a few more times, about one foot apart along the length of the noodle pieces.

Attach the bundles to the trellis with more wire, bunching the wire-wrapped sections toward each other so that the noodle slices bow out into a rounded, hollow shape. Space the vines evenly over the trellis. Make 10 cuts of foam-covered garden wire about 12 to 16 inches long to make thicker curlicues. At even spaces, slide each piece of wire around a bit of the trellis's framing, bending it in half, twisting it to hold, and curving the ends into loose coils. Coat the trellis and faux vines in a few layers of spray paint. Simplify the task with TikTok's time saving tips that make spray paint projects a breeze. Once the paint is no longer tacky, you can attach the leaves if you're using them. Distribute them evenly over the trellis. To ensure a good hold between the leaves and the vines, give silicone glue a try; this adhesive holds up well against the elements.

Pre-draw jack-o'-lantern facial features onto each pumpkin, and cut out the pieces. Make sure the mouth will be big enough for you to put in and take out a small LED light for each pumpkin. Poke a couple of holes on the side opposite the face on each pumpkin, about 1 ½ to 2 inches apart, and slide a cut of craft wire through the holes so that the two cut ends are outside the pumpkin. Twist the wire ends around a section of the trellis to hold the jack-o'-lantern in place. Space the remaining pumpkins evenly over the rest of the trellis. Help your handiwork hold up against the elements with a coating of a UV protectant spray like Scotchgard Sun and Water Shield.

Let this Halloween decor idea transform your yard, porch, or garden by securing the trellis against a railing with more wire or sinking the trellis's legs into the ground next to a wall. To facilitate turning the LED candles on and off, you can adjust the wires attaching the pumpkins to the trellis so that they're easy to reach and undo if you find yourself needing to "shake" the light through the jack-o'-lanterns' mouths. Slide a lit LED tealight inside each jack-o'-lantern. If detaching the pumpkins to access the candles is a pain, you may be able to extract them with tongs or pliers to turn them on and off.