Preparing the Workspace and Materials

• 1
  Cover your workspace in newspaper for easy cleanup.BananaStock/BananaStock/Getty Images
  
  Cover your workspace in newspaper or a plastic party tablecloth. Paper-mache is a messy project and can be difficult to clean. Blow up the balloon to the desired size and shape of your pumpkin and tie it off.
  
  
• 2
  A segment of the cardboard tube from a paper towel roll will also work.Jupiterimages/Creatas/Getty Images
  
  Cut the toilet paper roll vertically, up the length of the cylinder. Push one edge under the inside of the other edge (i.e., make the cylinder smaller) and push it tightly together until you reach the desired width of your stem. Tape the tube in place. Tape the cardboard stem onto the balloon at the tapered end. Secure it with several pieces of tape.
  
  
• 3
  White school glue works the best for paper-mache.NA/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
  
  Fill a large bowl or tub with water a little more than halfway. Put the bowl on the workspace. Squeeze white school glue into the water and stir it with a spoon or your finger until the water is cloudy and the mixture's consistency is thick. The ratio is about eight parts water to one part glue, but does not need to be exact.
  
  
• 4). Tear the newspaper into thin strips -- about one to two inches wide -- with your fingers, or cut the strips with scissors. You will need enough strips to cover your balloon in two to three layers of newspaper, so tear several sheets of newspaper.
  
  

Making the Pumpkin

• 1). Submerge one newspaper strip into the glue and water mixture. Pull the strip out, so it is vertical to the bowl. Wring out any excess liquid by lightly squeezing the strip between two fingers and pulling the strip upwards gently.
  
  
• 2). Hold the balloon in one hand and place the wet newspaper strip on it. The glue and water mixture will make it stick to the balloon automatically.
  
  
• 3). Repeat the procedure for each strip of newspaper. Overlap the strips on the balloon and cardboard stem until the balloon is completely covered in two or three layers of newspaper.
  
  
• 4). Set the balloon aside on a clean sheet of newspaper and let it dry for at least 24 hours, or until the papier-mache is completely hard to the touch.
  
  

Decorating the Pumpkin

• 1). Set out fresh newspaper or a tablecloth on your workspace.
  
  
• 2). Push the rounded end of your dried pumpkin into the table. Flatten the bottom in order to create a stable base.
  
  
• 3). Paint the pumpkin and stem with your desired colors of paint; add several layers to cover up the newsprint. Let each layer of paint dry before applying a new one.