Fall is in the air, and with fall comes apple cider, warm sweaters, and, of course, pumpkin carving! But, if you haven’t gotten around to carving jack-o-lanterns quite yet, I am here to offer you another crafty option. Grab some paper, some vellum, and a couple of flameless candles—we’re making some adorable pumpkin lanterns!
Like this design? Consider leaving a tip to show your support.
My wonderful patrons chose these festive designs! Each month, my Patreon subscribers help me select a couple of the projects I create, and these designs were amongst the top picks for the month of October.
If you enjoy my work and would like to help choose future projects/freebies, consider becoming a patron of Designs By Miss Mandee!
Watch a short video of me putting this project together on Instagram.
Pumpkin Lanterns
Materials
- Cardstock
- Vellum
- Hot Glue
- Precision Craft Glue or a Glue Stick
- A Cutting Machine or X-ACTO knife
- My Free Template
Instructions
- Use your cutting machine or X-ACTO knife, along with my template, to cut out all of the pieces of your pumpkin lanterns.Note: If you are using the SVG files that includes the score lines, don’t forget to set them as such in Cricut Design Space and attach them to their shapes before sending them through your cutting machine. I used a lime green color to mark the score lines, so hopefully that helps! If you’re having trouble with the score lines, check out this video.
Prep Work
- Start by curling each of your pumpkin panels and the vellum interior pieces. You can do this with a bone folder, a marker, or even the edge of your table.Then, attach each of your vellum pieces to the inside of your decorative panels with glue.Note: I had run out of vellum (and apparently my local craft store had too), so I made do with some shiny cardstock for the interior of the panels.
Assembling the Pumpkin Frame
- The pumpkin frame consists of two hexagon shapes, one pumpkin outline with a leaf/vine, and two pumpkin outlines without a leaf/vine. Take your two pumpkin outlines sans vine and fold them in half.Using the slit in the top of your folded pieces, slip them both into the slit in the pumpkin outline piece that has a vine.Next, take your larger hexagon piece and fit it into the top of your pumpkin frame, lining up each of the edges with the notches in the hexagon’s corners. Add a little dab of hot glue on each corner to keep the whole thing in place.Repeat the process with the smaller hexagon, fitting it into the bottom of the pumpkin frame.
Assembling the Panels
- Once the frame and panels are assembled, all that’s left to do is attach each panel to the hexagon portions of your frame using the tabs/slits provided. You may glue the tabs down if you’d like, but there is no real need to do so. The curvature of the tabs adds to the overall roundness of your pumpkin, and leaving them loose will allow you to open them up and place a flameless candle inside later on.Your pumpkin is complete!
Notes
View the full-size tutorial photos below.
Supplies
- Cardstock
- Vellum
- Hot Glue
- Precision Craft Glue or a Glue Stick
- A Cutting Machine or X-ACTO knife
- My Free Template
How to Make It
1. Use your cutting machine or X-ACTO knife, along with my template, to cut out all of the pieces of your pumpkin lanterns.
Note: If you are using the SVG files that includes the score lines, don’t forget to set them as such in Cricut Design Space and attach them to their shapes before sending them through your cutting machine. I used a lime green color to mark the score lines, so hopefully that helps! If you’re having trouble with the score lines, check out this video.
Prep Work
2. Start by curling each of your pumpkin panels and the vellum interior pieces. You can do this with a bone folder, a marker, or even the edge of your table.
Then, attach each of your vellum pieces to the inside of your decorative panels with glue.
Note: I had run out of vellum (and apparently my local craft store had too), so I made do with some shiny cardstock for the interior of the panels.
Assembling the Pumpkin Frame
3. The pumpkin frame consists of two hexagon shapes, one pumpkin outline with a leaf/vine, and two pumpkin outlines without a leaf/vine. Take your two pumpkin outlines sans vine and fold them in half.
Using the slits in the top of your folded pieces, slip them both into the slit in the pumpkin outline piece with a vine.
Next, take your larger hexagon piece and fit it into the top of your pumpkin frame, lining up each of the edges with the notches in the hexagon’s corners. Add a little dab of hot glue on each corner to keep the whole thing in place.
Repeat the process with the smaller hexagon, fitting it into the bottom of the pumpkin frame.
Assembling the Panels
4. Once the frame and panels are assembled, all that’s left to do is attach each panel to the hexagon portions of your frame using the tabs/slits provided. You may glue the tabs down if you’d like, but there is no real need to do so. The curvature of the tabs adds to the overall roundness of your pumpkin, and leaving them loose will allow you to open them up and place a flameless candle inside later on.
Your pumpkin is complete!
I have seen a few other crafters making paper pumpkins like these, and I thought I’d get in on the fun. However, when I was coming up with a design concept for my pumpkin, I couldn’t decide between a Halloween-centric design or a more general “fall” design. So, in true Mandee fashion, I just did both!
And if you like this project concept, I think it could be fun to play around with more pumpkin renditions in the future; so, let me know what you think.
I use Adobe Illustrator for all my designs, and a Cricut Maker to bring my creations to life. For tips on creating fun paper cuts like this one, see the FAQ section on my website. Also, be sure to check out the other fun freebies available on my blog!
Enjoy making these lovely pumpkin lanterns for yourself! I’d love to see your results, so be sure to share them with me by either tagging me on Instagram or by sharing your work in my Facebook Group.
*This post contains affiliate links. By clicking through my links to make a purchase, you are supporting this blog and the hard work that goes into providing free, quality designs.
Mandee is a professional graphic designer, amateur bird watcher, and rollercoaster enthusiast. She is a wife to hardworking high school teacher and mommy to three adorable little humans. She fell in love with graphic design when she started working on a comedy website with a guy she met her freshman year of college. Design wasn’t the only thing she fell in love with, and they were married a year and a half later. She created Designs By Miss Mandee to be a place where she could merge her passion for design with her lifelong love of crafting. 17 Comments on Pumpkin Lanterns – Halloween Cut Files
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Carla Hundley
October 10, 2023 at 8:12 am (2 months ago)Love these pumpkin
lanterns! Thanks for
the free svg files.
I’ll be making some!
Carla from Arizona
Mandee
October 10, 2023 at 10:39 am (2 months ago)You’re very welcome Carla! Enjoy putting these together!! ☺️
Noélie
October 10, 2023 at 9:08 am (2 months ago)Oh Waouhhh! Beautiful Lanternes! Just what I was looking for! Thank you!
Mandee
October 10, 2023 at 10:40 am (2 months ago)Yay! I’m so glad you like them, Noélie!
auntie em
October 10, 2023 at 12:44 pm (2 months ago)Gorgeous! Love the different patterns for each.
Thank you so much! 🙂
PamG
October 10, 2023 at 3:03 pm (2 months ago)I love your pumpkin lanterns! If you are looking for suggestions for future l lanterns, I would like to suggest one with a spooky cat or autumn leaves. Thanks so much for sharing your talent.
Mandee
October 11, 2023 at 11:24 am (2 months ago)I love both of those ideas! Thanks for the suggestions. ☺️
Michele
October 10, 2023 at 4:06 pm (2 months ago)Thank you! I’ve been so intrigued to try these pumpkins and I love your designs.
Mandee
October 11, 2023 at 11:25 am (2 months ago)I’m so glad you like them! Have fun putting them together.
julie
October 10, 2023 at 4:31 pm (2 months ago)Manifique ! Merci beaucoup 🙂
Mandee
October 11, 2023 at 11:25 am (2 months ago)You are very welcome Julie!!
Valerie P
October 10, 2023 at 5:52 pm (2 months ago)Thank you! I love the designs, especially the skeleton one!
Mandee
October 11, 2023 at 11:26 am (2 months ago)Thank you Valerie!! I’m so glad you like my skeleton witch!
Henna
October 12, 2023 at 8:44 pm (2 months ago)I made the gorgeous orange pumpkin last night and it turned out so cute! The perfect way to add some fall decoration to my room! Thank you for your amazing designs and for having them at no cost, making it affordable and accessible for everyone, I really appreciate it!
Mandee
October 16, 2023 at 11:19 am (1 month ago)Yay! That makes me so happy to hear. I’m glad you were able to put my pumpkin to good use!!
Bea Becquart
October 15, 2023 at 1:55 pm (2 months ago)bedankt voor de vele mooie en uitvoerbare ontwerpen;
deze pompoen is en begin en super goed ontworpen;
groeten uit Belgie
Mandee
October 16, 2023 at 11:23 am (1 month ago)You are very welcome Bea! I”m glad you like my pumpkin lantern designs. Have fun putting them together! ☺️