The mornings are getting colder, and pumpkin spice is on every coffee shop menu. Fall is here! One of my favorite parts of the season is decorating my front porch. I love the look of fresh pumpkins, but they go bad so fast. So, I wanted to try something different for my Jack-o-lanterns this year. When I spotted a few rusty old cans and a vintage shovel I knew I was on to something. I used three different techniques with varying difficulty levels.
![](https://heirloomsfh.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Rustic-Jack-1.jpg)
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I started by downloading some free Jack-o-lantern faces online. I then printed them and matched them up to my pieces. To make my stencils I used a sharp blade to cut the faces out then taped them to my pieces and traced the outline with sharpie. (Someone more artistically gifted could free hand a design.)
For my first rustic Jack-o-lantern, I used an old gas can. Print and cut out a design tracing with sharpie. Then I used Chalk Paint® by Annie Sloan in Graphite to fill in the face.
![](https://heirloomsfh.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Rustic-Jack-3.jpg)
![](https://heirloomsfh.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Rustic-Jack-4.jpg)
![](https://heirloomsfh.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Rustic-Jack-6.jpg)
![](https://heirloomsfh.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Rustic-Jack-5.jpg)
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The face required two layers of paint, then I sealed the entire can with clear spray paint to help it hold outside.
![](https://heirloomsfh.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Rustic-Jack-8.jpg)
The easiest technique was the one I used on the shovel. I cut out my stencil and traced it onto the shovel using sharpie then filled in the face with sharpie and sealed with clear spray paint.
![](https://heirloomsfh.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Rustic-Jack-9.jpg)
For our most experienced DIYers, cut the face out of the metal using a plasma cutter which created a piece, I could put candles or even use to display a floral arrangement.
![](https://heirloomsfh.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Rustic-Jack-10.jpg)
![](https://heirloomsfh.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Rustic-Jack-11.jpg)
![](https://heirloomsfh.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Rustic-Jack-12.jpg)
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Once my pieces were dried overnight, I placed them on the porch just in time to watch the leaves change.
![](https://heirloomsfh.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Rustic-Jack-14.jpg)