Allergy Free Trick or Treat Ide: How to Make DIY Bottle Cap Halloween Pumpkin Pins

I know first hand how much it stinks to get a bag full of Trick or Treat candy on Halloween and can’t eat most of it due to a severe food intolerance or allergy.

It’s a total bummer.

That’s why I display a teal pumpkin to let my Trick or Treaters know that I have food allergy safe treats to hand on out Halloween. We let the kids decide if they want a Treat or a Prize.  My husband mans the Treat bowl full of candy. I woman the Prize bowl with food allergy friendly non food treats. 

This year’s food allergy safe Trick or Treat Prize are Jack o’ Lantern pins I made from caps in my bottle cap collection.

My quick and easy bottle cap pins are a kid friendly craft if you are looking for a Halloween party craft activity. You can also make them ahead of time and give them out as party favors.
 

How to Make Recycled Bottle Cap Pins

Save this Pumpkin Party Favor to your Pinterest boards for later! Share it with your friends!

 

You will need the following craft supplies:

Bottle caps – if you doing this craft as a make and take craft with kids, I recommend you buy prepainted decorative craft bottle caps like these to avoid waiting for the 4 coats of base craft paint repurposing printed bottle caps take.
 
Spray paint primer

Spray paint for metal plus primer – I like this kind

Orange craft paint
Paint brush

Printed Jack o Lantern bottle cap art – I recommend using these these Jack O’ Lantern pumpkin face stickers


so you don’t have to deal with kids and wet glue waiting to dry

1 inch round paper punch

Mod Podge

Bottle cap hole punch – this tool is worth its weight in gold!

Mod Podge Clear Acrylic Spray Sealer

Gourd safety pins – Gourd safety pins look like this

 
(Disclosure: I am including affiliate links in this post for your convenience.)

Step by step how to make it tutorial

1. If you want to paint  printed metal bottle caps I recommend priming the metal bottle caps with a coat of spray paint primer so the paint will not scratch off the metal bottle cap and allow it to dry. I like Zinsser spray primer (read about it here.)
 
2. Use the paint brush and orange craft paint to paint the background color of your bottle cap. It usually takes me three to four coats of craft paint and two coast of spray paint to cover my printed bottle caps after priming them. If you are doing this for a children’s or make and take craft class, I suggest doing this step for them before class (spray paint for metal with primer like this one will speed the base coat process up by a lot) or buy solid color  bottle caps for crafts here.
 
3. Use the round hole punch to punch a jack o’ lantern face from your printed bottle cap art if needed or grab a sticker.
 
4. Either put the pumpkin face sticker on the center of the orange bottle cap or use the Mod Podge and paint brush to apply a thin coat of Mod Podge to the bottle cap, top with your paper bottle cap image, and once it is dry, add a top coat of Mod Podge to seal the paper image into place.

 
5. To seal the sticker or if you find the dried Mod Podge is still a little sticky (don’t worry, sometimes it just happens) spray the pumpkin bottle cap with a quick and light coat of Mod Podge spray sealer and allow it to dry if desired.
 
6. Use the bottle cap hole punch to punch a small hole at the top your bottle cap Jack o' lantern.

 
7. Slip a gourd safety pin through the hole in the top of the bottle cap.

 
8. Wear, display, or give away!
 
Happy Halloween! If you'd rather buy than DIY, check out the following Halloween Jack o'lantern Trick or Treat ideas - and more! - below!


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