How to make a basketball pumpkin

Halloween is celebrated on All Saints' Eve in English-speaking countries. The history of this cheerful celebration has ancient Celtic roots. Approximately from the 16th century, going from house to house began to beg for sweets.

This interesting tradition has survived to this day. On the night of October 31, children and adults put on costumes of different characters, horror stories look especially funny, they go from house to house, knock on doors and beg for candy and other sweets, as well as money, and in return they promise not to be naughty. Previously, it was necessary to perform some number.

Symbol of Halloween

The main symbol of this holiday is the "Jack lamp". It used to be made from turnips, but gourd was cheaper, and the poor switched to making candle vessels from gourd. People believed that if you cut a scary grinning face out of a pumpkin and put it on the windowsill, then all evil spirits would bypass the house.

Now many people make such a papier-mâché pumpkin. With the help of this technique, you can come up with any shape, give it individual features, fantasize. This has become an interesting hobby for many hand-made craftsmen.

What is papier-mâché?

It's easy to make a papier-mâché pumpkin for Halloween. It is necessary to prepare unnecessary paper, it can be old newspapers or unnecessary notebooks scribbled by students.

You also need to pre-brew the paste. It is made as follows: a tablespoon of wheat flour is taken, one glass of cold water is slowly added in a thin stream, while stirring constantly. Then put on a slow fire and, continuing to stir, bring to a thickening. It should be borne in mind that when cooling, the paste hardens even more.

What can be used for foundation?

To create a papier-mâché pumpkin, you need a base. This is a form that is subsequently pasted over with strips and pieces of paper. Many experienced craftsmen use an inflated balloon. In order for the pumpkin figure to be ribbed and look like a real one, the ball is tied tightly with a rope, creating such sectors as in the photo below.

After finishing work and complete drying, the ball is simply pierced with a needle, and its remains, together with the rope, are pulled through the hole.

How to wrap a balloon?

When the papier-mâché pumpkin base is ready, start gluing. When doing any craft, you need to know one condition for the successful removal of work from the base. The first layer is not smeared with glue. The base or pieces of paper are moistened with water, and the wet leaves stick to the figure themselves. If, for example, a cup is made, then it is better to coat it with vegetable oil, then the dried papier-mâché will be easier to remove from the base.

The second layer of paper must already be applied to the paste. A piece of the ball is smeared (not all at once, as the paste dries quickly) and wrapped around with pieces of paper. The work must be done carefully so that there are no unglued places.

There is one tricky way to make sure you haven't missed anything. You need to choose different types of paper for pasting. For example, the first layer of papier-mâché pumpkin for Halloween is made from a newspaper, and the second layer is made from a squared notebook. Then - again the newspaper. So immediately when pasting it is clear that all places are covered or there are gaps. Thus, at least 5 layers are applied. If the figure needs to be rigid, then layers are added.

Tips and Tricks

1. Remember that the layered wet papier-mâché pumpkin you made for Halloween will take at least a week to dry. It is better to do crafts in advance in order to have everything in time for the celebration.

2. Many people make baskets for children to go from house to house to collect sweets. To do this, holes are made in the resulting pumpkin on the sides. You can make a handle out of cloth or use wire, and for convenience, wrap it with something soft in the middle.

3. When the papier-mâché is completely dry, you can start carving a funny or scary face. To do this, it is pre-drawn with a simple pencil or marker. These are eyes, holes for the nose and the most important detail of all "Jack lamps" - the grin of sharp teeth. Then, along the contour with a knife or sharp scissors, all this is cut out.

4. If the figure of a pumpkin is intended as a lamp on the windowsill, then cut a round hole in the lower part for the candle. If this is a bag for sweets, then the figure is cut out the other way around. A hole with handles on top, and then there is a funny grimace.

5. You can also put this mask on your child's head. It remains only to make a black satin cape, and the Halloween costume is ready.

Now you know how to make a pumpkin (papier-mâché) with your own hands, it remains to color the figurine.

Coloring the pumpkin

After the form is completely dry, pasted over with paper, the ball is blown off and drawn into the hole made. Then the workpiece is turned upside down or up, depending on the purpose of the pumpkin. Gouache paints are suitable for coloring, you will also need a brush.

The whole gourd is dyed orange first. Then you can draw a green stem and even a leaf on top.

Key parts and cut areas are painted over in black for an intimidating effect. The finished figure can be coated with acrylic varnish.

But it is better not to put a candle in a paper gourd, as this is a fire hazard. Such a decorative product can only serve as a decoration for the interior of the room, a mask or a bag. The lamp is still desirable to be made from a real pumpkin. It will not light up from a candle and will not lead to tragic consequences.

Now you know how to make papier mache pumpkin. It's easy and fun. And fantasy will help you design the product. Good luck!

The carriage has turned into a pumpkin. What's going on with basketball CSKA? | Summer views | Sport

Russia's leading basketball club, seen as one of the Euroleague contenders, suddenly plunged into a state of crisis. And it is not very clear when and how it will end.

Spanish slap in the face

The army team had a hard time rolling into the season, but by the New Year they picked up an excellent winning pace. After a series of successful meetings in early January 2021, CSKA came out on top in the Euroleague.

Tornike Shengelia and Nikola Milutinov provided the Russian team with help in the fight under the shield, Nikita Kurbanov traditionally cemented the game in defense, and because of the three-point arc, the opponent's ring was ruthlessly shot by Mike James . Fans, confident in their favorites, were already beginning to think about the Final Four, when suddenly, as they say, the carriage turned into a pumpkin.

On January 15, in the home match against Barcelona, ​​CSKA was not like himself. If in the first half of the meeting the army team still somehow held the threads of the game, then in the end they frankly failed, having suffered a sensitive defeat with a score of 75:88. No one felt any particular anxiety - the statistics showed that CSKA in this match was rather fatally unlucky than the hosts lost qualitatively.

But then the problems began to snowball.

Demolition of the historic arena

The president of BC CSKA , Andrey Vatutin , who spoke to the media, said that the upcoming reconstruction on the territory of the army team sports complex on Leningradsky Prospekt would also affect USC CSKA. The arena, where the legendary battles between CSKA and Zalgiris, led by Arvydas Sabonis , took place in the Soviet years, will be demolished.

At the same time, it turned out that one of the most famous clubs of the Old World remains without a playground for both the main team and the youth team and sports school. Where CSKA will move in the coming months is completely unclear. Even the option of leaving the capital is being considered. Which, in turn, means that Moscow will be left without big basketball at all.

Even if the organizational problems of the players are not directly related yet, they definitely did not add to their mood.

January 22, CSKA lost in the Euroleague the second home game in a row, this time to the Turkish "Fenerbahce" - 83:89. An additional click on the nose was the fact that loud-voiced Turkish fans outright shouted down the Moscow audience, which failed to adequately support the hosts.

But these were still flowers. The worst was the conflict within the team, the instigator of which was Mike James.

Talented and troubled

The 30-year-old American point guard is one of the best basketball players currently playing in the Old World. But he is also a constant source of problems. Due to his complex nature, James at one time failed to gain a foothold in the NBA, and did not stay long in European clubs.

In 2018, the American signed a contract with AC Milan and in the first season won the prize for the best scorer of the Euroleague. However, the team itself was not very successful, and the new coach who came to the club Ettore Messina pointed James to the door. Messina is a man whose name CSKA fans still pronounce with respect. Under him, the team won the Euroleague twice, not to mention the “duty” victories at the national level. Signor Ettore pays a lot of attention to the team's performance, and therefore he decided that even such a bright individual as James is not worth the problems that will arise because of his antics. Therefore, the American was asked to look for a new job.

Two weeks after the termination of the contract with Milan, Mike James became a player of CSKA. The army team took a risk and got exactly what they were supposed to get - an excellent game along with occasional conflicts.

Personal misfortune due to COVID-19

At the beginning of the current season, James expressed dissatisfaction with the coach Dimitris Itoudis , but the club took the side of the mentor. The obstinate point guard was removed to the reserve. He understood everything correctly and after his return he began to show simply outstanding matches.

The conflict that happened in January 2021 turned out to be much more serious. Mike's grandfather, whom the basketball player called the closest person, died. Naturally, the American wanted to go to the funeral. And under normal conditions, there would be nothing else, but because of COVID-19the rules have changed. Due to the mandatory quarantine that James would have to go through, CSKA would have lost a leading player for more than two weeks at the height of the season. Reluctantly, the army bosses refused, explaining the reason. But James could not accept the situation, which immediately affected both the behavior and the game of the basketball player. Moreover, Mike managed to quarrel with his teammates, after which the sources said that CSKA intends to part with his star.

Without James, the army team played two matches in the Euroleague. The first, on the road against Alba, was won with great difficulty - 71:68. The second, home against Bayern, lost with a score of 66:69. The fourth quarter turned out to be just shameful: in ten game minutes the team scored only six points.

“CSKA and I will work this situation out from the inside and get through it as a team”

It became clear that without James it would be better to forget about CSKA's big goals this season. Moreover, it is already impossible to find an equivalent replacement.

But Mike himself understood that leaving CSKA, first of all, would hit his pocket. And secondly, there is a considerable risk that no serious club will offer him a contract anymore - no one needs a player who can blow up the team from the inside at any moment.

The sides cooled off and James was announced to be back in the roster. The American spoke to the BC CSKA club website, stating: “My grandfather died on January 8 after a short battle with lung cancer. From that moment on, my personal life began to shake, a lot has changed. Unfortunately, this also affected my professional life, a lot of misunderstandings about the club and me appeared in the media. Firstly, I would like to say that this topic is deeply personal for me, and I would not like to read about it in the media. Secondly, I would like to point out that there are several ways to deal with problems, and in this situation, I did not choose the best way for myself or for the club that I represent. So I would like to apologize and say that the attention that this situation has attracted is not at all how my grandfather should be remembered or talked about. CSKA and I will work out this situation from the inside and go through it as a team. I would be grateful if people left this topic in the past. I appreciate all the good wishes for my family. Thank you for being kind!"

Polish humiliation

But CSKA hasn't gotten any easier yet. Firstly, Nikola Milutinov was injured in the match with Bayern, and after additional examinations it turned out that one of the team's leading players was out before the end of the season. And such a loss cannot be compensated by good conversation and warm words. Secondly, now the army team looks ugly even with James in the squad.

On the eve of the Russian club in the VTB United League went to visit the Polish team "Zielona Gora". The Poles are the opponent that CSKA should beat in any condition.

And the army team began cheerfully, taking a 12-0 lead. But then the differences in the game went on - CSKA either lost the advantage, or again took the lead by 15 points. And in the second half of the match, a uniform collapse began, and a few minutes before the end, the Poles were already 10 points ahead. CSKA shook itself, caught up with opponents. But something unimaginable happened in the last attack - 9 seconds before the end, Hackett literally gave the ball to the Poles, and they managed to score a three-point shot. 90:93, the first defeat from Zielona Gora in the history of the Russian team.

"Returner" James showed frankly weak statistics, scoring only 6 points and making three rebounds.

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