She Painted a Jack-o’-Lantern on Scrap Wood, Then Added Dozens of Nails: It Wasn’t a Mistake
Black eyes, a triangular nose, and a wide grin gave a small piece of painted pallet wood the face of a Halloween jack-o’-lantern. The design looked complete, but the creator hammered a ring of nails around the face and added another cluster above it, turning a finished-looking decoration into something that seemed to be missing a step.
The creator behind Clover House started with a six-inch piece of scrap pallet wood, sanded the surface, and painted it off-white before adding the face with black acrylic paint. Rather than cutting out the pumpkin shape or carving the wood, she left the board intact and used the nails to prepare the next part of the design.
Those nails weren’t there to hold the wood together or attach the decoration to a wall. Their placement allowed her to build another layer over the painted face, using a technique she also adapted for ghosts, bats, and Halloween lettering.
She Started With a Painted Pumpkin Face
Scrap pallet wood became the base for the pumpkin decoration. The creator sanded a six-inch square board, covered it with off-white paint, and used a Cricut-cut design to guide the jack-o’-lantern face.
Black acrylic paint formed the triangular nose, pointed eyes, and wide mouth. A small brush filled the shapes before nails were added around the design.
Nails Formed the Pumpkin’s Outer Shape
Small metal nails follow a rounded outline around the painted face, with another cluster at the top marking the pumpkin stem. Each nail stands above the wood, leaving space beneath its head for thread.
The nails create anchor points rather than a solid border. Their spacing determines where the thread can cross the board and how much of the painted face remains visible.
Orange Thread Turned the Nail Outline Into String Art
Orange embroidery floss stretches between the nails, crossing the pumpkin face in diagonal lines. The creator wrapped the thread around the nail heads, moving between opposite sides of the outline to build a web across the board.
Green floss fills the smaller stem above the pumpkin. The black painted features remain visible beneath the orange strands, creating two overlapping parts of the decoration.
Different Thread Patterns Changed the Pumpkin Faces
Three wooden pieces show how the technique changes with the shape and thread arrangement. Two pumpkins use orange floss over painted faces, while a large letter B is formed with black thread stretched between nails.
The larger pumpkin has a denser web of orange strands, while the smaller version leaves more open space between them. Neither requires carving the wood or cutting out the design.
Black Thread Created a Halloween Letter
Black embroidery floss fills a large letter B on an unpainted wooden board. Nails follow both the outer edges and the two openings inside the letter, allowing the thread to cross the surrounding sections while leaving the center spaces open.
The exposed wood provides contrast against the dark strands. Unlike the pumpkin design, the letter gets its shape from the thread itself rather than a painted image beneath it.
Fewer Orange Strands Left More of the Pumpkin Visible
Another pumpkin uses long vertical and diagonal stretches of orange floss across the face. The thread forms a loose pattern between the nail heads, leaving large portions of the black eyes and mouth uncovered.
Green thread outlines the short stem, while the natural wood grain remains visible behind the design. The lighter thread coverage gives this pumpkin a different appearance from the denser version.
White Thread Formed a Ghost Against Black Wood
White embroidery floss crosses a ghost-shaped outline on a black-painted board. The creator distressed the painted surface with a sander, exposing patches of wood around the edges before adding the nails and thread.
Two small googly eyes sit near the top of the ghost. White strands overlap across its body, while the dark background makes the outline stand out without a painted ghost underneath.
Black String Became a Bat Beneath a Yellow Moon
Black thread stretches between nails arranged in the shape of a bat, with pointed wings and a lower center section. The strands cross inside the outline, creating a dense pattern against the pale wood.
A painted yellow moon sits behind one wing, adding color without changing the thread design. The board has a sanded finish, leaving the wood grain visible around the bat.
Each decoration uses the same basic materials: scrap wood, nails, paint, and embroidery floss. Changing the nail outline, thread color, and background creates a different Halloween design without carving pumpkins.
Would you make the orange pumpkin, white ghost, or black bat for your Halloween decorations?
Project and images: @ourcloverhouse.