The air crackles with autumn magic, and soon, front porches will glow with grinning gourds. These cute beaded jack-o-lanterns are crafted with just a handful of pony beads and sturdy cord. And the best part? They're incredibly easy to make – perfect for little hands or a quick craft session before the trick-or-treaters arrive!
Tired of the same old candy handouts? Are you looking for a charming, personal touch to share the Halloween spirit? These little jack o'lanterns are easy and quick to make. Imagine a cascade of fun jack-o'-lantern faces strung onto garland for the perfect Halloween decorating.
Once your little pumpkin pals come to life, the possibilities are endless! These charming creations make fantastic Halloween handouts for trick-or-treaters, offering a lasting memento instead of a fleeting sugar rush. They're an absolute hit with classmates, providing a non-edible, allergy-friendly alternative that shows you put thought into their treat. Each one is a unique, handmade token of friendship and festive cheer.
But the fun doesn't stop there! These pony bead jack-o'-lanterns are incredibly versatile as a fun accessory. Attach them to backpack zippers, use them as keychains, or let them dangle from pencil cases to bring a touch of Halloween wherever you go. At home, they transform into charming decorations: hang them from doorknobs, dangle them from light fixtures, or string them together to create a whimsical Halloween garland that will brighten any room. Their lightweight, durable design means they'll bring smiles year after year.
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You will need one connector such as a 
Lanyard hook,
or any type of 
Key Ring.
Cord:
You will need about
2 1/2 yards of cord for your beaded jack o'lantern.
There are lots of different types of cords you can use. We prefer a cord that is about 1 1/2mm to 2mm thick because it helps your jack-o-lantern keychain keep it's shape better. Alternatively, you could use a thinner cord and weave a little wire or a pipe cleaner into your keychain to help it keep it's shape that way. Either way works just fine but you can experiment with it to see which method you prefer.
One good choice is
Monofilament Cord
or
2mm metallic cording.
Other great choices would be:
2mm Jute or Hemp cord,
1.5mm Leather necklace cord,
1.5mm Satin Rattail Cord,
OR
1/8" Satin Ribbon
For ours, we used a 1mm orange cotton jute cord.
Helpful Hint: If your cord end frays easily try dipping it into a little melted wax and smoothing it out with your fingers. This will help prevent fraying and also create a stiffer end for threading into your beads.
Beads needed:
77 - Orange Pony Beads
Note: these are the colors we used. You can use these colors or you can make your jack o'lantern in other halloween-y colors like black, lime green, purple, or whatever colors are perfect for you.
Other Things Needed:
Optional: For a stiffer jack-o-lantern you can include a little wire or a pipe cleaner with your cord on the 2nd or 3rd row to help keep it's shape
Beading Wire
OR
Pipe Cleaners
2. Begin threading the beads onto the cord following the pattern below. You can click on the image at the bottom of the page for a larger, better resolution photo.
3. After finishing the pattern you will notice that your cords do not end at the same place. You can either bring them around and tie them together at the bottom with a double knot or surgeon's knot. Or you can do what we did which is tie each one off at the ends of the last row. Add a little glue to each knot to prevent them from unraveling.
(Optional) Weave your wire or pipe cleaner through one of the widest rows in the 2nd or 3rd row of your beaded jack o'lantern keychain to make it stiffer and hold it's shape.
The illustration below shows you how each cord side is threaded into the beads. 
Would you like to make other Halloween themed beaded critters? How about some cool Beaded Skeletons
OR Beaded Ghosts
OR Beaded Bat
Make a bunch of them and string them up onto Halloween garland!
Follow the same pattern using seed beads or E beads in place of pony beads to create smaller characters and create a great pair of earrings or a necklace pendant.
23 - Black Pony Beads
5 - Green Pony Beads
Glue
