glass pumpkin gumball machine

my mom has owned this glass pumpkin since the 1980's... she bought me one then, too!

she says they were filled with Dunkin' or Winchell's Doughnut holes - 

but i don't recall getting any doughnut holes with mine! LOL

(Target has them for $10.00! not an ad)

i've always loved filling them with candy in the fall

(faves include Kraft caramels, Werther's caramels, and chocolate pumpkins!)

but things took a TURN this year...

i was shifting things around in my studio to photograph new creations

and when i emptied out the seashells from my gumball machine,

i sat the glass globe from it next to this glass pumpkin...

and my brain started asking questions like

 'wait... would the pumpkin fit on.... could it work.... ???'

so i played around and found out!

follow along as i show you how easy this one is...

DWK.

where it started... and how it's going... 😊

 follow along with the photo guide below:

TOP ROW: 

remove the top lid and glass globe from a gumball machine.

NOTE: i had already removed the inner 'post' and geared mechanism

that makes the gumball machine work, to allow the pumpkin to sit on top.

unscrewing the base plate will allow you to remove the whole assembly from the bottom.

MIDDLE ROW: 

sit a clean glass pumpkin container on top of the gumball machine.

mine sits firmly on the rubber gasket,

but you could add drops of hot glue or use museum putty for extra 'hold' if you wish.

i used a stylist trick to save me from having to buy a LOT of candy:

adding some filler (a ball of yellow yarn) into the pumpkin container

takes up space and makes the container look fuller.

then i poured in the candy - and i chose candy corn for the color, of course!!!

NOTE: the candy will not be accessible from the machine itself - only from the top.

this one is just for looks!

BOTTOM ROW:

place the pumpkin container lid on top, and sit the metal cap on top of that.

inside the metal cap, there is a raised area for the screw - 

so it doesn't sit perfectly flat or centered, but it's good enough!

a drop or two of hot glue would hold it to the glass lid more securely.

then sprinkle a few bits of candy near and into the dispenser

at the base of the gumball machine, and you're done!

it's an easy, fun way to add some fall vibes to your kitchen or party!

here's another idea:

place an actual pumpkin on top of the gumball machine...

and paint the pumpkin to look like a globe full of gumballs or candy!

psssst.... coming up in my NEXT post,
you'll see another gumball machine

with a tiny pumpkin vignette inside!

related content:

display summer seashells in a gumball machine

shared online:

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