Here’s an easy trunk or treat idea for your minivan or SUV! Get in the Halloween spirit by decorating your car trunk to be a safe place to hand out candy to trick or treaters. Learn how to transform your car or SUV into a gumball machine.
In this easy DIY project, a car trunk is converted into a gumball machine for a church trunk or treat event to celebrate Halloween. It will be such a fun place to hand out candy for trick or treaters during your church or community social.
What is Trunk or Treat?
Wondering what is a trunk or treat, anyway? A Trunk or Treat is a fun Halloween holiday event where families decorate their cars and park them in a parking lot with their trunks open for kids to go trick or treating.
It’s a perfect fall event for communities with an HOA or homeowners associations, schools, and churches to plan a safe environment for trick or treaters.
How To Decorate a Car Trunk as a Gumball Machine
Easily transform your car, minivan, or SUV into one of the most original Halloween decorations on the block or the church parking lot – a gumball machine! (squeal in delight) I’ll show you how with step-by-step instructions in this pictured tutorial.
Components of a Gumball Machine You’ll Make Out of Paper:
- lid
- coin slot
- turn crank
- chute
What I love most about this project is that you can make it at home ahead of time and simply pull out the bottom section when you get to the church parking lot. It takes seconds to set up once you have the balloons taped into place. (high fives)
Step 1. Gather Your Materials
Most of the materials you’ll need for this easy DIY project you will find as common items you’ll find around your house. However, you might need to make a special trip to the store for the red and black poster board.
I had all the supplies already on hand, which is why I chose to throw this together as a last-minute trunk or treat idea.
Materials You’ll Need:
- 1 red tri-fold science posterboard
- 1 red postboard
- 1 black posterboard
- tinfoil
- 4 paper plates
- toilet paper roll or paper towel roll
- clear plastic drop cloth
- duct tape or painters tape
- lots of balloons
Step 2: Cut Out The Crank
Typically in a gumball machine, You put your coin in the coin slot and turn the crank, and a gumball falls out the chute.
Therefore to create the crank, you’ll grab 2 paper plates and cut out the 2 pieces for the hand crank. Use one paper plate per side of the crank and use the curve of the plate as shown.
Time Tip: Taping the curve of the plate to the toilet paper holder will save you tons of time and hassle later.
Step 3: Tape To Toilet Paper Roll
Tape the two pieces of the crank you just cut out onto an empty toilet paper roll as shown below in the picture. Use any tape you have on hand.
Supply Tip: You could use an empty paper towel holder if you cut it into a third.
This is what it should look like when you’re done. (picture below)
Step 4: Cut out the Shoot Cover
Next, you’ll cut out the gumball shoot cover out of your third paper plate as shown in the picture below.
Cutting Tip: Use the curve of the paper plate to make the curve in the shoot cover.
Step 5: Cover in Tinfoil
Now you’ll cover the 2 main gumball components you just made in tinfoil making it silver and shiny like a gumball machine. Look at the picture below to see how I covered both in tinfoil.
- Cover the assembled crank
- Cover the shoot cover
Time Tip: Don’t overthink it. Let the tinfoil do its think and cling together or you can use some tape if you feel it should be more secure.
Please Note: I used the blue bowl to hold the hand crank in place so I could take a picture. You don’t need it.
Step 6: Cut Out The Coin Slot
Then it’s time to make the gumball coin slot. Grab the fourth paper plate and use the natural curve as a guide to cut out a small portion of the bottom section. This will leave a space for the ‘coin’.
Look at the picture below to see how I cut out the coin slot for the DIY gumball machine.
Step 7: Cover The Coin Slot in Tinfoil
Cover the coin slot in tinfoil. Please note, that the picture below is a full plate. So yours will look like the completed picture, not like the picture below. Sorry about that!!
Step 8: Cut The Black Posterboard
We’re almost done creating all the components of the gumball machine. YAY! To make the finishing touches so your gumball machine looks more life-like you’ll grab the black poster board.
You’ll use the black posterboard in two ways:
- Cut the outline for the Coin Slot
- Cut the outline for the Keyhole (or gumball chute)
To cut the outline for the coin slot, I used the paper plate as a guide and cut the black portion a little larger than the paper plate.
To cut the outline for the gumball chute, you’ll want to make it look like a keyhole. This is an easier design than some of the others I tried. Don’t overthink it. (not pictured)
- Draw it out using a pencil
- Draw a circle at the top and a trapezoid at the bottom
- Try to make the trapezoid sides an equal size
Step 9: Cut Red Lid
Grab the red posterboard and cut out a squatty T which will make the lid to the gumball machine. See the last 2 images on this DIY tutorial to see the red lid at the top of the gumball machine. I used painter’s tape to attach the red lid to the top trunk of my car.
Time Tip: Check out your car trunk before you cut this out. Your car trunk may be very different than mine. This means you’ll want to have a plan to attach it before you cut it out.
Step 10: Attach To Your Car Trunk
Assemble all your gumball machine pieces onto your car trunk.
- Glue coin slot and chute onto posterboard
- Tape plastic dropcloth to the trunk of your car or SUV and add balloons
- Tape red lid onto the top of your car trunk
Assembly Tip: Be sure to have the back row of chairs upright. This way you’ll need fewer balloons. (wink) You can store the red poster board in the back seat along with your candy and set it out when you get to the church parking lot.
Time Tip: If you’re running late, you can assemble all of this at home, as I did. Just make sure you’re super careful when you close your trunk.
Supply Tips: Be sure to bring extra tape and a few extra balloons with you to the church trunk or treat. This way you can make any repairs or adjustments when you get to the parking lot.
You’re Done!
I hope you have as much fun as I did making your own DIY car trunk gumball machine for your trunk or treat for church. (hugs)
Don’t forget!
- Candy bowl
- Halloween Candy
- Chairs to sit on while you hand out candy to trick or treaters
- Flashlight (optional)
Game Themed Trunk or Treat Ideas
More Trunk or Treat Themes↓
- 5 GAME Themed Trunk or Treat Ideas
- 11 Trunk or Treat Ideas featuring MOVIE Themes
- 8 FACE Themed Trunk or Treat Ideas
- 5+ SCARY Trunk or Treat Ideas
- 8 Animal Themed Trunk or Treat Ideas
Even More Trunk or Treat Ideas:
- 28 Clever Trunk or Treat Ideas
- 16 Outrageous Hallowen Pictures of Decorated Cars
- 25 Halloween Carnival Booth Game Signs [free printable}
Thanks, Ladies! I just adore these pictured tutorials and I’m honored to be able to feature you and send you over some new readers.
Time Tip: If you’re looking for something specific, type in any word in the Search Box and you’ll receive tons of creative DIY and how-to make tutorials.
Promoting creative women through their tutorials and products. ~ Laurie {a.k.a. the Tip Junkie} |
P.S. Join the conversations over on the Tip Junkie Facebook page. It’s a great place to ask questions on how to make things or for specific tutorials you need.
Time Tip: If you’re looking for something specific, type in any word in the Search Box and you will receive tons of creative DIY and how-to make tutorials.
Which of these is your favorite? Share it in the comments below! ~ Laurie {a.k.a. the Tip Junkie} |
.
Join 200,000 Creative Women!
Sign up for weekly inspiration and FREEBIES!
EMAIL:
P.S. Join the conversations over on the Tip Junkie Facebook page. It’s a great place to ask questions on how to make things or for specific tutorials you need.
Leave a Reply