The Great Pumpkin Round Up!

by M.J., posted on October 14th, 2014 in Family Ties, Halloween

Pumpkins are the quintessential object of fall and Halloween. Thanks to the ingenuity of makers across the world, pumpkins are more than just carved jack o’lanterns for the season, and they’ve become regular masterpieces.

What’s your favorite way to add life to your pumpkin?

Glow in the Dark
There is a craze sweeping our house, and that’s all things glow-in-the-dark. The surprise and delight of finding a shape or a phrase that seems to seep through the blackness of night is such a treat! I’ve had a roll of glowing Duct Tape sitting in my desk for a few months, just waiting to spring it on the right project. Ohhh, pumpkins!

First off, I went on the hunt for inspiration. Search for cartoon expressions on your image source (shout out to Bing!) to see a variety of simple drawings that show off emotions.

We created glowing faces on the gourds with the simple combination of glue, black paper, and glowing Duct Tape laid out in slightly overlapping rows on parchment paper. This last step with the tape allows you to easily cut shapes and affix it to the black paper so that your pumpkin has charm both day and night.

First draw your face on the black paper. Determine which elements you want to glow and which you want to fade more into the background. Once you’ve decided what shapes should be made from glow tape, trace the shape on the tape, and peel off the backing for your new sticker. Adhere the piece to the black paper. Depending on the design, trim a small edge around each shape to give the tape some more dimension. Glue (I used a spray adhesive) your facial features to the pumpkin to reveal some serious attitude!

Another bonus to this style of pumpkin? You can still carve it even after you’ve had fun with the face! You’ve doubled the life of your pumpkin in this process.

Here are more great options for decorating this year’s pumpkins…

Delight in white
Sharpie pumpkins are a quick and fun way to add text, pattern, or spiders to your pumpkins. Pumpkins can serve as awesome vases. Hollow out the interior cavity, insert a smaller glass vase and fill with flowers. Why not paint something sweet on the outside as well? This hand stitched look is really charming. To add dimension, use white caulking to write and draw on the pumpkin surface. The tone on tone effect is pretty spectacular.

Dripping pumpkins
Consider adding a paint resist, like the letters BOO, and watch paint drip eerily down the sides of your pumpkin. A red or neon green paint would make an excellent choice for this technique, too.

Add color and style
Decoupage is a great technique for adding details and patterns to your pumpkin (and super easy, too). Transform your pumpkin into something else entirely…like a sprinkle donut! You might already have donuts on the brain so bring them to life for the holiday. The ombre effect turns out pretty spectacular when you try this technique. I’m excited to try a really fabulous color palette like white, orange, and hot pink.

Personality All Around
Black cats are a part of Halloween lore, and these adorable shiny black ones are a memorable addition to a front porch display. Reuse and revamp Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head pieces as pumpkin accessories (so many possibilities with this one!). Finally, bring one the personality and silliness by gluing on facial features from magazines for your pumpkin expressions. The red lips on the green striped pumpkin are my fave.