6 Painted Pumpkins SO Good, You May Never Carve Again

Fall! I know it’s been a main topic around here between Fall Fashion Posts, How to Wear Plaid this fall, Tailgate Recipes and the list goes on. But seriously?! This time of year is easy to love, so colorful. There’s a tree in my front yard and for about the next 2 weeks, it’s a “take your breathe away” kind of beautiful.  We have to soak up every minute because soon it will be…Win…t..see, I can’t. even. say. it.

 

When you envision your “perfect” Fall, what do you think of? Apple picking? Changing leaves? Sweater Weather? Chai tea lattes? With every season, I have a bucket list of sorts. (Here’s my Summer one) There are certain things that I think just make the season complete. For Fall, one item that always lands on my mental bucket list is carving pumpkins. I’ll pin cute designs when I come across them and conjure up the idea of a couples date-night-pumpkin-carving-contest. And then…..

Life happens! 🙂 And somehow Carving Pumpkins never makes it to the top of the priority list.  Go figure.  Where are you at today?  Do you have 10 pumpkins carved already and have no idea what I’m talking about?  Maybe you’re going through a difficult time right now and don’t have the energy to celebrate the season.  OR Maybe you simply have a pumpkin that’s currently taunting you; you bought it with very good intentions but now don’t want to deal with the slimy stringy-ness of it all.

 

 

I get it.

 

 

That’s what happened to me a few years back. Every year pumpkin carving would land on my mental bucket list and every year without fail, Thanksgiving would roll around and I’d be waving bye bye to my good friend the jack-o-lantern. SO, today in an effort to help you “get your fall on” and celebrate the season WHILE maintaining your sanity, I bring to you : “The Spray-Painted Pumpkin.” That’s right this self-proclaimed queen of spray paint is taking it to another level. We’re spraying gourds baby! 😀 You now have no excuses, don’t let your schedule or lack of knife skills keep you from fully enjoying the season. Even if you are short on time, you can still celebrate & get your fall on!

 

My cutie pie sister is joining me today and we’re going to do 6 versions of super-simple, anyone-can-do painted pumpkins for your viewing pleasure.

 

First up, your basic spray painted pumpkin. This is the pumpkin to do when you have 30 seconds. 🙂 Last year, I saw these gorgeous metallic pumpkins at a design store. The price however, not so gorgeous. What’s a girl to do? Don’t fret, it’s your favorite metallic spray paint to the rescue of course. The only prep step for this is to wipe down your pumpkin to get rid of any dust or dirt. Then just lay your it on a surface you don’t mind getting paint on.

Now, these little cuties are fine on their own, and for $0.70, they’re well within ANYONE’S budget.  BUT, why not jazz them up a little for their new home?  Currently they’re residing in an Ikea bowl alongside their neighbor the faux green apple IN, my Dining room. 

Here’s a “Pie Pumpkin” with the same spray paint. I LOVE this size, it seems to be a little more practical for inside decor.

 

 

As you can see, I’ve used this poster board multiple times and it’s still going strong. I prefer poster board to newspaper or a drop cloth because it doesn’t stick.

Gunther however prefers the drop cloth.

 

I placed this mini pumpkin on my Mantel to add a little “Fall meets Glam” to my decor.

 

Next up are 2 basic spray painted pumpkins with a little kick. These are the pumpkins to tackle when you have 1 minute 30 seconds 🙂

The 1st Pumpkin has a very playful feel and would be great for the kiddos in your life. I sprayed this pumpkin a semi-gloss white and added teal washi tape from Target.  There are so many designs that you could do with the washi tape OR you could err on the side of ridiculously simple and pretend you intended your pumpkin to resemble a basketball…like I did. 😉 (And yes, if you squint real hard, those ARE tags still on my desk lamp.I’ve been debating. You like? Or is it back to Home Goods for me?)

 

The 2nd basic spray-painted pumpkin was a total happy accident.  It started out metallic silver with polka dots, but it wasn’t workin’ for me.  THEN I decided it should be cream with gold polka dots. And next, I learned a valuable lesson:   Spray Paint, has a shelf life and my Cream can had seen better days.  It was a crazy splotchy mess.  To cover it I decided to spray it with Metallic Bronze in a hammered finished.  Have you used Hammered Spray Paint before? It’s awesome. ( I spray painted all my interior door knobs with it!)  But alas, the cream splotchy mess had yet to dry and the result was..um..as my whitty sister put it, “marbled.” And truth be told…I LOVE it.

 

Life Lesson #532:  Sometimes, a creative mistake can open up room for a new idea.  Embrace it.  It’s just a pumpkin.

And before we conclude the spray-paint only section.  Meet my gourd.  He was $0.27.  He got painted and now lives on my ottoman topping a stack of books.  He’s neighbors with a Home Goods vase that is filled with a few branches I literally ripped off my tree as I was letting Gunther out one night.  You gotta use What’s in your Hand remember? 😉 He’s got the cutest little shape.

 

Moving right along we have 2 simple versions of a Monogram Pumpkin.

Here is my 1st attempt.  My sister was hoping for a lovely “Q” on her Cream Faux-Pumpkin in order to celebrate her new-ish last name.

EPIC. FAIL.

 

Life Lesson #534: Stenciling non-flat surfaces…is not my forté. The struggle is real.

SO, in order to redeem myself, I instituted the help of my friend Emily.  She’s the perfect mix of love, sarcasm, loyalty, and calligraphy.  Seriously, the girl can hand letter like nobodies business. You can follow her on Instagram here. You won’t be sorry.  If you do not have an Emily in your life, try sketching on your own lettering in pencil OR you could print off a giant letter and trace it on.

 

Next, add some Modge Podge (which is in the $1 spot at Target Currently..I KNOW!)  I applied it with a foam brush for extra precision and add glitter. I choose “Champagne” glitter from Michael’s, it has a rose-gold feel.  Once it’s dry, give it a good coat of Spray Lacquer so you can pass it down to your great-great grandchildren.

 

And the result, so pretty and expensive looking.  I was really tempted to keep it, BUT since I have no Q’s in my name.  I made my own Monogram pumpkin… with, wait for it… Furniture Nails!

 

Ta-Dah.  I got so inspired, I made another version with a Silver Hammered Finish Furniture Nail

Although G and I are still debating about placement.

 

He has very strong Pumpkin Opinions.

 

If you’re wanting to make your own Monogram-Nailhead-Pumpkin just pick up a pack of Furniture Nails from the hardware store.  I used 1 pack per Pumpkin. They’re $1.25/pack, so go crazy, buy 2!

I tried my hand at drawing the “R” on in pencil and then I decided that ALL hand lettering should be left to Emily. Needless to say, I free-handed it and if I can…you can too! 🙂

Ready for one more Pumpkin? I saved my favorite for last.  There’s SO many designs you could do with the Furniture Nails, here’s what I was playing with on a Sunday Afternoon..

 

So there you have it, 6 quick and easy no-carve ways to fancy up your pumpkins!

Praying this brightens your home no matter what season your No Small Life is in.

Go forth. Spray paint. And play with Furniture Nails.

Until next time,

Meg