Chalkboard Pumpkins

I love pumpkins, probably because I love the color orange (as proven in my last HomeGoods post “Orange Fever.”

But can I be honest here? I don’t have the time or patience for long, detailed craft projects (although I admire them when other’s do them).

So when I heard about using chalkboard paint on pumpkins, I thought it would be a bit faster and less messy than carving them.  Plus, this is a great solutions for kids who (like Linus) don’t want to “kill” their pumpkins. AND…I think orange and charcoal make a fabulous color combination!

So here it goes…

First, you’ll need chalkboard paint. Seeing how I like short-cuts, I opted for the spray on variety. You’ll also need chalk (obvious) and an eraser (optional). Now two important items not pictured below include: 1) painters tape to cover up the stem, and 2) LATEX GLOVES!!!  Yea, I learned that last one the hard way.

I selected pumpkins with crazy long stems because I thought they were cool. After wiping them down with a damp cloth, I taped them up.

Now comes the messy part. I may have done it wrong because the spray leaked down my hand, but I recovered and used a latex glove for the second coat. Be sure to do this outside!

After letting them dry overnight, I added a “B” and bought two vowels. Ok, so I missed a couple places with the paint, but you get the idea. Tip: before you use a piece of chalk, make sure you break it in and wear down a corner so it’s not sharp. You don’t want to puncture the pumpkin.

Here it is in context on my mantel – surely you don’t notice the parts I missed from a distance, right? I really like the mix of orange with charcoal.

I also painted my kids’ pumpkins for them. They opted for the colored chalk and had a blast with it. Best part is, they can re-design their pumpkins as much as they want.

Here’s what my 5 year old did…

And my 9 year old opted for a fishing design…

For those of you willing to go the extra mile, here are a few ways to adorn your chalkboard pumpkin:

• Add ribbons or scarves to the stem for a splash of color.
• Wrap ribbon along the pumpkin vertically using the natural grooves as a pattern, tying them up at the top.
• Make a stencil and only paint a part of the pumpkin leaving the rest orange.

Best of all, these pumpkins will last beyond Halloween and I can just update them for Thanksgiving…maybe “THX” or just draw some turkeys. Or maybe I can perch them atop the easy terracota votives I made last year (“Earthly Bling” – another quick DIY project for those with short attention spans).

Anyone else want to give this a try? Let me know how it goes!