Of Painting Pumpkins

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Yes, I DO realize that I’m about exactly two months behind the rest of the world in the festivities of painting autumnal pumpkins.

BUT, there is a reason for it! A very good reason.
You see, my sister Ervina was coming to visit and we wanted to wait until she was here with us. [It’s been a childhood dream of hers, never before accomplished, and we wanted to be there for the Big Day].

So, she arrived, we were having heaps of fun visiting our other sister Jana, missing our yet other sister Claudia [missing her not included in the ‘heaps of fun’], sitting and drinking coffee and eating quiche just like we’ve always dreamed of doing together [except 360 days of the year we’re too far apart from each other to do that].

And then, it was the

Day of Painting Pumpkins.

The children were so very excited, it’s true. And what even truer is that the big kids were even more excited. It’s a way of bringing out the inner artist you didn’t realize you had, and feeling extremely happy with the result.

The ‘Punkins,’ as Zoe says.
[Or is that ‘Pungkins’? Something along those lines. Definitely without the ‘Pump’ part.]

the pumpkins

Unfortunately, by the time I went to purchase some, everyone else around here had bought out nearly every single pumpkin. The result was a great scarcity, resulting in very cheap ones in those I could find, and of pulling out pretty much every plastic pumpkin I had around as well.

Let the painting begin!

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I’m on a gold fetish right now. [More on that another time.]
But I bought a gold and gold glitter paint in the craft section at Walmart,
and that was what we big kids used the most of.

Also, we couldn’t find more than one white pumpkin, so we painted some of the orange ones white.

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There are just so many fun options!
Of course, you can’t expect children to stay with a neutral pallette. Oh no.
The rainbow assortment is the very best kind, of course. :)

kiddo painted pumpkins

 

The different styles we made…

The polka dot.

This would also be so pretty on a white base…

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The scallop.

scallop pumpkin

The stripe.

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The glitter.

This was fun, but I think it would have turned out better if I would’ve painted the pumpkin white, and used gold glitter instead of silver.

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The leaf # 1.

leaves 1

The leaf  #2.

leaves pumpkin 2

The white & glitter.

[yes, this was a green pumpkin!]

white & glitter pumpkin

These now so festively adorn my home for a few more weeks!

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17 Replies to “Of Painting Pumpkins”

  1. You have inspired me. You see, for the very first time, we planted pumpkins back in July. But, we had an early freeze here in Texas last week, so my husband pulled everything out of the garden. We harvested about a dozen pumpkins , ranging in size from baseball………..to 8-9 inches across. Some turned out smooth and a few are lumpy-bumpy. But the sad thing was they were all still green. However, since I have a low thrill threshold………….I was still quite thrilled!!!! It was progress toward growing pumpkins, one of the things on my bucket list. I was thankful and looking forward to planting a bit earlier next year but intended to enjoy this year’s crop, just as they were.
    Then, I read your post. I can take my beloved crop of green pumpkins and paint them any number of ways………..to my heart’s delight!!!! How fun is that!!! Thank you for sharing your pumpkin painting.

  2. Ooooh, I love it! I think the leaf is my favorite……or the polka dot……or the stripe….. *BIG smile*
    BTW, my aunt still uses the term ‘Punkin Doodle,’ so Zoe is in good company!

  3. Oh, how fun and pretty. I love the gold and white (how DID gold win me over so quickly?) and the leaf design is my favorite. And how special to do a project like this with sisters!!!

  4. I loooove these pumpkins!! White with good leaves could very well be the best design of all. :) I painted a couple of my white pumpkins white this week when they started turning a little too yellow to be beautiful . . . But (blush) I did them by my lonesome in a rush for a party while my children napped. Next year we’ll buy lots and do them together while just the baby naps, perhaps? :) As always, you do everything you do with excellence!

  5. Hmmm, I think I should paint ours…. because 2 girls got a hold of them and drew faces all on all of them with a permanent marker. :)

  6. Oh my. This was indeed a childhood dream come true, and even BETTER than I imagined because it happened with you and the babies! :)

  7. i think anytime’s a good time to paint pumpkins!!!
    these are beautiful~
    so fun your sis could be there.
    i love seeing you guys together..
    makes me think of my girls someday. :))

  8. see, now i do not think that even this week is too late to paint pumpkins! i’m all into the Thanksgiving mode here and EMBRACING it despite the bombardment of Christmas nearly everywhere outside of my home. i just got some autumn ornamentals from my friend the other day for our Thanksgiving table and i’m trying to convince Tim that i could use a bit more bittersweet. =) i’m not going to paint our pumpkins, but still. it’s still time for autumn in my opinion!
    i’m so happy for you that Ervina was able to be there and that you all got to see Jana too. i know times with family are soo, soo precious!!!
    happy week to you my friend!

  9. How do you keep the pumpkin from rotting in the home. Yesterday the small pumpkin I bought rotted on the bottom and smelled like fish. I would love to do painting with my grandchildren. Thank you

    1. Hi Terry! I try to check the pumpkins well before I purchase, because sometimes they have soft spots and are going bad before I even bring them home, and then there is no hope for them lasting! Normally if it’s good and firm when I purchase it, it will last a good month without going bad. And that’s even in the south Georgia heat and humidity! Good luck! That sounds like a fun project with your grandchildren. :)

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