Last year, us girls got together for some chatting, chewing (good food is a must!) and pumpkin painting. None of us are super-crafters or particularly artistically inclined-but these are so easy you don’t have to be. So if you, like us, are kind of over the whole slimy and seedy process of carving pumpkins, you’ll love these simple ideas!

STRIPE IT: Use painters tape to create vertical or horizontal stripes (or chevron!!). Use two coats of craft paint and let dry about 30 minutes in between.

SPOT IT: We used the end of a large glue stick cap to create these fun polka dots. The eraser on a pencil will do the small ones. Two coats of paint with drying time in between will do the trick.

PUT A BOW ON IT: We keep a big bag/box of leftover ribbon. We just picked through the box and found some fun patterns and textures (mostly black and white) that would top off the pumpkins perfectly.

PUT A HAT ON IT: Rummage through your costume box or closet to find a hat with some character.  We grabbed a ghost pumpkin from our garden, or you can just cover your orange pumpkin with two coats of white paint.  After drying completely, use black paint to create some spooky eyes and a ghoulish grin.  Top it off with your hat, and you’ve got a pumpkin with personality!

GET PERSONAL: We painted a Hungarian (it’s an outline of the country with the flag painted on the inside) pumpkin because our son is serving a mission for our church in Hungary.  A black permanent marker is great to use after your paint has dried to add any details or fine lines. What do YOU love? Try painting your school monogram or favorite sports team logo – anything goes!

ACCESORIZE: We pulled out a huge spider that we don’t really have a place for right now and just propped it up on a pumpkin. Look through your old decorations that you’re not using or don’t know where to put inside and stick them with your pumpkins out front!

We set them up on the porch with some dried corn stalks (from our dead garden) behind them to add some height to the look. Super easy, super inexpensive, but really a cute overall effect that looked cohesive but not overly matchy. Happy painting!

Shari