Pumkins - Not just for October!

 Pumkins can be kept out during the months of October and November... they are not just for Halloween! Consider them a fall decoration. Since we live in the Arizona desert, they create a cool autumn feel in our homes. Wendi went Pumkin crazy this year (heck she does a few every year) and here are some of our favorites.

Ribbon Pumpkins - I found my white and black pumpkins at Michael's (if you can't find them in white or black they can be easily painted - or you can leave them orange if you like them better that way). Pick a ribbon that you adore and tie a big bow. These have velcro dots attached to the back of the bow and the top of the pumkin so they can be removed for storage. The ribbon pumkin is the easiest (if you can tie a good bow).

Bling Pumpkins - These are also quite easy. You just need to find the scrapbooking section of your craft store and look for these swirly bling stickers. It is on one of the larger sticker sheets (a full page). Pull them from the sticker sheet and adhere to the pumkin (you'll probably want to cut some of the swirls to make it look more filled in, if you end up with some empty spaces). The stickers will lift if left alone so they need a layer of MOD PODGE (it looks just like white glue in a container). Just use a foam brush to put a thin layer of the MOD PODGE over the blingy stuff and let dry overnight.

Glitter and MOD PODGE - For the Glitter Pumpkins you can either use MOD PODGE or Spay adhesive (we used the spray) and coat the pumkin with the sticky stuff, then roll in glitter (whatever color of glitter you like). The blue pumkin was painted with blue acrylic paint first and then the blue glitter was added. This gets messy so you might want to do it outside! The black and orange polka dot pumpkin was created using cheap paper nakins (black with orange polka dots on them) found in the clearance aisle. The napkins were cut into about 1 inch strips. Put a thin layer of MOD PODGE (if you don't own it yet - you gotta get it) on the pumkin and then adhere the napkin strips to cover it all. You'll need another layer of MOD PODGE over the napkin as well. Let dry overnight.