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hey there! I'm monica 

I pride myself on making amazing style and design accessible for everyone, regardless of location, budget, or ability! My design philosophy is rooted in authenticity + attainability - If I can do it, you can too! My work has been featured in countless publications, but I take the most pride in homeowners that have been personally inspired by my DIY ideas and have tried something in their own homes!

learn more about ME + MY BIZ

Maybe you noticed something missing from our Fall Lovers Series…  Pumpkins! We’re not haters and we didn’t forget… we were saving them for this special pumpkin post! We had the pleasure of sharing some fabulous, non-traditional pumpkin ideas for the 69 News in Allentown, PA and now you’ll get to see the inside scoop on how to make your own.
We got together this week to have a pumpkin party of sorts… it included lots of pumpkins, a large bowl of uncooked cookie dough (yum!) and a big old mess!
I Can’t think of a better way to spend time with a BFF can you?
Tac Pumpkins
This is a Horchow knockoff and we’re thrilled with how cool it looks.  Jess said it looks like a “biker chick pumpkin!”  Simply spray paint your pumpkin (we used Oil Rubbed Bronze) and when it’s dry, simply push the tacks in a cool pattern.  This literally took about 5 minutes.
Sticker Pumpkins
If you have kids, they’ll love to help with this one.  We used simple “teacher stars,” but you can use any sticker shape.  Make sure your pumpkin is clean and totally dry, add the stickers, and then spray paint.  When the paint is pretty much dry, remove the stickers and reveal the awesomeness!

Ribbon Jack Be Littles
These guys would look great in a big, black wooden bowl.  It doesn’t get any easier than this folks… Simply wrap the ribbon and hold in place with a thumbtack.
Mr. Pumpkin Head
If you’ve seen Toy Story 3, the you know that Mr. Potato head works even on a pancake, so why not try pumpkin?  If you have little ones that are a tad young for real pumpkin decorating or carving, this is the idea for you!
No pumpkins were harmed in the making of this tutorial! You do need to poke the holes with a pen so that the pieces stay put.  I promise I used Novocain before starting the procedure.

Don’t be afraid to think outside the box (cliche, but oh so true) and use fun items you already own!

Sexy Lady Pumpkin
Vera Wang might want to hunt us down after this post, but we love the look.  We took some sexy tights and believe it or not, squeezed a pumpkin in! It was really quite hysterical and I almost wish we had it on video.
It’s definitely a two person job!
We cut the bottom end and then wrapped the stem with the other. 
I think Vera might be proud!
Decoupage Pumpkin
The key to this funky-punky is cutting thin strips of paper. Simply take scrapbook paper or fabric and cut it into ½ -1 inch strips.  This was a small pumpkin, so we used ½ inch.  Apply modpodge heavily to the back of each strip and start wrapping the pumpkin.  When it’s completely covered give the outside a coat of modpodge as well.  This one is to go with Monica’s Poe Inspired mantle.
Modpodge goes on white, but don’t worry… it dries clear.
By about this time in our pumpkin party, here’s what the kitchen looked like.  We never claimed to be neat crafters did we?
Crackle Paint Pumpkins
This project was inspired by Beth who was inspired by Jen… don’t you love the sharing of ideas in the blog world? We sure do! For these you’ll need some cheapo dollar store pumpkins… and man, they’re ugly at first.
First, spray a base coat.  We used flat, black that we already owned.

We had a little spray paint station outside.  The hubs loves our multi-colored grass! Then, apply the crackle medium.  We bought Martha’s brand from Michaels.  We patiently waited grabbed the blow drier to pick up the pace and once it was totally almost dry we brushed on the top color.  The key here is long, even strokes.  Crackle paint can be a tad fussy.
Let the top coat dry and watch as the cracks magically appear.  It’s pretty cool!

House # Pumpkin

Another simple idea, but one that would look adorable on your front porch.

We picked up these numbers at Lowes and then used a mallet (a hammer would work too, but there’s just something fun about a mallet) to bang in the screws.  Presto- Chango… house # pumpkin!

Cookie Cutter Pumpkin
Since we’re committed to being the REAL housewives of Bucks County, we’re sharing once again another FAIL with you! We were inspired to try banging cookie cutters into pumpkins.  Sounds simple enough right?
Well, it would have been simple if the pumpkin wasn’t thicker than the cookie cutter.  I do think it would have worked on a smaller pumpkin… Instead, it broke the cutter and we had to do quite a bit of work to get it out.

You can barely even tell it’s a bat.  Drats!
If you’ve tried this and it worked, let us know and give us some tips!
So there you have it… some non-traditional pumpkin ideas to try in 2011.  If you want to see us in action, we’ll be posting the clip to the 69 morning show soon.  Be sure you “like” us on Facebook, because we’ll link it there.
Happy Wednesday, thanks for pumpkin partying with us!

The comments +

  1. wow! what a bunch of great ideas!

  2. Becca says:

    you girls are ambitious! love that you try the ideas out. and love that you are the only human who still uses the word drats. what is a drat anyway?

  3. Amy says:

    Wow! What fantastic ideas! I think Mr. Potato {Pumpkin} Head is my favorite, but it’s really hard to pick… I’d be thrilled if you’d link these to my pumpkin craft challenge!

    http://oneartmama.blogspot.com/2011/09/fall-craft-challenge-4-pumpkins.html

  4. Cheryl says:

    Cute, fun inspiring! Thanks for the entertaining post!

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