Disclosure: The crafts contained herein are not Martha Stewart Approved, nor are they stolen ideas from said Martha. We must remember: I am not the expert.
So our Pumpkin Saga left off with us having three nearly microscopic pumpkins, an aversion to all future field trips, and cotton nightmares for life.
The children wanted to carve their pumpkins. And I had to tell them that their pinky fingers wouldn’t fit inside those infernally tiny pumpkins and we didn’t know a good Elf from which to borrow a pocketknife, so good luck with that.
(And also, considering the heat that is plaguing our October, if opened they would most certainly succomb to a particularly odious rot in a matter of hours.)
I was, however, willing to do a glitter project. Because, among my more bold and perhaps unintelligent character qualities, I don’t mind playing with glitter and children at the same time.
Ali and I had made glitter pumpkins in the past, but never with Noah, so I was confident it would be a perfectly pleasant undertaking.
He picked out his color, waited semi-patiently for me to give him some targets for said glitter,
And then we realized those dots weren’t going to stay still, so we went with the drippy look. But he was well pleased, albeit a bit too handsy, so it didn’t matter.
Ali had earned some new shimmery glue pens for letting me extract a tooth (I had thrown out dozens of bribes and that was the one she remembered and collected on), so she free-styled her pumpkin while I tried to control her brother and the billions of shiny particles within his grasp.
The only thing I can figure is that she was trying to draw a House Elf. And if so, it was fantastically Dobby-like.
After I safely removed my two-year-old from the premises, I made my own pumpkin, dousing it with a good coating of glue, perhaps taking my vengeance on its patch through suffocation.
I decided to attempt ombré, because I felt the inexplicable desire to be trendy and there was no way I could make a gluey chevron.
I wasn’t under any illusion that I’d just created The Pumpkin of The Season or anything, but I thought it was halfway decent.
Especially compared to my competition.
Until Chris came home, looked at all three pumpkins, then asked, “Who made one that looks like Lady Gaga if she were a crying Pumpkin?”
So next time I’ll just slap some bacon on my pumpkin and call it a day.
I love ALL your pumpkins but Chris made me snort out loud! I have yet to try glitter with my 4 year old boy. I’m WAY too OCD for that.
I just read over on Babble that a better way to scoop pumpkin guts is with an ice cream scoop. Or, she said to cut the BOTTOM of the pumpkin and let the pumpkin guts fall out. I never thought of that!
Chris actually bought a fake foam pumpkin to carve with Ali this year. His excuse was that she could have it in her room then. But I think it was TOTAL cheating.
Amy Beth just came up as I was looking at that last picture, and said, “Oooohhh! What is that?” I explained one of them was Ali’s pumpkin from that pumpkin patch field trip, and she had decorated it with glitter. She thought that was the best idea ever and is now begging to put glitter on her pumpkin.
I’m not sure whether to thank you or resent you. I’ll keep you posted.
Let me know! I’m sure it will go beautifully, and that no cats will end up glittered or glued.
Yours is awesome. We are totally going to do this today.
Let me know how it goes!!
Sorry – I don’t know if this was a good post or not – I read the sentence “I was, however, willing to do a glitter project” . . . then fell on the floor and shrunk into the fetal position under the table. This comment is only by sheer will and Siri.
I can’t help it that I’m BRAVER THAN YOU.
Chris’s (hilarious) comment notwithstanding, I really dig your glitter pumpkin. Not enough to risk my husband’s wrath by attempting a glitter pumpkin of my own, however. Man really has a lot of hate for glitter.
Especially keeping the glitter pumpkin indoors after said glittering. It’s really asking for it.
I hear the secret is to use coloured sand instead of glitter. One sweeps up nicely, the other breeds in the secret crevices of your house…
Are you not going to eat them?
We’re going to attempt paint and a pumpkin later this week. I’m planning on a bath for every one involved afterward.
Let me know how it goes! The Pumpkining – not the bath.
Ooo, I like your glitter pumpkin! Our jack-o-lantern is already growing mold at an alarming late since our weather has warmed back up. I’m afraid to see what it will look like by Halloween!
Yikes! I’d think y’all were in the perfect part of the country for mold-free pumpkins. If yours are, I can’t imagine what ours would be doing!
So I giggled in complete empathy through this whole post (after one year of carving, one year of glitter, and one year of painting plaid patterns – all massive FAILS). And then… I got to your very last line, and lost it.
Well played, well played!
Pumpkins just prefer to be left in their natural form. If only we could all accept that.
I have heard that dipping a pumpkin in a bleach solution will prevent it from molding. I did it to mine, and it has lasted over a week with very little mold. It helps that we are in a cold, dry area, though. I think it is supposed to freeze tonight. Bah humbug.