Rise & Grind - Halloween Fun

 

Halloween is the official kick-up for the holiday season and we are here for it. We are looking for ways to make this October 31st feel extra special, because 2020. We're still dressing up, eating treats and playing tricks. 

 

Making creepy, cute treats is one of our favorite Halloween activities. We love the spooky, silly (and still appetizing) version of this jalapeño popper! It's easy to make a kid friendly version by simply swapping out the jalapeño peppers with mini sweet bell peppers and subbing cheddar for the pepper jack!

See more photos and a step-by-step guide to this recipe here!

 

We love an excuse to get dressed up, but our wallet sometimes has a hard time justifying a 3-hour wear time. We hand-picked 6 costumes that can come from our current fall items that can be worn again and again!

Shop for all the above items here!

We love carving pumpkins, but this year we are switching it up with this creative and fun option. We love that they last longer than carved pumpkins (and bonus points: you can paint fake pumpkins and enjoy them year after year!) Read below to learn some of our favorite techniques! 

1. Optical Illusions Pumpkin

What's black and white with stripes and dots all over? This mind-bending pumpkin. To paint this pumpkin, start by pouncing circles on one side of the pumpkin (with the largest pouncer in the middle of each ridge). Pounce smaller circles as you go up and down each ridge of the pumpkin. While the dots are drying, tape the other half of the pumpkin to create uniform thin lines. Once that side is taped, use the pouncer to apply a thin coat of paint over the taped area. Carefully remove the tape to reveal your stripes.

Materials Used:

2. Color Block Painted Pumpkins

Do yourself a favor and read this whole blog post from Think.Make.Share. Major eye candy! They share a bunch of different styles, mostly color block, tips and tricks for painting a beautiful and original pumpkin by a variety of artists. Head over to this post for major pumpkins painting Inspo!

3. Sharpie Watercolor Painted Pumpkins

The Craft Patch shares a beautiful (and EASY!) faux watercolor technique using Sharpie markers!

Materials Needed

  • Plain White Craft Pumpkin
  • Sharpie Markers
  • Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol
  • Plastic Bag
  • Medicine Dropper

I will write out the instructions, but be sure to watch the short video at the end of this post to see how it works. It is so fun to watch!

Step 1: Use the Sharpies to color splotches onto a plastic bag. The design doesn’t really matter, but you may want to think about how neighboring colors will look when blended together.

Step 2: Fill a medicine dropper with rubbing alcohol and carefully squirt drops onto the plastic bag. You’ll see that it makes the Sharpie ink start to run.

Step 3: Roll your pumpkin on top of the bag to transfer the wet ink to the pumpkin. You can also carefully lift the bag and press it around on the pumpkin once the initial really wet part has been transferred.

Step 4: Let the ink dry (it only takes a few minutes) and enjoy your cool watercolored pumpkin!

Check out her post for a video tutorial and more details!

4. Stenciled Pumpkins

So easy and striking, we love the stenciled pumpkin look! Simply paint your pumpkin whatever base color you'd like, let dry, tape on your stencil & paint!

We love this Hocus Pocus stencil by Oak Lane Studio! Search their website for other spooky options!

5. Drip Painting Pumpkins

There is something about the month of October that gives us permission to create a mess! Gooey, sticky, messy crafts feel not only more acceptable, but required. Try this fun technique by momdot!

This technique is -ultra messy-, so be prepared! Your kids will LOVE it. Prepare yourself an area (and clothing) that can get messy. Read on for momdot's tutorial!

DRIP PAINTING PUMPKINS TUTORIAL

To get started Drip Painting Pumpkins, you will need a few things

  • Milk Paint: Milk paint provides really nice thick coverage, blends well, and dries quickly. It doesn’t smell that great, but it works fantastically. I highly suggest using it for the color results and designs you see below. It’s available at craft stores.
  • White Pumpkins of all shapes and sizes
  • Wet Ones® hand wipes – Trust me on this one- this is a messy craft
  • Poster board, card stock, paper plates, or newspapers to put your pumpkin on and contain the mess
  • Kids: Kids love, love, love this, so please include them. This is a no-carve idea that is a blast. My kids adored creating their pumpkin and because it doesn’t include a knife, it’s parents hands off too!

Instructions:  

There are a LOT Of ways you can pour your paint and you will easily get enamored with the way the paint falls. My kids and I are going to demonstrate a few ways we poured to create different looks for your pumpkins. To start off, we had intended to create a sort of rainbow. On one pumpkin, we laid it down and poured the paint in stripes, starting from the bottom up. On the other pumpkin, Charlotte had her mini pumpkin sit straight up and poured paint around it so it dripped down. Because that mini pumpkin had natural curves in it, the paint got caught up down the indention’s and made a really amazing look. Because milk paint flows, if you set your laid down pumpkin up for a few minutes or turn upside down, it will start to drip slowly down the pumpkin. You can easily control the pattern by moving it around and then laying it back down to dry when you want it to stop. 

Check out her post for more photos & techniques!

6. Chalkboard Menu Pumpkin

Leave it to Martha Stewart to come up with the brilliant idea of using a pumpkin as a menu board! Turn your plain pumpkin into a chalkboard menu for your guests! Because a coat of chalkboard paint turns it into a writing surface, the sign can be written on, wiped clean, and written on again to cover every event from Halloween trick-or-treating to your Thanksgiving feast. (Use a fake pumpkin to keep it good through the whole season and for years to come!)

7. DIY Glam Pumpkins

Who doesn't love a little glitz and glamour!? We love this easy way to add a little dazzle to your porch or decor. 

How-to:
For stripes-
Tape vertical stripes on pumpkin.
Paint Mod Podge or glue onto opposite sides of the tape.
Add lots of glitter.
Peel off tape.

For dots-
Paint dots of glue onto pumpkin using the circle paint sponge.
Add more glitter.

Tip: Work with glitter last. Sparkles may be the most fun, but they're the messiest.

Check out this post for more details!

8. Confetti Pumpkins!

This is so simple, yet stunning, it's one of those "why didn't I think of that?" moments!

Great for kids and adults, simply slather Mod Podge onto the pumpkin, sprinkle with confetti, press down confetti pieces and finish with another later of Mod Podge. 

You can start with a pre-painted pumpkin or go straight onto an orange pumpkin! Check out these beauties by Cloudy Day Gray!

9. 90's Vibe Painted Pumpkins

We are dying over these amazing fun and colorful 90's inspired pumpkins! Use whatever color palette inspires you! The key to get this look is the geometric and simple design. Have fun with this one!

10. Free-Handed Painting

Are you artistically inclined? Try some free-handed painting! We love pretty floral patterns with a gold outline to make it pop. Get creative and try any subject that inspires you!

Happy Halloween!! You hope you have a fun, creative & safe holiday! 🧡🎃 

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