Fall is my FAVORITE time of year. Well at least I say that every year but then just now typing it out load.. I realized that now since I discovered surfing behind our boat.. and I love being OUT on our boat.. it might be a really close tie for first with Summer now. awe.. Sorry Fall I promise I still love you! BUT I DO love fall for totally different reason.. love the smells, the crips but warm air (we have had seasonable warm weather the past two weeks.. and I LOVE IT). The changing of the trees, the falling leaves, apple pies and apple cider, carving pumpkins, trick-or treating. I love sweaters and football games and snuggling under blankets with hot chocolate. I love everything about Fall. Too bad it doesn't last through November here. Lol. I also love Halloween. and it's not because my birthday is the day before (my family always thinks it is.. but I promise it's not :))... it's truly because I LOVE that holiday! Besides Christmas.. it is by FAR my favorite holiday of the year. It's even a close tie for Christmas. (which is Ironici beacuse they are centered around two totally different things. Weird).
Anyhow.. this week I was inspired by fall, and I have been totally lame and not even taken out my few fall decorations that I do have. I did buy a pumpkin the other day at TJmax..
Cute huH? I loved it! it was 7 bucks!!
what's lame this cute little pumpkin is just sitting on my front entry way table... all by itself.. just waiting for the other decorations to come. haha. Sorry bud. It might be a while.
So besides fall, I was also totally inspired by Alisa Burke.. once again. (this girl has some seriously creative skills)
Last week, after I got home from our cruise, I was catching up on her blog and she had these freaking ADORABLE painted pumpkins. Totally cool. Which got me to surfing the web for other fun painted pumpkin ideas.. and I found this article here in country Living magazine and this one here on HGTV's website . Totally cute stuff. A few years ago we painted pumpkins instead of carving them.. and while it was super messy. It was a ton of fun. Well It got me inspired to get out and do something different with MY pumpkins for this year.. since I haven't done any sort of deceoration. In my own style. I was trying to think of the designs I loved.. and these three came to mind. plaid, polka dots, and of course.. this week's monday moodboard theme, Chevron.. so this is what I came up with.. oh and before I start. I want you to know I actually video taped making all of these pumpkins. Did a total creatively inspired video for you and then my darn Mac is being so weird and won't load them into Imovie so I can edit them and post them to Youtube. Seeing how it is Wednesday night and I leave tomorrow for Spark, I don't have too much more time to mess around with it and get it to work. So if you see a video at the end.. it worked. If not. Sorry. I promise when I get back to post it!
I had fun with these little babies.. and now my store bought pumpkin has some friends! :)
I used different techniques on each of them .... all fun and different! I linked any of the products I used from our store (they are highlighted in blue) as so many of you always ask me what I used. To make it easier to find!:) so here we go!
The first pumpkin was the polka dot pumpkin. For this one I actually used the Swiss Dot stencil (from our store from Crafters Workshop) and did black dots on the white pumpkin. (the pumpkin came already white, but you could easily paint it white with gesso!)
But I wanted to add some added texture to it.. and LOVE the look of handwriting.. so I got my black Big Brush Faber Castel Penout and wrote Happy Halloween in cursive, all over the pumpkin. I like how it gave it just one more added dimension!
and ended up with this look!
The next pumpkin, I used a plaid Technique. I use a yellow squash pumpkin for this one. I used Masking tape and taped stripes vertically along the pumpkin (in the video you can see how I did it.. hopefully I can get the video to work!) Then I sprayed the pumpkin with Color Wash spray from Ranger. I used the Sunset Orange spray and then used a paper towel to dab it a big. After it dried (which was fairly quickly) I then taped off the pumpkin again (leaving the other tape still one) except this time horizontally and then sprayed it again with Wild Plum Color Wash Spray. Again then dabbed it with a paper towel and then pulled the tape off and this was what was revealed!
Then I added some texture with some rubber stamps.
Last I used my black Fabercastell Pen to draw black lines on the pumpkin, to give it a bit more definition and one more color to the plaid. You could also go back and do this with other Faber castell Big Brush pens. Like Orange, Green, Purple. Or even white!
My last pumpkin was inspired by The Chevron design from this week's moodboard. First I painted a purple Chevron design across the middle, then added some along the top and bottom in green and orange.
Then again for more texture and a bit of doodling, I added black words and some "stitches" and more chevron shapes to the pumpkin with my black big brush Pen.
and ended up with this..
I had fun painting these! I am thinking maybe this year.. instead of carving pumpkins with our kids for Family Home evening.. we will paint them! and get out all my sprays and inks and Faber Pens and stamps. Seriously. How fun! still a bit of a mess.. but something totally different!
Anyhow, Just a fun little project you can do with your artsy friends, your family or just by yourself! I really hoped the video would work, but seriously.. could not get it to download and now I am heading to Spark first thing in the morning! So if ben can get it fixed while I am gone, I will post the video how to to these when I get back. I show you how to tape the plaid pumpkin and stencil, etc.. so it really makes more sense! Plus videos are always fun :)
Well I will see you all back here next monday for another monday moodboard and some inspiration during the week!
OH one more thing! My sister was just blown away by your response to my blog post YESTERDAY about their skin care line, Muvazi!WOW! The orders just kept coming in all day long! You have no idea what a blessing that was to them.. how much this meant to them to see the excitment and support for this awesome product. You guys freaking rock! ROCK! I tell you! She told me to tell you that the special price and coupon posted about yesterday (here) will run until the end of the month. (and then a little birdie told me they are going to do something special for you again in December.. when you will all be ready to need more.. can't wait for that!). Also, they started shipping out yesterday.. but they had so many orders that it may take them a few days to fill them all and get them all out. They actually hand-make all the product themselves organically, which makes it even more amazing (they don't have someone else make it and just put their name on it). They actually mix all the ingredients together themselves and fill the bottles and package it and everything. Another big reason I love it. Tia's husband Deren has been working for other people for years, creating amazing products in skin care, hair care and household goods. Now his is excited to be doing something that he truly loves and is his own work of art. TRULY.. you guys are going to LOVE it!
Well, I am headed to SPARK! to be with my creative friends.. and see the Magic that that goes on there! Margie is one of THE MOST CREATIVE people I know! I promise to take lots of pictures, and plan to do a huge post on it when I get back next week. you know the handmade decorations are going to be amazing! if you live in the area (SLC or Provo area).. and haven't signed up for Spark or can't make it to the classes.. make sure to stop by the Artisan Fair! So many cool handmade goodies to buy including jewelry, art pieces, food and more! I will be bringing some of my prints to sale! can't wait! See you all when I get back! Have a wonderful weekend!
Happy Thursday!
great pumpkins cristy-have fun at spark!
Posted by: jennifer booth | October 20, 2011 at 08:19 AM
Such lovely pumpkins!
And I'm excited that they'll do something wonderful for us Muvazi would-be fans! This means that if it suits my skin, I can buy more in December!
Posted by: June | October 20, 2011 at 09:32 AM
Love the pumpkins! I so hope one day I can be fortunate enough to attend the Spark Event. My Muvazi arrived this morning!! So quick! Can't wait to use it tonight. Goodbye age/sun spots.
Posted by: Michelle Eberhart | October 20, 2011 at 11:05 AM
Love the pumpkins! Great idea!! I viewed the mycraftchannel episode today about the UTEE. Where do you find the little label/stickers used on the glass tiles? love what you do!!!
Posted by: Lisa Hampton | October 20, 2011 at 12:11 PM
These are super cute! Love how they came out. May try painting pumpkins again with my kids.
Posted by: Lynda | October 21, 2011 at 05:33 AM
I just have to tell you I am soooo excited! I was going thru blogland this afternoon and noticed an advertisement of yours, (I rarely pay attention to those but yours was so eyecatching, I then proceded to watch hours of tutorials, power shopped in your store and signed up for a class! I can't wait to get started!!! I have admired this kind of art for the last couple of years, feel like a kid getting to play! It's now the wee hours of the morn and I have virtually spent the day with you! Have I said how excited I am, cannot wait!!! :)
Posted by: Laura @Ms Smartie Pants | October 22, 2011 at 12:30 AM
LOVE the Pumpkins!! =)
THANKS for sharing them!! Also THANKS for the shout out!! Seems to me that Goodness comes to those who are full of goodness!! =)
I LOVED SPARK and had SO MUCH Fun in your class!! Can't wait for the New She Art 2 Class!! =)
Posted by: Larissa Heskett | October 23, 2011 at 08:22 AM
hi
i enjoy watching you and reading your blog! thanks for sharing. can you tell me what the name of the paint is that you use... the ones in the dauber bottles. can i get them at ScarletLime? thanks
Posted by: tina eppler | November 19, 2011 at 09:47 PM