Chalkboard Pumpkins

Hi! I’m Chelsea and I’m SO excited to be a guest blogger for Fun on a Dime today – Michelle is awesome and I love this blog! I just launched my blog,  in August and I’m having so much fun sharing ideas, crafts, recipes, educational activities and more! I truly am “doing what I love and loving what I do” by staying at home with my three little kids, being married to my high school crush and being inspired by the talented people in the blog-world!

Just like Fun on a Dime I also LOVE to find cheap, fun and easy activities to do with my family. Along those lines, and while preparing for Halloween I whipped up some …

Chalkboard Pumpkins

Here is how we made them….

The Pumpkins

I used craft pumpkins from Michaels craft store (but I’ve seen smaller versions at different dollar stores as well). They are sturdy and wonderful because I can store them and use them again next year!

The Paint

I bought some chalkboard paint from Home Depot (for about $10) a few months back for another chalkboard project. You do NOT need a can this huge – you can buy smaller/cheaper containers of paint at craft stores or online.

How to Apply The Paint

I used a foam brush and applied the chalkboard paint over all of the pumpkin. I let it dry overnight and applied a second coat (since the craft pumpkins are slightly porous I thought a second coat would cover better).

Have Fun With Your Design

After letting the second coat dry 24 hours (to be safe) I made some “faces” on our new chalkboard pumpkins with some white chalk. My daughter wanted a “girl” face (and the bow on top, of course”) and my son wanted a jack-o-lantern face.

My nieces and nephews also had some fun putting their own touch on the chalkboard pumpkins. (They erased the chalk with a normal chalkboard eraser, and then used a wet towel/wipe to get rid of the “cloudy” look left behind from the eraser).

The possibilities are endless!

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I just wrapped up NINETEEN days of “SwellChel Does Halloween” where I shared some more of my absolute favorite Halloween crafts, recipes, games, movies, and traditions!

Check out my favorite decoration … Mod-podge Pumpkins.

and the dessert I crave ALL year long … Pumpkin Cobbler.

Besides LOVING crafts and cooking I also LOVE to teach my children in the home. Over time my kids and I created alphabet letters out of construction paper, and after scanning the letters I used the images to create a sturdy book that my kids use all of the time. Feel free to visit my blog and download these alphabet letter crafts for your own use! I love anything that makes learning FUN!