My DIY yourself pumpkins have made it back on the blog this year, with a twist! When I was decorating last years pumpkins I thought it would be fun to inject some adult humour into my creations, which is where my Halloween pun-kin idea was born. I contemplated pulling an audible last year, but eventually decided to stick with my original plan and unveil my pop culture-inspired creations this year.

To check out my previous DIY pumpkin creations, click here and here.

Preparing to Decorate

Step 1 – Get pumpkins! As I mentioned last year, don’t sweat it if the pumpkins have some blemishes since they’re going to be spray painted.

Step 2 – Take a damp cloth and wipe down your pumpkins, removing all the dirt to allow for a smooth canvas. Let the pumpkins air dry after wiping them down.

Step 3 – Gather your supplies!

My Spray Paint Colours

*All purchased at Michaels

1. Light Pink – Krylon ColorMaster Satin Enamel in Ballet Slipper
2. Green – Krylon ColorMaster Satin Enamel in Pistachio
3. Yellow – Krylon Short Cuts Aerosol Paint in Sun Yellow
4. Blue – Krylon Short Cuts Aerosol Paint in Bonnet Blue
5. Bright Pink – Krylon Short Cuts Aerosol Paint in Hot Pink
6. White – Krylon Short Cuts Aerosol Paint in Gloss White

What you Need

1. Pumpkins (orange or white) – If you don’t have time to make it to the pumpkin patch, check out your local grocery store.
2. Damp cloth.
3. Paper towel – this will be used to clean the stencil between letters.
4. Spray paint – I personally prefer to use Krylon spraypaint as I’ve always had success with it, and I love the colour selection at Michaels.
5. Paint – Pebeo Studio Acrylics High Viscosity Paint in Black.
6. Stencil – You can create your own stencil, but I found it much quicker to pick-up a stencil from Michaels. I used the DecorArt Americana stencil (similar here), and although I wish the template was slightly more sturdy it did the trick.
7. Paint brushes – I made the mistake of purchasing this stencil brush, which is terrible for pumpkin decorating. I then defaulted back to my Craft Smart Brush Assortment pack and used a couple of brushes from there. The brush with the slanted edge worked well with the stencil font.
8. Newspaper – Or something to cover the ground of where you’ll be spray painting.
9. Gloves – Protect your hands and avoid the mess of spray paint.
10. Open, well ventilated area to spray paint the pumpkins.

TIP – If you’re picking up anything from Michaels, remember to use their 40% off coupon (to be used on one regular-priced item).

How to Decorate

1. Go to an open, ventilated area and cover the floor with newspaper.
2. Take your Krylon spray paint in whichever colour you prefer, and begin to spray paint the pumpkin. Hold the can around 12” away from the pumpkin and apply the spray paint in even, parallel strokes.
3. Leave the pumpkin to dry for a few hours. I usually leave mine overnight, but they will be good to go after a few hours.
4. Once the pumpkins are dry, gather your stencil, paint brush and Pebeo paint.
5. In terms of stencil placement, don’t start the stencil too low on the pumpkin because you want the words to be visible and not get lost underneath. Find your pumpkins best side (hey, we all have one), apply your stencil on top of the pumpkin and paint over the letter with your Pebeo paint.
6. Gently remove the stencil, and wipe it down with paper towel to remove excess paint so it doesn’t transfer back to the pumpkin. *Before you begin stenciling, eyeball out the words so you can ensure they will fit.
7. Let your creations dry, and voila, you have yourself some uber-fun, gangster pun-kins!

Puns That Didn’t Make the Cut

Here’s a list of my favourite puns including the ones that didn’t make the cut, in case you want to change things up:

1. Where’s the boos?
2. More boos please!
3. Witch please!
4. Cheers witches!
5. Witch better have my candy!
6. Hey Boo-tiful!
7. Creepin’ it Real
8. Boo Felicia!
9. If you’ve got it, haunt it!
10. Bow down, witches!
11. Trick or Treat yo’ self!
12. #SquadGhouls
13. Resting witch face.
14. Straight outta coffin.
15. Spooktacular!
16. Keep calm & carry a wand!

Happy Halloween witches! Be safe!

xo, Kiki