Painted Pumpkin Planters {Pampers, Playdate, & Parties}

Hi there CSI folks!  It’s so exciting to be over here today!  My name is Leslie, and I write the blog Pampers, Play Dates & Parties.  Typically my blog is filled with all sorts of party inspiration, peppered with recipes, free printables roundups, and a little bit of my family mixed in. I was so excited to participate in the painted Halloween challenge.  Not only have I extolled my love for spray paint in the past, but this year we’ve had to completely re-think our approach to Halloween decorations.  You see, my two-year old girl has apparently decided that she has some serious fear of creepy Halloween decorations.  Typically this kid is a force to be reckoned with, and has no problem putting you in your place, but something about the twisted faces and masks of Halloween really freak her out.  So what is a mom on a limited budget to do?  Well, as I was walking through the store the other day, I suddenly saw these jack-o-lantern buckets and knew that I had to work with them.

Who doesn’t remember these?!

I don’t know anyone who didn’t have one of these as a kid, and I can’t imagine not having them around for my kids as they grown up.  I knew that with a little bit of spray paint and some creative re-use could bring them out of the 80s and into the 21st century!

Getting ready for the big show!

One of my favorite things ever is the line of Krylon Fusion paints for plastic.  If the color you want to use isn’t available in Fusion, just use a couple coats of Fusion in a lighter color as a primer, and your all set!

It’s a pretty pink chia-pumpkin!

In order to keep everything happy and fun for the kiddo, I spray painted them her signature shade of pink, and got to re-purposing.  In the end, I decided to use one as a planter for some mums (lovingly referred to as chia-pumpkin).  The other two were stacked and glued to create a small, lightweight table.  Just make sure you have some heavy rocks in the bottom pumpkin to keep it from blowing away!  In order to keep the top lightweight literally and visually, the tabletop was made with an upside down plastic plate.  I love keeping things somewhat disposable and able to be broken down for storage.  That way I can re-purpose it in a different way next year!

Frankenstein’s going to have to go, but the pumpkin’s are definitely staying!