Pumpkin painting ideas – 10 easy and stylish looks for adults and kids alike

  

Whether you're looking for pumpkin painting ideas that are chic or scary, these easy options will elevate your Halloween.

The right pumpkin painting ideas can turn your Halloween into a frightening spectacle, or a chic setup that complements your interior design scheme.

Pumpkin carving tends to get all the fanfare around October 31, but there are a lot of advantages to painting pumpkins. For one, you don't have to clean out the inside of the pumpkin, so there's less mess. Plus, pumpkins that haven't been carved last longer, so you can enjoy the fruits of your crafting longer. Paint also offers a better chance to get creative with your Halloween decorating ideas, since the options for color and pattern are endless.

While the key to a beautifully painted pumpkin is the right inspiration, like when considering pumpkin carving ideas, it's also about choosing the right pumpkin, something that won't rot out before the trick-or-treaters arrive. 

It's equally important to clean your pumpkin prior to painting, which can be done with soapy water and a sponge.

Once your pumpkin is prepped, it's time to get out the paintbrush for some of our favorite easy, no-carve pumpkin ideas.

PUMPKIN PAINTING IDEAS

'Painting pumpkins is one of the easiest and most satisfying Halloween craft ideas,' says Jo Bailey, stylist and Homes & Gardens' Deputy Editor. 'Whether your pumpkin is part of your Halloween porch decor, or will take a seat at your Halloween table, these ideas will help you set a vision for your squash.' 

1. PAINT BLACK-AND-WHITE STRIPES

If you prefer your outdoor Halloween decor to be on the restrained side, it doesn't get more chic or classic than black-and-white stripes. To get this look, paint alternating colors between the ribs of the pumpkins, and finish off with gold spray paint on the stem, and a coat of high-gloss lacquer.

Want to enjoy your hard work for years to come? Paint ceramic or foam pumpkins instead. Choose a color scheme that will match your fall planter ideas for a perfectly coordinated look.

When should you put your pumpkins out? 'Received wisdom is that pumpkins kept outside can last a good couple of months,' says Rachel Crow, Homes & Gardens' Gardens Editor. 'So you really can put pumpkins out as fall starts, the decorate them for Halloween in the days running up to the celebrations.'

2. GO FOR A COASTAL LOOK

If you're keeping your pumpkins inside, paint them to match your decor. If it's a coastal look you're after, for example, try varying shades of blue, white and copper. If your style is more modern, paint them in a metallic shade, or go for a monochrome look with all black. 

'Pumpkins make for fantastic Halloween table decor,' says Jo Bailey. 'However, they don't last much more than a week to a few days indoors. Leave them in a heated room non-stop and you'll soon be looking for ways to get rid of fruit flies. What I tend to do is leave mine on my porch, then bring them in when I'm entertaining to decorate the house.'

3. PAINT ON A SPIDER WEB

For a detailed design, skip the paint brush and grab a paint pen, instead. Copy the spider web look, above, by drawing a line halfway down each ridge in the pumpkin, then connecting the ridge with a series of curved lines. 

You can buy acrylic pumpkin painting pens from Amazon(opens in new tab).

4. MAKE THEM METALLIC

It doesn't get much easier than these metallic-painted pumpkins. All it takes to create this sophisticated, shimmering look is a can of spray paint (or two if you want to mix up the metallic hues).

'I love this as a way to elevate Halloween decor. It's subtle, but still festive,' says Sarah Spiteri, Homes & Gardens' Editorial Director. 'To do it yourself, tip your pumpkin on its side, and spray paint the exposed areas. When the first side is dry, flip it over and spray the other side.'

Be sure to spray paint outdoors, in a well ventilated area. 

5. TRY AN OMBRE LOOK

Blogger and stylist Dana Fox(opens in new tab) used an ordinary household item – nail polish – to transform this pumpkin into a chic centerpiece (or the perfect porch accent to complement Halloween door decor). 

Fox started by painting the entire pumpkin with white latex paint, then used the polish to add an abstract gray design at the bottom. 

6. STENCIL YOUR PUMPKINS

For more complicated patterns, like this vine look, or the Chinoiserie styles that have been popular on social media, grab a stencil.

Tape the stencil to your pumpkin, and use a foam brush to fill in the design with paint. Move the stencil around the pumpkin until its patterned to your liking (just be sure the paint is dry before moving the stencil, or you'll wind up with a mess).

Amazon sells a vast range of pumpkin stencils(opens in new tab), from contemporary and comedic to more elegant, like the ones above.

7. CREATE A CREEPY CRAWLER

For a creative-but-creepy painted pumpkin idea, try turning your pumpkins into spiders. 'To get the look, use a stencil to trace two eyes onto your pumpkin (or draw them freehand, if you're artistic). Then paint your entire pumpkin and stem black, except for the eyes,' says Jennifer Ebert, Homes & Gardens' Deputy Editor (Digital). 

'When the black paint dries, paint the eyes white, and add a black dot for the iris. Spray it with a coat of glossy lacquer to make the design last longer. 

'Finally, hot glue or staple eight giant pipe cleaners (you can find black pipe cleaners at Amazon(opens in new tab)) to the sides of the pumpkin to act as legs.'

8. GET INSPIRED BY THE DAY OF THE DEAD

Instead of Halloween, look to Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, for inspiration. Dia de los Muertos takes place November 1-2, and is celebrated with colorful skulls, like the design above, that make the perfect muse for a painted Jack-o-lantern.

9. GET COZY WITH A PLAID PUMPKIN

We love this look for a smart interior. To create a buffalo check pumpkin, start with one shade of white paint, and one shade of blue. Then, mix the two colors together to create a third shade, which you'll use as the 'overlap' areas of your check (the medium shade of blue, above).

Then, draw a grid on your pumpkin, and fill in accordingly. 

10. DECOUPAGE YOUR PUMPKINS

For another pumpkin painting idea that's not exactly paint, but achieves a similar effect, try decoupage. With some decoupage glue, plus fabric scraps, pressed flowers, stickers or decals, you can create a one-of-a-kind design. Amazon's basic decoupage kit(opens in new tab) will be useful to get you started.

WHAT PAINT SHOULD YOU USE ON PUMPKINS?

The best paint for pumpkins will stay put whether they're indoors or out.

'I always choose an acrylic paint for craft projects like painting pumpkins,' says Pippa Blenkinsop, Homes & Gardens' stylist. 'It's easy to work with and it lasts.' 

If you're going for all-over color, though, grab the spray paint. It's quicker, and it won't leave behind brush strokes.  

HOW DO YOU PREPARE PUMPKINS FOR PAINT? 

To ensure that your paint sticks to your pumpkin, it's important to prepare them first. To do so, give them a wipe down with a cloth and some soapy water. Scrub any stubborn dirt spots or mud with a stiff cleaning brush or an old toothbrush, then wipe them down once more, and pat to dry. Preserving a pumpkin in vinegar first is a good way to extend its life.

10 BEST DORM ROOM IDEAS THAT WILL TRANSFORM YOUR ROOM

This post shows you the 10 best dorm room ideas to give you inspiration to have the cutest dorm on campus.

Having a cute dorm is a must but finding dorm room ideas that actually make that blank and boring room cute is HARD! 

When I saw the dorm room I was moving into my freshman year, I was honestly shocked at how ugly it was. From the linoleum flooring to horrible drapes, there was a lot of work that needed to be done. I sat on Pinterest for hours looking up cute dorm room ideas.

With all that searching, I've found the best ideas that all freshman should know about.

This post is all about dorm room ideas.

1. Store Your Shoes In An Ottoman

This dorm room idea helps you save space and provide an extra area where friends can sit when they visit! 

A shoe storing ottoman is the way to go because it does so many things in one, you can't go wrong with this dorm organization idea! 

2. Use Wall Organizers For Jewelry 

Jewelry is one of the hardest things to properly organize and store, as a result a lot of can get lost.

Save yourself the grief by copying this smart dorm room idea. This jewelry organizer is light enough that you can hang it with command strips! Perfect for a dorm room.

3. Put T-shirts On Hanging Organizers

Closet space is limited in the dorms, so make the most of it with this genius dorm room idea!

Just get some chain links and use them to link together hangers. Use these hanger links to store similar items such as t-shirts or dresses. 

This dorm room idea is a life, and space saver! 

4. Use Bins Under Your Bed For Storage

One thing you will find when moving into a dorm is that there is not enough space. 

Solve this problem by using bins, bins, and more bins. For papers, shoes, sweaters, anything you can think of, think of a way to put it into a bin. 

This dorm room idea saves so much space, trust me! 

5. Loft Or At Least Lift Your Bed

If you keep your bed in its original position, it will take up 95% of the room and leave you with barely any other space to put your things. 

Optimize space by lifting or even lofting your bed to be like a top bunk! While it might seem like a hassle, it creates so much more space for futons or storage that in the end, you will be so thankful you did it! 

I did this both years I lived in the dorms and I couldn't imagine doing it any other way!

6. Coordinate With Your Roommate!

For girls especially, the desire is to have the CUTEST dorm room! For parents, that sounds super expensive! 

Coordinating decor keeps costs super low and doing so allows for each to spend what they want, but still create a cohesive and cute space for their school year. 

Some great ways to coordinate are by color or print, just match a few things within the dorm and yours will be the talk of the building!

7. Add A Cute Rug

Ok real talk, nothing is nastier than the linoleum flooring in a dorm room. Like, nothing. 

One of the greatest dorm room ideas someone ever gave me was to purchase a rug that would cover up essentially everything. Not only was it easier to keep clean, but it also gave the room a pop of color and decoration!

So get a rug, you'll thank me later I promise!

8. Buy A Futon

Another incredible dorm room idea is to buy a futon. I know space is limited but if you can find the space (especially by lofting your bed like I mentioned before) you need to buy a futon. 

Futons not only give extra sitting space for guests, but they also great a guest bed should you and your roommate have visitors. And even when its just you and your roommate, a futon keeps you out of your bed so that you can stay awake while watching TV or doing homework! 

9. Put Desks All To One Side

A great dorm room idea that optimizes space and costs essentially nothing is to push your desks together on to one side of the room like in the picture above. 

This opens up one side of the wall completely and thus gives you space for a futon or anything else you might need. 

Plus, it makes those late night study session so much better because you have a buddy sitting right next you going through the same thing!

10. Use A Desk Hutch

Keep with the dorm room ideas that involve desks, purchase or build desk hutches to go along the back of your desks! 

This dorm room idea gives you so much storage space within the actual dorm because it creates organization options for everything related to school.

Tip: Push desks together, put desk hutches on top, the futon on the other side and the TV on top of the hutches and viola! you've created a study space AND a den all in one.

Touhou Danmaku Kagura: Phantasia Lost will include a collaborative song between Toby Fox and ZUN

The upcoming game Touhou Danmaku Kagura: Phantasia Lost has announced that a collaborative song made by Toby Fox and ZUN will be in the game.

ZUN is largely known as the solo creator of the Touhou franchise and is well-known for his music and unique style which makes use of a MIDI trumpet-like sound dubbed “ZUNPETS” by fans.

Toby Fox meanwhile, is the creator of Undertale and Deltarune and has cited Touhou Project as an inspiration for both his game design and music.

Here’s a quick rundown of Touhou Danmaku: Kagura Phantasia Lost:

Thanks to a successful Japanese crowdfunding campaign, shuttered mobile rhythm game DANMAKU KAGURA will come to Switch alongside a PC version. This release will feature new content, controls optimized for keyboard or gamepads, and additional languages.. Fans will get to enjoy a new theme song by Kishida Kyoudan & THE Akeboshi Rockets x Kayoko Kusano.

Touhou DANMAKU KAGURA: Phantasia Lost rose from the ashes of the shutdown of DANMAKU KAGURA on mobile platforms. Tap notes to the beat as they fly down increasingly difficult note charts, with boss fights presenting particularly fiendish challenges for rhythm game fans. Enjoy controls adapted for controller or keyboard setups, with a brand new story mode exclusive to the PC version written by Jin Fujisawa and Wakano Takeda of Story Note Co.

“We’re honored by the fan support to continue DANMAKU KAGURA in this new form on Steam and Nintendo Switch,” said JYUNYA, founder, Unknown X. “We haven’t just seen support from console and PC rhythm and Touhou fans, but also from players of the mobile version that told us this was the first time they ever paid for a game that wasn’t free-to-play!”

Touhou Danmaku Kagura Phantasia Lost will launch on sometime in 2023 

Niche Games Spotlight – Cassette Beasts

If you have a craving for collecting monsters and turn-based battles, come check out Cassette Beasts.

Cassette Beasts is a turn-based game inspired by the Pokémon series, but instead of capturing monsters, you turn into them.

Through the use of cassette tapes, your character can actually turn into the monsters they encounter, with more than 100 different monsters to choose from.

You can read more about the game below:

Adventure. Battle. Transform.

Collect awesome monsters to use during turn-based battles in this open-world RPG. Combine any two monster forms using Cassette Beasts’ Fusion System to create unique and powerful new ones!

Welcome to New Wirral, a remote island inhabited by strange creatures you’ve only dreamed of, nightmares you hopefully haven’t, and a cast of brave folks who use cassette tapes to transform for battle. To find a way home you’ll need to explore every inch of the island, and record monsters to your trusty cassette tapes to gain their abilities!

Transform into monsters…using retro cassette tapes?!

Faced with the constant threat of monster attacks, the residents of Harbourtown, New Wirral choose to fight fire with fire. Record a monster to tape, then play it back to take on its form for battle!

Fuse monster forms!

Getting close to your companion has benefits–while transformed you can combine your strengths to gain the upper hand in battle! Any two monster forms can be fused to produce unique, fully-animated new fusion forms.

Explore a rich open world

Certain monster abilities can be used in human form. You’ll need these to help you get around, solve puzzles, and locate dungeons. Glide, fly, swim, climb, dash, or turn magnetic!

Travel alongside a diverse cast of human companions

Never fight alone! Form bonds, spend time together, and help your selected partner complete personal goals to become a better team. The strength of your relationship determines how well you’re able to fuse!

Master a deep battle system

Take advantage of elemental chemistry to apply extra buffs or debuffs alongside your attack, or even alter your opponent’s elemental type!

Play couch-co op with Friends

Team up in local multiplayer with a friend to explore an open world, transform and battle together! Facing the unknown as a duo will surely develop your relationship!

One of the more unique features in Cassette Beasts is the fusion mechanic, which allows you to combine any two monsters in the game into a completely unique one.

Cassette Beasts is a fun nostalgic adventure for those who want a game like Pokémon but with a twist.

Twitter Blue is rebranding as X Premium

Continuing Twitter’s full rebrand, Elon Musk has announced Twitter Blue is now called X Premium.

Musk also went over the requirements for ad revenue inside of the program.

You can view the announcement below:

To be eligible for your ad revenue share, you must be an X Premium (Blue) subscriber.

The ad money will otherwise be kept by X if you are not an X Premium (Blue) subscriber.

This program is open to everyone.

Everyone must meet 4 requirements to be eligible:

– be an X Premium (Blue) subscriber

– receive at least 15 million total impressions on your posts in the last 3 months

– have at least 500 followers

– be at least 18 years old

It is unknown what other changes will be made in the future, since they happen without much fanfare, but we’ll keep you updated.

Dota 2 makes changes to The International 2023

Dota 2‘s The International 2023 is coming, and alongside it come some changes to the formula.

The International is Dota 2‘s annual tournament, and has been hosted by Valve since 2011.

Here’s a rundown on the new changes:

The International is fast approaching! After months of competition, twelve teams have secured their invites to TI, with eight more set to join them after the upcoming regional qualifiers.

The International is watched by millions, from casual players to seasoned veterans and retired pros. Every year we look for new opportunities to make The International even more exciting, entertaining and accessible than ever before. This year,we’ve focused on improving the viewing experience for a broader range of fans. While no format can be perfect, we’re always trying to strike a balance between things that have worked in the past and things that could work even better in the future.

So with TI 2023 on the horizon, we wanted to walk you through every detail of the format changes we’re trying out this year, and our thought process behind them.

To summarize things, the matches will now be hosted live, the event will be split into two phases, and changes to the group stage were made to make matches more meaningful.

Honkai: Star Rail kicks off “Catch Kafka” event ahead of banner launch

 

Ahead of the banner release for character Kafka in the game, Honkai: Star Rail, Hoyoverse have released a fun little event for players to promote the upcoming banner. Alongside this event also comes a fan art contest.

The event is playable on their official website, which plays out like a “choose-your-own-adventure” story. Players have to make the right choices in order to find the elusive character.

Upon beating the minigame, players will learn of the date for when her banner releases, which if they share on Twitter before August 11th will earn them an entry to win some merch from the game.

Meanwhile, there is also a fan art contest that people can join either through their website or on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter with the hastags #Kafka and #FanArtContest.

Submissions are open until August 31st with winners to be announced between September 13-20th. Those who do win will get the game’s premium currency as well as a cash prize of up to $500 for first place.