Fake Pumpkin How-To

First, let me say, that using a fake pumpkin is NOT cheating!  My brother made that horrendous accusation tonight when he saw my finished product.  Jerk!

Moving on...

I wanted to make a pumpkin that my husband I could use from year to year and be a staple in our decor.  Solution: Fake Pumpkin.

Time: Dependent on Design

Materials:
Fake Pumpkin (size at your discretion)
Sharpie Paint Pen (sold at major craft stores)
Design Stencil

Instructions:
Simply place the design as a stencil and fill in.  Easy Peasy!

To make a design stencil, you can go about this numerous ways.  The easiest method, of course, would be to freehand your design.  However, being a perfectionist, I like to have a guide.  That being said you can either use a store-bought stencil or make one yourself.  Whether you use a store-bought stencil or make your own, I recommend using a pencil to trace the design onto the surface.  This will preserve your stencil and also make it easier to fill in the image.

To make your own design (as I did), use a word processing program to choose a font you like and construct design.  Print your design on to card stock and using an X-acto knife, cut out the image.  Voila!  Stencil!

**TIP: I used the Sharpie Paint Pen instead of a regular Sharpie Permanent Marker for smoother application, longer lasting design and quality (it looks like a vinyl design).

Enjoy!