Stuck inside this Halloween? Want a festive activity to brighten up the rainy October days?
This week Anna and I were on assignment to create something fun (and virtual) for a kids’ Halloween activity. I’m in the American Women’s Club of Hamburg and due to coronavirus, our annual AWCH Trick-or-Treating and Halloween parties are cancelled. So we’re trying to bring a bit of online/virtual spookiness to folks—especially kids—who will miss out on the “traditional” celebrations this year.
Online, we found this fun idea for stamping pumpkins using half an apple and acrylic paint. Of course our real-life stamped pumpkins didn’t look as perfect as the Pinterest version, so we kept at it and came up with some tips for people who might want to try it at home.
First, you need to cut an apple in half. We started with a huge apple, only to discover it was way too bulky, especially for kid-sized hands. So try this with a smaller, more manageable apple! You’ll hold the apple from stem to bottom—holding it “around” the apple doesn’t allow for much of a grip.
Second, when you cut the apple in half, make sure it’s cut straight, not even at the slightest angle, or you won’t get the complete shape. And third, apply a fairly generous amount of orange acrylic paint to the flat side of the apple. If you don’t have orange, red and yellow will mix to create orange.
Then, stamp onto cardstock. Plain printer paper is a bit too thin, and can warp and buckle. A sturdier paper is best. For a fun alternative, you could stamp onto cardboard. (Cut-apart boxes or cereal boxes could work.)
If you have some bald spots on your stamped pumpkin, don’t despair—you can fill them in with more paint, or simply let them be as part of the character.
Paint a stem, then let your pumpkin dry and later, add some personality with black permanent marker. Take advantage of any funny blobs or splotches to make faces. Here are Anna’s creations:
You can also go for a more traditional autumn-themed card:
Hope you enjoyed today’s crafting session with Anna and myself!
