boo!

A few nights ago, the roomies and I decided to carve pumpkins to decorate our cute front steps and make our house look a little more autumn-y. I ended up getting a little sidetracked and while their carvings turned out perfectly spooky and symmetrical, my pumpkin remained untouched. I planned to tackle my carving sometime this week but, shockingly, put it off until I realized that....and I will admit it....I am a terrible pumpkin carver. We're talking wasted an entire pumpkin (almost 2) last year because of carving mishaps terrible. So what to do with a cute little orange guy that needs some dressing up? A little inspiration from Could I Have That, some spare chalkboard paint lying around,  loads of free time, and viola....the no-carve jack-o-lantern. Take a peek at how it turned out!

Obviously, this is the first thing you will need. Make sure you wipe it down with a wet cloth to remove any dirt or other grody things sticking to it.

The second thing you need is chalkboard paint, available anywhere spray paint is sold. In my opinion, the best chalkboard paint out there. We used it for our vintage frame magnetic chalkboards and it has a really smooth, matte finish. You'll need to do at least two coats if you don't want the chalk to scratch through the paint. I did two coats and only had a tiny little piece chip off and let the orange pumpkin show through.

Chalkboard pumpkins are fun to do with a little helper, but I doubt you'll find one as cute as this! 

When the paint dries, go to town! I decided to write a fun little "BOO!" and might use the other side for a jack-o-lantern face. Two pumpkins in one!

 The best part is that these can stay inside and become part of any fall motif you might have going on. I picked up these roses today at Whole Foods because the color of the petals reminded me of the gorgeous fall leaves in Colorado & the sunset in Texas, and they smell just like the roses my Granny grew at The Farm. My mom gave me the vintage New Orleans decorative plate when I moved into my first house here, and it will always remind me of State Street and my first few years in the city. Throw in the pumpkin and you have the perfect complement to a fun little autumn arrangement!