Since Clara’s still a few years off from knife-wielding age, we still scratch our heads each year for a toddler-friendly way for her to be involved in the pumpkin decorating process. When she was 5 months old we borrowed the outline of her hand to inspire a lady-like Jack-o-Lantern (a Jill-o-Lantern perhaps?)
Last year we took advantage of her new-found dexterity and let her finger paint some pumpkins that we had strategically taped off ahead of time to later reveal some designs.
And since she had so much fun last year (and we loved how they turned out) we did a slight twist on that idea by making tissue paper “sticker” pumpkins this year.
Anyone who follows us on instagram knows that Clara is obsessed with stickers. And although a pumpkin covered in her usual fare of Snoopys and Barneys would have been fun, we thought it might be even more exciting to try our hand at something we could customize. So we decided to make our own “stickers” with the help of some colorful tissue paper and good ol’ Mod Podge that we already had on hand.
Sherry used some leftover tissue paper from Clara’s pink-and-orange birthday party and cut a bunch of large and small circles using, of all things, a roll of electrical tape as her guide (tracing the outside made the big ones, and tracing the inside made the small ones). Use what you got, right?
Then I basically just used a big paintbrush to coat the pumpkin with a thin layer of Mod Podge as Clara placed the tissue dots wherever she pleased. It was really that simple.
We spotted (pun!) these pumpkins at Kroger, and knew they would be awesome (we thought a lighter colored pumpkin would help all of the colors show up since sheer orange and pink dots on an orange pumpkin might be harder to see). Although they might look like typical white pumpkins, they actually have a hint of orangey-pink to them, so it’s a fun twist. Plus a portion of proceeds went to breast cancer research, so that was pretty great too.
You can see that the tissue did crinkle a bit as it went down. Bumpy pumpkin surface + toddler fingers = nothing perfectly smooth. But we didn’t mind, we were just happy she was having fun. I did occasionally dab some extra Mod Podge over top to help them stay down, which seemed to help.
The best part was that Clara was IN LOVE with the project. I realize she doesn’t look particularly gleeful in these photos, but it’s because she was so focused on it. She asked several times that night if we could do it again. Plus, we appreciated that it wasn’t nearly as messy as we had anticipated (note the table covered in craft paper). I probably ended up with more Mod Podge on me than she did (I did accidentally stick my forearm in it once) but since it’s basically Elmer’s Glue, it washed off easily with plain water.
We did two pumpkins in total, but the fun didn’t stop there. There were so many extra tissue dots that Clara kept on playing (sorting them, lining them up, singing to them, putting them on her head…).
After she went to bed that night Sherry did a full coat of Mod Podge over the pumpkins just to ensure that all of the edges got adhered. The bonus was that it also gave the whole thing a nice smooth and glossy feel.
We think they’re really fun- especially since we just used what we had around the house and came up with something sticker-ish for our sticker-obsessed girl. So if you have any toddlers who are into stickers, this could be a fun weekend project (and tissue paper is only around 99 cents, so it’s pretty cheap too).
I attempted to get a cute picture of Clara sitting next to her pumpkin creations, but there was little interest in being still. And yes, she’s wearing the same shirt from the day before. We had dressed her in it as the “it’s ok to get messy” shirt for the project, but since it survived so well it became the next day’s outfit when paired with the skirt of her choosing.
The most interaction I could get out of Clara was her singing “Rock-A-Bye, Baby” to them while swinging the glider-bench back and forth.
Then she discovered a broom nearby and it was like the pumpkins never existed. When a girl’s gotta sweep, a girl’s gotta sweep!
And if you’re looking for some easy pumpkin paper crafts, our friends at Childhood Magic have a free pumpkin printable that you could use in a variety of ways and give kids of all skill levels an easy way to help you decorate for fall.
Psst – Sherry wants me to mention that for the first time ever she’s attempting to DIY certain aspects of Clara & Burger’s costumes this year, so we’ll keep you posted and share some pics as soon as they’re done (most likely right on Halloween if I know my wife…).
i wanna go to her pumpkin party!!! seriously- she’s just toooo cute!!!! which i say in every post about her, but it’s true!
She’s so darn cute! Makes me wish I could squeeze my own toddlers and make a pumpkin with them right now!
The pumpkins are ADORABLE you guys! I love them! They would also be really fun party decorations the rest of the year on any big ol’ fruit or veggie. Polka dot summer squash! Polka dot watermelons! Polka dot…um…jicama?
It is, of course, always appropriate to drive to the Home Depot after a pumpkin party! ;-)
Hahahah!
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The pumpkins look great! The polka-dots are super cute :)
This totally Rocks! And no pumpkins were brutally mutilated in the making of this project. The Great Pumpkin would be so proud.
Very cute idea! And I love any Clara videos!!
Love the Pumpkin! Soo cute! Hope you guys stay safe with this crazy storm coming!!
Thanks Sara! You too!
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They turned out so cute- what a great project!
Pinned immediately! What a great project!
And Clara is just so cute I can’t stand it!
That’s so cute!
I also did a whole Halloween outfit for my 2 years old daughter today. She will have a Halloween party at nursery during the day and since her nursery is at a farm, the day costume will be too dirty to use again for trick-or-treating in the evening. So she will be a made-by-mommy-pirate by day and an Amazon-bought-dinosaur by night! :) I guess she is he only girl in the universe not that into princesses, lol.
Ahhh – those costumes are so cute!!
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My daughter loves to go as monsters or boy super heroes. Hurray for our girls who love to be rough and play in dirt with the boys ;)
The pumpkin looks awesome! Such a creative gal :) Love it!
That’s so awesome. This is exactly why I pre-ordered my copy of your (yall’s) book last night. Eeeee!
Aw thanks DeeJay!
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Love this! We just another carving pumpkin in our CSA box yesterday so trying to decide what to do with it.
Awesome pumpkin designs. I’ve noticed the trend towards painting pumpkins but that mod podge idea is brilliant.
This is adorable and genius! Super duper cute- and so Clara!
Forget kid project, I want to make one of these!
Hahah! I was totally holding myself back. It looked like fun. Ha!
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I wouldn’t have been able to hold my self back! There would have to have been a Mommy pumpkin, too.
Toddler crafts are one of the things I’m looking forward to most about having kids!
Oh yes, I was literally restraining one of my arms with my other arm. I was dying to get in on that.
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You guys are always so full of great ideas ! I love how the pumpkins turned out and how it was a great project for Clara to enjoy.
I also love the way you write your blog and the lay out with the pictures. Love how you showed last years pumpkin projects.
Do you have some more ideas on fun DIY projects you can do with kids?
Thanks Annelies! Here’s a section of our projects page that’s geared towards kid and dog related things, so hopefully some of the projects there will help: https://www.younghouselove.com/category/kids-and-pets/
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As a mother of a 2.5 year old also obsessed with stickers, this is genius. Good job guys.
Aw thanks Jess!
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You daughter is precious. I like the “perative” part and the fact that she knows Home Depot. Good stuff. I hope I can pass the X chromosome on with the next baby.
Cutest. pumpkins. EVER. I almost wish I had a kid so I had an excuse to do that.
The only thing I’m doing this weekend is getting a home appraisal for my refinancing. I am for some reason, ridiculously nervous.
I’m also on the east coast but up in Massachusetts. The storms usually don’t make it up this far. They can’t deal with how cold our water is. :) If it does though, my company will probably put me up in a hotel for the night. Yay for free room & food. I hope everyone on the East Coast stays safe. This storm isn’t messing around!
Yes, everyone stay safe! John’s up on the roof blowing the leaves off right now to make sure we don’t end up with a leaf dam (remember when that resulted in a surprise living room leak?). Eeks!
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Love the pumpkins… and the faces that Clara makes… even when she was only 6 months old. Can’t wait to see the halloween costumes you are making.
Adorable! I’m a tad jealous that it’s still warm enough for you all to wear short sleeves! It’s cold up in MA right now, pack warmly for November!!
I love DIY costumes as well. My mom always made ours (with a base of solid color sweatsuits, the 90s were like that) but we kept them for a long time as play costumes for throughout the year!
What a cute idea. Love how intent Clara looks….adorable video too!!
I love that you involve her each year. Such great memories you are creating.
Got a kick out of her saying you’re going to Home Depot. She knows her parents!
What an awesome idea! The polka dots are too cute, and so is Clara!
Love this! We had the same idea. My daughter is only 14 months old so I thought stickers would be great and she loves animals (specifically dogs) so we just got a bunch of puppy stickers and let her go to town! Her favorite was doing a dog pile :)
Pics and video on the post below
http://simplyhereblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/phase-one-of-pumpkin-fun.html
So cute!!!!
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These are really sweet. It would be cute if they were done on fake ones then each year you could bring them out and have a “kid collection” sitting somewhere around the yard. Maybe someone else will like this suggestion!
Aw man, that would be so cute!
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An alternate suggestion in this case would be to frame the photos of the completed pumpkins into some sort of collection that could be displayed and added to each year.
Ooh that’s cute!!
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brilliant!
clara seems super dextrous with an ability to focus on her art work. i have grandnephews older than she who would turn that pumpkin and the tissue paper and the mod podge into puree in three seconds. as the ‘rents are buddhists, i’m not allowed to puree the boys. >:-(
Haha! She does seem to love detailed delicate projects. She’s the kid who finds a blade of grass and holds it up and studies it for ten minutes. She’s like a little scientist.
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…. and then we go to Home Depot. So cute. Hahaha.
This looks like such a fun, easy project. Now I’m thinking of all the things I could decoupage.
Super cute! I couldn’t help but notice John is wearing a soda t-shirt! haha, too funny
UGH Frankenstorm! Last year Halloween was cancelled because we got a *freak* snowstorm, over 12 inches! Now this! My poor dogs, all they want to do is steal candy and lick the faces of unsuspecting children :)
Sidenote- those pumpkins are ADORABLE and I’m definitely pinning them so I remember to do it next year when my nephew is about that age :)
This is ADORABLE! Absolutely in love! FYI – for next year if you do want to introduce her to carving pumpkins… Pampered Chef makes a “Kids First Knife” — I bought a few when I had a party a few years back and they work out great when my 2 1/2 yr old wants to help me in the kitchen. She can’t cut herself but they will still cut things like veggies and a pumpkin :-) Looking forward to meeting you in a couple of weeks at the Richmond book signing!!
Thanks for the tip! That sounds awesome!
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Such a fantastic idea!! I may have to do this, since another project I plan to do this weekend also involved Mod Podge. Clara sure looked like she had a “really really” great time!
Such a cute project! I’m also always so impressed by how well Clara speaks. She has an amazing vocabulary for a 2 year old!
Speaking of Clara… have you ever done a post about Clara’s toys (other than the stuff you have recently made). I think I remember you posting about your preference for wooden toys (or maybe I just made that up). Just trying to come up with Christmas ideas for my little one. I’m sick of all the plastic stuff you see at every store!
That would be a fun post for anyone shopping for a toddler! Right now she’s obsessed with books. She’s sort of past most board books but loves those thin floppy covered books (like the Berenstein Bears series). She also really likes things like her wooden scooter-rocker (it’s like a rocking horse but it looks like a vespa) – not only for rocking on it herself, but for putting her stuffed animals on it and rocking them. It’s cute. Hmm, what else. She loves stickers of course. Oh and Play-Doh. That might be her favorite so I don’t know why it took me so long to remember. We got her some fun “tools” to use with it (rolling pins, cookie cutter type animal shapes to stamp into it, etc) and she seems to love that! Also wooden blocks (lining them up, sorting them by color, making a tower, etc) keep her busy. And wood puzzles like the ones by Melissa & Doug are always popular too. Hope it helps!
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Clara videos always make for a better day!
It is looking like Frankenstorm will be a real mess for Halloween. How do we get so lucky with these late october storms?
I love the pumpkins! I love that you tailor the pumpkin to her ability so she can fully participate. Halloween is such fun.
Clara is just to adorable! This is such a cool idea for pumpkins! I’m thinking I may do this myself this weekend!
Haha – have fun!
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I’m just going to say it: a daddy who mod-podges = HOT.
Amen! That’s mah man.
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I’m going to agree it was super adorable. My favorite part was when he laughed and shows his wrinkles by his eyes. I’m a sucker for a hearty laugh and eye wrinkles!
I love his eye-wrinkles-when-he-laughs too. We should start a John fan club. Can I be the president? Haha.
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Haha you absolutely are the President, VP, Treasurer,and secretary. My husband has them too and I *love* them. Love love love them.
Also on the list – salt and pepper hair (I honestly hope I start to go S&P in my 30’s, and I wouldn’t be sad if my husband did either, strong shoulders, some height since I’m already 5’7″, good cheekbones and a nice nose. Turns out the husband has all of those, which are just a huge plus on top of the other things I love about him! I actually never noticed it about John until I saw his profile in the video that he has a gray spot, cheekbones and a strong nose and eye wrinkles. It made me laugh (no worries, I don’t have the hots for John, it’s just handsome).
Hahaha! Hilarious.
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Ehg…I meant “no worries” as a joke because I think saying “no worries” to someone in that context is ridiculous to say (like there would ever be a reason to be). Obviously typing does not convey tone. Fannnntastic. *head on keyboard*. Ima stop writin’ now.
Haha I knew what you meant Heather!
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Ahhh you tricked me!! I thought the last pumpkin post was the official 2012 pumpkin decorating post! This one was is even cuter….mainly because of Clara. :) Happy Halloween!!
Love, love love those pumpkins. I admire your wonderful patience with Clara, letting her place the “stickers” where she wanted, to make it her own and let Clara see her creativity without squelching it. Well done Mom & Dad!
Aw, thanks Mary.
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Great idea! I may try this out too so thanks for posting! Love the video – your daughter would get along with ours too haha she loves saying “lets go to Home Depot”!! Happy Halloween!
Haha- so cute!
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What a great idea! Those pumpkins are adorable, and this 35 year old would have fun putting those tissue paper dots on too :)
Clara is adorable! And she’s talking so much clearer. Not as much need for subtitles. :) When she’s a teenager those videos will be so much fun to watch again. Great pumpkin decorating.
Awww – you beat me to it! I was planning on mod podging pumpkins too! I hope you don’t mind me doing it, posting about it and linking over here, too.
They look great and good luck with costume construction – I’ve done it a few times and it’s definitely fun
Oh yes, we’d love to see yours!
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Ohhhhhh I love this project. I would love to do this with some damask tissue paper and cut those into dots. Chic!!! Thanks for a great idea YHL. And you probably preserved the pumpkins with the Mod Podge I would think. Hopefully no animals like Mod Podge. ;) Ours always get eaten, so this year we didn’t buy pumpkins, but now I just might go out and get some and put dots on them. Thanks. :)
Oh and I forgot to mention that I saw an article in Redbook with your book and how you designed your bookcases in the Dining Room. Very pretty. Can’t wait to get the book. :)
Aw thanks so much Jen!
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come on!! she is so adorable…i had a smile on the whole time.
p.s. saw this on pinterest and thought it was similar to your set up.
http://pinterest.com/pin/272186371200741820/
Ooh so pretty!!
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Cute video! Clara speaks very clearly and has a really great vocabulary :)
Thanks Sunnie!
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Awesome project, looks like she had lots of fun and they turned out beautifully!
“There were so many extra tissue dots that Clara kept on playing (sorting them, lining them up, singing to them…”
Aw!
My boy Liam, age 4, watched this twice and declared that “Clara is smart.” Also, he loves your office chairs. :)
Aw, that’s sweet!
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Uh, have you SEEN this from AT? http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/monster-block-matching-game-no-time-for-flashcards-179287
Because I think they are the awesome.
LOVE IT!
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