Glow in the Dark Vinyl Pumpkins

Glow in the Dark Vinyl Pumpkins by Annie Williams - Main

These no-carve pumpkins pack a wallop day or night…but this wasn’t the project I had originally envisioned.  I was planning on just creating stencils with my CAMEO and spray-painting over them to create a glowing image.  That kind of pumpkin felt a little played-out to me and I also wanted a way for my pumpkins to be eye-catching during the day, so I decided to use the glow-in-the-dark paint on my background instead.

Glow in the Dark Vinyl Pumpkins by Annie Williams - Paint

To quickly coat my pumpkins, I chose to use spray-paint instead of brushable (not a word) paint.  You’ll want to use light-colored or white pumpkins for this technique because the paint will easily be visible on an orange or black background.  Here I’m using the fake foam pumpkins from Michaels…I have seen others use real pumpkins with spray-paint, but I can’t confirm how well it works.  I cut a circle stencil out of vinyl with my CAMEO to create a glowing moon for my smaller pumpkin and just sprayed the entire surface of the larger pumpkin.

Glow in the Dark Vinyl Pumpkins by Annie Williams - Vinyl

While I left the pumpkins outside to dry, I cut this Trick or Treat design and this Witch and her Cat out of black vinyl.  I then weeded the designs and smoothed transfer paper over the top with my scraper tool.

Glow in the Dark Vinyl Pumpkins by Annie Williams - Apply Vinyl

Since there are so many difficult bumps on my pumpkin, I started by pressing the design onto the surface starting at the center.  Then I slowly smoothed the vinyl into each seam with my fingers while working my way outward.  This technique allowed me to adhere the vinyl with only one or two “bubbles” that needed fixing later on.

Glow in the Dark Vinyl Pumpkins by Annie Williams - Remove Transfer Paper

After peeling away the transfer paper, I went back in and pressed any areas that hadn’t been perfectly adhered to the seams.

Glow in the Dark Vinyl Pumpkins by Annie Williams - Daytime

During the day, my finished pieces look just like the typical vinyl-covered pumpkins you see all over Pinterest.

Glow in the Dark Vinyl Pumpkins by Annie Williams - Nighttime

But at night, these pumpkins still pack a punch!  My plan was to cut the stem off of the larger pumpkin and stack them on my front step to greet trick-or-treaters on Halloween, but I can’t seem to find it in myself to mess with them now!

Glow in the Dark Vinyl Pumpkins by Annie Williams - Large Detail

Here is a detail shot of the larger pumpkin.  The paint is a tiny bit lighter right around my vinyl design, so I may have worked the vinyl too much and rubbed a bit off. 🙂

Glow in the Dark Vinyl Pumpkins by Annie Williams - Small Detail

I just love how the moon looks with the silhouette of the witch and cat!  What do you think?  Comments are always appreciated!

 

14 Comment

  1. These are so cool, Annie! I think I need to add this to my list for next year. Gotta get some of that glow in the dark paint.

    1. Annie Wills says:

      Thanks Kelly! I’m doing my best not to walk around the house spraying everything now… 🙂

  2. These pumpkins are fantastic! Love how you used the vinyl instead of cutting. Great idea!

    1. Annie Wills says:

      Thanks Sharon…I bought a ton of these pumpkins on sale and just wish I had the time this year to make more of them!

  3. Analisa says:

    How fun are these! I’m embarrassed to admit I had no idea they made glow in the dark spray paint. What a great way to give the moon a special glow!

    1. Annie Wills says:

      Thank you Analisa! I didn’t know it existed either…but I’ve been spending a lot of time in the spray paint aisle lately!

    2. they also make a write on whipe off paint board,magnet paint,

  4. Judy Hendrix says:

    fantastic, Annie! I’m going to have to borrow your clever idea this year. Thanks so much for sharing! I’m not sure where to get the glow-in-the-dark paint but I’m going to start searching now.

    1. Annie Wills says:

      Thank you Judy! You can find the glow-in-the-dark paint at Lowes or Home Depot usually…there may even be more than one brand of it, but I like the Rust-oleum.

  5. Sue Kment says:

    Oh my–these are super!

  6. Sandra Green says:

    Super CUTE idea. I’ll have to go shopping now for pumpkins and paint. Can’t wait to try it. Thanks

    1. Annie Wills says:

      Thank you Sandra…I think you’ll love the results!

  7. Sally says:

    Adorable! Thank you for the instructions!

    1. Annie Wills says:

      You’re welcome Sally!

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