I have started feeling the crisp chill of Fall in the air again. I can't believe it is already time for the Halloween junk to come out of the garage, and into my house. When I started getting everything out, I realized that I had nothing that I was excited about anymore. I needed to make something that made a great focal point on my shelf. Enter the countdown pumpkin...

I love decorative pieces that have a function too. Why should Christmas be the only holiday we countdown for?! Bring on the candy. That is what I am counting down for. To make your own countdown pumpkin, you need...

Craft pumpkin

Chalkboard vinyl

Orange indoor vinyl

Painter's tape

Black paint

White paint

Measuring tape

Pencil

Paintbrush

Cricut using Sure Cuts a Lot or Silhouette cutter

Paint your pumpkin white. Mine took 3 coats of paint because my pumpkin started out metalic gold.

Measure how tall your pumpkin is and decide how big you want your stripes to be and how many you want. My stripes are 3 inches wide. Make marks with your pencil where you want your stripes to be.

The tricky part about taping straight lines on a pumpkin, is that the pumpkin is round and it has grooves on it. It is easiest to tape in small sections, from one groove to the next.

Have the tape go along the lines where you want your stripes to be painted on. They will make your stripes look like they will be really fat, and the others will look skinny, but it all works out after the tape comes off.

Paint your stripes black. Let it dry and peel off your tape.

Cut out a curvy frame with your vinyl cutter. Cut it on the chalkboard vinyl. I had to make the pressure of my Cricut a little harder for the chalkboard vinyl.

Cut out out the words using the orange vinyl.

Put your vinyl on your pumpkin and write the number of days until Halloween on the vinyl.

Now you have an interactive focal point to your Halloween decor!

Come over and get more Halloween decor ideas and more at my blog too!

McKenzie @ Girl Loves Glam