Thinking Outside the Pumpkin!

This year I decided to try something new, and worked at a local Pumpkin Patch. My shifts were generally from 5 - 8 pm, which may have been ideal for selling pumpkins, but not for kids to get their faces painted.  Parents made the comment, when their child begged to be painted, that they would be going to bed when they got home, and it would be a waste of money to get painted. Rather disheartening to hear, when that's what you're there to do.

I sold several "Day of the Dead" designs.

The manager at the Patch said his assistant had a suggestion; why not paint PUMPKINS when I'm not busy?  Why not indeed? I selected a couple of smallish pumpkins, and went to town.  It was fun, and kept me busy.

While I didn't get very many face paintings from this activity, parents were watching what I was doing. I suddenly was getting requests to paint the pumpkins they'd just bought!

This was done for baby's first Halloween.

SURE! Kids sat in the client chair and gave me directions on what they wanted painted on their pumpkins.  I painted everything from Happy Faces (3 in one night), to a Princess on one side of the pumpkin and "something spooky" on the back of the pumpkin.   

The ones I painted during idle time didn't go to waste, either.  They were placed by the register where people paid for their pumpkins, both to show parents what could be done, and to be sold outright.  

The painted pumpkins were placed for sale by the register.

"Witch Flying Over the Haunted House" 

The Grim Reaper was another favorite!
(In fact, skulls in general, were popular)

It was fun, and allowed a little more creativity than straight face painting.  My favorite was one of a witch flying her broom across a full moon above a haunted spooky house.   I painted -and sold- two of this one.  Parents liked them, as it gave them an "out" to having to do the messy business of carving a pumpkin, and kids liked them because they often got to pick what got painted.  Gotta love a "win-win" scenario! 

"I SEE YOU!"
This one got a reaction every time!

I think next year I'm going to buy some of those pumpkins they sell in the craft stores and try my hand at painting pumpkins to sell online or directly to a Pumpkin Patch.  It's fun knowing I've now got one more "niche" to add to my holiday marketing.

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