What perfect serendipity is it for those of us who are obsessive about getting people to vote, that six days before Election Day everyone in this country goes door to door in their neighborhood collecting treats! Normally my front porch pumpkins would be obscured by shrubbery, but on All Hallows Eve they'll be seen by tons of parents and kiddos who come knocking at my door. And what better opportunity to remind moms and dads that Election Day is just around the corner than giving them their own candy bowl with some cute little notes reminding them to vote on November 6!
I have two DIYs in this post, so scroll down if you want the instructions and template for the pumpkin DIY! I'll start out first with the candy bowls and treat bags!
DIY Vote treat bags for parents
Even if you don't want to use these printables for handing out candy, they'd also be cute to put up on your office bulletin board so everyone at work gets a fun festive reminder to hit the polls. Or stick them up around your college campus, or community board at the grocery store. There are so many ways to use these, this Halloween treat bag idea is just one!
You'll need:
- Clear treat bags (ziploc baggies work fine too!)
- Candy
- Printables (
Download here)
- Tape or baggy ties
- Two candy buckets
- Two chopsticks or popsicle sticks
Cut out the printable treat bag inserts and put them in the clear bags. Slide a piece of candy in the bag behind the insert, and then either tape the bag closed or use a baggy tie.
Next cut out your candy bowl signs, and attach them to the chopsticks or popsicle sticks with tape. Then tape the other end of the sticks to the back of the bowl, so your trick-or-treaters will be able to tell which bowl is which. In my house we leave the bowls outside so people can help themselves, and the signs make that super simple! If you're handing them out yourself, you can definitely leave off the signs.
ps. I also made the treat bag designs into buttons,
right here!
DIY Vote pumpkins
These instructions are for a painted pumpkin, but I also included a template for making a jack-o-lantern version instead! Just follow
these instructions for carving a pumpkin and make sure you use the "carve template" image in the download, since it has connecting pieces that will make sure your letters are cut correctly.
You'll need:
A large pumpkin
Acrylic paint
Vote template (
Download here)
Carbon paper
Tape
Optional: carving knife (if you're making a jack-o-lantern)
Tape the carbon paper to the pumpkin, and then tape your template on top and trace the design. I used
this stylus, but you can also use a pen with its cap on or the end of a paintbrush... anything with a pen-like tip that will apply enough pressure to transfer the design to your pumpkin.
This is what it will look like when you peel off the carbon paper. Now just fill it in with paint! I chose a bright blue color for the circle and white for the letters. It took two coats of each color for it to reach the opacity that I wanted, but it was so worth it! When I was done I also free-handed a heart on a smaller pumpkin and the election day date on another.
Look how cute they all look together!
I know that I've been going overboard on the whole voting thing (and I'm definitely worried that you guys are like "stop trying to make
fetch voting happen, Kate") but it's so so so important! Be sure you check out
Vote Save America to find your polling place, view your ballot, and check out candidates. You can even print out a sample ballot that you can fill out ahead of time and take with you into the voting booth so you know exactly who/what you want to vote for. Even if you vote straight down the ballot for one party, it's helpful to study the ballot questions and know your answer ahead of time. I always forget about those and then panic when I get in the booth and can't totally figure out which way I want to vote. So anyway, check out
the website and make sure you've got your Election Day plans sorted out so you're good to go! :)
