Pumpkin Seed projects

One of the most popular symbol for Samhain, Halloween and Thanksgiving is Pumpkin. Pumpkin pie is one of the most popular desert for after Halloween and Thanksgiving. After you carve your jack-o-lantern you have lots of pumpkin seeds. There are lots of different crafts that you can do with pumpkin seeds. Depending on your project will determine if you need to color them. You should try coloring them as it will spruce up any project.


You can paint or draw on a pumpkin seeds. I have used markers, but you will need to get the fine tip as the seeds are so small. I had a friend that was proficient at using a pin as a paintbrush. I am not that artistic but it is worth trying. One idea is to make a rune set out of the pumpkin seeds. I was a mini tarot card set on the seeds. It was amazing to see.

Now I have done some research on how to color pumpkin seeds and I got a lot of mix and match suggestions. I will give several different tips of the different ways to color them.

First you need to wash them, pumpkin seeds have a film on them and it needs to be washed off. You need to lay them out on a towel or parchment paper to dry. Let them dry completely before trying to color them, so it may take 24-48 hours to dry.

One tip is that you take a glass jar and put 2 teaspoons of rubbing alcohol and add food coloring to the color that you want. Stir them up after a couple of minutes. It may take a few minutes to get the color. Remember that they will dry lighter so if you need to add more drops of food coloring add them. Once they have reached the desired color, take them out and let them dry on parchment paper or a towel. Turn them over after a couple of hours so they don't stick to each other. Let them dry for 24-48 hours before making your projects.

In another tip is to take a sealed baggie and put 1-2 teaspoons of warm water and drops of food coloring then add your seeds and shake them up. Don't add too much water on this one and make sure the bag is sealed before you start to shake. Kids will always like this part, you can throw on some music and let them shake and shake. Open up the bag and lay them out on a towel or parchment paper to dry. Again turn them over after a couple of hours so they don't stick. Let them dry for 24-48 hours before making your projects.

Yet another tip is to take a sealed baggie and put a tablespoon of vinegar and food coloring and add your seeds and shake them up like above. Again don't add too much vinegar and just keep shaking. Once they are evenly coated take them out. Now in a couple of blogs people just let them dry but some said to bake them at 375F for 45 minutes.

Another version is to add a 1/2 cup of warm water and a tablespoon of vinegar then add your seeds. Now to get the appropriate color could take an hour. After wards take them out to dry for 24-48 hours. Remember to turn them over after a couple hours. Some suggestions is to bake them for 20 minutes at 200 degrees.

You have several different ideas on coloring seeds, now you need to choose which way to color them. You will need to experiment and choose the one that you prefer. We do not bake our seeds, mostly because we do not have an oven, so it takes longer to dry.

So now you are ready for some cute projects. Jewelry is the most popular craft that I have been told. You can make pumpkin seed necklaces that are not colored and they still look cool. There are different ways to sting a necklace together. Just to warn you that unless you poke a hole in the seed first, it may not be suitable for young kids. I have poked my fingers until they bleed while stringing seeds. Again you may want to experiment a head of time so you can tell what kind of help your kids will need.

The other thing to take in account is the wasted seeds that you will be using. There will be mistakes so make sure you have more than you need for the project. You can always store them in a plastic bottle to use for next year or for more projects.

Like I said there are different ways to make the jewelry and what kind of string. I have read that some people use regular string, embossing thread or even fishing line. I prefer using fishing line but embossing thread comes in different colors so it can set it off and give it the final touch. Adding beads to them will also give it a touch, but it is all up to you.... sorry up to your child.

One last tip before you tie off the necklace. If you want the necklace to last for a couple of years you can tie it off but if you want it to really last you may want to seal the seeds with a spray of shellac or another type of sealer. I have read it both ways that some people do it after they make the holes and then sting them up, but some do it after they string them but before they tie it off. You can take them outside and hang them across somewhere and make sure there is some space in-between them, and then spray them. That will seal the color on the seeds and help in transfer to your clothes.

So the next craft is making pictures with the seeds. It is time to be creative and have some fun. You can take some coloring pages and have the little goblins glue the seeds on the pictures or you can design your own. The important thing is to have some fun.