The Bumpkin Patch

It seems fitting that one of my first blog posts on this site should include some actual stripping. And stripping is required to do this fun craft with your kids! No one wants to see an adult "Bumpkin Patch" so please leave adults out of this one and only use your itty bitty bottoms in your house!

First what you will need:

• 1. A rectangular canvas. Size is really a personal preference. I used a 10x20 that I picked up at Hobby Lobby and used their 40% off coupon that you can always find online!
• 2. Paint. I used 3 colors, gold and yellow mixed for my background color and orange for my "bumpkins"
• 3. Paint brush. You'll want a good size brush because you will literally be painting your child's bottom.
• 4. Some kind of marker. A black sharpie will work fine if that's all you have laying around. I had a green pen marker I used after it dries for the stems and a brown pen marker I used, again, after it dries to outline the "bumpkins" with.

Directions:

• Step One: paint the entire canvas with your background color. I choose yellow because it represents fall but is still light enough that the orange bumpkins will show up on top. Purple and grey seem like great colors for the background just be sure they are light enough to allow the Orange to show up on top. I also added a spark of yellow/gold glitter paint mixed in just to add some bling and dimension to the background. Be sure to paint the edges and as you can see I didn't use a plate to mix colors I just simply squirted them on the canvas and used the paintbrush to smooth it out. Don't worry about streak marks or blemishes. It'll dry with dimension and get covered up by some cute bumpkins!

• Step 2: let it sit and dry
  

• Step 3: here is where we start "stripping"! Find your little ones and tell them you are going to paint their bottoms orange and use their little bottom just like a stamp on top of your canvas! WARNING! The paintbrush on their bottoms will make them giggle and giggle and giggle! I did this activity 2 years ago when my oldest was 4 years old (possibly the cut-off age to get away with this craft!) At first she wanted nothing to do with it, but after she saw me paint and "stamp" the other three littles bottoms and all the giggling she wanted her bottom painted and stamped too! So get ready to laugh! I suggest doing one child at a time and be sure to overlap the Bumpkins so it resembles a real pumpkin patch. I actually did the two bums on the outside first. Then I did the smallest one in the middle and left room for my oldest daughter in the middle as well. They all overlapped nicely.

• Step 4: Use your paintbrush to "fill in" any bottom spots that didn't get printed when you stamped the bottom. My oldest son didn't sit all the way down and while most of the outline of his bottom was on the canvas, it appeared that he had a huge crack down the middle of his bum, which was only due to him not sitting all the way down. I was afraid he'd squish his bum around smearing the orange paint which is why he didn't sit down fully. So I took the paintbrush and lightly filled in the spots his bottom didn't.

• Step 5: Let it dry.

• Step 6: Use your pens/markers to outline and write title.
• Once all the orange bumpkins have tried it is time to get out your pens or markers and outline the bumpkins. I outlined the one on the end and the little one in the middle first so that it would look like they were in the front. I outlined them completely and whole. Then I outlined the two left just on the top sides and bottom that would be exposed if they were behind the other too. I drew my stems and colored them in giving them a few curly twigs coming out from the stem. If you aren't sure you will do a good job go ahead and do it in pencil first so you can erase it if you don't like it. But I'm the kinda gal that just likes to wing it and deal with it. After outlining the bumpkins and drawing your stems it is time to title your artwork! I just used our last name "The _______________ Pumpkin Patch" But you could really get fun and creative with the title.

• Step 7: Put your "Bumpkin Patch" on display! Happy Fall You'll!