I like using vinyl as a reverse stencil because it’s super easy and almost no-fail. You can cut your own vinyl or buy precut vinyl stencils at any craft store. 

Monograms are an easy thing to hand-cut from vinyl! Simply print your monogram on standard paper, cut and trace onto vinyl.

Of course, I used my silhouette to cut the “M” because…well, if you’ve got it, use it. Right? But, I promise you it’s not essential to this project!

I did not, however, use the silhouette to cut out my polka-dots. I always keep scraps of leftover vinyl when I’m done with my projects. I used those itty-bitty (unusable with my machine) scraps to trace and cut my circles. I then hand-placed them (no need for transfer paper with these guys) around the M. I’ll be honest, since my pumpkin’s backside faces a wall, I concentrated my efforts on the front of the pumpkin.

Stick your monogram letter on the best looking side of the pumpkin. 

                 
                                    Place your dots here and there.

When I got my vinyl stencil (reverse stencil, that is) in place, I took the pumpkin outside to spray paint. I really wanted a light dusting of white so the orange would come through a bit. However, I got a little spray happy,  and it ended up with a fairly saturated white coat.