Privacy Policy – the Pumpkin School

Effective date: September 2026

1. Introduction

The Pumpkin School and Guts and Seeds Inc. (“we”, “us”) are committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use and protect it, and the choices you have, when you use thePumpkinSchool.com, Pumpkin Studio (our app for turning photos into pumpkin carving stencils), our free book and stencils, and our emails.

By using our website or Pumpkin Studio, you agree to this Privacy Policy. Please also read our Terms and Conditions.

2. The Short Version

Your photos stay on your device. Pumpkin Studio turns your photo into a stencil inside your own browser. We never receive your photo, unless you choose to share a stencil to the community library.
Your project files are yours. They are saved on your device, not on our servers.
We collect only what we need to run your account, your purchases and our emails, and to improve Pumpkin Studio.
We never sell your personal information.
You can unsubscribe, or ask us to delete your account, at any time.

3. Your Photos and Pumpkin Studio

Processing happens on your device. When you upload a photo to Pumpkin Studio, it is cropped, traced and converted into a stencil inside your browser. It is not uploaded to our servers while you design.
Automatic eye enhancement happens on your device. To improve how eyes look in a stencil, Pumpkin Studio locates the eyes in your photo using software that runs in your browser. This information is used only during your design session. It is not saved in your project file, and it is never sent to us. We do not collect facial recognition or biometric data.
Project files stay with you. When you save, your project (including your photo) is downloaded to your device as a .pmpkn file. Pumpkin Studio also keeps up to two automatic backups in your browser’s storage on your device. We do not receive or keep copies of either.
Shared computers. Automatic backups remain in the browser until they are replaced or deleted. When you log out, you can choose “Clear my auto-saved projects”, which we recommend on shared, library and school computers.
Project names. When you save a project or make a purchase, the name you give your pumpkin is stored with your account. We use it only to personalize emails to you (for example, “There’s still time to carve [your pumpkin’s name]”). It is never shown publicly.
The one exception: community sharing. If you choose to share a stencil to the community stencil library, your project file (including your cropped photo), a preview image, the title, description and categories you enter, and your display name are uploaded to our servers and can be seen by other users. You can delete a shared stencil at any time. See section 6 of our Terms and Conditions.

4. Information We Collect

Information you give us:

Account information: your email address and display name. If you make a purchase, the password you create (stored only in encrypted, one-way form; we cannot read it). If you choose to give it, your name.
Purchase information: what you bought, when, your access dates, and a payment reference. Payments are processed by Stripe. We never see or store your card number.
Content you share: community stencils (see section 3), and any stencils you flag or report.
Messages and photos you send us: for example, support requests, survey answers, or photos of your carved pumpkin. We will only use photos you send us on our website or in marketing with your permission, and with a parent’s or guardian’s permission if a child appears.

Information collected automatically:

Access records: which stencils your account can print, so your purchases keep working.
App usage: actions in Pumpkin Studio, such as reaching a stage, choosing a carving style, or downloading a stencil. If you are logged in, these are linked to your account. We use them to understand what works and what to improve. They never include your photo.
Device and login information: your IP address, browser type, and basic device details (such as screen size, time zone and language). At login we use some of these to recognize your devices, because each account can be used on a limited number of devices.
Cookies and similar technologies: see section 9.

5. How We Use Your Information

To run your account, keep you logged in, and give you the stencils and features you have access to.
To process purchases, refunds and discount codes.
To send you emails about your account and purchases, and, with your consent, carving tips, new stencils, seasonal offers and surveys (see section 6).
To run the community stencil library, including showing your display name as the creator, and reviewing reported content.
To understand how Pumpkin Studio is used, fix problems, and improve it.
To protect our users and our service, and to meet our legal obligations.

6. Emails

Account and purchase emails (for example, purchase confirmations and password resets) are sent whenever needed to run your account.
Marketing emails (carving tips, new stencils, offers, surveys) are sent in line with Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL), only with your consent.
You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the “Unsubscribe” link at the bottom of any marketing email, or by emailing support@thepumpkinschool.com. You will still receive emails needed to run your account.

7. Who We Share Information With

We never sell, rent or trade your personal information. We share it only with service providers that help us run the website and Pumpkin Studio, and only as much as they need:

Stripe: payment processing.
Brevo: sending our emails.
Our web hosting provider: storing our website, accounts and shared community stencils.
Meta (Facebook) Pixel: measuring visits to our website and the results of any Facebook advertising.
Google Analytics: we may use it to understand website and app usage in aggregate.

We may also disclose information if required by law, or to protect the rights, safety and security of our users, the public, or Guts and Seeds Inc.

Your display name and any stencils you share to the community library are visible to other users by design.

8. Where Your Information Is Stored

Guts and Seeds Inc. is a Canadian company. Our service providers may store and process information in Canada, the United States and other countries, where it may be accessed by courts, law enforcement and national security authorities under the laws of those countries.

9. Cookies and Browser Storage

Login cookie: keeps you signed in to Pumpkin Studio. Pumpkin Studio does not work properly without it.
Browser storage: holds your automatic project backups and a few settings on your own device (see section 3). It is not sent to us.
Measurement cookies: used by the Meta Pixel and analytics tools to count visits and measure advertising.

You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings, though some features, such as staying logged in, may stop working.

10. How Long We Keep Information

Account information and access records: for as long as you have an account, so your purchased stencils keep working. You can ask us to delete your account at any time.
Purchase records: for as long as tax and accounting laws require, even if you delete your account.
Community stencils: until you delete them, or we remove them.
Email list: until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete your information.
App usage information: only as long as it is useful for improving Pumpkin Studio.

11. Your Choices and Rights

You can:

See and correct your display name and account details in the My Account window in Pumpkin Studio.
Ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you, or ask us to correct it.
Ask us to delete your account and personal information, subject to the records we must keep by law. Deleting your account ends access to stencils you purchased, so please save your .pmpkn files and printed stencils first.
Delete stencils you shared to the community library, at any time.
Unsubscribe from marketing emails, at any time.

To make a request, email support@thepumpkinschool.com from the email address on your account. We will respond within 30 days.

12. Children’s Privacy

Pumpkin Studio is made for families and classrooms, and kids are welcome to design with it, with a parent, guardian or teacher.

No account is needed to design. Children can create designs and save project files to their device without giving us an email address.
Accounts are for people aged 13 or older. A child under 13 should use a parent’s or guardian’s account and email address. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has given us personal information, contact us and we will delete it.
Photos of children stay on your device, unless the account holder shares a stencil to the community library, which requires permission from the child’s parent or guardian.
We never use a child’s face in a stencil, share image or photo on our website or in our marketing without permission from their parent or guardian.

13. Teachers and Classrooms

Teachers can use Pumpkin Studio in class without students creating accounts or giving email addresses. Students’ photos and designs stay on the classroom device unless someone chooses to share them. On shared computers, we recommend clearing automatic backups at the end of each class (see section 3).

14. How We Protect Your Information

We use reasonable administrative, technical and physical safeguards to protect personal information, including encrypted connections (HTTPS), one-way encrypted passwords, and restricted access to our systems. Keeping your photos on your own device is itself one of our strongest protections: we cannot lose what we never receive. However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

15. Third-Party Links

Our website may link to other websites. We are not responsible for their privacy practices, and we encourage you to read their privacy policies.

16. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post the updated version on this page with a new effective date. If we make a significant change to how we use your personal information, we will tell you by email or in Pumpkin Studio.

17. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or your personal information, or would like to make a request, please contact our Privacy Officer at support@thepumpkinschool.com.