I used chalk paint on these two white pumpkins. Paint one coat at a time until you reach the desired color. Be sure to allow each coat to dry well before applying the second coat.
Once a kindergarten teacher, now your go-to guide for all things DIY. My passion for teaching didn’t stop when I left the classroom – I merely switched from ABCs to DIYs. I’ve learned a lot from transforming my own home from scratch, and now I’m here to pass on that knowledge to you.
I had a blast decorating for Halloween! Our mantel and fireplace finally got the attention it needed for this festive time of year. Once Halloween ended, I knew I couldn’t go back to a ‘bare’ mantel. It’s also a little too early to start decorating for Christmas ! With Thanksgiving being hosted at our home this year this is the perfect opportunity to decorate for this fall holiday. Since I’m not one to carve pumpkins, I figured I’d create a fall theme with painted pumpkins. 
I used real pumpkins for this tutorial but I advise you to find fake pumpkins to use so that they can be used year after year. You might be hesitant about paint and spray paint eating away on a real pumpkin. Don’t worry! The pumpkins were perfectly fine with the materials being applied to them. It’s easy enough to create painted pumpkins so this tutorial today will also show you designs to place on the pumpkins. Here’s the how-to: Supplies: Pumpkins || Acrylic paint || Paintbrush || Spray paint || Glitter || Paint pen || Glue || Material to place your pumpkins on as you paint them (cardboard box, tarp, piece of wood, etc.) || Wax paper 
Step 1: Place your pumpkins on a protective surface outside. My just so happens to be my go to piece of plywood for projects like this. 
Step 2: Spray paint the bottom of your pumpkins first by leaning them on their side. Let the first coat fully dry and apply a second coat. 
Step 3: Once the second coat has dried, place the pumpkins right side up and continue by spray painting the top of the pumpkins. Repeat with a second coat just like you did in step 2. 
Step 4: Allow the pumpkins to fully dry before bringing them in to paint designs. I let my pumpkins dry for about 2 hours due to the texture of the pumpkins. Step 5: Cover your surface with sheets of wax paper to protect the surface as you turn the pumpkins to paint the designs. This will prevent the paint from rubbing off the bottom of the pumpkin onto your workspace. 
Step 6: Using gold acrylic paint and your paintbrush, paint the stem of each pumpkin gold. If you know my fascination with gold, you’ll know why this wasn’t even a second thought when designing my painted pumpkins. 
Step 7: Start designing your pumpkins using paint and paint pens! I’m sharing with you a few of my designs below: Polka Dots: To create polka dots on a pumpkin, use a gold paint pen. The paint pen dries quickly and provides a very easy way to paint circles. 
Once the polka dots have dried, spread glue over a few circles using the tip of your finger. It’s much easier than trying to use a paintbrush. Quickly sprinkle fine gold glitter over the glue and shake off the excess glitter. Wait for the glitter to adhere/dry to the glue before wiping off the glitter that did not shake off. 
Color Block: Create a color block design by using metallic gold paint and a paintbrush. Rather than painting a line straight across, I painted a line at a diagonal that curves around the other side of the pumpkin. 
Scallops and Wording: Create half circles that are connect and going around the pumpkin. Paint in the design to create a scalloped look. Use a paint pen to write a festive Thanksgiving word. I used gather and fall for two of my pumpkins. 
White Pumpkin: I love the simplicity and beauty of a white pumpkin. All I did to this pumpkin was paint the stem gold and called it a day! 
Step 8: Put your beautiful pumpkins on display once they have all dried. 
I guarantee you that your painted pumpkins will bring instant cheerfulness and the perfect fall decor you have been looking for. By using fake pumpkins you will have custom fall decor year after year. I’m sure they will also be the topic of conversation when your Thanksgiving guests arrive for a day of eating, laughing, and memories. 
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How To Transform Foam Pumpkins Into Pretty Fall Decor
Hi! I was looking for some faux pumpkins the other day and was shocked at the prices of the nice, off white one. It was almost $30 and it was not very big. It stood about 8 inches tall. Anyway, the ugly ones seem to be a lot cheaper but….they are ugly. Well, I am here to show you how to transform foam pumpkins into pretty fall decor for your home.
You can also see my faux mercury glass pumpkin in this photo. It was super fun to make as well.
I had gotten these foam pumpkins at a thrift store last year for .50 each. They truly were quite hideous. They were so bright.
But with a little paint these foam pumpkins were totally transformed into some thing I am proud to display.
I wanted to spray them but spray paint and foam don’t mix well. I have tried it and the paint eats away the foam in different spots. So I decided to paint a latex paint on them first. Then I was planning to spray them.
I have included some affiliate links for your convenience. You can read my full disclosure here.
After the paint was dry I took them inside to use the chalk paint on them. I decided the colors I already had in the chalk paint were better than the spray colors I had.
I brushed each one in a different color. I used my Americana Decor Vintage, White, and Green paints.
This was just one coat. And I decided to leave the stems brown. I wanted to sand them a little bit but it didn’t seem to make a difference so I just left them as is.
They needed some depth though so I used Burnt Umber in an acrylic craft paint and and old technique I learned a long time ago when I took some toll painting classes.
It is called floating and it creates sort of a gradient look with a dark to light “float”.
Use a smaller, wide brush and load it with water from a cup. Then you add a little bit of paint to just one corner of the brush and brush it a few times onto a plastic lid or something to blend it in.
When you paint you place the loaded corner of the brush along the area you want to be darkest and glide the brush along. It is fun and creates a nice, almost shadow look.
This is what I did to create a shadow look for the lines on the pumpkins. I think I may have gotten some of them a little too dark. You can wipe it off with a cloth since there is some much water and you can also go back and blend a lot with the brush.
After this part dried I added the creme wax and buffed them out a little for some sheen.
I really like the way they turned out.
What do you think?
These ugly foam pumpkins now match perfectly with my decor and I am so glad I did it. It only took me a day and this was a lot of waiting for paint to dry. You can do it too.
If you like it please pin it! I love to see my pins on Pinterest. LOL
Thanks so much for stopping by!
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By Author Michelle
Posted on Last updated: October 22, 2020
Create a Rusty Pumpkin with Cinnamon
We all know you can spice up your favorite recipes with cinnamon and fill the house with the holiday scent, but this little gem is also a great way to make something new look old. So, let’s make those new Dollar Tree pumpkins look like they have been around for years.
Gather a couple of colors of acrylic paint (I used black and a rusty brown) and one jar of cinnamon.
Paint your pumpkin using black paint first.
While the pumpkin is still wet, give it a coat of brown over the black.
Now, sprinkle the cinnamon over the pumpkin. You can do this over the entire pumpkin or just in certain spots. That is up to you.
How to Make your Pumpkin Rusty
Use your brush to tap at the cinnamon and distress the pumpkin a bit.
Let the pumpkin dry overnight. Give it a coat or two of a clear matte acrylic spray.
Hot glue your stem on and add leaves or moss if you like.
Bonus: Your pumpkin will not only look amazing, but it will also smell yummy!
Give Dollar Tree Pumpkins Great Texture and Character using Baking Soda
Place a small amount of acrylic or chalk paint into a paper cup.
Sprinkle in baking soda until you reach a semi-pasty consistency.
Paint your pumpkin with a cheap chip brush. I like to use a brush that will leave brush marks, so the cheaper, the better.
Allow this to try for a few hours.
Using Annie Sloan’s clear wax, give the entire pumpkin a coating.
Next, mix a tiny bit of dark wax with the clear wax and rub it onto the pumpkin while the clear wax is still wet.
Wipe off the excess.
Well, there you have it, four different ways to transform Dollar Tree pumpkins into beautiful works of art! I hope you try one of these transformations or all of them. I can’t wait to see what you create! Also, don’t forget to subscribe to my blog for more inspiration and DIY tutorials.
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