DIY Glam Pumpkins for Fall
Fall is my favorite and I stumbled upon this super chic DIY method for using plastic pumpkins last year. If you have any jack-o-lanterns laying around and want to jazz up your fall decor you'll love my hack. This technique can be used on any small pumpkin, foam or plastic.
The vases are a great way to add style to your home for fall. Check out a few other tips for decorating for fall on a budget with little effort and a few dollars.
I made two types of decor pieces using this technique. Plastic jack-o-lanterns and foam pumpkins from Dollar Tree.
Use regular joint compound NOT the lightweight new stuff. You'll need to sand and the lightweight spackle doesn't sand well.
Start by giving the pumpkins a coat of -- joint compound. Yep. Cheap joint compound is the trick to a beautiful textured pumpkin. I used gloved hands to apply the compound.
When filing in the face and eyes of a jack-o-lantern, use thin layers. One thick layer will cause cracking. Smooth the surface with a thin piece of cardboard.
Once the joint compound dries, use 220 grit sandpaper to smooth the surface. You don't need a lot of pressure. Get it as smooth as you like without removing too much of the compound.
Next spray paint your creation. Give it two coats of your favorite metallic paint. Gold is my go to.
Here is a side by side of the textured pumpkin vs. the non textured pumpkin. Both are beautiful, but the texture adds just a bit of dimension.
I added some faux flowers to the the jack-o-lantern for my bookcase. You could add water and fresh flowers for a pretty Thanksgiving centerpiece.
Best of all, this didn't take very long. Drying time in was about 2 hours, but working time was maybe 30 minutes. Maybe!
And the cost? Less than $5 you can't beat that. Check out my best tips on decorating on the cheap in my free guide.
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Dang it, now I have to try this too. And by too I mean I am just painting them. On others I am decoupaging a ming vase vibe, my colors are blues, greys and silvers, so far anyway. And then I am also planning to do the ones where you wrap around yarn. Then I saw this post and another where the used wide ribbons from dollar store. I will have so many pumpkins I won't know what to do.
Your's turned out beautiful!!!
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So elegant!
Frequently asked questions
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Nothing was shown about the small foam pumpkins. How are they used?