Dollar Store Pumpkin Makeovers - DIY Glitter Pumpkins Three Ways!

Maura White
by Maura White
9 Materials
$20
2 Days
Easy
I love new and creative way to decorate pumpkins - and I especially love it when its on a faux pumpkin that I can use again and again each year. I also am a big fan of glitter, so I did some experimenting with making over some super bright orange styrofoam pumpkins from the Dollar Tree and transformed them into 3 different styles of Glitter Pumpkins!
I do love decorating with pumpkins around my house this time of year, but in my personal opinion,this super bright orange styrofoam pumpkin I saw at the Dollar Tree could use a makeover to give it a more sophisticated and chic look for your fall home decor.
So the first thing I did was to spray paint them with antique white spray paint.  
I painted on about 3 layers of paint and had to turn the pumpkins upside down and paint in stages with some drying time in between
For the first style of glitter pumpkin I created, I used orange dot stickers and orange glitter glue.  I placed on the orange stickers on the pumpkin in a random pattern.  Then I added a thin layer of the orange glitter glue on top of each sticker.  As I let it dry, the glitter glue did drip a bit, so I was on the lookout for drip marks to wipe up before it fully dried.
The second glitter pumpkin I covered in Loctite Spray Adhesive so that I could add some fall colored maple tree leaves that I pulled off of the trees in my yard.
The spray adhesive gets very tacky and I used the tip of a pen rather than my finger to press the leaves down onto the pumpkin.  Another tip I recommend is letting the pumpkin sit on top of a jar or cup to dry.  If you let it sit on newspaper to dry, the newspaper will stick to the adhesive and leave paper marks on the pumpkin that you won't want.
I added some extra fine glitter all over the pumpkin and outlined a few of the leaves with the orange glitter glue I used in the orange dot pumpkin.  As one final step, I covered the entire pumpkin with  Rust-Oleum Clear Lacquer (or you can just use a clear coat enamel spray).
Because the spray adhesive remains a bit tacky, this pumpkin needed one final clear coat to "seal it off" and hold on any loose glitter.
The final and my personal favorite of these glitter pumpkin makeovers is this one where I put on Flourish Glitter Stickers all over it.  I used 2 packs of stickers to cover the entire pumpkin.  These stickers stick very well to the pumpkin so I didn't feel like I needed a clear coat to seal it, but adding a layer wouldn't hurt.
Here is a hutch I have in my dining room filled with my fall decor.
I experimented placing the pumpkins in different locations along with my Candle with Burlap and Leaves and Autumn Paper Tree projects.  Now I just need a cup of chai flavored hot cider and good book to enjoy this fall rainy day!
Suggested materials:
  • Flourish Glitter Stickers   (http://amzn.to/2x1I3Zz)
  • Rust-Oleum Clear Lacquer   (http://amzn.to/2y87Qhh)
  • Extra fine glitter   (http://amzn.to/2wrKHUU)
See all materials
Maura White
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Go
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
  1 question
  • Char Char on Oct 05, 2020

    Does spraying the real leaves keep them from turning brown?

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 19 comments
  • Maura White Maura White on Nov 08, 2018

    Yes Autumn - I think I remember hearing that happened to someone else. I'm curious what chemical in certain spray paints reacts with the foam in the dollar store pumpkins that it eats it away. Do you remember what brand of spray paint you used so we can avoid that brand?

  • Michelle Michelle on Sep 04, 2019

    These are so cute! I love that you used real leaves from your yard!

Next