DIY Weekend Craft: Decoupage Pumpkins
Today, I’ve asked my super-creative and crafty friend April Wilson from Etsy Shop AlynnsArpons to help us make things a bit more autumn-y around our houses with a little fall DIY craft. Enjoy!
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Decoupage Pumpkins
Fall is in full swing in Michigan and itโs probably my favorite season for a couple of reasons. I love the cooler weather, the colors of the changing leaves, apples, cider, pumpkins and anything pumpkin flavored! I usually decorate inside and outside of my house with pumpkins of all shapes and sizes. For inside I use a few small real pumpkins and gourds, mixed with faux pumpkins. Today Iโm sharing a DIY that you can re-use year after year.
You can purchase all of the supplies you will need at your local craft store. I found mine at Michaelโs and the pumpkins were half off! For each pumpkin you want to make you will need one pumpkin and one to two sheets of cheap scrapbook paper. I say cheap scrapbook paper because you donโt want it to be thick โ the thinner the better for this project! You can also print out a pattern on regular copy paper if you want.
Supplies:
- Faux pumpkins
- Thin scrapbook paper โ 1 sheet for small pumpkins and 2 sheets for larger pumpkins
- Mod Podge โ I used matte finish
- Small foam craft brush
- Newspaper or cardboard to cover your workspace
- Optional โ white craft paint
1. My starting materials โ two pumpkins and several sheets of scrapbook paper. I also found some paper feathers in the aisle with the scrapbook paper that I used as leaves on one pumpkin.
2. Most faux pumpkins are cream colored when you purchase them. You can leave them as is or paint them white. I painted mine with one coat of white craft paint because the scrapbook paper that I chose had a white background. I didnโt want them to be pure white, but a quick thin coat of white with a foam craft brush was perfect. Wash out your foam brush when you finish painting because you will need it again for the mod podge.
3. While you wait for the paint to dry (which doesnโt take long), cut out the design from your scrapbook paper. I chose a green damask pattern for the smaller pumpkin and a gray lace-like pattern for my larger pumpkin.
4. Now comes the fun part โ this is a little messy. You might want to have a wet rag next to you because this is when your teenage daughter will decide to text you for your opinion on several outfits while clothes shopping and you donโt want to get Mod Podge on your iPhone! At least thatโs what happened to me! ย The nice thing about working with mod podge is that the paper is not stuck immediately when you put it on the pumpkin, so if you decide it needs to move a little to the left or right you can peel it off and move it โ great if you are a perfectionist!
Using the same foam brush that you painted with, brush mod podge on the back of one piece of paper and position it on the pumpkin. Once you get it where you want it cover it with lots more mod podge. It will be white and milky looking, but donโt worry, it will dry clear. Using your fingers, smooth the paper down adding more mod podge if necessary. If you get wrinkles in the paper, just keep smoothing, it will flatten out. Continue this with your chosen pattern around the pumpkin until it is covered.
5. Once you are happy with where all your pattern pieces are cover the entire pumpkin in mod podge again with the foam brush. You may want to set it up off your workspace a bit so that the bottom dries faster. I used the mod podge lid.
6. Let your pumpkins dry completely and you are ready to decorate! Combine them with real pumpkins and gourds or just let them shine all on their own.
Happy Fall Y’All!!!
{Psst…Be sure to visitย my friend April’s Etsy Shop atย AlynnsArponsย to check out her aprons and wreaths and more!}