Three Easy Faux Pumpkin Makeovers

Three Easy Faux Pumpkin Makeovers. If you’re ready for more fall craft ideas, then you’ll love these three easy faux pumpkin makeovers I’m sharing today. I started these projects early, because I’m planning on including these pretty pumpkins in my fall decorating and fall tours coming up.

Three Easy Faux Pumpkin Makeovers

I have to admit I prefer real pumpkins more than faux ones, but this year I’m going to decorate with both. We are still weeks away from buying fresh pumpkins, and I want to have just a few faux pumpkins to decorate with now.

I guess you can say I’m a true crafter because I love to paint all kinds of accessories. Now I can say pumpkins are in that category too. It’s just that sometimes, items need a wee bit of tweaking to fit into my home decor and that’s when pumpkin makeovers come into play.

If you have new or old faux pumpkins that need a little help, I may have just the answer you’re looking for.

 

Faux Pumpkin Makeover With Acrylic Paint

The first makeover project is two molded resin pumpkins, each with an attached stem. One is a textured white, the other is green.

Supplies For Acrylic Paint Makeover

• craft brush
• craft acrylic paint
• cardboard to use as a painting surface
• cup of water
• paper towels

First step is to apply paint to the body of the pumpkin using a craft brush. I’m using Folk Art Acrylic Paint in Daybreak, which is a pretty yellow. (See figure 2 above.)

Second step is adding some white acrylic paint in the valleys while the yellow base coat is still wet. I’m using Folk Art Acrylic paint in Wicker White, blending with the paint brush. (See figure 3.)

From time to time you may need to moisten your paint brush in water which helps the blending process. That’s why I suggest having water handy.

Add as much or as little of the white paint as you want. If you add too much white paint, use a paper towel to dab it off, or go back and add some more yellow paint. Remember it’s your project, so have fun with it.

Allow paint to dry completely.

The third step is painting the stem. I’m using Folk Art Matte paint in Honeycomb to cover the stem, then adding highlights with the white acrylic. (See figure 4.)

For the green pumpkin I’m painting only the valleys mixing two Folk Art Acrylic paints in Clover and Wicker White. I’m using the same steps to paint the stem as the yellow pumpkin.

It’s not a huge difference between the before and after, but the lighter green looks better with my decor.

Faux Pumpkin Makeover With Dried Pumpkin Stems

Adding dried pumpkin stems is probably the easiest way to makeover a faux pumpkin. However it does require a little bit of planning. Last year, I harvested some pumpkin stems so I could use them this year. You can also buy them online.

Supplies For faux Pumpkins with dried Stems

• white acrylic craft paint
• craft brush
• dried pumpkin stem
• cardboard to use as a painting surface
• hot glue gun and glue sticks

For this project makeover I’m using a medium size pumpkin, and removing the plastic stem. (See figure 2 above.)

Next apply white acrylic paint. I using two coats on this pumpkin to cover the green design. (See figure 3.)

Once the paint is completely dry, simply hot glue the dried stem into place. (See figure 4.)

Faux Terra Cotta pumpkin

I have to admit the end results of painting a faux pumpkin with terra cotta paint is most surprising. The texture and color of the faux terra cotta pumpkin is really pretty. I’ve used this type of paint on vases before and achieved a beautiful finish, but this is super cool.

The terra cotta paint I’m using leaves a soft texture that looks like clay. There are also recipes to create your own textured paint with baking soda, that you can look for on Pinterest.

Supplies For Terra Cotta Pumpkin

• textured craft paint such as Folk Art Terra Cotta in Clay Pot and Terrazzo Tan
• craft brush
• paper towels
• cup of water
• cardboard to use as a painting surface

For this project I’m using a plastic pumpkin with a molded stem. I highly recommend buying an orange pumpkin for this project. Unfortunately I could only find the size I wanted in white at the craft store.

First apply the terra cotta paint in the color clay pot. (See figure 2.)  If you’re using a white pumpkin like looser me it will probably take two coats to cover. Allow the paint to dry.

The paint will look completely different when it is dry and a bit darker too. (See figure 3.) If you like the way this looks you can stop here or take it one step further.

The second step is applying the lighter terra cotta paint color. I’m using several thin coats of the Terrazzo Tan to achieve an unglazed terra cotta finish. (See figure 4.)

A few times I thought I was painting too much on, and would blot it off with a paper towel, then go back to add more paint. I think it’s a process that you can play with until you achieve a look you’re happy with.

To see how cute these faux terra cotta pumpkins look in a fall display, click on Three Ways To Style A Bar Cart.

Be sure to follow Thistle Key Lane on Pinterest, where the boards are up to date with seasonal inspiration that you can use right now!

For more pumpkin crafts see my post DIY Wire Pumpkin Garland.

I’m only giving you a glimpse of how the pumpkins look now, but you’ll be seeing more photos in my upcoming fall home tour. I hope you will pick one of these three easy faux pumpkin makeovers to try this fall. When you do, let me know how it turns out.

Cheers!

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