It’s officially Fall and a fun time to start pulling out some of of my favorite Fall decorations. We have been working on some new decorations, but they are not quite ready enough to post yet, so instead I am re-sharing one of our favorite pieces we added to our collections a couple of years ago….these super cute cute pumpkins! There is still plenty of time to make them, they are super easy AND pumpkins are cool to keep up through Thanksgiving in most situations. Win Win!!!
What are your favorite fall decorations in your collection?
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I fell in love with these pumpkins when my friend Katie, from Just Add Sunshine, Inc., posted a picture of her fall decor on Instagram (Follow her!). Super cute, right? I want it all, but we will start with the pumpkins this year and add more on for next year!
I have been on the lookout for something to make for a Pinterest Party I am attending soon and thought this would be perfect, plus I REALLY want some cute Fall Decor. I am no Martha Stewart, but having these on our bookshelf makes me feel a tiny bit like her!
What You Need:
- 4×4 wood post – We used a 9ft length because we made multiple sets
- Furring sticks or sticks from trees in your yard
- Paint Brush/Spong Brush
- Paint in colors of choice – We used 3, orange, white and brown (for the tops)
- Circle sponge brush
- Painters/masking tape
- Hot Glue Gun
- Rafia, ribbon, tulle for accent (optional)
Directions:
To be honest, the picture of Katie’s mantle is pretty much all I needed to start going. Katie shared with me that she got her original inspiration for these pumpkins from Simply Kierste’s 4×4 Post Striped & Polka Dot Pumpkins, although she did not paint or put them together the same way. Kierste uses spray paint instead of craft paint, so if you are looking for an alternative way to paint these, check it out. She has some great tips.
The hardest part for me was finding someone/where to cut my post for me. Luckily, I called a local store and found someone there who could help me out!
Step 1: Cut a thick large post into desired blocks. I chose a post that was 4 inches on each side.
I had enough cut for 5 sets – 9 inch, 7.5 inch, 5 inch and 15, 1 and 3/4 inch long chunks (the closest I could get to a “furring stick”, mine looked like really rough wood) cut from a long 8+ ft piece of wood.
Step 2: Sand the rough edges down and paint away!
I was lucky enough to have my mom come over and spend a Craft Day with me! We painted all the tall and medium blocks orange and the small blocks white. Because I was clueless on how much paint I would need, I bought 8-2 oz bottles of white and 8-2 oz of orange paint and did not even use half of them. Make sure to check prices because sometimes a large 8 oz bottle is cheaper, but in my case the 2 oz bottles were on sale for $0.50 each!
Step 3: Create Stripes with tape.
Once the orange paint is dry on the tall blocks, apply the tape to the blocks to create the stripes leaving a gap between lines where the white paint will be applied.We tried different sizes of tape, but liked the thicker lines best. We also liked a white top, so we started a little lower than the top for some of them.
TIP: When applying the tape, we discovered that if you leave a little extra tape so you can pinch it, it will give you something to hold on to when you are painting and pulling off. It makes a lot less mess this way and a quicker paint job.
Step 4: Create the dots.
When the orange and white blocks are dry apply the dots using a round sponge brush.
TIP: squeeze off excess paint off of sponge before using it to make the dots or it will leave drips on your block. We learned the hard way that white is hard to cover up on orange. 😉
Step 5: Create the stems.
Paint the small brown blocks and hot glue gun them to the top. Accent with ribbon, tulle or rafia.
Step 6: Show it off!
When done, display it so you can show it off! And if you are going to take pictures, I suggest shutting the laundry room door first. But in the spirit of “keeping it real”, I’m not going to crop it out…dryer door open and all! At least my shelves look pretty!
ENJOY!!!
Linking up to Link Party Palooza
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