Pinterest is never more envious and awe-inspiring than in the fall.
I adore every gorgeous photo of fall decor: beautiful pumpkin-laden porches, mantles, centerpieces, sideboards, and more. My Pinterest feed is nothing but pumpkins right now and I LOVE it!
I am particularly partial to the trendy heirloom and white pumpkins that have taken over home decor. They fall in line with the farmhouse style, which I am loving more and more as time goes on.
And I just knew that I HAD to HAVE white pumpkins on my mantle this fall.
That was….until I saw the prices!
Hobby Lobby sells medium pumpkins for $10-20 each. Since I needed at least 6-7 medium/large pumpkins and 4-5 small pumpkins for my mantle, I couldn’t justify spending that kind of money just on pumpkins.
A quick Pinterest search turned up gobs of DIY pumpkin projects and I couldn’t wait to get started.
Here is how I made my DIY farmhouse pumpkins:
Gather the Pumpkins
My first stop was the Dollar Tree! I had seen several tutorials that turned $1 styrofoam pumpkins into beautiful white and blue heirloom pumpkins. I even had a Facebook friend that had already done some of her own. So, I had high hopes that this DIY project would work out.
I bought 4 tacky, bright orange medium-sized pumpkins. However, the Dollar Tree only offered one size and I wanted a variety.
My next stop was Wal-Mart, where I was able to buy 2 large pumpkins for $5.98 each, 3 medium-sized pumpkins for $2.98 each, and 5 small pumpkins for $0.98 each.
So, for less than $30, I was able to line my entire mantle and then some. That would have only bought me 2-3 pumpkins at Hobby Lobby.
But it also meant that I had some work to do.
Sargent Art (SARAD) Acrylic Paint, 16oz Bottles, Colors may vary, 12 Piece, (24-6102)
Bates- Foam Paint Brushes, Assorted Sizes, 20 Pcs, Sponge Paint Brush, Foam Brushes, Foam Brushes for Painting, Foam Brushes for Staining, Foam Brushes for Polyurethane, Sponge Brushes for PaintingLvydec Artificial Pumpkins Set Harvest Decoration, 18pcs Assorted Color and Size Pumpkins Realistic Foam Pumpkins for Halloween Thanksgiving Autumn Festive Party Supplies
Pick Out Paint Colors
Initially, I wanted to do all white pumpkins. However, after seeing beautiful blue and dark green pumpkins on Pinterest, I thought I would try blue.
I bought several bottles of cheap acrylic craft paint (matte) at Wal-Mart for only $0.50 each. Make sure you buy extra bottles of white!
I also picked up a couple of sponge brushes to paint the pumpkins with.
Start Painting
The next step is the fun part….start painting!
I put an old beach towel over my coffee table and painted my DIY farmhouse pumpkins while watching re-runs of my favorite home renovation shows (hello Good Bones and Fixer Upper).
Before you bust out the paint, make sure you remove the stems. They pop right out.
Most of the pumpkins took 2-3 coats of paint. With the exception of one seriously annoying medium-sized pumpkin whose orange kept bleeding through the many layers of paint that I covered it with. I eventually gave up on this pumpkin and it sits on the mantle with a slightly pink tint.
After the pumpkins are painted and dry, pop the stems back in and you’re done!
I love the way these pumpkins look on my mantel and I love the price even more! If I had bought these pumpkins at a craft store, I would have easily paid more than $100.
Even with the extra pumpkins that I set at the bottom of the fireplace, I spent less than $40.
Many of the other pumpkin tutorials that I found were much more complicated – they mixed up chalk paint, distressed their pumpkins with fancy wax kits, and who knows what else.
But I’m tellin’ ya, cheap pumpkins and even cheaper paint will work perfectly fine to make a mantel full of the easiest DIY farmhouse pumpkins ever!
I changed out the droopy burlap bow on my boxwood wreath (you can find the tutorial for it here) for buffalo check and it looks so much better.
My fall Pinterest feed hasn’t only filled me with awe and envy, it has also motivated me to get crafty!
Check out these other fall projects I’ve been busy with:
- Fall Wreath for Less than $20
- DIY Whimsical Halloween Wreath
- Fall Care Package Ideas
- Halloween Costume Ideas for Sisters
