Nothing
says fall quite like pumpkins! They are everywhere in grocery stores, all over Pinterest, and in every
fall-themed drink and snack. (Seriously, the pumpkin-spice plague is more real
than ever.) So of course when I found some adorable mini pumpkins all wrapped
up together, I had to hop on the bandwagon too! These “Cinderella pumpkins” (as
my sister dubbed them) are just so stinkin’ cute that maybe you can make some
too! There are 3 different techniques I used to decorate based on the different
original color of the pumpkins, but incorporate them any way you’d like!
(It
was my intention (as usual) not to copy any other bloggers’ work without giving
credit in this tutorial. That said, I know there are about a billion pumpkin
painting techniques out there, so if you spot a similar one online, feel free
to leave a link to it in the comments.)
For
the orange pumpkins, you will need:
1”
lace trim (heavier weight is better)
Straight
pins
Needle-nose
pliers
Simply
pin the lace trim all the way around the center of the pumpkin, sticking 1-2
pins straight through the lace and into the pumpkin at each of the grooves of
the pumpkin so that it follows the form as much as possible. Match up the ends
as closely as you can, but don’t worry too much!
Then,
spray a gold band of paint all the way around the pumpkin over the lace. I did
this (with my sister’s help) in four sections by propping the pumpkin up on a
ball of aluminum foil, spraying a quarter of the pumpkin gold, rotating it, and
then letting it dry a little in between each turn. After painting all around, let
the paint dry completely, according to the instructions on the can.
Carefully
remove the pins with needle-nose pliers. You want to pull the pins out as
straight as possible to leave only very small holes in the pumpkin’s surface. It
may help to place your thumbnail on top
of the lace next to the pin as you pull straight up.
When you take off the actual
lace, you should have a gorgeous pattern left behind!
For
the white pumpkins, we used:
The
same gold spray paint
A plastic container slightly larger than the
pumpkin (we cut a gallon jug in half for this)
A
rag you aren’t worried about getting paint on
Gloves
if desired
Fill
the container a little more than halfway with water. Spray the surface of the
water with a couple light passes of gold spray paint. Quickly dunk about half
the pumpkin into the water and withdraw it. As you pull it out, the paint will
stick to itself and the surface of the pumpkin. Gently tap the pumpkin’s
surface with your fingers for a minute or so to stick the paint down well.
Then,
gently rub your thumb along the surface of the pumpkin. As you do so, small
sections where the paint was thick or bubbled should peel up, giving a
weathered gold-leaf affect. You can also use your thumbnail or the rag to pull
off more paint as it dries.
Repeat
the whole process on the other half of the pumpkin, and then again on any
sections that weren’t gilded to your liking, such as the bottom. Gently wipe
any balled up paint off the pumpkin’s surface with the rag as well. Let your
pumpkins dry fully!
Lastly
the speckled pumpkin. Gather up:
Metallic
acrylic paint (I mixed 4 different hues to match the spray paint)
A
small artist’s brush
I
wanted to go really subtle on these guys, since they already have such
naturally beautiful speckling. All I did was add some metallic splotches with a
tiny, but flat tipped, artist’s brush. You will want to get a good amount if
paint on the brush to start with, and kind of dab it off randomly as you go. I
tried (and kind of failed) to coordinate with the pattern already naturally on
the pumpkin, but honestly, it’s cute either way! (If you want some more
specific polka dot placing on your pumpkins, a quick Pinterest search will not
fail you! Although I really do love these
made with polka dot tissue paper!)
And
there you have it! My own lazy little techniques to avoid carving
Jack-o-lanterns (although there is something delightfully messy about that)! As
I said, both the lace and fake gold leaf totally give off a Cinderella’s
carriage vibe, but maybe that’s just me. You could also give this a try with
fake pumpkins so they stick around longer. If you try it, let me know how it
goes!
So
how do you spruce up your baby pumpkins?! (Because they are obviously a fall
decorating necessity.)
Stay
lovely,
