DIY Painted Pumpkins

Fall is the perfect time for diy crafts that won’t break your budget or take you hours to do, such as these simple but beautiful painted pumpkins.

Pumpkins are so versatile, whether you are cooking with them or using them as decor. I usually buy a lot of pumpkins during the fall time and use them to decorate throughout the home and whenever I want to cook something with pumpkin, I just take one of them. This way I get two uses out of them. But sometimes I like to take it a step further and paint some of those pumpkins. Painted pumpkins make an elegant centerpiece for your table, especially for Thanksgiving. Last year my Thanksgiving table was very elegant and so I painted the pumpkins gold and white. I loved the look of them so much that I decided to share it with you this year. Let’s get started!

When shopping for pumpkins you want to buy ones that have no bumps and bruises on them. If a pumpkin is already bruised it will start to mold much faster. You also want to store them in a cool and dry place in order for them to last longer. (I was working with homegrown pumpkins so that is why they do have a few bruises, but that didn’t bother me for this tutorial.)

Things you will need

pumpkins of your choice
white acrylic paint
thick gold pen or gold paint
brushes
surface you don’t mind getting dirty (I used old tiles)

Optional

bleach solution
sealer (aerosole spray)

To start off, make sure you are in a well ventilated area, preferably outside or have a window open. If you want to make your pumpkins last even longer, wash them in a bleach solution and after drying them, spray them with a sealer. This will remove any bacteria and slow down the rotting process. I however skipped this part and went straight to the painting.

Paint the upper half of the pumpkins with white acrylic paint, omitting the stems. Let them dry completely. Once they are dry, turn the pumpkins around and paint the lower half and also let that dry completely. The acrylic paint I used has amazing coverage so one coat was enough.

With a thick gold pen or gold paint, paint circles (or whatever design you prefer, you can really let your imagination run wild here) onto the pumpkins. Lastly paint the stems of the pumpkins gold. Let them dry again.

And that is all. It really isn’t a very complicated project, in fact it is great for letting kids help out. I hope I have inspired you to make your own fall decor this year. If you decide to give this project a try, let me know in the comment section down below or send me a picture on Twitter.