Fall Decor: Paint Poured Paper Mache Pumpkins

 

In addition to the Tissue Paper Pumpkins I shared yesterday, I had fun this weekend paint pouring some paper mache pumpkins. I'm thrilled with how they turned out! 

Supplies:

• Paper Mache Pumpkins (70% off at JoAnn)
• Liquitex Acrylic Paint Pouring Medium (Michaels)
• Acrylic Craft Paints

I found these tall skinnier pumpkins for 70% off at JoAnn. Who could pass those up? Not me! You could do the paint pour on these as is but I knew I was using white in this project and really wanted it to pop so I coated with white acrylic paint. 

I was sure I took pics of my paints before I poured them but apparently not. So, I mixed white, green, and gold paints in their own cups along with Liquitex Pouring Medium. It's available wherever fine art supplies are sold. I got mine at Michaels. 

I am not an exact person. I guestimate how much I'll need for a project then do about 1/3 medium to 2/3 paint. Different paints have different viscosity. Metallic paints are sometimes thicker so I use a little more medium with them. I go for a consistency that's about the same as white school glue. And since pouring and taking pictures require more hands than I have, I didn't take pictures of the actual pouring. 

Some prefer layering the paints into one separate cup but I worked with the three colors/cups individually. Kind of like I cook. Some of this, some of that, more of this until the colors were dripping down the pumpkins to my liking. 

 This is the paint still wet and doing its thing of swirling, streaking, blending. I just let gravity do the work. 

Once dry, they almost look like they were carved from wood. SO happy with them! They were around $4 each and I already had everything else on hand.

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Sundays on Silverado

Fall Decor: Tissue Papered Dollar Tree Pumpkins

 

While last year was our first year in our new home, we also went away for Thanksgiving. So this year is our first Thanksgiving here and I decided I wanted to switch up some of my color palette. Since the leaves don't really change much where we are, I went with the colors we do have in abundance. Shades of greens and golds. The best part is, it will still work with the more traditional Fall colors. 

Supplies:

• Dollar Tree Foam Pumpkins 
• Tissue Paper
• Mod Podge
• Acrylic Paints

This is the color palette I'm working with. I'm in the process of decorating so will be sharing things as I go along. 

The first step is to cover your pumpkin with tissue paper. Any tissue paper will work. I love the "ugly" pumpkins. The knotted, gnarly, knobby, creased ones. I crumpled the tissue paper then tore it into pieces. This is not scientific or measured! Apply some Mod Podge to the pumpkin, lay the tissue paper on, spread some more Mod Podge and continue until covered, including the stem. 

The tissue paper soaks up the Mod Podge but I like to go over it anyway just to make sure it's really good and on there!

When you're done, yes, it will look like it's been covered in a cocoon! I wanted the teal paint to be just a little deeper so I added a few drops of black and didn't completely mix it so it would have some variegation. 

I was very happy with how the crinkles and paint came together but of course, I wasn't done! The final step was to go over the pumpkins with gold, which I dry brushed all over, and covered the stem.

Sharing At:

The House on Silverado

Fall Decor: Silver and Copper Geometric Pumpkins

 

I love it when a plan you didn't have comes together. I mentioned in my post about the Textured Copper Candles, that I'd show what I did with the vinyl that was left on the backing sheet so here we go! 

Supplies:

• Foam Pumpkins (Dollar Tree)
• Multi-Surface Craft Paint, Bright Silver (Michaels)
• Geometric Textured Vinyl (Previous Project)
• Kraft Butcher Paper
• Strong Wire
• Mod Podge

I'd picked up a couple of these foam pumpkins at Dollar Tree when their Halloween supplies came out and didn't end up using them but they still work great for Thanksgiving/Fall Decor. I painted themwith a couple o coats of multi-surface paint (Craftsmart from Michaels). I also removed the "stem" that came with them since I had another idea in my head. 

To make the stems, I tore some kraft butcher paper (guestimated the size) and some strong wire. I twisted the paper, leaving enough at on end to fan out a bit so I could attach to the pumpkin. I utwisted the wire, the using hot glue, tacked the wire in the middle, then re-twisted. 

I left a little tail of the wire at the bottom to push into the pumpkin to stabilize then fanned out the bottom and hot glued in place. If you don't have enough to fit, just tear some more small pieces of paper. 

Don't worry if the paper is sticking up. You can bend and twist your "stem" as you like, and trim if needed. 

To finish the stems, grab some Mod Podge and a brush and then go over the paper, soaking it pretty well. Once it dries, your stem will be secured to the pumpkin. 

Now it's time for the "leftover" vinyl from my candles! I cut the backing paper in rows, then applied transfer tape, then cut strips of each set of triangles and half circles and then applied them to the spines or whatever they're called, of the pumpkin.

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Fall Decor: Textured Copper Wrapped Candles

 

Thanks all for understanding about my party oops on Thursday. I think Fall allergies are the culprit. There's no better medicine than creating though, right? Had fun making these Copper Wrapped Candles which were easy and make a statement! 

Supplies: 

• Dollar Tree Plain White Glass Candles
• Cricut Textured Copper Vinyl (JoAnn)
• Cricut Design Space Image #M9BB7EA
• Digital Cutting Machine (I used my Cricut Explore 2)

 

I got my candles at Dollar Tree but they can be found wherever Saint candles are sold. You can remove the sticker or leave it. I left it and just made sure the vinyl seam was in the back. The Cricut vinyl is available wherever Cricut products are sold. I got mine at JoAnn when they had a 40% off sale. I have a Cricut Design Space subscription so I found an image I liked and then sized to fit the candle. 7.5 height x 8 inch width. Doing this again, I would cut 1/2 inch shorter in height I think. 

This is the image I used which, if you're not a Design Space subscriber is $.99 to purchase. 

Once the vinyl was cut, I weeded (peeling the top layer from the backing). Normally, this would bethe piece you discard, using what remained on the backing paper. I chose to use it to make a candle wrap! 

Clean your candle with glass cleaner or alcohol (especially if you used a product to remove the label) and then with the vinyl sticky side up, lay the candle on its side and carefully roll it until covered. 

That's it! 

Want to know what I did with the vinyl that remained on the backing paper? Come back tomorrow and I'll show you! 

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Fall Decor: Rustic Silk Leaves and Feathers Wreath

 

Happy Monday all! We in America move full speed ahead to our national day of thanks and gluttony and I've finished the last of the things I'll make ( I think ) for this short season between Halloween and Christmas. Anxious to get started on some Christmas goodies so be on the lookout! 

Also humbled and excited to have been again featured in the Hometalk weekly newsletter last week! They included my Plastic Egg Acorns and Pinecones and I couldn't be more tickled. If you aren't on Hometalk, you should check it out both as a place to share your creations and to find even more inspiring ideas! 

Supplies:

• Square Wreath Form. I actually had some inserts from 12x12 shadow box frames that I used but you  could also use a square frame. 
• Silk Leaves (Michaels 80% off)
• Twig Vase Fillers (Dollar Tree)
• Feathers ( Michaels)
• Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks

From left to right: Shadow Box Frame Inserts, Silk Leaves, Dollar Tree Birch Stumps and Twigs

The frame inserts are not the sturdiest so I glued two of them together to stabilize them. The silk leaves I found for 80% off at Michaels. I used two packages of 30 with a few left over.

These came in two sizes, the larger having some gold veining and the smaller being plain. I alternated these around the wreath. Pretty straightforward. After I glued the leaves around the frame I placed a few of the birch "stumps" , offset, "because I did" which is a technical creative term!

I have a ton of these twigs left over so may save them for next year or throw them in a vase. 

I grouped three feathers (Michaels, Art Minds or Creatology) at the base of each "stump", then added some of the twigs. 

To finish, I had some of these Acrylic Gem Maple Leaves in my stash from a past project so glued a few of those on. Living in the West, this may be another thing I leave up year round. Haven't decided yet. We don't have specifically "Western" decor but I like some bits here and there. 

Et voila!