Decopauge Pumpkins

Autumn is here!!! And that means it's time to decorate for the fall. I started my first fall project today. Decopauge Pumpkins. I've never made these before but I saw them in the Country Living Magazine and I decided to attempt this project.

This is what I call inspiration!

I first went to a local farm to pick out the perfect pumpkins. I felt good about supporting the local farms! When I got home I wiped down the pumpkins to make sure they were clean and dry. Then I set up an area to work in, grabbed a paint brush and some white paint. (Technically you could just use a white pumpkin and skip the whole painting process but I didn't like any of the white pumpkins that I saw.) I placed a piece of plywood underneath the pumpkins to protect the floor.

Then I began painting!

I began by painting the top half of the pumpkin because that was the easiest portion to begin with. I should have waited for it to dry before begining the bottom half of the pumpkin but what can I say, I'm so inpatient. I held the pumpkin by the stem to paint the bottom portion of the pumpkin. To do this you have to slowly turn the pumpkin. Try not to pull at the stem too much because you take the risk of ripping the stem off.

As I mentioned beforeI was inpatient about painting the pumpkin and you can see why I now think its a good idea to let the paint dry. You end up with blotch marks from rolling the pumpkin and painting at the same time.

It really doesn't matter though if you plan on putting a second coat onto the pumpkin. After I put my second coat of paint of the pumpkins I left them to dry..... overnight. I figured the outcome is better if you are patient.

While I let the pumpkins dry I picked out patterns from the internet that I would like to decopauge onto the pumpkins. I then made copies of the prints I chose so that I would have enough paper to cover the whole pumpkin. You can get copies done at either your local staples or just print extra from your computer.

I let the pumpkins dry overnight and then the next day I began decopauging them with Mod Podge. I cut the patterns into strips of paper that could go from the top of the pumpkin to the base of the pumplin.

I also poured a good amount of the mod podge into a bowl.

Dip the pattern strip into the mod podge making sure to cover the paper with a generous amount.

Then apply it to the pumpkin smoothing out any ripples with your hands. Be prepared to have messy hands!

Don't worry, a little soap and water does the trick when you've finished with the project. Once your done covering the pumpkins let them sit to dry.

I took some before and after pictures so that you can see what the results will look like.

                      

                                              Before                                                    After

Tomorrow once the pumpkins are dry I will add new pictures of what they look like. Right now the decopauge hasn't completely dried which is noticeable around the stem of the pumpkin. By tomorrow the white near the stems will turn to clear.