How To Transform Dollar Store Pumpkins!

Posted on September 3, 2016 by Sarah

You know those super-ugly pumpkins and gourds that you can get from the dollar store?!

OK, well maybe they aren’t that ugly…. Perhaps they just aren’t quite the right colors for your home décor? Well, guess what! You can transform those dollar store pumpkins into something beautiful that will work perfect for you!

It’s really way easier than you are probably thinking, too! I used chalk paint and acrylic paint, but really any type of paint that you have on hand will do!

Umm…. Step one – Ditch the toddler!!!! Just kidding! (Maybe!)

Ok, step one for real now! The first thing that you want to do is mix up your base coat. I had some white chalk paint on hand, so I just simply added some dark green acrylic paint to it, until I created a color that I was happy with. Kind of like a mossy-mint green, I guess?! Next I applied this base coat to all of my ugly dollar store pumpkins. I actually applied two coats of paint for my base coat. This may vary depending on what type of paint you are using…. Just keep applying paint until you have full coverage!

Looking pretty good, right?! Definitely much better than before, but I still wanted to add a little more detail, so they looked just a little more realistic. Now you may think this is the tricky part, but really it’s quite simple, so don’t panic!

(Hey! Looking for more great pumpkin decor ideas? Check out White Painted Pumpkins and Milk Glass!)

I just picked out the accent colors that I wanted to add to my mossy-mint pumpkins, and put a dab of each color onto my pallet – uh, I mean mason jar lid! I then dabbed a little of each color onto my paint brush. The secret to get everything blended so well is to keep using the same paint brush for all of the colors, without rinsing in between.

I then started applying the accent colors inside the grooves of my pumpkins. Then I went back to each groove and “brushed it out” across the rest of the pumpkin, using vertical strokes only!

I just kept repeating this process for all of my pumpkins…. Playing with the accent colors until I was happy with them. I then went back and repainted my stems. Being the sloppy painter that I am, any extra paint that I got onto my pumpkins, I just “brushed it out”, and blended it in!

I then let my pumpkins dry.

And added them to my décor….

And I really couldn’t be happier with how they turned out!

Umm, are those fake or real?!

So go ahead and give it a try! Remember, if I can do it, you can do it! 😉

[Psst! Check out: The Very Best Tips for Cleaning Paint Brushes Quickly and Easily, from the creeklinehouse.com!)

HERE ARE SOME MORE POSTS TO ENJOY!

Faux Pumpkins for Early-Fall Lovers! (Like Me!)

Mason Jar Pumpkin Candle Holders

A Quick & Easy Fall Buffet Makeover!

Get This Burlap Printable Set for Fall, for Free!

A little fall here, a little fall there, 2016 Fall Home Tour!

*This post may contain affiliate links.

DIY Tin Wall Art!

Posted on July 7, 2016 by Sarah

Sometimes it can be a little bit tricky to find the perfect piece of art to fit a specific wall space in your home, or if you do find the perfect piece, it can be pretty darn expensive! If this is the case, than you might be better off to just DIY it!!!

I’d been searching high and low for the perfect pieces of tin to hang on the giant wall behind the couch in my living room… and finally, I found them! You could actually say that I’ve been searching for a couple of years now, checking local antique shops and flea markets on a regular basis. The actual product change-over rate in these places can sometimes be slow, but they are always getting new things in, so you just have to be patient and keep on checking!

They wanted $25 per panel, so I picked out the four best ones (in my opinion), and made a deal to take the four for $80.00 — Total Score!! This is what they looked like… A little rough, but lots of great potential!

The first thing that I did was flatten them out by placing a concrete block on them and pressing down. This actually helped to chip off some of the old paint too!

Next I took a wire brush and removed the rest of the old chippy paint! Then I used some good ol’ WD40 and a rag to polish them up.

I then used chalk paint to coat my tin panels.

Warning! I was aiming for the old, distressed look, so the WD40 actually worked out in my favor. It caused the paint to to peel up a bit on some areas of my tin panels. So if you’re going for the distressed look, go ahead and use the WD40, but if not, I would NOT recommend using it! (You can see in the below picture where it is starting to peel up.)

After my paint was dry, I took some coarse sand paper, and went-a-sandin’!

I just played around with it until I got the desired look!

I must say that I am absolutely thrilled with the end result! It is the perfect fit for my wall, and even though it took a very long time to find the perfect pieces, it really only took one afternoon to complete the entire project!

Easter Bunnies — Dollar-Cheap to Super-Chic!

Posted on February 14, 2016 by Sarah

Easter bunnies! Dollar store Easter bunnies! Ok, so the little Easter bunnies that I picked up from the dollar store are so, so, so cute…. however, their cute little pink ears, and their cute beady little eyes just weren’t one-hundred percent meshing with the rest of my Easter decor…. I was looking for something with the same cuteness level, but slightly more neutral. (Yes — even more neutral than an already white Easter bunny…. silly, I know!)

Lately I have been on a “White-Ochre” chalk-painting spree…. I’ve recently painted my antique-tin-ceiling wall-art, my serving tray, my buffet, and even my giant spoon and my giant fork! So I thought — why not?

It took two coats of chalk-paint to get the perfect look. The already-white surface covered super-easy, but the eyes and ears took a couple of super-thick coats. And just an FYI, when painting on this type of material, you have to wait for the paint to completely dry in between coats, or else it won’t stick properly.

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I originally saw this idea over at The Creek Line House! Only instead of using chalk paint, she used this really neat “Mirror Effect” spray paint…. and wow — did those bunnies turn out amazing! (Check it out here!)

So basically, you can update your dollar store bunnies with whatever paint you have on hand, and you can use any color you like too! It’s such an easy, simple and cute way to customize your very own home decor!

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I personally think that these cute little bunnies turned out amazing! I couldn’t be more happy with them, and I can’t wait for you to see them incorporated with all of my other Easter decor…. but, we’ll save that for another day…. So make sure you stop back by The Project Pile to check it out!

HERE ARE MORE DIY IDEAS TO TRY!

An “easy as pie” DIY Rag Wreath for Spring!

DIY Barnboard Bunny Family Art Deco

Easy, Breezy, Beautiful Easter Décor! (All you really need are a few good pieces!)

DIY Distressed Pillar Candle Holders

Hutch Make-Over with Chalk Paint!

*This post may contain affiliate links.*

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Tag Archives: chalk paint

How To Transform Dollar Store Pumpkins!

DIY Tin Wall Art!

Easter Bunnies — Dollar-Cheap to Super-Chic!