I’ve been on a bit of a DIY kick lately, specifically, fall DIY projects! And these DIY Painted Pumpkins might be my favorite so far! Well, I do love these mercury glass pumpkins…and these Halloween jars…and this pumpkin art.
OK, so I like this project too! I’m a sucker for all things shiny and the idea of turning cheap boring plastic pumpkins into a gorgeous display got me excited! 
Here’s what you need:
- Plastic store-bought pumpkins (I picked these up from Walmart)
- Spray paint
- Painter’s tape
- Plastic sacks
How to Make DIY Painted Pumpkins
1. Determine where you want your pumpkins divided. Place a strip of painter’s tape all the way around connecting the ends.
2. We (my mom and I) decided to paint the top portions first so it would be a little easier drying-wise. Grab your plastic sack (you can cut it into pieces) and cover the bottom half of the pumpkin making sure it’s completely covered.
We used masking tape to tape the bag to the painter’s tape (since we didn’t want to waste so much expensive painter’s tape!) I decided I wanted my stems to remain natural so I covered them in masking tape too.
3. Give your pumpkin a light coat of spray paint. The purple paint I chose had primer with it so it was a little thicker. I didn’t want it to run so I did several light coats letting each dry for a minute or two in between.
We added a little bit of masking tape on the bottom to keep it upright on the cardboard.
4. Once you reach your desired coverage, let it dry a bit before removing the plastic and painter’s tape.
You can see we have a little bit of dripping between the tape but that’s OK, it gets covered later!
5. Let your pumpkins completely dry. We waited overnight.
6. Add more painter’s tape and cover the bottom of your pumpkin in plastic. Tape to secure. **Tip: When you add your tape, let a bit of your top color stay exposed. This will ensure you don’t end up with a thin line of no paint when you’re done!** (See photo)
No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you, this is my mom’s pumpkin – she used turquoise instead of purple!
7. This time instead of propping on cardboard we just held the pumpkins by the stem (through the plastic sack) and sprayed lightly until we got the coverage we desired.
8. Let it dry completely. Not sure how to dry them now that the bottom is wet? Muffin tins!
I decided to keep my large pumpkin all gold so I sprayed that as well. I sprayed the bottom and let it dry:
The next day I sprayed the top and sides and let it dry completely.
9. Once your pumpkins are completely dried remove your plastic and tape and celebrate your creative genius. :)
And now to decorate as you see fit! My mom used her turquoise and silver pumpkin as a gorgeous accent:
(More on the Spray Painted Leaves here)
And my purple and gold creations were perfect with my favorite fall printable:
Goodbye cheap plastic pumpkins, hello designer-looking custom creations!
Originally published October 26, 2015