Easy Pumpkin Crafts With Dollar Tree Items
Love Dollar Tree crafts? 🎨 🎃
These stylish painted pumpkins are such a fun little DIY project, and are perfect for fall decorating on a budget. You can use any craft paint, but I decided to mix up some homemade chalk paint using latex paint, Plaster of Paris, and water. I chose muted color tones for a farmhouse look, plus the chalk paint coats the Styrofoam craft pumpkins with a nice smooth rustic texture, almost like plaster.
Tips:
- To save money, use leftover house paint or any smaller containers of sample paint you may already have on hand from the hardware store.
- Stick pumpkins with wood skewers for a mess free handle while painting, and then stick the skewer in a piece of Styrofoam to dry.
- Faux leaves and embellishments from the dollar store can also be painted along with pumpkins.
You’ll need some craft pumpkins, and the price can’t be beat on these orange Dollar Tree ones for just $1 each! Consider grabbing more than you’ll need because painting them can be addicting! 😃 Also, don’t forget to check out the paint brushes and paint sponges while you’re there, if you need some.
Chalk Painted Pumpkins
For This Craft, You’ll Need:
- latex paint
- Plaster of Paris
- water
- paint stirrer
- jar or paper cup
- faux leaves or embellishments, if desired
- glue gun/glue sticks
Directions:
- For each color desired, you’ll need to mix {1/2 cup latex paint, 2 tablespoons water, and 2 tablespoons Plaster of Paris}. Use a jar, paper cup or bowl.
- Paint pumpkins using a paint brush or paint sponge. It may require two coats. Let dry.
- To achieve this two toned distressed dry-brushed look (pictured above), I first painted the pumpkin a solid white color. Let it dry completely, then used a dry brush with just a tiny amount of a gray paint over some parts of the pumpkin.
- After pumpkins are dry, attach any faux leaves or embellishments if desired. I painted leaves from Dollar Tree and then attached them using a glue gun.
These are so fun to display around your home for fall, and I love pumpkins since they can be set out for both Halloween and Thanksgiving!
If you already own any older pumpkins that need a makeover or see any at the thrift store that can be painted, that’d be a fun project too. Of course, any craft store sells different sizes and shapes of plastic pumpkins that can be painted as well.
If you’d like to display a double tiered Styrofoam pumpkin, simply remove the stem from one, and then stack another on top using a wood skewer through both for support.
It’s fun to style them with accessories and home decor you probably already have on hand!
So cute! Lina, you are awesome!
Thanks for your sweet comment Sue! ❤️
We have these pumpkins on our steps, leading from the living room to the bedrooms. This way, the if the kids accidently kick one, no harm done. We love how they look with the other fall decor. Never thought about painting them though. Great idea!
Thanks Dee!
What is the plaster of Paris for? I do not see where it says what it is for in the directions.
You can use it for different craft projects but in this instance we are using it to make a chalk paint finish type paint. You can always just use craft paint but it does give it a smoother deistic finish almost like plaster. Hope that helps ~
Lina, can my family adopt you?
Haha sure! 😀
It’s really a nice and useful piece of information. I’m glad that you shared this useful information with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Lina…did you purchase the Plaster of Paris @ the Dollar Tree? tia:)
I’ve made chalk paint before for other projects so I had it on hand. You can get it at most big box stores or hardware store. Hope that helps!
Cant wait to try this
“Of course, any craft store sells different sizes and shapes of plastic pumpkins that can be painted as well”
I do not agree. Read https://www.agoodehouse.com/2012/12/love-christmas-hate-to-decorate/
Sincerely, Liza
This has been a fun project. Unfortunately I had no paint supplies so had to buy everything but I have so much paint left over looking at my old pumpkins and are ready to give them a facelift!
Awesome! Yes I love a good pumpkin makeover!! Thanks for sharing!
We made unicorns out of these for my daughter’s birthday last year. I tried to save time by spray painting them – bad idea….They puckered and the styrofoam starting melting. I obviously do not know how to use spray paint properly! I will try again this year with regular acrylic or washable paint!
Oh darn – and yes I’d try chalk finish paints. They can be found in craft and hardware stores now.