Hello my Fall loving friends!! Can you believe we are past the midpoint of September? I love this time of year, and I would love for time to just slow down a bit! Seasonal decorating is one of my favorites. In a couple of weeks, I will take you through my Fall home tour.  Fall decorating is well underway in our home! Today, I decided it was time to tone down some of my bright orange plastic pumpkins. Join me as I show you how to chalk paint pumpkins!

 

Disclaimer: For your convenience, I have included some affiliate links. This simply means if you click on one of the links and buy something, I may receive a small commission, but do not worry… you will not pay a dime more.

Chalk Painting Pumpkins

Alright, we probably all have these types of pumpkins, right? The ones that are super orange! While I love some color in my Fall decor, my tastes have really shifted to a more neutral palette. Does your heart burst when you see soft white pumpkins? Mine does! So I thought I would paint some of my bright orange pumpkins white!

About three years ago, I purchased several of these pumpkins from my local Dollar Store:

 

The artificial foliage on top is gorgeous! I really want to see if I can tone down the brightness of the pumpkin, while keeping the cute foliage intact, to give it a more neutral feel.

Chalk paint is awesome for many reasons! If you have not tried chalk paint yet, do yourself a favor and paint something with it. Anything. See if you do not fall in love! I love the finish of chalk paint. In addition, chalk paint is a fav because it adheres well to any surface. These pumpkins have a super smooth, plastic surface- which might be challenging for a different type of paint to stick to and look good.

Chalk paint can be pricey, so I like to make my own! Here is my favorite recipe:

• one cup latex paint
• 1/3 cup plaster of paris
• 1/3 cup water

This mixture will stay awesome in any sealed container for up to six months! And no need to worry about chalk paint ruining your brush- simply wash with soap and warm water like normal.

 

 

You can see as I apply the first coat, the coverage is not quite where we need it. However, let’s not worry about the coverage, or lack thereof, until we have the second coat complete! I use a simple crafting brush to apply the paint.

Coat Number Two

Here is the pumpkin after a second coat:

 

Omg- love, love, love! The foliage on top goes perfectly with the white pumpkin surface. Who knew it would look this great?! You honestly cannot tell by viewing it now that the pumpkin was originally bright orange. And the paint gives the surface a less smooth and shiny feel- which is more realistic of how pumpkins really look!

More Chalk Painting

Here is a shot of another pumpkin that got a makeover:

 

This one is a softer orange color and has some speckles of light orange on it. Let’s see it white!

 

Love it so far! Just for fun, I decided to antique it a bit with some brown paint. Super easy to do! I grabbed a paint brush and this bottle of craft paint:

 

I made thin lines longitudinally on the pumpkin. My purpose was not focus on the lines being perfect, I just added sweeping, brown lines all over:

 

Until I got this:

 

(Propped up on a plastic medicine cup- what we use to make our crafting work, right?!)

I took a dry brush to the lines, to give it a smeared look. I wanted to avoid “perfect” lines! What pumpkin has perfect lines, right?! Here is the pumpkin styled on my table:

 

Tackling Other Pumpkins with Chalk Paint

In my foyer, you will find this big plastic pumpkin! It has truly been on of my favorites over the years.

 

I bought it 6-7 years ago at Wal-Mart. Can you believe I still have it?! Decided this orange beast needed a makeover too! Let’s bring on the neutral color!

Here it is getting its first coat of white paint:

 

 

Like my Dollar Store pumpkins, I really like the artificial foliage on the top of this pumpkin! And the fact that the foliage is orange and brown is wonderful- keeps the pumpkin from being too white. Here it is with two coats of white chalk paint:

 

 

I think what I like most about the finished product is that we have the neutral pumpkin adorned by the soft orange of autumn- giving me the autumn feels for sure!

 

See the cute little chalk painted pumpkin in front? Love it!

I bought this super cute Fall sign from the Dollar Spot at Target. Love, love, love the Dollar Spot! Different cute, and cheap, holiday décor everyday!

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What fall decorating have you started? Have you tried chalk painting pumpkins? Be sure to share in the comments the fun décor you have in your home!

Also, be sure to check out these posts on fall décor ideas:

How to Decorate Pillow Covers for Fall

How to Make a Cute Sign for Fall

And if you want some neat Christmas decorating ideas, check out these posts:

How to Organize Your Holidays

Create a Hot Cocoa Bar for the Holidays

How to Make Holiday Cards for Friends and Family

Thanks for stopping by, friend!