A Beautiful Fall Pumpkin
I love pumpkins and I can't resist picking up a few to decorate with each time Fall rolls around. Recently I used ribbon, beads and fall foliage to embellish a set of three Dollar Tree foam pumpkins and I was thrilled with the way that they turned out. Today I'm sharing how easy for you to copy the look yourself:
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I love pumpkins and I can't resist picking up a few to decorate with each time Fall rolls around. Recently I used ribbon, beads and fall foliage to embellish a set of three Dollar Tree foam pumpkins and I was thrilled with the way that they turned out. Today I'm sharing how easy for you to copy the look yourself:
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Disclosure
This is a sponsored post, meaning that I have received monetary compensation in exchange for publishing post content. I only accept sponsorships that I believe are keeping with the Studio 27 brand and only recommend products that I fully believe in. All opinions are my own.
This post contains affiliate links. If a purchase is made through an affiliate link then (at no additional cost to you) I will receive a commission. Affiliate links are noted below.
This is a sponsored post, meaning that I have received monetary compensation in exchange for publishing post content. I only accept sponsorships that I believe are keeping with the Studio 27 brand and only recommend products that I fully believe in. All opinions are my own.
This post contains affiliate links. If a purchase is made through an affiliate link then (at no additional cost to you) I will receive a commission. Affiliate links are noted below.
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Dollar Tree Foam Pumpkin
This is it; the mystical, magical Dollar Tree Foam pumpkin that you are seeing all over the craft blogs and Pinterest this season. Made of lightweight foam, the pumpkins are easy to work with and a breeze to store away afterward.
You can click this Dollar Tree affiliate link (or click directly on the photo above) to go to Dollar Tree online and purchase your own. At only $1 a piece, why not stock up? Don't forget to browse through the floral and crafts sections, you can find fall foliage, ribbon, beads and glue sticks at Dollar Tree as well 😉
Shopping Hint - As we get closer to the winter holiday season, Dollar Tree online will start rolling out more Christmas items as they sell through their fall merchandise. You may have better luck finding pumpkins in store as opposed to online, but don't hesitate either way- these guys are in demand and move fast!
I also recommend making time to check out the Dollar Tree online holiday section for winter holiday inspiration. My favorite Christmas item, hands down, are the clear plastic bulb ornaments - so many possibilities! I've gathered a collection of blog posts from around the web full of ideas for crafting clear Christmas ornaments:
Click here to visit Happy Deal - Happy Day
Click here to visit Home Made Lovely
Click here to visit Refunk my Junk
Click here to visit B-Inspired Mama
You can click this Dollar Tree affiliate link (or click directly on the photo above) to go to Dollar Tree online and purchase your own. At only $1 a piece, why not stock up? Don't forget to browse through the floral and crafts sections, you can find fall foliage, ribbon, beads and glue sticks at Dollar Tree as well 😉
Shopping Hint - As we get closer to the winter holiday season, Dollar Tree online will start rolling out more Christmas items as they sell through their fall merchandise. You may have better luck finding pumpkins in store as opposed to online, but don't hesitate either way- these guys are in demand and move fast!
I also recommend making time to check out the Dollar Tree online holiday section for winter holiday inspiration. My favorite Christmas item, hands down, are the clear plastic bulb ornaments - so many possibilities! I've gathered a collection of blog posts from around the web full of ideas for crafting clear Christmas ornaments:
Click here to visit Happy Deal - Happy Day
Click here to visit Home Made Lovely
Click here to visit Refunk my Junk
Click here to visit B-Inspired Mama
Now back to our pumpkin tutorial:
Step 1 - Remove Stems
I like to remove my pumpkin stems before I get started. Not only is it easier to paint the stems and decorate the pumpkin this way, but reattaching the stem after the pumpkin is decorated gives a nice, clean look. Just firmly grab the stem and pull with a slight twist to get them to pop off.
Tip - Sometimes I'll poke a toothpick into the bottom of the stems to make it easier to paint. Once painted, you can then insert the toothpick into a block of craft foam to allow the stem to dry without fear of smudging.
Step 2 - Add Ribbon
Here is where you can see how handy it is to remove those stems. By having the stems out of the way, I can begin placing my strip of ribbon at the top of the pumpkin (directly underneath where the stem will eventually be replaced). I started here and wrapped around the entire pumpkin using hot glue to hold the ribbon in place. Once complete, I added another strip of ribbon (crossing over the first strip) so that the finished pumpkin looked like it had been cut into fourths.
Step 3 - Prep Your Foliage
Fall foliage makes a great embellishment for seasonally decorated pumpkins. Artificial foliage can be tricky though, as it is often reinforced with strips of plastic to make it more structured looking. While great for adding dimension to a vase arrangement, the plastic strips can make foliage too thick and bumpy when attempting to glue the leaves down smoothly. No problem, just pull off the plastic and you are ready to go 😎
The top photo shows the combination of leaves that I chose for this project. I find that using a variety of colors gives more texture and interest to the finished piece.
In the bottom set you can see the before and after process of removing those plastic strips.
Step 4 - Largest Leaf First
As a general rule, I like to begin with my largest items first to create a foundation, then layer my smaller items on top of that. (This is similar to the process I used when placing floral stems in to these fall arrangements I shared a few weeks ago)
In the top photo you can see that because the leaf is a bit large for the pumpkin, it does not rest smoothly. No problem. Just cut a tiny slit as seen in the bottom photo and.....
In the top photo you can see that because the leaf is a bit large for the pumpkin, it does not rest smoothly. No problem. Just cut a tiny slit as seen in the bottom photo and.....
Step 5 - Smooth Those Leaves
.....glue down one side of the slit leaf, then smooth down the remaining part of the leaf over the top of that. Keep going until all of your leaf is resting smoothly against the pumpkin.
Step 6 - Add Layers
Once the largest leaf was in place, I added a smaller leaf in another color following the same process. Using various colors, sizes and types of leaves really helps to add interest to the composition.
Step 7 - Continue
Keep adding various leaves until you feel that your pumpkin is adequately embellished.
Step 8 - Hide Any Blemishes
Once I felt that I had enough foliage in place, I checked the pumpkin over for any 'bad' spots. A bad spot is any area where I think it would be better to have it covered up.
You can see in the top photo that one of leaves (that had been cut into a slit and glued with an overlap) looked a bit rumply. No problem, simply find a smaller leaf that you like and hide the problem.
Note: Since I didn't have small leaves in the size or color that I wanted, I easily cut down a larger green leaf until I had what I was looking for.
Step 9 - Replace the Stem
With ribbon and foliage in place, the pumpkin is starting to come together. Add a bit of glue to the bottom of your stem and gently set back into place.
Step 10 - Add Beading
In the top photo you can see that the beading I used (pulled from my craft stash) was held in place by a wrapped paper stem. I didn't want a large stem at the top of my pumpkin so I used wire cutters to snip it off and then glued the small bunch of beads into place next to the pumpkin stem.
And that's it! Now you have a simple Dollar store pumpkin turned into elegant and upscale decor, perfect for holiday decorating.
Fall Pumpkin Trio
As I mentioned earlier, I went ahead and made a coordinating set of three which you can see here. By switching up the ribbon, and the way in which I placed the foliage, I was able to create an interesting set that is different but still similar enough to work together.
Don't forget to click this Dollar Tree (affiliate) link to find all kinds of holiday decor inspiration!
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I hope you enjoyed this how-to post, thanks for stopping by!
-Jennifer
As I mentioned earlier, I went ahead and made a coordinating set of three which you can see here. By switching up the ribbon, and the way in which I placed the foliage, I was able to create an interesting set that is different but still similar enough to work together.
Don't forget to click this Dollar Tree (affiliate) link to find all kinds of holiday decor inspiration!
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I hope you enjoyed this how-to post, thanks for stopping by!
-Jennifer
© Studio 27 - By Jennifer Adams 2018
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This post was added to the following link parties:
Wonderful Wednesday (Oh My Heartsie Girl)
Wonderful Wednesday (Penny's Passion)
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