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Blue Pumpkins {how to crafts}

 

I was inspired by Jen’s gorgeous blue pumpkins that she created last fall and I just had to make my own! This craft is so easy and can be done in an evening. Jen has a fantastic tutorial for you as well, but I thought I’d show you how I did it.

For this project you will need:

  • Dollar store pumpkins.
  • Black spray paint. (I used flat $.99 spray paint from Big Lots.)
  • Crackle medium.
  • Acrylic paints

First, spray paint your pumpkins black. I did two light coats on each side.

When you’re finished, they’ll look like this. Be sure to flip them over and spray the undersides. Sometimes I forget to do this. LOL!

When fully dry, paint your crackle medium over your pumpkins (excluding the stems) and follow directions on bottle. I used Martha Stewart’s crackle medium which needed to fully dry before applying my paint.

Once your medium dries, mix together your paint and brush on in even, long strokes. Crackle medium isn’t very forgiving so don’t paint with many strokes. Just work quickly and evenly. The paint will crackle as it dries. I used a hair dryer to speed the process along because I have the patience of a toddler :). I also varied my paint colors for each pumpkin to add interest. On the large pumpkin, I painted some stripes of blue over the dried crackle just to set it apart a bit from the rest.

And here they are looking all blue and crackly!

Let’s pan out a bit so you can see my entire vignette. Side note…see those pillows? I actually sewed them! Yes, me…SEW!  It felt weird to not use my glue gun or stitch witchery on fabric, but I learned that I can actually sew something when I feel like it. Just don’t look too closely at my seams.

And one more gratuitous picture for you! And all of you safety conscious worry warts, no need to warn me, I promise not to light the candle inside the birdcage *wink*.

So who says fall has to be orange, yellow, and red? I think it’s looking rather cute in blue! Thanks Jen for your inspiration girl!

p.s. I’m over on Tip Junkie today for her Master Class Series. I’m sharing my thoughts and advice on blogging! Come say hi.

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  1. hi there. i just came across your blog & am hoping you will be interested in linking up to a new party for “outdoor fall decor” begining later this evening! hope to see you share a post! xoox, tracie

  7. Those are awesome! I was planning on spray painting some real pumpkins to gather in around our Plush Pumpkins that we’re featuring in our LoveFeast Shop. http://shop.lovefeasttable.com/
    I think to mix and match not only helps the budget but adds some beautiful texture and interest as well! Happy Fall Decorating! Chris Ann

  9. GREAT idea – thank you! I confess I bought a peacock blue ceramic pumpkin at Hobby Lobby earlier this week for my dining room, which is rocking a combination of deep oranges and reds and peacock blue. I’ll definitely have to gather up some cheap little pumpkins and give this a try for our mantel and other areas that need a little somethin-somethin for fall!

  11. Hi Beth! I loved these pumpkins so much that I posted them over on my blog. I’m a new blogger (so not much of a following yet) but wanted to share your pumpkin makeover. Very inspiring. Thanks!
    visualmeringue.blogspot.com

  12. I LOVE the runner on your coffee table! That is such a good idea especially if it has imperfections. Do you have a tutorial for it?

    Love the pumpkins too!

  15. BETH….Love ,love the blue pumkins can’t wait to do them and I have a bird cage almost the same…what shade of blue is that…thanks so much…Hope to be able to get to this this weekend…another great idea…
    many thanks Susan….

  16. Brilliant!!! I love them! I might just do this myself! Hey, I was thinking – maybe one day you could do a post on top 10 things you need to have for home DIY or decorating projects. I know it differs for each project, but noticed you always have spray paint on hand (something I don’t). These are things people like me need help with from creative minds like you! 🙂

  18. I love them! I am on a dollar store pumpkin binge right now! (Did you see the Punk one I did today?) I will have to do some like yours with the crackle medium, and I am loving the color scheme here. (Love your pillows too!)

  22. How could I forget about the blue pumpkins!? I NOW remember seeing those beauts around blogland last fall… thanks so much for the reminder! I NEED to make some… perfect addition to my fall decor since it’s still 100 in Texas and my living room is done in cool tones for the most part. Thanky Beth! I’ll be going to the dollar store after spin class tonight 🙂

  25. I love this. I was looking for ways to use blues and naturals for fall instead of the traditional oranges and reds. I must try this. Thanks for inspiring!

    • Too many to list! LOL! I just grabbed about five different shades of blue and a little brown and mixed until I liked the color. I varied it a bit for each pumpkin.

      • The pumpkins are gorgeous!!! Love them! I am also loving your blue bird cage. I have one very similar and love that shade of blue! Could you share the color???

        • Hi Denise! Thank you! The birdcage was sprayed with Krylon’s Ocean Blue indoor/outdoor spray paint.

  28. looks great!!!! i used elmers glue as a crackle medium. you apply the paint over the glue. Let the glue dry til it is tacky, just a few minutes, then paint your contrasting base coat on top. Do NOT wait for the glue to dry all the way or the top coat will not crack. This is one point that you desire tackiness. 🙂 elmers glue is pretty cheap- cheaper than the cost or regular crackle medium. 🙂

  29. Those are precious! I love that they aren’t the standard orange and black… I might have to do something like that this year too! 🙂

  31. I have never been a big fan of pumpkins. Must be the orange… But seeing those lovely white ones on Rhoda’s blog today and your gorgeous crackled ones, is making me change my heart. Maybe I’ll go hunting for some pumpkins of my own.
    I love what you did with them they look absolutely lovely.
    Love your pillows too, and hooray for you sewing them!!

  34. I’ve never seen blue pumpkins before – these look fantastic! I spray painted pumpkins last year (purple, black and silver), but the spray paint chipped off easily. What brand of spray paint do you use?
    ~ Wendi ~

  35. These are perfect! I’m not a big fan of “traditional” Halloween/autumn decor because I don’t really like warm colors that much. Thank you for using a non-traditional color – it works so well! I’m off to think of my own ideas for unique fall decorating!

  36. Hi Beth.. They turned out beautiful.. I want to try this but I am gonna go about it a little differently.. I have used elmer’s glue as my cracle medium before with painting. You paint your undercoat, in this case (black), then proceed by working in small sections. When the glue is tacky to the touch, you are ready to put the second paint choice on.. The glue will continue to separate causing a crackling look. I have not tried this on pumpkins but have done it on a lot of other projects. I will let you know how it turns out… Thanks for the tips…

  39. They are beautiful! And please NEVER ever come to my house and look at my seams. I still have to finish two pillows made from Pottery Barn napkins!

  40. I love it! I was thinking of painting some pumpkins white. I’m not a fan of all the typical “fall” colours for decorating my house.

    Do you think it would work to paint actual pumpkins?

    • Yes I do! I think you’d need to be extra careful with your paint strokes over the crackle medium (if you go over it twice it “tears” the paint). But I’ve spray painted real pumpkins before with success.

      • Thank you! Yeah….I’ve used the crackle medium before…it’s finicky stuff, but if done right…looks awesome! Thanks again!

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