How-to: Wooden Fall Pumpkins

We don’t claim to be crafty, but as promised here’s the tutorial from yesterday’s post…

When we say we don’t “claim to be crafty” we mean that we had to laugh out loud when we made a “materials” list.  The fact that we even own a small pair of pliers actually makes us a bit giddy.  Now, we will confess that we have hopes of being crafty, so why not start with old wood you can find along the roadside? And let’s face it, spray painting is a basic human gift right? (duct taping your shoes back together also qualifies as a basic human gift 🙂
These pumpkins are a super easy way to bring a little fall into your home.  We’re using them everywhere.  Bigger sets are great for front porches {paired with hay bales & dried corn stalks}or try smaller sets in your living room. 

• old wood + smaller branches for the pumpkin stems
• we used log rounds & 2×2’s
• sandpaper
• orange spray paint
• needle nose pliers
• florist wire
• wood glue

We decided to make a set of 3 pumpkins with a large, medium & small.  We measured ours so that the smallest was 1/3 the size of the largest and the medium double the size of the smallest.   Of course you can cut these by hand (argh) or you can find a neighbor with a nice big saw and trade cookies for cuts.

After the pieces are cut, sand down all surfaces.  This removes most of the dirt from these old pieces of wood and smooths the surface for painting.  For our square pumpkins, we sanded down all  sharp edges as well as the corners a bit to give the wood a more rustic feel. This step also serves as a bit of an outline for the  pumpkins, giving them dimension.  Using an electric sander speeds things along, but regular sandpaper works just fine too… after all there are only so many plates of cookies to go around.

Spray paint the wood pieces on a sheet of newspaper.  Remember to spray at a steady pace to avoid drips.  The pumpkins might need one or two coats.  Try to avoid a windy day or at least avoid spraying near other things that you do NOT want to be orange.

While the pumpkins are drying, make some curly-q pumpkin vines using  pliers and the florist wire. Twisting the wire around a dowel or pencil makes for nice, tight, circular curls.  Make sure to leave enough wire at the end so that it can be wrapped around the stem securely. (note the black paint on Lacey’s thumb?  That is a clue that we tried a little something with black paint and we were craftily unsuccessful)

Using wood glue, attach a small branch to the top of the pumpkin.  Be patient, the glue takes a few hours to dry completely.  (for those of you who are slightly impatient go ahead and warm up the hot glue)  After the stem is glued to the pumpkin and has dried completely, don’t be afraid to go over the edges and corners with a sander to expose the wood below.  This will give the pumpkins a more rustic/antiquey feel.  Attach your wire vines and voila–cute fall craft accomplished!