Hi friends,

Fall is such a fun season! Lots of beautiful colors, crisp days, apples, and pumpkins! I love decorating for the season, even though my husband teases me about all of the pumpkins around the house. 😉

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I found this paper mâché pumpkin in the seasonal section at Hobby Lobby and thought it would be a fun addition to my pumpkin collection. It measures about 9 inches across and it was just waiting for a little creativity.

I decided to make it a little whimsical with some polka dots. I painted the pumpkin with 2 coats of orange chalky finish paint and the stem with 2 coats of green chalky finish paint using a foam brush. (You can find small bottles of chalky finish paint at your craft store.) You can certainly use acrylic paints – I just happened to have the chalky finish paints on hand. (This is a great set of acrylic paints if you need to resupply your craft room.)

After the paint was dry, I used a spouncer with white acrylic paint to add the polka dots randomly around my pumpkin. I used a 1.25 inch spouncer, but of course you can make your polka dots any size you want – or even make them several different sizes.

I thought it would be fun to add a beaded tassel to my pumpkin for a little something extra. Here’s how I made it…

First, I wrapped some white twine several times around my fingers. I slipped it off my hand, and tied a long length of twine through the loop using a double knot. (first photo below) Then I threaded 3 (1-inch) unfinished wood beads onto the long length of twine (I used a large-eyed needle to make it easier) and secured them with a knot tied close to the last bead. (second photo below) Keeping a loop at the top, I threaded the long length of twine back through the 3 beads towards the tassel and tied the loop into a knot close to the top bead. (third photo below)

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Using another piece of twine, I tied double knot around the top of the tassel – make sure to tie around the twine that you threaded back through the 3 beads. (first photo below) Then cut through the loops at the bottom of the tassel and trim the tassel to your desired length. (second photo below)

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Here’s a closer photo of my beaded tassel on my pumpkin. I think it adds a fun little touch.

If you can’t find a paper mâché pumpkin, you can paint any of the pumpkins you find at your craft store using chalky finish paint instead of acrylic paint. The chalky finish paint will adhere to just about any surface – just make sure to let it dry thoroughly between coats. Once the chalky finish paint is dry, you should be able to make your polka dots with acrylic or chalky finish paint.

Happy Fall and remember you can never have too many pumpkins! 😉

Anita