Faux Painted 'Concrete' Pumpkin Tutorial

I was inspired by a trip to Roger's Gardens Nursery in Corona del Mar, California

when I spied some HUGE, GINORMOUS concrete pumpkins at their store:

One look at them, and I had a craft project in mind!
My versions would be smaller, naturally, and also lighter in color....

 I wanted mine to be a bit more subtle and less scary than Roger's Gardens versions, 

so I went with lighter gray paint.
You can easily do this with dark gray and black paint to get the same results as in the photos up above...

Follow my tutorial below 

to transform some gaudy orange Dollar Tree pumpkins into concrete classics,
using my simple faux paint tutorial - including my 'secret ingredient'!

Faux Concrete Pumpkin Tutorial

Supplies:
styrofoam pumpkins (this canteloupe-sized pumpkin is $1.00 at the Dollar Tree)
acrylic / craft paint in white, black, and dove gray - matte finish

cup of water

palette (I use a paper plate)

paint brushes - large for base coat, smaller for details
and A SECRET INGREDIENT to be divulged later!

Instructions:

Step 1:
First, basecoat the entire pumpkin with white paint. Let dry.

Step 2:
Mix some gray paint into white paint on the palette,

then cover the pumpkins completely with this color.

(I left the stems unpainted until the end so I could use them as 'handles' while painting)

You will now be working in a 'Wet on Wet' paint technique, 

which means you will move on to the next step before the paint dries completely...

Step 3:

 Pour some straight gray paint onto the palette. 

Mix in a bit of water to create a runny consistency, to create a 'wash'.

Using a smaller detail brush, paint the grooves of the pumpkin with the gray wash,

and also the whole bottom (underneath) of the pumpkin.

Before the paint dries,
Step 4:
Add a little bit of water to the pale gray paint left on your palette (from step 2)

and brush it with a 'scrubbing' motion over the edges of the dark gray lines in the grooves.
You want to smooth out the edges, not cover all of the dark gray.

Leave some of the dark gray visible on the bottom of the pumpkin.
At this point, I painted the stems with the dark gray color.

Still working with wet paint over wet paint,
Step 5:

Add a bit more white paint to the lightest gray to make a very light gray wash.

Use the smaller detail brush to 'scrub' the white paint
across the top edges of the ridges on the pumpkin.
Blend this color in well so there are no divisions of color on the pumpkin - just smooth transitions.

While the paint is still wet...

Step 6:
Now is when when we bring in the SECRET INGREDIENT!
It's FLOUR. Bleached flour.
Yes, really....

Wet a small brush with a tiny bit of water, then pick up some flour and put it on the pumpkin, 

in the hollows and grooves of the pumpkin, where the gray wash is wet.
Wet your small brush and pick up more and more flour to get it all over the top and upper side surfaces.

 After the flour is on the pumpkin, use your fingers to press it into the wet paint and smooth it a bit.

Don't forget the bottom!

Let the pumpkin sit to dry for a few minutes.
The flour will absorb some of the paint's moisture, 

causing it to stick to the pumpkin.
After it is dry, brush LIGHTLY with your fingers to remove loose flour.
The flour left on the surface gives the finish the look of dry, flaking concrete.

It's not needed, but if you wish, you can spray the whole pumpkin with matte clear sealer

 or with hairspray. Works just as well!

 Your pumpkins will look like they are made of concrete, and they will weigh almost nothing!

This painting method will also work on plastic pumpkin buckets, 

making them look like hollow concrete planters & vases!
.(spray the inside of the bucket with gray outdoor furniture paint so it's waterproof)

I also used this method on a plain old styrofoam head form.... and it's awesome!

(that's one of my original Junk Queen Crowns from way back in 2008 on her head -
with bleached leaves added for fall )

I've used this paint technique in another project...
Come see what else I transformed with paint! 

shared online:

funky junk interiors | diy salvaged junk projects #440

thank you for the feature, Miss Donna! 

cupcakes & crinoline | project inspire{d}

DIY on display

practically functional | creativity unleashed
yesterday on tuesday | project inspire{d}

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Haunted Mannequin

Once again, the master visual stylists at Roger's Gardens in Corona del Mar, CA

have outdone themselves with this years' Halloween decor...
the theme is 'Haunted Elegance', and this Haunted Mannequin is a perfect example.

She's elegant and scary and vintage-looking
AND 

she has secrets!

I thought there were some ideas here that could easily be used to create your own mannequin
for Halloween decor in your home...

The mannequin herself is a simple black cloth figure on a black wood stand - 

you can find those new or simply paint an existing mannequin form black.

Her first secret is her clothes. They aren't clothes at all.
They are TABLECLOTHS!

Yep.
See that cabinet behind her? It's holding damask and netting linens for sale.
The visual crew used it as fabric to create her wardrobe.
(It's kind of a 'Project Haunted Runway' thing going on there)

And there's another secret to be shared:
Her skirt has an underlayer to give it shape.
It's not a petticoat or a hoop. It's more a SKELETON of a hoop - 

created with

(drum roll, please)
WIRE TOMATO CAGES!

( I LOVE using tomato cages as a decor element! See more here!) 

Cut open on one side and then bent and connected together, 

the wire tomato cages are partially wrapped with cloth tape (like medical tape) to hold them together - 

and it looks very musty and old.

Then the layers of fabric are added, tied on, pinned,

bustled and flounced to give her Edwardian-era gothic fashion style...

open in front to allow a peek at the underskirt framework.
A sash of black satin holds the 'skirt' on and is finished with a sparkling pin.

On her back, a swath of the netting tablecloth is gathered up to form a cowl collar on top,

and then fall like a cape behind her.

Her bodice is expertly adorned with bones.

Not an actual 'skeleton' showing her ribs, this effect is more artful and suggestive.
More bones on her shoulders give the effect of epaulets.

Bones can be found at the Dollar Tree or party supply store...

and no, they won't look like these!
However, after a wash of thinned light gray paint
and then some 'antiquing' with a dark gray paint wiped on,

you'll get an old, decrepit look to them.

...and then there's her jewelry!

This stunning necklace was created by combining multiple sparkling rhinestone 

pins, brooches, earrings, belt buckles, and necklace pendants.
The assemblage is pinned right onto the mannequin form, 

but you could hang a real assembled necklace on one, too.

I just love how the designers there come up with fun new ways to use materials

that we see EVERYWHERE for Halloween...
I mean, other stores put tablecloths on tables, for goodness sake.

But at Roger's Gardens, they elevate the everyday to ecstasy!

shared online:

Practically Functional | Creativity Unleashed

Yesterday on Tuesday | Project Inspire{d}

le Style du Jour....

On Saturday afternoon, I spent a lovely and relaxing few hours with friends

as we attended an event at a beautiful local vintage/antique shoppe...
Vignettes is located in Ocean Beach, Ca (near Point Loma in San Diego)

It is one of the prettiest antique shoppes around, 

and the events there are frequent, inspiring, and always CROWDED!

This event was the store's 19th anniversary celebration, 

and the decidedly French theme 'La Vie en Rose' was everywhere.

To my mind,  nothing was more stunning than the 'front room', 

which was all decked out as a boulangerie/patisserie.

 This color scheme is so perfect...

the deep charcoal chalkboards (made on bread boards, did you notice that?)
and blue-green pumpkins create contrast with the warm brown wicker, wood, and bread tones.

 Up close, the details are even more inspiring...
vintage labels made into patches on a burlap-covered bench, vintage signs, 

onions and pumpkins - and more gloriously rich wicker.

Even the simple addition of the word 'VIN' in black paint on a plain old wicker basket

adds incredible interest here.

...and can we talk about that SIGN???!

It's an old walnut and maple footboard,

with the simple addition of some painted lettering and varnish.
Tres Chic! (and tres eeeezeeeee, oui? )

I was looking everywhere, inspired, shooting tons of photos, 

and I kept thinking:
Why couldn't this stunning display inspire 
the color palette, theme, and accessories for a ROOM?
Why couldn't a kitchen look like this?

Why not? Inspiration is everywhere. 

And Francophiles would certainly feel right at home here!

This chair was NOT in this room. In fact, it was in another store altogether.
But if I were decorating, I'd PUT in in this room!

Then on Sunday, while I was decorating my office, I uncovered an old photo

torn long ago from a magazine (possibly 'La Vie Claire'.... but I'm not certain....)

To me, this is EXACTLY what the outside of that sweet boulangerie would look like:

See more from Vignettes on their facebook, website, and blog.

String Me Along...

Another SUPER 'Fast, Cheap & Easy' TM project for fall, with one of my favorite approaches:
Use everyday items in ways they weren't intended to be used.

These 'pumpkins' are made from twigs, leaves, and rolls of twine, thread, and string!

Simply grab rolls of string, twine, thread or yarn that you  might have on hand,

or head to the dollar store for new ones.

Stand the roll up on one end and insert a twig from a tree into it.
Add a leaf or two - and you're done!

Display a few different kinds together, 

paired with other fall elements like canvas runners, wood serving trays and old books.

This is what I call 'temporary decor'...when fall is over, pull out the twigs and leaves,
and tuck your string back into the kitchen junk drawer :)

shared online:

funky junk interiors | diy salvaged junk projects #443

cupcakes & crinoline | Project Inspire{d}

Copper Kitchen Scrubby Pumpkins!

 I think this is, quite possibly, the EASIEST crafty idea I've come up with. EVAH.
And it's for pumpkins - go figure :)

This is so easy - I literally made it as fast as I thought of it!

It's got three 'ingredients' and two steps.

Should take you all of... oh, three minutes.... to make.

 Take the copper scrubbies out of the package that you bought for a BUCK at the Dollar Tree store.

 Break a small branch or twig from a tree or bush, and shove it into the middle of the copper scrubby.

Tuck a fall leaf or two into the copper scrubby, right next to the branch.

Tah Dah!
You have a pumpkin!
Or maybe an apple, if your stems are as long as mine shown here ;) 

That's IT.

I ALSO played with one and pulled it apart a bit,
then created a stem by twisting the copper mesh.
I don't like it as much, but that's how crafting is -  Some things work, some don't.

Anyway, that's a truly 'Fast, Cheap & Easy'TM decor project for you!
No fuss, no muss, no stress, and hardly any money. Just good, cheap fun.

Oh, wait... I shoulda' said Good CLEAN fun, huh?
'Cause they're kitchen scrubbies, right? LOL

PIN-ABLE 'how to' IMAGE:

I came up with this idea last week,

when I saw a bag of copper kitchen scrubbies at the Dollar Tree store.
I bought them then, and it wasn't until yesterday morning that I created and photographed them
(in record time, BTW).
After editing my images and preparing this blog post, 

I decided to do a quick Google search for anything slightly resembling these before publishing.

Though I have never seen anything like them,
I've learned to do my due diligence in the DIY/craft industry, 

because being professional, thoughtful, and ORIGINAL is important.
If I'm inspired by someone or something,  or find out they beat me to it,
I'll gladly credit them.

...and if I'm not the first/original, I'll 'fess up to it... 

I found ONE image from ONE blog post, back in 2012.
So, even though I did come up with this idea on my own,

I am not the first person to do so or to put it online. I'm the second :)
Check out Danyelle's version from 2012 over at Life Is A Party -
hers have the addition of wire as a stem, instead of a branch.
You can also see a pretty sweet little wreath made from the same materials,
in a post from 2010 on the Dollar Store Crafts blog.

Want more of my pumpkin ideas?

painted pumpkins
mini clay pumpkins
glass globe pumpkins 
painted pail pumpkins
sweet sweater pumpkins

embellished sweater pumpkins

... and I'll have another one in my next post!

shared online:

One Project Closer | Creativity Unleashed

Cupcakes & Crinoline | Project Inspire{d}

Thank you, MaryBeth, for including my pumpkins in your Project Inspire{d} Feature!

.