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10.11.2019

faux painted styro pumpkins - with curtain rod finial stems!

this week i was painting a few styro pumpkins, and a weird thing happened.
i tried to 'fix' it - and a cool thing happened
it's not at all what i planned, but i'm just gonna' share the results anyway!

so if you're looking for more ideas for fall decor,
grab some Dollar Tree styrofoam pumpkins - and let's get painting!

<<< click 'continue reading' for loads of tips... 


this beautiful faux concrete paint technique is one of my most popular.
you can find my tutorial post here (and also on my tutorials page)

craft paint, a few brushes, some water, and one amazing secret ingredient
combine to create the look of concrete - on just about anything!
.
it's easy to get this rusty metal look - 
two light coats are better than one for a perfectly nubby finish, btw.

and hey, did you know you can just pull those chunky 'stems' off of the pumpkins?
they're just held on with a toothpick. 
take 'em off and stick a branch or real pumpkin stem on there instead for real rustic style!
okay, so THIS is where it got weird.
i was going for a simple copper pumpkin. i sprayed the metallic paint and... holy moly!
all of a sudden, the styro pumpkin MELTED under the paint!
it bubbled and oozed, and i did not touch it at all. it sat there and dried that way.

(reminds me of those 'ugly'/bumpy/wart-y pumpkins - how about you?!)

i can not say if this result will happen on your pumpkins or not. maybe?
the more i looked at it, it looked like really rough hammered copper metal. 
so i just left it alone. (on this one. more comin' up!)

i took the second pumpkin that was now a warty coppery pumpkin, and messed with it.
i sprayed it with a light coat of Rust-Oleum Hammered spray paint in Silver.
that stuff went right over the bumps, kinda' smoothed out, 
and looks for all the world like a rough, hammered galvanized metal finish!

it's hard to tell from the photo, but the coppery color bleeds through a bit.
i could have sprayed on a second coat of the silver, to make it more opaque.
i also could have sprayed the styro pumpkin JUST with the silver (not copper first)
but i ran outta' pumpkins!
i'm wondering if it would bubble and melt like it did with the copper paint... 

in any case, there are four easy ways to faux paint things.
things like really inexpensive pumpkins... or lamps or platters or buckets or planters or...
you get the idea ;) have fun!


ps: i'm not being compensated by any brand mentioned or linked above. 
i'm not being compensated PERIOD. i just like to share fun ideas!

OhMyGravy! you guys, i gotta' add to this post!
i was digging through my tool bins and found some stuff
so i put that stuff with THIS stuff and... well, just LOOK!

i replaced the twig and syro stems of these painted pumpkins with
curvy twisty CURTAIN ROD FINIALS!
i can't begin to tell you how easy this was - just poke 'em in there!
(now
i can share them in Miss Donna's Funky Junk Party!)

shared online:

Funky Junk Interiors | diy salvaged junk projects #496

3 comments:

  1. Don't you just love it when a craft does something unexpectedly cool. I believe there's some chemical in the paint that chews away at styrofoam. Well that's what they told me at the hardware store anyway :-)

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    Replies
    1. At first I didn't think it was cool, Michelle!!! LOL I stood there watching it boil and bubble thinking 'Is this pumpkin gonna' melt COMPLETELY away?!' When it finally stopped, then it looked like a bumpy warty pumpkin and I was okay with it.

      And yes, I agree that it's something in the metallic paint mixture that reacts with the styro - though I know that Dollar Tree imports product from varied sources, so I didn't want to promise my readers that this WOULD happen to their pumpkins - because you just never know! (Actually, with my luck, if I TRIED to replicate this effect on purpose, it wouldn't happen!) Thank you for stopping by!

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  2. They're gorgeous! That's precisely why I love DIY projects. They end up being truly magical even if you don't intend them to be sometimes. Love the sparkle and how elegant pumpkins look.

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