Splatter Screen Fall Decor

Turn a dollar store splatter screen into an elegant home decor pumpkin accent for fall with a napkin and a metal decal.

It's a quick and easy craft.

And you won't believe the gorgeous results.
I have been a crafter my whole life. Whether it was finger painted puppies or mud pies, I've always loved creating things.

When I was small, it was all about the process, no one really expected much from a child.

However, as I got older, there was considerable more attention paid the product.

My dirt cakes were inedible and who in their right mind wanted framed rainbow colored blobs with tails in their living room.

Well. Maybe my mom...but really...no.

While I continued to dabble in high school, once I got to college, and switched my major away from art, I have to say that I abandoned the craft ship altogether.

It didn't serve any purpose or feed me in any meaningful way.

Of course, when I got married and moved into an apartment and then a home of my own, crafting came back with a vengeance in the form of DIY.

What started as a necessity, restoring flea market and curbside finds to furnish my home, turned into a full blown passion as time went by.

And this time it was all about the product.

Half as good as store bought wasn't going to cut it. Either it looked like we purchased it or it didn't come in the house.

The Exquisitely Unremarkable mantra was born decades before the blog. I was all about cheap and easy crafts and DIY that didn't look like crap.

My particular brand of cottage style has always been one that {hopefully} exudes a warm and welcoming, cozy elegance.

It's what guides my decor choices and my craft projects. I don't pick accessories as much as they call to me.

Which I suppose is why I don't do a ton of dollar store crafts.

Some, sure, like when I painted their styrofoam pumpkins, or made a banner from their candy treat bags, but overall, I struggle to see elegance when I walk in the store.

I'm not a snob, hey I love Dollar Tree just as much as the next guy, it's just that most of their items don't speak to me.

Don't hate.

I'm just being honest.

Well, the other day this all changed. I belong to a Facebook group where I saw a woman use a few splatter screens to make a pumpkin and I thought, hmmm, I bet I could do something like that.

So I grabbed one, challenging myself to come up with something tasteful and unique.

And then it sat for weeks.

I had no idea what I was going to do with it until the other night, in the middle of a fall crafting frenzy, it all come together.


These pretty guest towels were my inspiration. You may remember them from my glass cutting board makeover.

I had tons leftover so I decided to use one to create a pretty wreath of sorts with my dollar store splatter screen.


Here is where I started, boring, a buck, meant for cooking not art...but a little glue gun action changed  all that.

How To Make A Fall Splatter Screen Pumpkin Wreath

I started by painting the screen itself with orange craft paint and a foam brush. I had no intention of spending anymore money on this project, so I wasn't running out to Home Depot for orange spray paint.

Plus it was late on a Sunday night.


I wiped it away from the metal parts of the frame. I only wanted the paint on the screen.

Then I grabbed one of my guest towel napkins and placed it behind the screen to see how it would look.


It was fabulous, so I pleaded in the hot glue gun and glued the towel to the back of the frame. I did pull on it a teeny bit so the folds in it smoothed out, but very gently so it wouldn't tear.

Crafty sidebar ~ clearly, napkins are not the sturdiest of materials. Since my piece wasn't made for outdoor use, I wasn't worried.

If I were going to use it outside, I would probably use a patterned vinyl placemat, a festive kitchen towel or at least laminate the napkin.


When I had secured it all the way around, I cut off all the excess getting the scissors as close to the frame as I could.


At this point, I was very happy with the progress. I liked the way the screen framed the pretty fall scene and the orange hue cast over it from the paint.

My little splatter screen was certainly on its way to elegant, but it wasn't quite there yet.

It needed more. Luckily, I had some metal words left in my stash from last year's half a wreath fail.


They were from the dollar store, as well. I decided that one word glued across the front would add some necessary flair, and since it was shiny, a little sparkle. So I glued the word Harvest across the front.

Lastly, every wreath needs a bow, so I got started on one using my Bowdabra Bow Maker.

Now, I don't have a lot of crafting tools.

I rely on the basics, but when I started blogging - a long time ago - I was given one by the company to create crafts for them and I have never stopped using it.

It's a foolproof way to get a symmetrical bow every time. Love that.


With the bow affixed to my splatter screen, the transformation was complete. I had a beautiful new piece of decor to accent my home for fall.

I immediately hung it up on my fireplace and loved the way it looked against the stone.


I was going to cover the handle with something like ribbon or jute, but once I saw it hanging there, I realized it didn't need it.


Cheap, easy and elegant.

And not from a fancy boutique.

From the dollar store.

Go figure.

Are you a dollar store crafter?