Scrapbook Paper Decoupage Faux Pumpkin Craft

I decorated a plain white faux pumpkin with a few scrapbook paper flowers and turned it into a sweet, custom home decor accent for fall.

Well, it's here, the first day of fall.

A little later than usual and on a weekend, but it has officially arrived.

I guess that means I have to put the beach towels away and start sharing pumpkins, right?

You may have noticed that while the rest of the internet has been covered in them for quite a while now, I've been showing some restraint.

I understand that I should've joined in, sharing fall decor ideas early enough to inspire, but I just love summer.

So I hate rushing it out the door. That means fall decorations aren't welcome in my home, until Mother Nature forces autumn upon me.

But that's ok, I'm ready.

You see a few weeks ago, I began cleaning out my basement stash and I made three piles.

Pile number one was labeled donations, number two was keep to display and number 3 was deemed the I could make something fun for out of this pile.

Of course, the longer I spent on this task, the more items moved from pile number one to pile number three.

That means I'm well stocked for the next few months of crafting. What's up first?

It's a super quick and colorful pumpkin makeover.

Years ago, I bought two faux white pumpkins on sale. I was sure I was going to turn them into pumpkin vases or make a Thanksgiving centerpiece out of them.

Having found easier ways to accomplish both of those things, these pumpkins remained unadorned and used as plain decor items, or worse, in recent years, they never made it out of the bin.

They were actually the first things to go into the donation pile. 

Then I went shopping for some scrapbook paper to decoupage over the scratches on an old wooden tray, and had a brainstorm.

I could cover the pumpkins with flowers. I'd seen people doing it for years online, but never tried it myself and the white pumpkins were a blank canvas.

I bought a bunch of paper, some with pink and red patterns, of course, but it was the sunflower patterns that really caught my eye. I mean they're so...fall.

Plus, I thought the colors would look perfect with my new rust colored basement decor.

The process was super simple. You know the drill.

I chose a few flowers from the paper and cut them out. I'm a pretty lazy crafter, too, so I didn't worry about getting super close to the flower.

That's just too stressful, and I craft to relax. Besides on a white pumpkin, it's barely noticeable.


With my flowers all ready to go, I put some decoupage gel on the pumpkin with a brush from Dollar Tree. I love these brushes.


I mentioned it when I shared my floral bucket makeover last week, but they're so good, and cheap, that it's worth mentioning again.

Next up, I placed the paper flower on the pumpkin and flattened it down, adding more decoupage gel over it to seal it in place.


Since the pumpkin was round, the paper did buckle in a few spots. So like I did when I made my giant floral Easter eggs, I cut the paper in a few spots to help it mold to the arches without tearing.

As I said, I was using scrapbook paper, it's very sturdy and didn't tear or wrinkle easily. Had I been using napkins, I would've had to be a lot more careful. 

I probably would've used a gloved finger to smooth the napkin down. Then again, the napkins wouldn't need to be cut.

They're so thin they would naturally curve and cling to the ridges of the pumpkin shape.


When all the flowers were in place and covered with decoupage, I set it aside to dry.

Later that afternoon, I brought it downstairs to see how it looked in the family room.

And I was thrilled.

It was so cheerful.

Those big yellow flowers blooming in my basement.

It actually made me miss summer just a teeny tiny bit less.

I guess it's a good thing I have that big pile.

So I can keep that warm feeling all fall and winter long.

While I craft my way right back to June.

😉

How do you feel about fall?

Hey, before you go it's time for another Do It Over Designers hop! It's hosted by my good friend Ann at The Apple Street Cottage. 

She pulled together a talented group of bloggers excited to share some lovely upcycles with you. I hope you'll take a little trip to visit them all to see what kind of crafty fun they have up their own fall sleeves.


Let's hop!

If you'd like to continue peeking as some fall decor you can check out my 20 Easy Craft and Decor Ideas...

Happy Crafting, Friends!