Halloween-Fall Crafts: Glamorous Paper Machè Pumpkins

I’m crazy about creating with unexpected details and unexpected items. I love mixing smooth and textured, old with new, glam with well… paper machè. Like these humble little paper machè pumpkins glammed up with gold buttons, petaloo flowers and rhinestones with just a touch of rusty wire to add a different texture to the pumpkins. In fact, they are so fancy they could easily go from a glamorous Halloween to an equally glamorous Thanksgiving table.

Supplies:

• 3 paper machè pumpkins
• Acrylic paint – white, burnt sienna
• Glaze Base – used to thin out paint without diluting the color
• Petaloo Chantilly Collection Mixed Blooms – Browns
• Petaloo Chantilly Mixed Blooms – Purples
• Petaloo Chantilly Collection – Mixed Velvet Hydrangea – Violet
• Petaloo Chantilly Collection – Mixed Velvet Hydrangea – Violet
• Rusted Wire 22 gauge
• Darice Rhinestone Setter Heat Applicator Wand
• Darice® Hot Fix Rhinestone- Peridot- 4mm
• Awl
• Hot Glue Gun
• Gold Buttons – various styles, shapes and sizes
• old cloth

The paper machè pumpkins start out looking like this. Not so glamorous!

Paint them with 2-3 coats of white acrylic paint. Multiple thinner coats work best. A heavy layer of paint may cause the paper machè to bubble and get lumpy.

Mix a little of the glaze with the Burnt Sienna paint and coat a section of the pumpkin making sure to get into all of the nooks and crannies. Wait just a minute or two and then wipe away some of the paint with an old cloth. Continue onto another section of the pumpkin until it is finished.

Repeat until all three pumpkins are finished.

Let dry thoroughly. Over night is best.

To create the rusted wire “vine” simply cut off a piece of rusted wire to 6-8 inches and wrap loosely around a pen or pencil. Slide the curled wire off the end of the pen or pencil to remove.

Poke a hole into the top of the pumpkin with an awl (or the wire), add a bit of hot glue to the wire and then quickly insert it into the hole.

Add flowers to the tops of the pumpkins with hot glue.

Decorate the pumpkin from the flowers out with the peridot rhinestones.

Display on your table or mantel and enjoy!

Post Notes: The majority of the products were provided by Consumer Crafts. Buttons from Buttons Galore and More.