Want a unique and affordable way to decorate your home for fall? Why not upcycle faux pumpkins? These 3 easy ways to upcycle old fall decor will help you give your faux pumpkins a rustic fall look.
Every year it seems like there are new trends when it comes to fall decorating.
We’ve embraced some of them, like when we went a little nuts with sweater pumpkins!
Fortunately, some trends are truly timeless like decorating with amber glass.
But I’ve bought lots of things that don’t really go with my fall aesthetic anymore.
For instance, I have a ton of brightly colored faux pumpkins.
Fortunately, it’s super easy to turn the older things you have in your fall decorating tubs into something a little more up-to-date!
Right now, one of the more popular trends is the faux terracotta or faux concrete look.
With the help of some craft supplies you may already have around your home, you can give your older fall decor a brand new look.
Make it look current.
All while reducing your waste.
Don’t throw out that old fall decor that doesn’t suit your current style!
Give it an update with these three simple techniques.
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Where to Find Inexpensive Old Fall Decor
If you haven’t been decorating your home for the seasons, you might not have a stash of old, outdated fall decor.
Not to worry!
You don’t need to drop big bucks on the new trends.
Instead, check out some of these places to get fall decor for cheap:
- Facebook Marketplace
- Thrift stores
- Yard sales or garage sales
- Dollar stores
Where to Find Inspiration for Current Decor Trends
If you’re not sure what styles are current, there are a few sources we love to review to stay on top of current decorating trends.
In the past, we had to buy home decorating magazines to learn about new ideas.
But now? There are so many places where you can find decorating inspiration!
The best part is you don’t have to spend a cent to learn which trends are popular.
Social media is a great place to start. Check out Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok to see which decorating trends and styles are standing out. You can also take a look at Etsy to see what trends makers are following.
Another great spot to look for new trends is catalogs from your favorite home decor stores.
Each season we scour the catalogs from Pottery Barn, Ballard Designs, Front Gate, Balsam Hill, and Grandin Road.
If we’re being honest, most of these sources are way out of our budget.
After all, those money trees still aren’t producing in our backyards!
But those catalogs are fantastic sources of inspiration.
We love to look at the things they’re selling and figure out how we can make them for less. Preferably using things we already have at home.
Upcycling your old decor is the best way to stay on-trend, for less.
Method 1: Spray Paint
One of the easiest ways to give your old fall decor a brand-new look is also really inexpensive.
Spray paint can completely transform so many things to make them work with your home’s fall aesthetic!
Whether you want to turn something white, black, metallic, or a completely different color, odds are you can find spray paint that will do the trick.
We both tend to prefer a more neutral color palette in our homes, so we chose to turn these inexpensive bright orange ceramic pumpkins black.
With very little effort (and almost no dollars) we were able to duplicate the look of the popular black metal Pottery Barn pumpkins.
Method 2: Acrylic Paint and Baking Soda Paint Technique
Lately, a very popular look for decorating is matte textured pieces.
Here are some gorgeous pottery vases and lamps that are great examples of this style.
After doing some research, we found a technique that lots of people are recommending to duplicate this look.
Combining acrylic paint with baking soda is an inexpensive way to add a worn looking texture to all kinds of things in your home.
We decided to give this technique a try with an old faux pumpkin.
First, we spray-painted the pumpkin black.
Next we mixed black and white acrylic paints to get the shade of gray we wanted, then added baking soda and mixed it up.
We found that you need a lot more baking soda than some tutorials claim.
To get a textured look, you need 2 parts paint to 1 part baking soda. You can play around with the ratio to get the exact look you want.
If you want more texture, or you want to add some color variation, sprinkle more baking soda over the object you’re painting when the paint is nearly dry, then rub it in.
I used a bag of baking soda and struggled a bit with the baking soda being a little clumpy.
If you want a smoother look, be sure to break up all the clumps before adding it to the painted object.
Method 3: Add Texture with Stucco
We played around with a few other methods but discovered we really liked the natural texture that the pre-mixed stucco patch gave our faux pumpkins.
We ended up using this technique on a number of old faux pumpkins and gourds!
All you need is a container of pre-mixed stucco patch, some paint, and some baking soda.
Gloves are also really helpful to keep your hands from getting too messy.
We tried using a putty knife to apply it first, but since the pumpkins are curved, we liked the way it looked more when we just applied the stucco with our hands.
Simply spread the stucco mixture over the faux pumpkins and gourds, then allow it to dry.
Stucco has a naturally rough texture that we really liked.
Once the stucco is dry, use a nylon bristle brush to gently brush away any loose pieces.
You can stop right here if you like the way the pumpkins or gourds look!
Or, if you want to get the look of the latest Pottery Barn black terra cotta pumpkins, then keep going.
Combine black and white acrylic paint to get the shade of gray you like best, then use a foam brush to dab the paint onto the faux pumpkin.
We found the foam brushes did the best job of getting into all the little nooks and crannies of the stucco.
Let the first coat of paint dry completely, and then do a second coat.
The stucco has a way of drying that leaves some white spots showing through, even when it looks completely covered after the first coat!
Now, let the second coat of paint dry until it’s a little tacky.
Baking soda is the trick to get the concrete look.
Simply rub it all over the tacky surface.
The baking soda will give a nice, chalky finish. Just keep adding more until you get the look you want.
If it looks too white, you can always do another coat of paint and then try again with less baking soda.
Once the paint dries, use a chip brush to gently brush away the loose baking soda.
If you like the way it looks, use a spray-on matte sealant to protect the pumpkin, gourd, or skull.
What do you think you’ll try this technique on first?
After doing these pumpkins, I can’t wait to give it a try on some old faux skulls I have in my Halloween stash!
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