Dollar Store Pumpkins 3 Easy Ways

How to transform styrofoam dollar store pumpkins into upscale Fall decor!

My little girl and I stopped in Dollar Tree the other day while my son was at school. We were in search of Fall craft supplies and Dollar Tree did not disappoint. There were all shapes, sizes, and colors of styrofoam pumpkins, plus a little scarecrow painting kit and a puzzle for my girl.

While the dollar store pumpkins are fun in their own way, I wanted to see if I could come up with some super easy ways to transform them into something a little more upscale. Each of these pumpkin transformations is very quick and uses supplies you may already have on hand (with Rub ‘n Buff maybe the exception).

An easy and subtle way to cozy up your home for Fall is to add various cozy textures throughout your decor – think fuzzy knits, warm metallics, and chunky earthenware. It was this concept that sparked the idea for 3 pumpkins with very different but cozy textures.

Let’s introduce these fun Fall pumpkins!

Pumpkin No. 1 – “The Fluffy”

Supplies:

1 Styrofoam Pumpkin
Fuzzy Yarn
Scissors
White School Glue
Foam Brush
Hot Glue Gun / Sticks
Cinnamon Stick

Instructions:

1. Remove tag and stem from pumpkin.
2. Use scissors to shred the fuzzy yarn into bits (I did this into a paper bowl). You’ll need a lot, but can always make more as you go.
3. Coat the pumpkin in school glue using the foam brush.
4. Cover the sticky pumpkin in yarn shreds until fully covered, adding more glue as needed to “bald spots.”
5. Once dry, hot glue on strips of yarn as the “ribs” of the pumpkin.
6. Carve a little slot in the top of the pumpkin and insert the cinnamon stick as the stem.

Pumpkin No. 2 – “The Shiny”

Supplies:

1 Styrofoam Pumpkin
Antique Gold Rub ‘n Buff
Paper Towel or Disposable Cloth

Instructions:

1. Apply a little of the Rub ‘n Buff to your paper towel or cloth. (A little goes a long way!)
2. Wipe/massage all over pumpkin. The more you buff the shinier it will be. This stuff is very smelly, so do this in a well ventilated area.
3. Let dry completely.

Pumpkin No. 3 – “The Chunky” (Concrete)

Supplies:

1 Styrofoam Pumpkin
Gray Acrylic Paint (or Black + White to make your own)
Black Acrylic Paint
Baking Soda
Foam Craft Brush
Small Paint Brush
Bowl for Mixing

Instructions:

1. Remove tag and stem from pumpkin.
2. Mix together gray paint (or black + white) and baking soda to make a thick paint. Coat the pumpkin in it.
3. Add more baking soda to the paint to make it extra lumpy and dab it all over the pumpkin, letting it be chunky in some areas.
4. Paint the stem black and reattach to the pumpkin once it’s dry.

TIP: For ease of painting, poke a long wooden skewer into the hole where the stem used to be and hold it that way. To let the pumpkin dry, poke the other end of the skewer into a cardboard box or prop it up in a vase or cup so the pumpkin can dry without touching the table!

There you have it – 3 quick and easy upscale pumpkins from dollar store styrofoam pumpkins!

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Hope you enjoyed these simple pumpkin DIYs! Alright, I’m off to put on a cardigan and pretend it’s cool outside…