HOME TOUR

I’m being stingy with my pumpkins! I love the way flowers look arranged in a pumpkin but the green/blue ones cost a fortune and I didn’t want to cut in to any of mine yet. Enter inexpensive paper mache pumpkins and a brilliant idea to paint them to look like a green pumpkin. Cut the top off and add a vase inside and voila, painted paper mache pumpkin centerpiece on the cheap.

PAPER MACHE PUMPKINS

Start with a paper mache pumpkin. I got mine at Hobby Lobby but they also have some large paper mache pumpkins at Target or the smaller version which are perfect for the mini vases. You’ll be seeing some more craft ideas with these paper mache pumpkins soon. I love them.

ACRYLIC PAINTS

Get those acrylic paints out. I used shades of green and brown and blended my own colors to get the muted green tones I was after. Adding some water to the paints helped them blend and spread nicely over the pumpkins. I used a cream color to make the lines on the groves of the pumpkin, mimicking the real pumpkin I was duplicating.

TURNING IT INTO A VASE

Once I had it painted and allowed it to dry fully, I used a serrated knife to cut the top off, very much like you would a real pumpkin. It didn’t collapse or distort the pumpkin shape at all. I made a big enough opening to slip a short glass vase inside that I had already put floral tape on in a grid pattern to secure the flower stems.

It looks beautiful on a fall table set with the tones and textures of fall. Textures from the woven placemats and the wood tones from the mini cheese boards set with pumpkins.

ADDING THE FLOWERS

For the flowers I used garden basil, some kale and mums in a deep burgundy color and pretty white. Add some wild grasses and you’ve got a fall centerpiece perfect for any occasion and reusable too! The floral tape grid works wonders when you’re dealing with floppy greens like basil and heavy stems like kale. I’d highly recommend it just for the ease of arranging.

Join me as I visit all my friends below on this lovely fall centerpieces blog hop orchestrated by the sweet Leslie at My 100 Year Old Home, Ashley of Modern Glam and Janine from Happy Happy Nester. These pictures were captured by the oh-so-talented Ruth Eileen Photography. I’m so thankful for her and her beautiful pictures. Shop this table below too. Inside or out, it’s a beautiful way to gather your family around a table.