How I DIYed Faux Terracotta Pumpkins
How to make a Pottery Barn Terracotta Pumpkin Dupe on a Budget!
Can I get a “Hello Fall”?
I don’t know about anybody else but as soon as Starbucks Releases that Pumpkin Spice goodness and that Football scoreboard timer starts, it’s time to decorate for Fall! Am I right?
Last year I saw everyone (and their mothers) buy those Terracotta Pumpkins from Pottery Barn, with the hefty price tag of over $200. Fortunately and Unfortunately those are way out of my budget. I don’t know about you but if my husband heard that I spent over $200 on ONE pumpkin, I think he would think I had gone crazy and cut up my debit card, lol. So this year I decided to take the leap and make them on my own. Now I don’t consider myself a DIYer, I’m just dabbling in the DIY realm. But for this project I put on my DIY pants and figured it out, and I have to say, I thought they turned out pretty well.
Here’s What I used:
Ceramic Pumpkins - I picked these up at Target from the Bullseye’s Playground Section. But of course, you can’t search that online, They do have other plastic small pumpkins on their app and website.
Small Plastic Pumpkins - I got these from Hobby Lobby, they come in a set of seven.
Acrylic Paint - If you’re going for the “faux terracotta” look, you’re going to need Brown, White, and some other orangey colors. I used a burnt orange and a Indian Yellow. You want to add some orange or yellows to get that clay look.
Brushes - I feel like this is redundant but how else would we slap the paint on, with our hands?
Baking Soda - Adding Baking Soda to your pant gives it that gritty texture that you’re looking for.
Flour - To make the look “baked”, think old school YouTube and BAKE THAT FACE, or pumpkin.
How To:
Gather all of your Pumpkins. I wanted to put these on my mantle and console table so I bought smaller pumpkins and jack o’lanterns.
Bonus is you can find ones that light up, for extra spookiness!
Mix your Paint. I had bought acrylic paint during quarantine (who didn’t), so I had the colors on hand but I did buy big Brown and White Tubes of paint. Those are your main mixing colors. Start by mixing Brown and White , from there add your oranges and yellows to get the color you desire. I mixed in Burnt Orange and Indian Yellow into my Brown and White mixture.
Add Baking Soda to your final paint mixture. The Baking Soda is put in the paint to give it the texture that you desire and make the faux look more real.
With a Large paintbrush, Paint big brush strokes but make sure that paint is piled on. It gets a bit messy but just bare with me, it’s worth it.
Because Pumpkins are oddly shaped and there’s no real way to hold them, just sit them down and deal with the damage to the paint later. They are supposed to look like clay ( isn’t that what terracotta is), so they don’t have to look perfect.
Let the painted pumpkins dry almost completely, about 90% dry. It may take a while, because of how thick the paint is, mine took about an hour to dry.
Sprinkle Four, that’s right baking flour from your kitchen, on top of the almost dry pumpkins.
After Flouring your ‘kins, Let the paint dry fully.
Take a Fan Brush and lightly brush off the flour. The Flour on the paint is going to give them that Clay look.
Let them Dry overnight, just to make sure all of the paint is dry. You don’t want to get that mess all over your house, so let the sit and bake a little bit.
Decorate with them as you please!
I am obsessed with how they look. And I’m even more obsessed with not paying $200 for them. But if you want to know exactly how much this entire DIY cost, here is what I paid for everything.
Price Breakdown and What I paid:
Ceramic Pumpkins - $5 each [I got three]
Small Plastic Pumpkins - $4.50
Acrylic Paint- Set of Colors $57.00 Brown and White Paint $4.39 each
Paint Brushes - $20
Baking Soda - 99⍧
Flour - $4.69, or borrow it from your neighbor
Frequently Asked Questions:
How much Baking Soda do I use?
I used about two tablespoons to paint all of my pumpkins, I don’t think you can use too much. Think: the more soda the more texture.
What Color is closest to Terracotta?
I would say like a washed out Burnt Orange. So to get that color I used Brown, White, Burnt Orange and Indian Yellow.
Can you paint Pumpkins that light up?
Yes! Just don’t get paint on any of the mechanics.
Do Terracotta Pumpkins have to be orange?
I don’t think so, I think I’m going to try to do a blue version soon! They are your pumpkins and your decor, you can do whatever color you want.
Imagine Rainbow!
Do you need to sand them before painting?
I thought you did but I didn’t end up having to.
Do you spray them with anything after?
I was trying to get the cheapest way to make these possible, so I didn’t spray them with anything. But if you wanted to, you could spray them with an Acrylic Sealer.
Now the real question is, since these turned out so well and I love them.
Should I try them out in a Blue Color?
I feel like a Blue Pumpkin is more on brand for my aesthetic and decor style. But what do y’all think? Now that I’m thinking about it, wouldn’t Rainbow “terracotta” pumpkins be so cute for someone with a more colorful aesthetic? I think so!
If you end up using this step by step to make your own Faux Terracotta Pumpkins, let me know, I want to see what y’all create!
Love you mean it,
Alex
