Fall is here! It is October, can you believe it?! I barely can. Since this is now fall.. here is a project for your weekend... Fall decor with pumpkins and 2x4s!
As usual Pinterest was a great source of inspiration in this project.
Warning:: This tutorial is picture intense!
When we were done and went to the back yard instead that is what was left. So cute... and will be gone with the next rain.
There is my BFF Brittany from The Butterfly Mom. She was overjoyed to have her picture taken... actually it was a surprise snapping. ::evil laugh::
Linking up:
As usual Pinterest was a great source of inspiration in this project.
The only downfall was it seems like even the pin source didn't give a lot of detail about how the pumpkins were made. So I tweeted my BFF Brittany from The Butterfly Mom and told her what craft we would be doing that weekend. We craft at her house almost every weekend. It is really awesome and I love spending time over there.
Well here was my pinspiration (just coined that term.. pretty genius. I love it now.)
Originators::
Picture is JK Made post Craft Night
Idea is sourced to Brown Paper Packages post {2x4 Wood Pumpkin}
Time: Afternoon
Cost: $4 (paint and liquid nails; I already had wood and everything else on hand)
Skill: Easy to Meduim (use of a saw or someone to cut wood is a must)
Supplies::
-Scrap wood (don't buy it, find it around, ask a builder for his scraps)
-Jigsaw or wood already cut to size
-Liquid Nails
-Sandpaper (we used 150 grit)
-Pencil
-Measuring tape
-Paint (and their coordinating supplies:: brushes, water, ect...)
-Safety glasses (not pictured...yet)
Step 1:: Decide the size of your pumpkins. Cut your wood
Mine are 10in, 5.5in, 3.5in about. I say about because watching us try to measure and mark. Oh goodness! We decided on the method of marking one, cutting it and using it as a template for the other pieces needed that same length.
Make sure to use your eye protection when cutting the wood!
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| The Byrd in eye protection |
Now when you are a mom (I'm not, but Brittany is) and you are needing to use a saw, outside... what do the kids do? They cant stay inside alone...
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| Hello Sidewalk Chalk! |
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| Sidewalk Chalk aftermath |
Step 2:: Sand your blocks of wood
We used a grit 150, this seemed perfect. It was not too rough on my hands and did the job fast. The goal was to sand the rough edges and just make them easy to handle.
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| The Butterfly Mom sanding away |
Step 3:: Glue your blocks together
We used liquid nails. It is amazing stuff. It has a short dry time and it VERY strong. I encourage a wiggle pattern when placing the glue.
Also if you boards are bowed make sure to use enough glue to fill the gap or ensure you are stacking your boards so they touch evenly.
While boards are drying weight them down.
We just found stuff around the house to weight them down. If you think those containers look awesome and want to know how to make your own... Go over to Brittany's post about DIY Decorative Plastic Containers to find out how!
We took a break to eat while they dried. It was about 30-45 minutes.
Step 4:: Paint the blocks
The colors I used for the pumpkins are below.
I have never seen a solid orange pumpkin, so I was not going to paint it like that. To get the depth of multiple colors in one coat I used multiple colors on my paint plate.
When using my paint brush I would pick up paint from all three colors in the brush. This allows every stroke to have different streaks and variation.
After we painted the pumpkins we realized I forgot to cut the stems from a skinny piece of wood we had. So we repeated steps 1 and 2 for the stems and then we painted those.
I used multiple colors in these too. One shade of green, but I mixed a brownish color in.
Crafting is a messy job! That is why we put down the newspaper!
Now don't be discouraged if your painted blocks are not looking like pumpkins without the stems. We had the same reservation... but when you put the stem on... magic happened!
Step 5:: Attach the stem
We liquid nailed it on.
Other stem considerations we thought about included drawer pulls, corks and a few other things. My pinspiration used ribbon, but I like ours better.
Then they are done!
Brittany put hers in a window, and mine went on my mantle!
This was a fun project, and it was relatively easy since we already had all the supplies. I didn't use all 2x4s, I used whatever scrap wood I had laying around.
If you make a set... I would love to see them!
Happy DIYing!
Linking up:
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