Rustic Wooden Pumpkin and Tutorial

I met a sweet new blogger when I was at Haven this year.

Her name is Susan from the Blog, This Makes That.

She is here today to show you how to make an adorable wooden cut-out pumpkin.

I can be a bit DIY challenged when it comes to power tools,

so this will be a bit of a treat for me and you today! Take it away Susan!

Hi, I’m Susan the author of This Makes That blog

and am today’s guest host on Housepitality Designs.

I was thrilled when Shirley invited me to be a guest host

as I am in awe of her blog showcasing her beautiful home and gracious style.

Today I will be sharing a rustic wooden pumpkin project that is a lot of fun to make

and is the perfect fall decor for your front porch, entry, or anywhere.

I love decorating for fall.

It’s so easy and fun to put together a vignette using mums, pumpkins and fall leaves.

Here’s something else to add to your display.

They are a great decor item for both inside or outside on your porch

(as long as it’s covered). They are easy to make too!

I used reclaimed wood for my pumpkins to help emphasize the rustic look.

Have you ever been to a reclaimed warehouse before?

There is so much wood to search through.

It’s just like searching a pumpkin patch for the perfect pumpkin.

It can be a daunting task as there are so many boards to go through.

For this project, I chose tongue and groove boards because

I thought the space between the boards would look more like ridges on a pumpkin.

Of course you don’t have to used reclaimed wood and could use plywood or wood planks

from the local home improvement store.

The first step was to glue the wood together.

I used wood glue then clamped the pieces together

and put weights on top to ensure the boards stay flat.

Let the glue dry for 24 hours.

Next draw the shape of the pumpkin you want.

You can get a lot of ideas from the Internet by just Googling pumpkin clip art.

Start off by sketching the shape with a pencil

then when you have the shape you want trace over the lines with a Sharpie pen.

My husband is handy with the saw so I had him cut out the shape with a jigsaw.

One of these days I need to learn how to do this.

I stained both sides of the pumpkin so it can be reversible

where one side is stained and other side is painted.

I used Minwax Special Walnut stain that was leftover from our Pottery Barn inspired coffee

table and Restoration Hardware inspired rustic shelves projects.

My husband was busy cleaning the garage so I setup a little staining station in the kitchen.

Make sure to open the doors and windows if you stain inside.

You need plenty of ventilation.

I found it easier to pour a small amount of stain into a plastic bowl so I can easily dip a

lint-free cloth into the stain. Wipe the board with the stain going with the grain.

I used 2 coats of stain for this project.

I also wore plastic gloves so I don’t get stain on my hands.

After the stain dries, paint over one side with orange chalk paint.

I used the 4 oz. size of Annie Sloan’s Barcelona Orange.

It was the perfect shade of pumpkin orange!

Note, don’t paint the stem. You want to leave it the brown stain color.

Once the paint dries take a light grit sandpaper (I used 220 grit)

and scuff up the edges and random areas on the flat surface.

Use a light sweeping motion down the front where the pumpkin ridges would be.

You’ll notice the orange getting lighter in some areas and removed completely in other areas.

The variation in coloring makes it look more realistic.

Decorate with leaves, raffia, burlap, etc.

Be creative! Incorporate the pumpkins into your indoor fall display too.

Thanks Susan for that great tutorial on how to make that ever to cute rustic wooden pumpkin!!

And if you want to see more of Susan’s beautiful, fun and creative Fall ideas,

you can click on the links below.

5 Must Have Fall Decor Items

Fall Back Porch Decorating Ideas

Have a most wonderful day!!!