Looking to change up your typical fall decor this season? Try this easy dollar store pumpkin makeover!
I’ve been getting a little tired of my old fall decor, and I’ve been wanting to freshen things up a bit. However, I don’t really have the extra cash right now to spend on new fall stuff, so I needed a cheap DIY project.
This easy DIY dollar store pumpkin makeover was pretty cheap to do. I didn’t need too many materials, and, as the super crafty lady that I am, I already had all of the supplies at home.
Lord knows I love a good DIY pumpkin project that repurposes stuff I already have!
Let’s get started on our dollar store pumpkin makeover 🙂

Supplies

For this DIY pumpkin makeover, you’ll need:
- Dollar Store pumpkins and gourds. Usually you can get these in packs of 6 or more for just $1.00.
- Acrylic paint in light blues, light greens, and creams. I used paints that I already had at home and mixed in white to get the colors lighter when I needed to.
- ModPodge. I used matte Modpodge to seal the color.
- Tan or brown floral wire or twine. I used this floral wire, which I had already purchased on Amazon for another DIY project I was doing!
- Paint brushes
It’s dollar store pumpkin makeover time!
Once you have your supplies all set, you’re ready to get started.
The first thing I did was paint all of my pumpkins and gourds white or cream. I wanted to make sure the bright orange and dark green colors wouldn’t show through my new lighter paint colors.
I got a little sloppy with my white paint, but it doesn’t matter since I was going to paint over it anyways. Also not a big deal if you get paint on the stems at any point in this project–we’ll be using the twine or floral wire to cover that up later!
After you paint your pumpkins white, go ahead and let them dry before moving on to the next step.

Alright, next up in our dollar store pumpkin makeover is more painting.
I went through and painted a darker shade of my new pumpkin colors in the creases of the pumpkins and gourds. This way, your makeover pumpkins won’t be too one-dimensional.

After painting the creases a slightly darker shade of your new pumpkin color, start painting the rest of the pumpkin a lighter shade. Bring on the color blending!
Decide if you need another coat of your darker shades and lighter shades after your first coat dries. I needed one or even two more coats on some of the more stubborn pumpkins.

Give your pumpkins some time to dry completely, then use a paintbrush to give your pumpkins a coat of ModPodge. This will seal the paint and give your pumpkins and gourds more of a finished look.
After your ModPodge layer has dried, it’s time to get started on the stems to finish up your dollar store pumpkin makeover.

Get your floral wire or twine ready. Wrap the floral wire around the stem of your pumpkin, starting at the base and wrapping as many times as necessary to cover any color on the stem. If you’re using twine, tie it in a knot at the base of the stem so it is secured before you start wrapping up the stem.
I used floral wire and did not need any glue to secure the wire. I twisted it a bit so it would stay put. However, if you are using twine, you may need some hot glue to finish up your project.
Your dollar store pumpkin makeover is complete!
Time to admire your refreshed pumpkins.

This DIY dollar store pumpkin makeover project is great because you really don’t need to be an artist or expert crafter to do it. You also don’t have to spend much money to get this updated look.
I think if I do this project again, I would try to see if I could fill the inside of the pumpkins with something to weigh them down more. The ones that I used were a bit flimsy, but I think I could solve that issue with some creative thinking…we’ll see!
What do you think of this DIY dollar store pumpkin makeover project? Show me how yours turned out in the comments section below!
Sending you alllllll the fall festive vibes 🙂

P.S. Even my lil baby loved how this DIY dollar store pumpkin makeover freshened up our fall decor this season!

Fab
What a fun and great idea. It would be fun to get a bunch of friends together for pumpkins and Tinis and paint them together!