Have you ever tried making wooden pumpkins? It’s easier than you might think! Gather scrap wood along with this unique stencil kit, and customize yours for fall!
Happy fall! Have you started fall decorating yet?
I admit I have not. So I felt it was time to grab some scrap wood and see what unique and easy fall decorating ideas I could come up with this year…
Which led to pumpkin decor once again!
Wooden Pumpkins with Pumpkin Patch sign HERE
Do you remember these wood pumpkins made from square posts?
These DIY wood pumpkins were super fun to make and turned out so rustically cool, complete with their own sign too! However there was only one problem with them.
Each of the sayings on the pumpkins were from various stencils, so in order to get this look, you’d need at least 4 stencils. So when someone requested if there was a stencil they could all be found on, I made it happen! With a few extras…
View Stencil: Mini Pumpkin Patch Kit HERE
Stencil: Mini Pumpkin Patch Kit
This Mini Pumpkin Patch Kit stencil helps you create and decorate stenciled pumpkins or wood pumpkins with a Pumpkin Patch sign, various pumpkin sayings as well as 4 grinning pumpkin carved face stencils to choose from!
I couldn’t wait to take the pumpkin carving faces for a test run! And that’s when my eyes landed on a stack of random 2×4 scraps. Well now, everyone has 2x4s… so let’s play with those!
So here’s how I made sweet and easy wood block pumpkins for fall, Thanksgiving or Halloween decor in just a quick couple of hours!
DIY wooden pumpkins for easy fall decor!
Wooden pumpkin supplies:
3 short pieces of a 2×4 (view various wood scraps HERE)
Stencil: Mini Pumpkin Patch Kit HERE
Orange paint of choice. (I used Martha Stewart Crafts paint in Carrot.)
Blackish paint of choice. I used Fusion Mineral Paint’s Ash.
Variable speed orbital sander (my fav!)
Dome tip stencil brush (my fav kind!)
Cordless drill and drill bits to create holes
Sticks for stems (I used grapevine branches)
Preparing the wood
1. Using a miter saw, cut 3 random lengths of 2x4s so they are all slightly different lengths.
When standing on their ends, these will become your wooden pumpkins, so keep that in mind when you create your varied heights.
2. Lightly sand the wood on all sides.
I like to use a Bosch variable speed orbital sander so I get the exact control I desire. I like to use about #4 for speed.
View all my fav DIY woodworking tools I highly recommend in THIS POST
Grit size for the sandpaper doesn’t matter with this project unless you wish for your pumpkins to become super smooth. I just sand enough to knock off the rough edges and surfaces.
View: Orange paint of choice
Painting the wood
3. Coat the wood blocks with an orange paint of choice.
I used a wider artist’s brush and Martha Stewart Acrylic craft paint in Carrot (doesn’t appear to be avail any longer) I had on hand.
If you don’t plan to distress your wooden pumpkins, take care using an orange tone you like.
Otherwise, don’t worry too much about the tone if you plan to distress the pumpkins with a top coat like I did.
How to distress the paint
4. Once the orange paint is dry, lightly sand along the edges and surface of the wood blocks to create a slightly distressed finish.
with Fusion Mineral Paint’s Ash
Stencil faces AND pumpkin patch messages
Loads of crafters have the ability to hand paint beautiful pumpkin faces free hand, however I felt having a stencil to make this task easier was a good idea!
The pumpkin faces turned out so adorable! And it’s so easy to stencil lots if you are making a larger pumpkin patch. Just rotate the faces and mix up the features to create even more!
5. Position the various pumpkin face stencil images over top of each wood piece where desired, then stencil the images in a blackish paint.
I used Fusion Mineral Paint in Ash.
6. Flip the pumpkins to the other side, then stencil random pumpkin patch sayings on each one.
How to stencil:
- Hold the stencil in place with your fingers.
- Dip the stencil brush into black paint, then remove most paint onto a rag or paper towel until your brush feels dry.
- Tap or swirl paint through the stencil for the desired effect.
Learn more tips about how to stencil in THIS POST.
Creating wooden pumpkin stems
I suggest to drill the pumpkin stem holes before the boards are painted. I forgot, so I just touched up with a little extra paint afterwards.
- Match up your chosen branches to a drill bit.
- Hold each piece in one hand as you drill holes into the tops of the pumpkins.
- Touch up with extra paint if needed.
Fusion Mineral Paint’s Stain and Finishing Oil in Cappuccino
How to distress with stain
The pumpkins are really cute as is!
However I desired my pumpkins to have more of a weathered, older appearance to go with my rustic style, so I decided to use a stain on top of mine.
Fusion Mineral Paint’s Stain and Finishing Oil in Cappuccino is a tone and top coat all-in-one so you don’t need anything extra!
- Open the can, and stir the stain gently and thoroughly.
- Dip a rag or brush into the stain, then brush or wipe the stain on each pumpkin side.
- Allow to sit for a few moments, then wipe away the excess with a clean rag.
Learn more about how to stain with Fusion’s SFO in THIS POST.
Adding twine to wooden pumpkins
I felt the pumpkins could use a little more detailing, so I decided to wrap some jute twine around the bases of the pumpkins.
- Start the twine at the back of the pumpkin.
- Hold the start of the twine in place, then wrap the pumpkins several times with twine
- Check the front to ensure the twine is crossing over itself here and there for a random effect.
- End the twine at the back, cut, then tie the two ends into a knot.
And are you even ready to see how adorable these easy wood pumpkins turned out?!
The finished wooden pumpkins!
And there you have it! 3 random rustic pumpkins that look as cute as can be all together, as the perfect fall shelf sitters!
But let’s have some fun with those messages now…
Above shows how the mini Pumpkin Patch sign was stenciled on the taller pumpkin, that now turns into a pumpkin sign either standing up or on its side.
The above ‘Pick Your Own’ message pays homage that this IS a U Pick kinda pumpkin patch!
As you can see, you can have a ton of fun with all the different messages with the Mini Pumpkin Patch Kit stencil! And the more pumpkin blocks you make, the more you can display.
However I will admit, just having the smiling pumpkin faces from the pumpkin patch really wraps up this little wooden pumpkins project for autumn decor perfectly, don’t you think?
Where to display wooden pumpkins:
- Decorate a fall front porch
- Attach to a fall porch sign for a fun 3D effect!
- Place inside a crate or toolbox with outdoor foliage
- Use as candle stick bases
- Decorate a fall fireplace mantle
- Place on window sills
- Display on bookshelves
- Any accent display shelving
- Compact for bathroom decorating
Other wooden pumpkin decorating ideas:
- Wrap with raffia instead of twine
- Hot glue some spanish moss along the bottoms of the pumpkins
- Scatter either real dried or faux fall leaves around the pumpkin bases
- Use large bolts for pumpkin stems
- Try non-traditional colors such as aqua!
- Add stripes, polka dots or patterns using THESE PATTERN STENCILS
- Tie Buffalo Check ribbon around the bases
The hardest part will be deciding where you’ll put them, because quite frankly, they look adorable everywhere they are placed!
DIY Wooden Pumpkins for Easy Fall Decor
Supplies:
- 3 pieces scrap wood or 2x4 chunks
- 1 stencil Mini Pumpkin Patch Kit
- Orange paint
- Black paint
- Stencil brush
- Wider artist's brush
- Sticks for stems
- Stain to distress pumpkins
Instructions:
- Cut random scrap wood pieces in different heights.
- Lightly sand, then coat with orange paint.Orange paint
- Once dry, lightly sand to distress.
- Stencil pumpkin faces in black where desired.1 stencil Mini Pumpkin Patch Kit
- Turn the wood pieces around, then stencil pumpkin messages on the backs.
- Drill holes into the tops of the 2x4s.
- Insert sticks into the holes for pumpkin stems.
- Coat with stain to further distress pumpkins.Stain to distress pumpkins
- Wrap bases of pumpkins with jute twine.
- Decorate the base of the pumpkins with outdoor leaves.
How would you style your DIY wood block pumpkins to suit your fall decor this year?
View Mini Pumpkin Patch Kit stencil HERE
Check out all the other unique fall stencils HERE
Other pumpkin decorating ideas:
Easy arrow pumpkin patch signs with twine
Pumpkin Spice coffee sign with an old window
Stenciled Pumpkin Pie sign on an old window
Buffalo Checked pumpkins in a 3D wagon fall sign
Stenciled pumpkin throw pillows shown two ways
Visit other unique fall decorating ideas HERE
Those faces are adorable. Love the little guy on the right, he looks so naughty, as if he’s done something crazy and can hardly keep it to himself 😀
These pumpkins are adorable. I’m going to make some. I’ve got the wood and would like to make some primitive houses. These are just so fun and doable. I pinned it also.
Thank you Joanne, I love them too! As for the primitive houses, I have an idea to help create those as well!
Oh my goodness! How cute are these! Love them all! Thank you for the wonderful tutorial.🧡