It’s Pumpkin Week here at DSC and you’ll be seeing lots of foam pumpkin crafts – but what about other varieties of dollar store pumpkin?  For instance, what about the classic, plastic Jack-o-lantern candy bucket?  One of my favorite “go to” techniques for transforming dollar store items is to use paint to make inexpensive items look like pewter.  It’s surprisingly easy to do, and it works with glass, ceramic and plastic!  I created a creepy Halloween centerpiece from a dollar pumpkin pail using this technique, and I love the end result!

Project estimate:

• Pumpkin pail, $1
• Spray paint, on hand
• Black craft paint, on hand

Total:  $1

Step one:  Remove the handle from the pail.

Step two:  Prime the pail.  If you use a spray paint made for plastic, you can skip this step.  I lightly sand the surface and then use $1 white spray paint to prime the plastic.

Step three:  Spray paint with metallic silver paint.

Step four:  Use a brush to apply black paint to the “folds” in the pumpkin.  Remove most of the paint with a dry cloth.  Repeat until the desired finish is achieved.

The inexpensive orange pumpkin is suddenly more modern and expensive looking, isn’t it?  You can use the face side for Halloween, then turn it to the back side and continue to use the pumpkin until Thanksgiving.  It would look great on a mantle or as a centerpiece.

To make my centerpiece,  I filled the pail with floral foam and paper.

I added some floral stems which I embellished with die cut paper flowers, a black bird, and doll parts.  Creepy but not gory, just the way I like my Halloween decor!

Looking for more pumpkin crafts?