I love fall. From the colors to the food, I love it all. This is when my garden slows down and I can play in my craft room again. I created this fun little rustic wooden pumpkin for a church crafting day and thought it would be fun to share it.
The first step is to cut a 2 x 6 board into 3 pieces: 6 1/2 inches, 7 1/2 inches and 8 1/2 inches. You then create a groove on each side that is 1 1/4 inches from the edge of the wood and 1/8 inch deep. This separates the board into 3 sections.
The next step is to drill a 3/4 inch hole in the top of the board that is 1/2 inch deep. I make sure it is centered well. I then sand the entire piece lightly including the edges and corners.
Now it is time to start the decorating. I like an orange with just a touch of brown like this spiced pumpkin. I painted all of the block except for the bottom. When painting, always go in just one direction. In this case, I stuck with up and down so if the brush strokes showed it would just add to the feel of the pumpkin. I also just made a thin layer because I wanted it to look rustic so if the wood grain showed through that was actually a good thing.
I then took a watered-down dark brown paint and painted just inside the grooves.
Sanding the edges is what really gives it that rustic look. I sand along the grooves and each of the edges using 120-grit sandpaper.
This is the point the pumpkins can really be personalized. I chose 3 coordinating scrapbook papers and cut them to 1/8 inch smaller than the center section of the pumpkins. I then used spray glue to connect the paper to the wood.
Finally, I coated the entire pumpkin with matte Mod Podge. Again I applied it on going all from one direction.
After the Mod Podge has dried, the hole on top is half-filled with glue from a glue gun, and the stick stem is inserted. It will take a little while for this to harden as it is a larger amount.
The final step is to add a burlap tie at the top. Mine is about 1 inch wide and 12 inches long. I make mine a little frayed to add to the rustic quality.
Then, they are ready to add to the autumn decor.
