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How To Make Polka Dot Pumpkins

By Rachel
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Last Updated on August 20, 2024 by Rachel Granholm

Learn how to make polka dot pumpkins using simple materials from around the house!

I am so thrilled to be joining some blogger friends today for this fall DIY blog hop hosted by Open Doors Open Hearts! The DIY that I’m sharing today is super easy. You might even have some of the needed materials laying around your house already, so join me as I show you how to make polka dot pumpkins!

Vintage and Cottage Style Fall DIY Ideas

If you found your way here from Jen at Midwest Life and Style, welcome, and thank you so much for stopping by! I just love her tutorial on How To Make a Stacked Pumpkin Topiary! 

If you are new here, I’m Rachel, the writer and content creator here at The Antiqued Journey. I’m so happy to have you! I encourage you to stop by the ‘about me’ page to get to know me a little more.

Here on the blog, you will find loads of inspiration for decorating with vintage and antique decor, simple DIY crafts and many thrifting adventures. If that interests you, I invite you to sign up for my e-mail. You will receive a free digital download as a thank you!

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Quick and Easy Fall DIY Decor

Once again, I was inspired to create another DIY from a magazine I was reading a few weeks ago. The beauty about this craft is that you can alter it to fit your style by using a different variety of pumpkin or choosing different paint colors.

This pumpkin DIY took me only an hour to complete from start to finish and cost me a total of $15. Let’s get into it!

supplies needed for DIY polka dot pumpkins

Tip: Try and find pumpkins that have substantial stems on them. It makes this whole project look that much better!

Materials Needed for Polka Dot Pumpkins

How To Make Polka Dot Pumpkins

1. Cover Work Surface with Paper Towel or Old Rag.

Then, start by wiping off each pumpkin with a damp rag or paper towel to remove any debris.

white pumpkins for a fall DIY project
2. Next, Paint the Felt Chair Bottoms.

To do this, pick one color of craft paint. I chose orange first.

Paint one full sheet of the felt chair bottoms with your chosen paint color.
orange painted felt chair bottoms for a DIY
Using your paintbrush, be sure to paint all the way around the sides as well.

All of the sides will be seen when you adhere them to the pumpkin.
sides of felt chair tabs painted green for a DIY
Then, using the other color of craft paint, paint another whole sheet of felt chair bottoms.

This time I used an olive green color.
small felt chair bottoms painted green for a fall DIY
Let both of those sheets dry completely before continuing.

You can choose to use more colors if you like. So, if you wanted to only have these felt dots on your pumpkins, you could opt to paint five sheets of these in five different colors. It’s totally up to you!two colors of felt chair bottoms for a diy project

3. Next, Choose the Pumpkins You Want to Use for the Felt Dots.

Then, simply peel off the felt dots one at a time and adhere them to the pumpkin.
orange felt chair bottoms for a pumpkin DIY
There really isn’t a method for adhering the dots.

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I just went back and forth with them, making sure the pumpkin wasn’t looking too cluttered but also not too bare.
a white pumpking decorated with orange felt chair bottoms
I used the same process with the green dots.
green felt chair bottoms on a white pumpkin

4. After That, Grab the Furniture Tacks.

I liked these because there were many different metal hues to choose from!
furniture tacks used for a DIY
For this step, all you do is gently press the tack into the pumpkin.

I chose to use the copper colored tacks as well as the brass ones for a vintage feel to my pumpkins.
push tack into pumpkin
Again, there isn’t a right or wrong way to do this process. I simply pushed them in and spaced them apart in kind of a zig-zag formation.

That way, I wasn’t getting them too close together. You do what looks pleasing to you!
aged brass tacks in a white pumpkin
I truly love how these brass tacks look against the white pumpkin. It’s so pretty!

Continue this same process with the tacks until you have all of your pumpkins bedazzled.
copper furniture tacks in a white pumpkin for a DIY

5. The Last Step is to Paint the Stems.

I did this to step to create a cohesiveness between the pumpkins.

For something extra fun, I chose to use a metallic copper craft paint.
copper craft paint
Simply dab a little paint onto a brush and paint it onto each stem.
painting stem of pumpkin
You don’t need much copper paint to cover the stems.

Continue this process until you have all of the stems painted.
polka dot pumpkins dryingThat’s it!

Now, you get to display you’re finished pumpkins!
DIY polka dot pumpkins displayed in a vintage bowl

How to Display Polka Dot Pumpkins

There are many ways that you can go about displaying your pumpkins. Above, I displayed them altogether in a vintage bowl.

You can also display the tack pumpkins together and the felt dot pumpkins together.

Or, try dispersing them separately throughout your home!

Other ideas include:

  • style them in an apple basket
  • use as porch decor
  • line them up across a windowsill

DIY polka dot pumpkins displayed in a milk glass bowl

Closing Tidbits on How to Make Polka Dot Pumpkins

I hope this project on how to make polka dot pumpkins encourages you to get creative and try something new!

This DIY craft sounded too simple in my head, like so simple that I almost decided to share something else. But, at the end of the day, sometimes simple is better. It’s completely okay to not do some crazy, over the top project once in a while that needs a bajillion tools and materials.

Be encouraged to pause, take a breath, and carve out an hour for yourself to be creative, however that is for you.

signature from The Antiqued Journey

Up next on this blog hop is Lora Bloomquist Create and Ponder. Lora and I live near each other here in Minnesota. We met for coffee over the summer and she is such a joy. Her style and decorating is out of this world gorgeous. Go on over, say hello, and read all about her fall DIY, a Leafy DIY Fabric Scrap Wreath!

an image for pinning

Just click the red button in the left corner!

DIY pumpkin craft with small white pumpkins

5 Fall DIY Projects

I look up to and admire each of these beautiful women. They do such amazing work and are so creative! Here are my friends who are included in today’s hop. I would be so grateful if you would stop by and say hello to each of them!

The Antiqued Journey | Create and Ponder | Open Doors Open Hearts
Sky Lark House | Midwest Life and Style

If you are new here, I’m Rachel, the writer and content creator here at The Antiqued Journey. I’m so happy to have you! I encourage you to stop by the ‘about me’ page to get to know me a little more.

Here on the blog, you will find loads of inspiration for decorating with vintage and antique decor, simple DIY crafts and many thrifting adventures. If that interests you, I invite you to sign up for my e-mail. You will receive a free digital download as a thank you!

Follow Along with The Antiqued Journey

Other Fall Posts to Enjoy

DIY pumpkins using wooden rosettes
Wood Rosette Pumpkins DIY

vintage fall decor styled in a vignette
Thrifty Fall Decor 

vintage copper styled in a kitchen
Vintage Copper Styling 

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Rachel from The Antiqued Journey blog

Hey! I’m Rachel!

I’m so glad you are here! Old things are my jam. Antique malls and thrift stores are my happy places.

Here on the blog I love to share my excitement, knowledge, and ideas about all things antique, vintage, and thrifted. Let’s journey together!

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