Paint Stick Pumpkin

Ready for a fun and easy repurposed craft that’s perfect for fall and Halloween?  This paint stick pumpkin can be made in less than thirty minutes, is a whimsical addition to your decor, and it’s super easy!  The hardest part is getting the hardware store to give you nine paint sticks {wink}!

To make this simple pumpkin, you’ll need nine paint sticks from your local hardware store.  The paint sticks at our store are kept behind the counter but we asked nicely if we could have some and they were gracious enough to hand them over.  You could also hit up your local paint store.

Lay the paint sticks side by side with the weirdly shaped end of the middle one pointing up and that end pointing down on all the others.  That middle stick will become the stem.  Freehand a pumpkin shape over the sticks then use a jigsaw to cut each one along those lines.  Don’t worry about perfect shapes or each stick fitting together perfectly.  The mismatched edges add a rustic, whimsical look to the project.

Once the paint sticks are all cut, sand the edges, then lightly brush the stem piece with brown stain …

… and use orange paint to color wash the rest {click here for a color washing tutorial}.

Let the pieces dry then glue a piece of wood across the back to hold the pieces together.

Add a little color and texture by tying strips of patterned fabric and twisted wire to the stem of the pumpkin.

Add this paint stick pumpkin to your fall decor …

… for an interesting, upcycled bit of color!

For more repurposed Halloween ideas, click over to this tutorial for book page bats that look perfect flying off a Halloween mantel …

… a faux pumpkin upcycled into a pumpkin cloche for fall entertaining …

… and a repurposed pot lid jack o’lantern!