How to Make Gilded Pumpkins – 3 Craft Ideas for Your Thanksgiving Decor

We will show you how to make gilded pumpkins with glitter, gold leaf and gold paint – three quick craft ideas that you can try for Thanksgiving and add glamor to your home decor or table setting. The shine of gold attracts the eye, and even small details look very impressive. Gold is not only a symbol of wealth but also of class and style.

Another plus – gold decor allows you to combine different styles, colors and materials. It looks equally well with rough wood, linen and cotton and with contemporary styled, even minimalistic decorations. If you are bored with the traditional fall décor – brown, orange, burlap, plaid – that always look the same, go for gold! It is trendy, it is glamorous and inspiring!

How to Make Gilded Pumpkins – Last Minute Thanksgiving Decorating Ideas

DIY Glitter, gold leaf and gold dipped pumpkins is a great last minute decorating idea and you only need a few basic supplies and materials. These pumpkins are versatile, you can arrange them in a variety of compositions and display them anywhere in your home. Gilded pumpkins can be placed on the coffee table in the living room, in the hallway and of course – on the dining table. They will make a beautiful centerpiece or a place setting. You can use real pumpkins or faux craft pumpkins – whichever works for you. Optionally, you can use copper or silver leaves to match your décor color palette. Glitter comes in a wide variety of colors and all you need is a little imagination to create fabulous glittering pumpkins. For extra sparkle, you can use sequins which will make your pumpkins even more interesting. So, let’s see how to make gilded pumpkins!

How to Make Gold Leaf Pumpkins?

Materials:

• several pumpkins (big or small, but white works best!)
• gold leaf sheets
• adhesive (Mod Podge)
• sealer
• a small sponge brush
• a small bristle brush

Directions:

Clean your pumpkins with a damp washcloth and let them fully dry before applying the adhesive or it won’t stick.

Lay down a newspaper (or a sheet of brown paper) on the workspace.

Apply the adhesive to your pumpkins by using the sponge brush. Let them dry for 1-2 minutes.

Apply the gold foil sheets to your pumpkins. You can apply the entire gold sheet at once or apply in small pieces depending on the pattern you want to create.

When you are done with the gold application, use the bristle brush to gently apply sealer.

DIY Glitter Pumpkins

Materials:

• Pumpkins
• Paint brushes
• Acrylic paint, optional
• Glitter of your choice
• Brown craft paper

Directions:

Wash any excess dirt off of each pumpkin, and dry completely with a paper towel.

You can paint the pumpkins before applying the glitter in any color of your choice. Simply pour the paint into a bowl, and cover the pumpkin’s skin completely with 1-2 coats of acrylic paint.

Sprinkle glitter evenly on top of the wet paint.

Paint the pumpkin stem using the acrylic paint, and set aside to dry.

How to Make Gold Dipped Pumpkins?

Materials:

• Pumpkins
• Acrylic paint of your choice, optional
• Gold paint (or gold spray paint)
• Masking tape or washi tape
• Foam brush

Directions:

Clean your pumpkins with a damp washcloth and let them fully dry.

Paint the pumpkin in the desired color with acrylic paint. Let dry completely.

Tape top half of pumpkin or desired portion (make sure to cover it completely!)

Spray paint the un-taped portion with gold spray paint and allow to dry for 15 minutes. If you prefer you can spray paint the whole pumpkin with the gold paint.

Take tape off.