Paint Farmhouse Pumpkins With Homemade Chalk-Style Paint

Paint your pumpkins with a special trick to add rustic, vintage texture. These pumpkins will cozy up any home for fall.

Two White Pumpkins with Flowers, Two Ornage Gourds and a Green Pumpkin

Let dry completely

Let dry completely and then you’re finished. These farmhouse pumpkins are the perfect decoration to bring some coziness to your home this fall.

Photo by: Karen Kavett

Karen Kavett

I've painted a lot of pumpkins in my day, and honestly, I think these are the best. You can add rustic texture (plus a cute, cottagecore floral pattern) to any boring old faux pumpkin for a display you can enjoy for years to come. The trick? Baking powder!

Farmhouse-Style Painted Pumpkins
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Materials + Supplies

  • faux pumpkins
  • acrylic paint
  • paintbrush
  • baking powder

Prepare Your Paint

On a palette or paper plate, mix a 1:1 ratio of acrylic paint and baking powder (Image 1 + 2). This is what gives the pumpkin its rustic texture. You can mix together different paint colors until you reach your desired hue before adding the baking powder. Don't add the baking powder until you're ready to paint your pumpkin, as the baking powder will make the paint dry very quickly.

Paint Your Pumpkin

Brush two coats of paint onto your pumpkin, letting it dry completely between each coat (Image 1 + 2). A paintbrush is best because it allows the brushstrokes to come through for a more handmade, vintage look (Image 3).

Transfer the Pattern

Optionally, print out the "Oh My Gourd" pattern (Image 1) or another fun saying, and cut it out. Color on the back with a pencil (Image 2). Tape it onto the pumpkin and trace around the outlines with a sharp pencil (Image 3). When you remove the paper, the design will have been transferred onto the pumpkin (Image 4).

Paint the Text

Use acrylic paint to fill in the text (Image 1 + 2). You don’t need to add baking powder to this paint.

Paint the Stem

For extra texture, paint the stem in a 1:1 acrylic paint and baking powder mix in a color of your choice (Image 1 + 2).

Paint Flowers

Mix a palette of dusty red and pink acrylic paints, or another color palette of your choosing. You don’t need to add baking powder to this paint. Use small paintbrushes to paint flower shapes, dots and hearts. Painting flowers is easier than you might think — just use simple strokes like crosses and U-shapes. You can research flower pattern illustrations online and practice your designs on a piece of paper or card stock before painting your pumpkin.

Fill In Details

Mix white and yellow paint to create a pale yellow to add details to all of your flowers (Image 1). Use green paint to add stems and leaves (Image 2).

Dry and Display

Let dry completely. Try using this method to create an entire pumpkin patch for fall decorating. The pumpkins are great for adding farmhouse charm to a centerpiece, mantel or anywhere that needs a bit of coziness.

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