{DIY} Whitewashed Pumpkin Centerpiece

Want to add a special touch to your Thanksgiving table this year? If you’re like me and have about 30 pie pumpkins arranged in every corner of the house, why not do something creative with it that will give your Thanksgiving table setting a little something extra—a whitewashed pumpkin centerpiece.

Now, in coming up with this project…I really wanted to use those cute white pumpkins to achieve that farmhouse style, BUT, we are in Texas, and the stores do not restock pumpkins. I experimented with the white paint and love how you still get a hint of the traditional orange, but the whitewashing lends it to the popular farmhouse look. In the end, I think it turned out better than expected!

Everything is whitewashed these days, so why not a pumpkin?

So, YES, get that pie pumpkin again and make something fun and beautiful!

What you need:

• 1 Pie Pumpkin
• Cutting Board/Knife/Spoon or Scoop
• Scissors
• Permanent Marker
• White Acrylic Paint
• Paint Brush
• 2 Clear or Transparent 18oz plastic cups
• 3 Cotton Ball picks (from the local craft store)
• Fresh Flowers

Directions:

1. Cut a hole in the top of the pumpkin. I used one of the plastic cups to help me draw a circle that the cup would fit in.
   
2. Scoop out all of the pumpkin seeds and stringy parts, just like you would for a Halloween pumpkin. (save the seeds and bake them)
3. Place one of the clear plastic cups inside the pumpkin. Adjust your opening if you need it bigger.
4. Trace a line on the cup just above the top of the pumpkin, about a 1/4 inch
5. Cut the cup and then place inside the pumpkin to check that it fits, adjust if needed.

   

   

6. Whitewash the pumpkin with paint.
   a. Fill your other plastic cup with water
   b. Place white acrylic paint on a paper plate
   c. Dip the brush in the water and use the excess water to mix with the white paint on your plate
   d. Paint vertically along with the texture of the pumpkin
   e. You can add water or add paint depending on how white or how much orange you would like to be able to see

   

   

7. While your pumpkin is drying, cut your fresh flowers so that they are slightly taller than your cut cup. Take your cotton ball picks and adjust them as needed as well. *Hint: I bent the wire on the longest section of the cotton ball pick so that all three cotton balls were relatively the same height.*
8. Fill the cut cup with water and flower feed and place in dry pumpkin. Arrange your fresh flowers and cotton ball picks…. And you’re done!

Cost: about $13-15
Pie Pumpkin–$0.77
Cotton Picks–$1.47 x 3 = $4.41
Fresh Flowers–$3.98 x 2 = $7.96
Total = $ 13.14
(Assuming you already have supplies such as plastic cups, paint, paintbrush)

This picture was taken about 6 days after I first made the centerpiece. It still looks beautiful and not rotten!

I hope this sparked your creative side for your Thanksgiving decorations!

How do you decorate your table for Thanksgiving?

Melissa Bracikowski

I am a Virginia girl living and embracing Texas life! I am one of “those moms” that makes all the decorations for birthday parties and gatherings at our house—but in my defense, crafting is synonymous with relaxing.