Ric Rac Pumpkins

Here's an idea for decorating pumpkins that's simple and chic. I've seen it done as a craft project for kids with orange pumpkins and colored trim but wanted to put my own, more sophisticated spin on things.

As much as I love white pumpkins for their soft, subtle hue, they're definitely not the easiest to find, especially in the city. So when life gives you lemons, or in this case orange and green pumpkins that were a touch too colorful for my taste, paint 'em yourself!

With a can of Zinsser primer I'd already had on hand, up to the roof I went for a little pumpkin paint party all my own. One good coat, let dry overnight, then a second and presto chango! Perfect white pumpkins.

The stems I left green for a more natural look. They may be painted, but it's almost as if they grew that way!

I've always been a fan of ric rac trim. In kindergarten, I remember Mrs. Walters pulling out a roll around Christmas time for decorating ornaments, and I was hooked! Here, ric rac gets the adult treatment for a Halloween mantle that's simple and sophisticated. Working from the stem of the pumpkin to the bottom, I hot glued the trim piece by piece. Then, after a quick image search for "pumpkin leaf," I folded a piece of gray cardstock in half, drew the outline freehand and cut it out with a scissors.

A little marker around the edges for depth, wire to attach and voilá! Propping, by the way, can make even the easiest project look professional. For my Halloween mantle, I paired ric rac pumpkins with mercury glass compotes, creamware plates and silver candlesticks. Finally, the Spanish moss gives it that extra touch that's spooky but still oh-so-sophisticated! And if you're feeling inspired this weekend and want to give ric rac pumpkins a whirl, feel free to leave me a comment! I'd love to hear about it.

Comments

[armellarose]

Bravissimo Eddy !!! c' est chic chic !!! quelle good idee !!! e grazie mille per tutto, bacioniiii armella

je suis Italienne vivant en France région Vendée

[Gabriela]

Hello from Toronto,

Your site and your talent are totally awesome!

~ Gabriela ~

[Amy @ Living Locurto]

These are so stylish and fun! Thanks for the great idea:-) I stumbled & submitted this to Craftig.com

[Pink Balloons & Macaroons]

Love them!! I had never thought to paint pumpkins white! I adore white pumpkins! I hope you have a fabulous night!! hugs!! Britt :-)

[Diana]

BRAVO!!!!!ciao from Italy!

[Diva Style]

What did we ever do without you? :-)

[Ashley]

I love these pumpkins - great idea!
What type of paint did you use?

[Melanie O.]

Gorgeous! Such a simple idea with stunning results!

[Rachel]

These are fantastic! I'll be linking to this.

[Charlotte Fairchild]

Loved the look. My husband is a Gator football fan, so just using the blue rick rack on natural orange pumpkins would go with our already colorful decor. But I liked the look you gave very much.

[Christine]

I love it! What a great idea and I love the black and white. I never would of thought to paint the pumpkins. I just bought a ghost pumpkin, but it isn't as white as yours. Must paint!

[hanako66]

ooooooh, I love this idea! I am having an autumn tea party this weekend and will add a few of these to my centerpieces!

[alexander]

I love it! Great post!

I picked up a fairy tale pumpkin the other day, can't wait to work with it... but I'll be making a pie...

Thanks for the post!

Alexander

[jess]

Dear Eddie,

I love ric-rac. what an amazing idea! I would have never thought to do :) And the Spanish moss- what a perfect touch! It brings warm memories of North Carolina to mind.

I know that you are a fan of monogram, so I just wanted to share this little Goodwill find with you :)

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j112/jessicagrady/dainty.jpg
Despite the crappy photo (better one coming soon), I just thought this silver-plated stainless monogramed necklace was just too darling not to share!

I hope this weekend found you well,
Jess

[laney]

grandchildren were over while their mother was helping husband w/a project. went to the store right away for the ric-rac and paint and we went to work! messy and not the prettiest (4 & 6 yrs) but they had fun & I'll do it nicer later! Great idea.

[Garrison]

Love that this can be used for a kids project, sophisticated with a great kitschy feel...well done Eddie! We're in Paris this week and the wifi has been hit/miss so I missed your blog for a few days...ahhhh, nice to be back online and catch up! Maintenant, au revoir et ont une belle journée.

[Ck]

Eddie, you have great, inpsiring ideas!- Enjoy your blog a great deal!- Have a spooktacular Halloween!!

[Marie]

Can you achieve the same look with spray paint?

[Tamara]

I love the white pumpkin thing! I wonder if I could have these mass produced in India or China so that we could offer them to our customers here in Canada. Do you think they would rot in a container on the way over the ocean :) Love your ideas!

[Daisy Cottage]

Absolutely ADORE this idea!!
AND your blog!
Am adding your link to my Blog Candy roll now!

Warmly,
Kim

[GoP]

How cute is that?? I want to do some painting the pumpkins black and using orange rick rack now!

[DecorPad]

Thank you so much for posting this project, I absolutely love this idea!

[pve design]

Oh, how did you know that I have a penchant for ric-rac and made my very first dress in 3rd grade with ric-rac trim. Those are the cutest, well I mean most sophisticated pumpkins I have ever seen.
Very sweet Eddie.

[Ellen]

Love the pumpkins. Love the blog. Your creativity is contagious! Thanks for the inspiration.

[Judy]

Hi Eddie. Another fab idea. I was thinking of painting pumpkins with metallic paint but I think I will do some white ones too. It might not be warm enough this weekend to work outside though.

[Jacquelyn]

Eddie,
I always felt that a large part of Martha's genius was her ability to have amazingly talented people working for her. Until I found your wonderful blog I never knew they could also be so generous with their ideas. Thank you for sharing your inventiveness and talent.

[Camille]

Looks great! I would have never thought to do that.

[stripeydots]

What a terrific idea! Loved that you left the stems green and added ric-racs. My boys would enjoy painting the pumpkins for sure.

[Grace Piper]

This is such a fabulous idea. It would work well with what I call ghost pumpkins that are kind of a gray/white color. No painting needed!

Grace
www.fearlesscooking.tv

[dutchbaby]

Love the ribbon and the paint. I love that you left the stems that gorgeous green. I would substitute the paper leaves for real autumn leaves, though.

Ron Morgan polishes pumpkins with Johnson's paste wax. They get a beautiful deep glow with a dark patina left in the crevices.

[Amy]

very cute! Saw you on my student/friend Shawna's (sweetberrystyle)twitter and love you on TD - keep it up!

[Jennifer]

so adorable!! really, where does it end with you??

[Jan]

What a co-incidence! Just popped back into the house from spray painting my old fake pumpkins white! LOL! LOVE the rickrack trim! Painted my other old fake Jack-O-Lanterns in Rustoleum's Hammered Bronze in the black color -- REALLY great color too! Halloween is BIG here at Rosemary Cottage - after all -- we live on Lot 13 on Cemetery Hill! ((yes! honest!! -- it is Lot 13 on Plot 13 but the old cememtery is several big blocks down the way)) Spending the long weekend building ghouls for the front yard .....

Jan at Rosemary Cottage

[Karena]

I may just have to try this Eddie. Very cool and fun idea!

[karyn]

We are going to do plain orange pumpkins with yellow ric rac... kid style. Fun idea!

[Pam]

How cool Eddie, painting your pumpkins. Also, love the way you treated the sphagnum moss. Spoooooooky :)
Hugs,
Pam

[pigtown-design]

I got some white pumpkins at the farmers' market last week. This is a great idea for them. I think you could also use black silk cording for a sleeker look.