DIY Striped & Polka Dot 4×4 Wood Pumpkins
Just so you know, I’m totally obsessed with stripes. And polka dots. I’m giddy over these Striped & Polka Dot  4×4 Wood Pumpkins, and they are fall decor perfection!
 Could you not DIE????
STRIPED & POLKA DOT 4×4 WOOD PUMPKINS
You are going to love how easy they are to make…and I’m going to show you how! These would be really fun to make in a group (Super Saturday), as a gift, or for your own cute house! I made these for less than $2, since I already had the paint.
Going in on it with someone will drastically reduce your costs, because you can share paint, and the 4×4 post. You can get a lot of the supplies at Michaels–craft paint, twine, hot glue, vinyl, and even circle stickers if you don’t have a Silhouette. Â The rest of the stuff I got at Home Depot. Or, make these for others, and they become a really inexpensive and super adorable gift idea!Â
SUPPLIES:
(affiliate links are included for your convenience)
- -4×4 post, cut into three lengths–10 inches, 7 inches, and 4 inches
- –spray paint in orange and white OR craft paint
- -1 inch (approx.) stick or branch
- -painters tape
- -round stickers/vinyl circles
- -drill
- -1 inch spade bit
- –wood glue or hot glue
- -juteÂ
- -sander
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DIRECTIONS:
1. The first step is to paint your wood the base color–the color you want your polka dots to be. For the stripes, your base color will be the one that you DON’T want the top to be. Let it dry completely.
2. Apply your round stickers to the ( I used my Silhouette to cut out 1 inch circles) pieces of wood that you want to be polka dotted. I didn’t have a pattern that I followed–I just added them the way I liked them! Apply your painters tape to the piece of wood you want to be striped. I used Frog Tape, and applied it so that I skipped a space equal to the size of the tape, so that the striped would be even.
 3. Once the tape and stickers are on, you can paint the wood the top color–the other color! For example, if you painted a piece of wood white first, then added the stickers, you would spray it orange. The wood would end up being orange, with white polka dots. Let dry completely.
4. Remove the stickers and tape. Using a 1 inch spade bit, drill a hole in the top of each piece of wood. Cut your branch/stick down to the height that you want, then use hot glue or wood glue to secure it inside your drilled hole. If you use a branch that’s smaller or larger than 1 inch, you will have to use a different size spade bit. Try to find a branch that’s close to the size of one of your bits, or there will be a noticeable gap.
 5. Sand the edges of your wood, and VERY lightly on the fronts. The paint will come off easily, so use a fine grit sandpaper and go very lightly. It’s so cute, because the color you painted first will come through, giving it a really great texture and dimension. Wipe of all the excess dust, and tie twine to the largest pumpkin! Ta-da!!! Darling striped & polka dot pumpkins!!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! These are the perfect fall decor, because they can stay out for fall, Halloween, and Thanksgiving!
Other Fall & Halloween projects you might like…
What kind of spray paint did you use? Was it gloss, satin, or flat.
I’m doing a craft night coming up and making these (Super adorable by the way). Do you think craft paint would work ok? My party is at night and not a lot of room at my house to spray paint:)
Yes, you could use craft paint, but it will take a lot—it’s absorbed into the wood easily. It also takes a little longer to dry. If you plan for these possibilities, you should be fine!
You can also spray paint outside–lay a tarp out on your driveway or porch, and turn on the outdoor lights–if you have space.
Have fun! They are perfect for craft night! xo
Kierste, I just wanted to tell you that my 82 year old mom and I took the day together and made a set of these precious pumpkins for both of us! She used the cream color instead of the white but I made mine just like yours. We had so much fun doing these. For the dots, we used the circle yard sale stickers you use to put prices on items and they worked well. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful ideas with all of us:-) Tomorrow I plan to make your recipe for cinnamon swirl cake! Xoxo
I LOVE that you made it together!! That’s one of the best parts about making things—making it with someone you love!! You’ll have to let me know what you think about the cake. :) xoxo
I <3 your sweet stripes and dots!!! Pinned
Thanks so much for stopping by and pinning!!! xo
Aaaaaaadorable! This is great.
Thank you so much, Deborah!!! So glad you stopped by!
These are absolutely adorable. I am working on a set of these right now. Would acrylic craft paint work ok, ya think? Spray painting is such a mess. Any tips you can give me? Thank you!
Thank you so much! Yes, you can use craft paint. I don’t typically use it because it takes a lot more paint, and several coats, meaning more time. The wood soaks up the paint faster. But, it will totally work, and if you prefer it, you can definitely use it!
When I spray paint, I lay out a tarp for protection. I have squares of plywood with nails poking out of it for my wood to sit on so it’s off of the ground, and I do a quick spray. If you’re in a confined space, or don’t have room to use spray paint, or don’t like the mess, then craft paint is a good option! Just buy more paint than you think you’re going to need, and you can always return it unopened if you don’t need it.
Good luck! Let me know if you have any other questions!
Added this to my Pinterest board for fall crafts I wanna do and included you on my blog for the November Blogathon for links to awesome fall crafts! LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!!!!!
Yay, thank you so much, April! So glad you love it!
I am making this project and now that I’ve read through the mile of posts see that there were things you added or adjusted to the directions…would be helpful if you change he directions so that’s what we would have to go by.
Thanks for posting, it is adorable.
Hi Nanna,
I’ll have to read through all the comments and make adjustments, thanks! I know there’s something in there about the width of the tape, but I couldn’t remember anything else. Thanks for reading!!! xoxo
Too cute! How many blocks of wood do you think one can would cover?
I am SO sorry, Becky! I don’t know how I missed this comment! I’m sure it’s way too late, but it really depends on heavy you are on the paint. I can usually get 3 sets at least out of a white can and orange can–maybe even 4 or 5.
Love these adorable pumpkins! Thanks for your cute post! We are thinking of doing these for a Super Saturday activity and we were wondering how long from start to finish they took to complete? Thanks again!
Hi, Lacey! I’ve done these for several Super Saturdays, and they’re definitely doable within 3-4 hours. It’s really just waiting for the paint to dry–everything else is quick and easy. If the weather is nice, I’ve actually done spray paint instead of craft paint–because it dries so much faster, but craft paint can work too. I always suggest ladies making these come at the very beginning to get them painted–but if you were stretched for time, you could even pre-paint them white ahead of time (and if you had time to do it), so they only had to add the orange stripes. If you have any other questions, please let me know! You can also email me at simplykierste@yahoo.com–I respond there more quickly. xoxo
All these for less than $2?? :O How could I have seen this only when Halloween is just over.. Shall give it a try for this Christmas :D
Yes!! Try it for Christmas–they’re so fun!! xo