Use the groovy nature of a real pumpkin to add retro-pop sophistication to your Halloween decorating…

As fun as the faux pumpkins were to decorate, it took a quick but significant transformation to make them acceptable holiday decor.
Not a real pumpkin… Bright and beautiful, and naturally one of our favourite colours, the right smooth and orange orb with the right gnarly stem can look so chic as is.
That doesn’t mean we want to leave well-enough alone. We have had such a great reaction to the decoupage mini pumpkin from last week, that we wanted to delve deeper, using a real pumpkin, and show you how…

First, start with a bright and blemish-free pumpkin and wash it well.

Then, prepare your decoupage materials. We returned to those stunning Marimekko Kurjenpolvi napkins we picked up from EQ3 on King St East and framed last week. At $6.95, even if you think they may be a bit pricey for a pack of paper napkins, they have already played triple duty around here.

A printed napkin really is the only way to go with this type of project – sheer enough to get the colour of the pumpkin through and adhere well to the shape. We even stripped these 3-ply napkins down to one ply to make them super-sheer, but be warned: this also makes them super delicate, so cut them out first.

Then, using a small paintbrush, brush your decoupage glue – we used Mod Podge – straight onto the pumpkin and adhere the bigger shapes you are working with well-spaced apart. These will act as an anchor to the overall design and can then be connected by the smaller clipped pieces as you go.

We went for a central garland design framed top and bottom by the natural and beautiful orange of the pumpkin.
Once all of the spaces are filled in, let it dry for around 20 minutes, then coat the entire pumpkin – decoupage work and plain pumpkin shell – completely with more Mod Podge. Use a small brush and short strokes to keep any damp decoupage paper from tearing.
This should dry completely within an hour.

Then simply slip it amongst your groovy pop-art homeware for a subtle and sophisticated swing at 60s Halloween decor.