Pumpkins, Treats & DIYs –– Oh My!

As a contributor for The Everygirl and lifestyle guru, Gillian Ellis always inspires us. We asked her to share some seasonal DIYs and this southern belle brought the goods!

By Gillian Ellis, Contributor at The Everygirl and Photographer

Gold Leaf Pumpkins

Fall decor has a way of always looking the same; there’s usually a lot of burlap, brown and plaid involved. With gold so popular this season (and really, every season), why not create a twist on traditional fall decor by crafting gold leaf pumpkins? These are are a great alternative to carving, or simply painting pumpkins -- and bonus, this DIY is super easy! Use these pumpkins as Halloween decor or incorporate them into seasonal place settings.

What you’ll need:

• Gold leaf sheets

• Adhesive

• Small bristle brush

• Small sponge brush

• Sealer

1) Begin by cleaning your pumpkins with a damp washcloth. Let them fully dry before applying the adhesive or it will not stick. While you’re waiting for your pumpkins to dry, create a workspace by laying down newspaper. Gold leaf can get a bit messy!

2) Apply adhesive to your pumpkins by using a sponge brush and painting the areas you would like covered. Let this dry for 1-2 minutes. The adhesive used for gold leaf is very watery. By letting it dry for a few minutes it gets a bit tacky, which helps the gold foil stick.

3) Once the glue feels sticky to the touch you can start applying the gold leaf. Take a sheet of gold leaf and gently place over the glue. It is much easier to apply the entire sheet of gold leaf at once rather than in small pieces. If you try to apply in small pieces the gold leaf tends to crumple in on itself and you end up with a messy looking glob.

4) Once you are happy with your gold application use the bristle brush to gently apply sealer. Some of the gold leaf will come off at this point… but don’t freak out! That’s part of the charm and “look” of gold leaf. While your sealer is drying the gold will dull in color but this comes back once everything is completely dry.

Don’t just give out candy this holiday season, surprise trick-or-treaters with these dinosaur treat jars! Using small canning jars, dollar store plastic dinosaurs and a bit of paint, this craft is budget friendly and will charm every scary monster and witch that comes to your door this Halloween!

rawrrrr...!

What you’ll need:

• Small canning jars

• Paint in 1-2 colors

• Glue gun

• Plastic dinosaurs (make sure they fit the width of your jars)

1) Begin by painting the plastic dinosaurs. Keeping with fall colors copper, orange and jewel tones will look nice. Depending on how dark the dinosaurs are you may need to apply 2-3 coats of paint.

2) While your dinosaurs are drying, remove the lids of the canning jars and paint. If you are using multiple paint colors make sure you have enough lids to match the painted dinosaurs in your chosen colors.

3) Once everything has dried you can apply the dinosaurs to the lids. Using a glue gun, place a drop of glue on the feet of the plastic dinosaurs (don’t apply too much as it will seep out onto the lid). Firmly press the dinosaur to the lid.

4) At this stage your dinosaur jars are finished and you can start filling them with candy!

@coastalbride Take a look at Gillian’s beautiful photography on Instagram @coastalbride or on her website gillianellis.com.