Dollar Tree Fall DIYs that Don’t Look DIY

Fall is just about officially here, which means I am truly excited about making some crafts. And I have come up with a few Dollar Tree Fall DIYs that don’t LOOK like they are DIYs, or even from Dollar Tree. Let me show you…

High-End Look Fall DIY Decor

I love looking at all of the beautiful fall decor at all the home stores and online. But a lot of times, the decor pieces are fairly expensive. Which means I have to find a different solution to adding decorating pieces to my own decor.

And honestly, there is something special about crafting something to use in your decorating. Something you will see every day in your home. And I have been busy crafting the past week and many of the pieces have turned out so well I thought I should share them with you, in case you need some ideas to brighten up your fall decorating.

DIY Pour Paint Pumpkin

This is a fun and easy project. If you have pour paint, great! If you don’t, you can DIY it. I did. Pour paints are simply thinned-down paint. I didn’t know this before I started, but now you do! By adding a little bit of a flow medium, like MONT MARTE Premium Acrylic Flow Medium you can thin down regular acrylic paint making it easy to pour.

So first put your paints into little cups. like dixie cups. These are a staple in my craft room. Then take the piece that you will be painting outside or to an area that you can clean up easily because this paint will get everywhere!

Now, choose what you will be painting.

I chose a Dollar Tree Pumpkin wall hanging that I have had ‘hanging’ in my craft room waiting for a makeover. After I removed the embellishments, I took my pumpkin and paints outside.

And this is why you need to thin the paint down. Using regular acrylic paints makes it very hard for the paint to move. If I would have added a paint medium, I think my results would have been even more dramatic. I did end up grabbing 2 bottles of acrylic paint that I had bought at Dollar Tree because the paint is thinner. And I dumped that onto my pumpkin as well.

Then I picked up my pumpkin and moved the paint around simply by lifting one end and watching the way direction the paint traveled. This was actually a lot of fun.

Once the paint had covered the entire surface of the pumpkin, I set the pumpkin in the sun to dry. I did allow 24 hours for the paint to fully dry before moving on to the next step.

High-End Look Fall DIY Decor

After the paint was dry, I used Deco Art Triple Thick Gloss Glaze to seal the paint and give my pumpkin a high gloss shine that really brings out the different colors of the paint.

Once the gloss had dried, about 24 hours, I applied a metal sign that I had to the front of the pumpkin.

I have no idea where I got the ‘thankful’ metal sign from. But I know you can find them at Dollar Tree, Hobby Lobby, and of course, online. I used my favorite adhesive, E6000, to secure the sign to the pumpkin. It only takes a little bit of the adhesive, and it dries clear, so if I had any show-through, you won’t be able to see it once the project is complete.

I am really happy with the end result. And I think the pour paint pumpkin looks fantastic as a part of my fall decor.

I could have added some raffia or a bow. But sometimes I think simple is better. I have a tendency to overthink my projects and add too much. So knowing when to stop can be challenging!

Metal Ribbon Pumpkin

When I first found this ribbon at Dollar Tree, I bought it. It was just so beautiful I knew I would have a project for it. And I finally figured out something I could make with this beautiful ribbon.

You don’t get very much ribbon in each bundle. So if you want to make this pumpkin, I would recommend buying at least 4 or 5 bundles if you can. You can buy longer rolls of the metal ribbon on Amazon. You can get 3 yards in a bundle for about $10. But if you can find it at Dollar Tree, it’s a lot more affordable.

I cut the ribbon in about 12″ sections. And I used 11 sections for this pumpkin. And then, using my hot glue gun, I just glued the sections together.

I would HIGHLY recommend these silicone finger protectors, which you can also find at Dollar Tree. Even using the finger protectors, the glue was still hot, but I didn’t burn myself.

And by the time I had 6 pieces glued together on one end, I hot glued the other end of the ribbon. So now you can really see the beginning shape of the pumpkin. At this point, you need to decide how many more pieces of the metal ribbon you want to add. I think it is really up to you.

I also reinforced the pumpkin by wrapping the glued ends with a little bit of wire. You could use floral wire or thin gauged wire. It just adds a little more security to the project. And you can weave the wire through the open pieces of the ribbon.

High-End Look Fall DIY Decor

Once I was done with the metal ribbon, I added a pumpkin stem and a few tendrils from some paper-wrapped wire that I had. All that was left to do at this point was paint the pumpkin, so it looked cohesive, meaning all the same!

I had some Rustoleum Mirror Effect spray paint that I have been wanting to use, and this seemed like the perfect project for the paint. While it doesn’t look like a mirror, it does give a nice finish to the pumpkin.

Then, all that’s left to do is stage your pumpkin!

I added some faux flowers and fall picks to my pumpkin and placed it on a Dollar Tree tray DIY that I had made a while ago. I think this pumpkin really looks high-end and not like a DIY from Dollar Tree supplies!

Terracotta Textured Pumpkin

I know this may seem easy. And that’s because it is! I wanted to give a pumpkin a terracotta appearance. So I decided to try painting a foam pumpkin so it didn’t look like a foam pumpkin.

I just mixed a little Dollar Tree sand in with some acrylic paint and a lighter terracotta paint. And then, I just applied the mixture to a foam pumpkin that I had found at a thrift store.

Have you ever looked at the thrift store for decor items? If you haven’t, I highly encourage you to look! I found this pumpkin for a dollar! I think they cost around $8 at the store right now. So it pays to look for them in unconventional places like thrift stores or even garage sales.

And once I had the pumpkin painted with my terracotta mixture, I added a little bit of cream color acrylic paint directly onto my pumpkin.

And then blended the paints together. Now I have had some comments on my videos that I am heavy-handed with my paint. Well, I guess I am. But this it the technique that I like, and this is what works for me.

I like the look. I like the heaviness of the paint. And as my husband always says, Hakuna Matata. Whatever works for you.

I am happy with my results. And since I am the one who is doing the craft, and I am doing it for my taste, I think it looks great!

High-End Look Fall DIY Decor

So there are three easy fall DIY crafts that don’t look like they were made with Dollar Tree supplies. Am I wrong? What do you think? And if you are looking for more fall DIYs, I made a video with these projects and even more!

I would LOVE it if you would check out my video. And I would be ecstatic if you would subscribe to my YouTube channel. I’m the DIY Diva on YouTube. I have lots of DIY videos for you to watch.

But now, I have more fall crafts to complete. I hope I have inspired you to craft something for your own fall decorating!