Two ways to create chic decorative ceramic pumpkins

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Two ways to create chic
decorative ceramic pumpkins

Karen Jones

Creative Artisan

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1. Project one - Panther and Sugar Puff crackle effect with gold stem

I bought these ceramic pumpkins from a craft shop and gave them two coats of the dark and dramatic off-black of Panther from the Original Artisan Range.

After allowing the paint to dry thoroughly I add a layer of Frenchic’s Easy Crackle, and left it a good few hours until it was fully dry.

Then for the fun part, I painted a top layer of Sugar Puff from the Original Artisan Range (which is my absolute favourite), and watched the crackle magic happen.

Again, I waited until the paint was fully dry before applying a decorative paint inlay, note this is not a Frenchic product. Once this was dry, I applied Frenchic’s Clear Wax with a small Wax Brush.

Then for the sparkle, which I added to the pumpkin stem, using a mix of Browing Wax and Gorgeous Gold Frensheen, which I distressed slightly with a fine grit sandpaper.

I left it for about an hour, then gave the whole pumpkin a buff with a soft cloth to create a beautiful sheen.

Project two – Decoupaged pumpkins

I love my decoupaged ceramic pumpkins, which are not just for Halloween! They can be used year-round.

I started off with a couple of coats of Wedding Cake, from Frenchic’s Lazy Range, it went onto the ceramic surface beautifully.

Then I prepared the napkin by taking off the two backing layers of a three-ply napkin. I used scissors to cut out a round section of the napkin, so I could place the whole image over the top of the pumpkin, with the pumpkin stem poking out. Then to go round the pumpkin, I used parts of the pretty napkin by using the water method to wet and tear around the parts of the napkin I needed.

Follow my full step-by-step instructions on my How Do I Create a Flawless Finish when Découpaging?

I then fixed the napkin onto the pumpkin by adding a layer of Finishing Coat, placing the napkin where I wanted it and smoothing out the wrinkles by pressing gently with my hand in a plastic bag to stop my fingers sticking and therefore ripping the very delicate napkin.

Allow it all to dry thoroughly before applying another fine layer of Finishing Coat over the whole thing – when fully dry, I used a sanding sponge to smooth it all down. I wanted a high sheen finish so applied a few more coats of Finishing Coat to really get that shine.

All that was missing was a touch of gold, so I finished the pumpkin by using a mix of Browning Wax and Gorgeous Gold Frensheen, on the stem and distressed it all slightly.

Two chic ways of creating decorative effects on pumpkins that can be used all year round.

Happy creative crafting!

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