When you’re thinking about getting your craft on this Halloween, why not start with the pumpkin glow-up? Forget carving and follow Kirsty’s steps to give a plastic pumpkin a metallic makeover using Frensheens and Frenshimmers, which you won’t have to throw out once the season is over.

From shimmering metallic pumpkins to eerie potion bottles that look centuries old, Abi has created these fun potion bottles with a textured, aged look using Frensheens and Browning Wax.

These crafty projects don’t just bring Halloween spirit to your home — they bring out your creative side too. Which one will you try first?

From spooky prep to the final metallic pumpkin. This makeover started with a simple idea and took on a life of its own. To create the full look, Kirsty started with fully cleaning her front door with sugar soap and sanding it with a 120-grit sandpaper. She then repainted it in the deliciously moody tone of Black Forest Al Fresco. Don’t forget to add a wreath for spooky effect. Kirsty then gave plastic pumpkins a glam-up with Frenshimmer metallics and created a trick or treat table using a wooden tray – read on to see how she did it…

The viral trend for metallic pumpkins got Kirsty thinking about how to create them as a budget hack with Frenchic and discovered the indoor/outdoor Frenshimmers were perfect.

For these plastic pumpkins, Kirsty used Golden Oldie, Rusty O’Bronze and Champagne Rosie Frenshimmer and dusted them off with Frensheen Cool Copper. Adding the Frensheen when the Frenshimmer is mostly dry will allow the metallic effect to hold and not brush off so easily. Kirsty then left them to dry and covered them with Frenchic’s Tuff Top Coat (you can also use Finishing Coat) to make them durable for outdoor use.

Kirsty found this gem of a tray table at her local charity shop and thought it would be make a fantastic trick or treat tray. After sanding it down and giving it a quick coat of white in Al Fresco Dazzle Me! Kirsty taped the bottom to create stripes with Blackjack from the Al Fresco range.

To get the gold look on the tray, she used Frenchic’s metallic Frenshimmer Golden Oldie on the top and gave it a second layer with Frenchic’s Rusty O’Bronze Frenshimmer. To give it an aged look, she scuffed it with crumpled newspaper. Much more of a treat than a trick

Abi found these little figurines in a charity shop and used them as a way to get creative and make some fun Halloween decor. After painting the figurines in Blackjack Al Fresco and waiting for them to dry, she dry brushed on Spitfire in the Lazy Range. Halloween isn’t really complete without a touch of gold, so, Abi mixed Frenchic’s Finishing Coat with some Frensheen in the shade Gorgeous Gold and painted it on, then buffed it off.

For the spooky potion bottles, Abi added some texture using PVA glue, kitchen towel, and cotton pads and then mixed the PVA with a little bicarbonate of soda to thicken it and also to add drips. Once dry, she painted everything in two coats of Blackjack Al Fresco and used the dry-brush technique to add highlights in the shade Stirling in the Trim Paint range and Frensheen Golden Oldie. Lastly, she used Browning Wax to age the potion bottle labels.

Love Halloween décor, but looking for something a little more understated? Follow Karen’s step-by-step guide to creating decorative ceramic pumpkins.