Painted Faux Pumpkins for Succulent Arrangement

 The other day I was cruising stalking Instagram which I tend to do and came across the prettiest faux pumpkins filled with succulents.  It was done by my friend Amy @cutertudor (go follow her!) and they looked awesome.  I had bought several cheap pumpkins at Walmart and had already started painting them and bought a bunch of inexpensive artificial flowers to fill them with but then when I saw her succulents that completely changed my mind about using the flowers. So flowers were out and I headed back to the store to spend a fortune on succulents.  Let me tell you these little picks aren't cheap!  I had 20 bucks in one pumpkin so this isn't the cheapest project if you are wanting to keep it from breaking the bank. Anyone has a source for inexpensive succulent picks I'm all over it so please share!

So armed with my succulents I went home and used Robin's Egg spray paint from Rustoleum to spray one of the pumpkins.  I have never used this color before but have fallen in love with it!  It's the prettiest light aqua!  For the second pumpkin I used Martha Stewart's Vintage Chalk Paint in the color Eucalyptus and brush painted it.  It takes a bit longer to brush it on but well worth it to use such a pretty color!

Once I had my pumpkins painted I then used my Minwax Furniture Paste which is my bestest friend for all paint projects.  I let it dry and then buffed it up and it left the prettiest finish and was so silky to the touch!

Now for the fun part!  I used a serrated knife and cut a small circle in the top of the pumpkin  and scooped out some of the styrofoam.  I would start with a samll circle because it's easier to make it bigger than to try to shrink it down after you made it too big.

Then I just started placing my succulent picks where I wanted them and of course because the inside of the pumpkin is styrofoam it's super simple to dig the sticks into it so they hole well.  Once you get those arranged just the way you want them you are just about finished.

I bought a package of sheet moss and just tore chunks of it off and placed it all around the top of the pumpkin,  In between the succulents and under the succulents etc.  Just place it anywhere you think it needs a little something extra.

Um, can you get any easier than that?  This project may not be the cheapest but it sure is a pretty one that makes it worth spending that money on the succulents!

 Here are a few photos of the finished pumpkins that I hope you will like!

 

  

 

 I ended up having one extra pumpkin leftover so I gave it a shot of the Robin's Egg Paint.

 I then hollowed out the hole at the top and added pieces of twine down along the grooves of the pumpkin just to give it a little interest.

  Then I filled the hole with chunks of the moss and placed a small candle in the center of it and then added a little more moss so it was visible from the top of the pumpkin.  Now it makes a pretty little glow at night when I light it.  Just don't ever leave it unattended!  A little disclaimer....I am not responsible for any damage done by following this tutorial. 

I hope you enjoyed this quick little project and would love to see yours if you make one.  This idea was based on @cutertudor's original Instagram post and she said she got the idea from Pinterest.  I have put my own twist on it so they may not look the exact same but the idea is similar for sure.  I think the next one I will make will be with the faux flowers I bought to originally do mine since I have so many of them.