DIY Painted Pumpkins with Gold Polka Dots!

I saw a lot of awesome painted pumpkin tutorials on Pinterest recently and wanted to get in on all the fun. I absolutely LOVE DIY projects and crafting and even though I don't have as much free time now, I tend to craft turbo-speed style on weekends after Harper is asleep!

| the final product | 

After picking up some pumpkins at the pumpkin patch over the weekend, I decided to break out my acrylic paints and get down with some pumpkin painting.

I decided to go with smaller pumpkins because they are easier to display inside of your home and they just look so cute when paired together!

What you'll need:

• Acrylic paint
• Glue gun
• Scrapbook/craft paper
• Scissors
• Paint brush
• Surface protector (I used a plastic bag from Target)

I started off by applying 2 coats of Folk Art brand acrylic paint that you can purchase at Michael's Arts & Crafts. Once the pumpkins were dry, I intended to use a gold paint to paint polka-dots, but after just one dot, I knew it was going to look terrible and I remembered I had shiny gold and gold glitter scrapbooking/craft paper left over from previous projects. 

I got out my trusty glue gun and began cutting out circles (I freehanded them, they don't have to be perfect) and I applied a dot of glue to each dot before affixing to the painted pumpkin. It's really that easy. The most time consuming part is cutting out the dots.

Have you done any fun Halloween DIY projects? Let me know in the comments...I definitely plan to get even more creative next year now that I've tested out painting pumpkins!

I also wanted to quickly share my Halloween chalkboard design. I used Jessica's tutorial to make my chalkboard out of a mirror I bought at Marshalls Home Goods (I painted chalkboard paint straight onto the mirror, no primer). It's actually a full length mirror, so pretty huge. I absolutely suck at lettering in chalk, but this was my first "okay" attempt that I completed after reading a chalk lettering tutorial on Pinterest:

Pretty cute, right? I can't wait to get better at lettering! I also made that pom-pom garland myself but need to make some more for the holidays!

DIY Gold Polka-Dot Art: Perfect for a Nursery, Bedroom or Any Room!

I love DIY projects---especially ones that make a big impact for little cost.  When I saw this piece of art on Pinterest awhile ago, I pinned it and had intended to replicate it for our master bedroom.  But when I started to design our baby girl's nursery, I thought the whimsical polka dots would actually be perfect for the space since gold is one of the accent colors I'm using in the artwork.

(via Pinterest/credit)

The only difference was that I made mine in a larger size than the one above.  I used an IKEA RIBBA frame in the 20 1/2 inch by 28 1/4 inch size, which is also the size I used to frame my "Keep Calm and Carry On" and "LOVE" prints from MadeByGirl.

As far as supplies, this project is super low-key.  I purchased some shiny gold scrapbook paper and glitter scrapbook paper (I used a gold/silver combo glitter because I liked the look better than solid gold glitter).  Each sheet cost $1.99 at Michael's Arts & Crafts and I didn't even use a full sheet to complete the piece.

Then, all you need is a pair of good scissors, a pencil, something to trace,  a piece of white poster board and a glue stick. I used a Pottery Barn candle holder to trace my circles because I really liked the size of polka dots it produced. If you wanted larger polka dots, you could use a champagne glass (to clarify, I used the top of the candle holder which isn't show in the above photo, not the large base, but the part where the actual candle would be held).

I traced circles onto the back of the scrapbook paper, cut out the polka dots until I felt I had enough (I would say I did about 24 of each- shiny gold and glitter gold).  

When I finished cutting out the polka dots, I opened up the Ribba frame, pulled out the matting and  cut a piece of white poster board to match the size of the matting (cut it a tiny bit smaller than the matting so it's easy to tape on).  Then, I taped the poster board to the back of the matting so I could being to plan the placement of the polka dots.

Just like the original piece, I layered some of the dots and some are just hanging out on their own. Once I was satisfied with the placement of the polka dots, I used a glue stick to affix each one to the poster board until it was complete.

Then, I cleaned the glass on the frame, removed some glitter that had fallen onto the matting and voila, a piece of art was complete!

(my husband held it up for me so I could see how it looks on the wall)

(Hanging out next to my LOVE print from MadeByGirl)

Also, I just had to share this adorable bunny I got at Target the other day...too sweet!

Have you ever replicated an art project you saw on Pinterest?  Share your favorite projects in the comments below!

Weekend...

This morning H and I went to Precious Glance Ultrasound for our second attempt at a 3D view of our little girl.  Baby girl was a little more cooperative this time and we got a few good shots of her face. It was a cool experience and I definitely recommend it to parents-to-be if you'd like to get another peek at your little one after your 20 week anatomy scan (which is typically the last u/s in your pregnancy).

I always think 3D u/s photos look kind of...like the baby is made of clay...but you can really make out her sweet little button nose in this photo. She also appears to have my husband's lips and adorable chubby cheeks.  We can't wait to meet her. I've heard from quite a few people who did 3D u/s that their newborns did actually look a lot like the way they did on the u/s, so we shall see!

After the u/s, it was time to run some errands. It was gloomy and rainy outside today (and humid!) so what better way to spend time than checking things off of my to-do list?

We made a trip to Michael's Arts & Crafts so I could pick up some items for some DIY projects I'm going to be working on for the nursery.

The first is this polka-dot piece I found on Pinterest:

Super clean, simple and pretty. I'll be sure to post about it once I've completed the piece.

The second piece is something I'm going to have my friends participate in at my baby shower that is being hosted by one of my best friends, Candice.  

I don't like baby shower games, so this will be a nice project that guests can be involved in and it will be in her room and have a special meaning.

(via Pinterest)

Instead of pink balloons, I'm doing mint green, turquoise and a bright teal.  I love pink, but I though the minty colors were a little more unexpected and still very feminine. I'm not sure I'll do the baby hanging from the balloons like in this illustration---I'm just going to have each guest write a little message for her on one of the balloons (if they want to) and then I'm going to use actual string instead of drawing the picture (I like texture!) I can't wait to see how it turns out.

I also ordered some prints for the nursery from some of my favorite gals including MadeByGirl and ISeeNoise, so it will be a nice mix of purchased and DIY wall art.

Speaking of cute baby items...I ordered these sweet little bunny slippers online this week from Cassie's Closet.  I plan to use them on her little bookshelf until she can wear them but they were too sweet to pass up:

...and though I'm not into nursery themes, I'm using bunnies and lambs here and there, so there's a little hint at what's to come! 

After we went to Michael's we headed to Empire Cafe, one of my favorite lunch (and brunch!) spots, followed by a quick trip to Marshall's Home Goods. I always find a thing or two there for the baby and the prices are unreal.

This little eyelet dress was just $7.99 and came with matching bloomers.

...and this little set was $12.99 and came with that sweet little hat---which made me realize it's the only hat we have for the baby so far...

The day wrapped up with a quick trip to Sugarbaby's Cupcake Boutique where I got a few strawberry cupcakes (my favorite!) I already had one and they are absolutely delicious.

Before I go, here's a quick snapshot of the outfit I wore to work on Friday:

I haven't worn that bubble necklace in a long time so it was a fun way to perk up the outfit. The tank is Lululemon (cool racerback, they are beyond perfect for pregnancy) and the cardigan is Banana Republic.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!