whimsy girl: From Orange to Gray: {Easy Pumpkin Transformation}

I love everything about fall, but I do not love the color orange in my home. If you've seen my home, you know I am a neutral loving girl. So...I decided that gray pumpkins were perfectly acceptable and decided to create a cute, gray pumpkin.

I purchased this plastic pumpkin at At Home (the store formerly known as Garden Ridge). You can find plastic pumpkins at any craft store and most dollar stores. I liked this one for the realistic shape and stem. I paid a whooping $6, but it was worth it for the "plump" shape!

BRIGHT ORANGE PUMPKIN....it looks real though, right? Isn't it cute?

I always have craft paint on hand, these at around $1-$2 at any craft store. I love "Gris", it is the perfect medium gray color!

Step 1: Paint the pumpkin gray...I painted the stem too, I didn't really mean to, but it happened and I went with it. Don't make things more difficult than they need to be. If you paint it, then go with it! I did a few coats....just cover the orange and you are good!

Step 2: Dry brush the white paint onto the pumpkin.

How do you do this? Super easy...dip the tips of the brush into the paint. Lightly swipe the brush onto a piece of paper removing any clumps then swipe the brush back and forth and up and down the pumpkin. You cannot mess up...just keep going until the white paint is evenly applied to the gray surface. I also did the stem. Keep going until you get the look you want. I had no plans for this....I just started painting it and I love the look I ended up with!

Tip: I buy cheap brushes, usually from Dollar Tree...no need for fancy brushes for projects like this! I wash them after using them and they are good to go for next time! Between coats, you can place the brush in a plastic bag so the bristles don't get sticky while the paint dries.

This project took about 15 minutes...allow a few minutes of dry time between coats, I did 2 coats of gray and one swipe of white. Keep brushing the white paint until there are no areas that look saturated. Super easy and fun!

I plan on doing a lot more this weekend using different colors (all neutral, of course) and some other techniques! This little gray pumpkin ended up in our living room....I kind of love it!