In keeping with my goal of creating a coastal autumn decor this year, I wanted to change some old pieces into beauties that would fit into this new color palette. I put together a Coastal Cornucopia with Chalk Painted Pumpkins. I’ve had a wicker cornucopia for many years. Some years, I’ll bring it out, fill it with lots of oranges and yellows and reds, place it on a table and not give it much thought. It never really added much pop to my fall decor. I set out to change that this year.
The first step in changing the look of this was to spray paint the cornucopia. I gave it coat of white primer to make sure I covered all of the brown. Once that was dry, I covered it in light blue spray paint. The final coat was green, but I let a little of the blue show through here and there.
I liked the new color and was well on my way to making it fit in with my other coastal autumn decor. Deciding how I wanted to paint the Dollar Tree pumpkins was the next step. I have a lot of these from lots of years of shopping at Dollar Tree and I picked out the ones that I thought would be the right sizes for the cornucopia.
I could have made it a little easier by spray painting them, but I didn’t want them to be shiny and smooth. I wanted them to have imperfections, so I opted to hand paint them using chalk paint. It took longer, but I think the result was worth the extra time. I painted each of them a solid color and let them dry. Then I used a small craft paint brush to add lines and smudges on each one with a contrasting paint color. Are blue pumpkins a thing? I’m not sure, but they look pretty!
I added in a few gourds and squash. Once I had painted a bunch of these, I started to wonder about the best way to fill the cornucopia to have it look like the vegetables are spilling out.
I stuffed several plastic bags inside to fill up the bottom half. I needed something to use as a base for the pumpkins that would make it easier to have them spilling out. I turned a cool whip container upside down and pushed it into the cornucopia. I knew saving some of those would come in handy!
I glued a piece of rope around the rim of the cornucopia to bring in more of the coastal look. I also used some burlap tape around the top of the plastic tub to cover some of the white.
The last step was to hot glue the pumpkins in place. This was a little trickier than it sounds to get the right fit. After a little trial and error of just placing them before hot gluing them and having them fall out and bounce across the floor, I just started gluing them randomly. I used sprigs of wheat which look a bit like marsh grass to fill in any gaps. I added in a few leaf sprigs, too.
My wine rack is in my breakfast nook area right next to the table. I used my new coastal cornucopia as the centerpiece for the rack.
I bought the Welcome Autumn sign last year at Joanne’s and I love that it’s muted orange, not bright. It fits in just right. Coral candles and a couple of wooden pumpkins complete the look.
The more coastal colors I add to my fall decor, the more I’m enjoying it. It’s nice to change things up now and then, don’t you think?
It’s easy to change the look of things we have on hand with just some paint and a little time. I had everything I needed for this, so the total cost was zero. That’s a win!
Pin Me, Please!
Laurie says
This is awesome! What a nice way to bring in a bit of fall while maintaining coastal charm! I love how very creative and unique this project is! Looks great and how wonderful that you had everything on hand! Just beautiful!
Beverly says
I’m really liking the way it’s all coming together. Thank you, Laurie! Using old items and changing them to fit in with this decor is a fun project.
Linda says
Oh, this is so fun and I love the colors, too. AWESOME. Pinned. Will share on facebook also. Best wishes, Linda
Beverly says
Thank you so much Linda! And thanks for sharing. I appreciate it so much. Have a lovely weekend.
Karren Haller says
Well I just love the new colors, Im not a real fan of orange in my house and this is great inspiration for something I could do for my mantel. Clever the cool whip tub to fill and ancor the pumpkins.
Thank you for sharing on #OMHGFF this week, appreciate your visit and hope to see you again. I do host a BIG Wordless Wednesday and would love to have you stop by.
Have a beautiful weekend!
Karren
Beverly says
Thank you so much, Karren. The deep fall colors don’t work well at all in my home, so this year I set out to change things up. The coastal palette is a fun one to create for fall. I’ve added your party to my Party Links Page and will definitely make it go to spot each week.
I hope you’re having a lovely weekend, too.
Joanne @ Sea Glass Cottage says
Love, love, love, Beverly!! It’s good to shake things up a bit and go with something unique. What did we do before chalk paint?? 🙂
Beverly says
Thank you so much, Joanne! I know-chalk paint is a crafter’s dream item! I’m always looking at things now and wondering how they would look with a chalk paint makeover!
PORTRAITS-by-NC (@enzieshahmiri) says
Such a great decorating idea! Home Matters Linky Party #54 – Pinning to Pinterest
Beverly says
Thank you and thanks for pinning! Home Matters Party is always full of great ideas!
Chelsea @ The Johnsons Plus Dog says
Super cute. It’s great to mix up fall decorating ideas into your existing home decor. This would be perfect for a coastal decorated home. Thanks for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty – hope to see back again next week!
Beverly says
Thanks, Chelsea! I’m enjoying mixing things up this season. I’m happy to share on Home Matters. Thanks for stopping by.
Winnie says
This is simply BEAUTIFUL !!
Wonderful decoration for the fall. I wish using pumpkins like this was popular here as well
Beverly says
Thank so much, Winnie. It was a fun project to put together. Thanks for visiting.
Christine @ Must Love Home says
Hi Beautiful Ladies! This looks fantastic! Your post has been Pinned,Tweeted and shared on Facebook! I’ll be featuring it this week on the Friday Favorites Link Party at Mustlovehome.com. Come by tonight to see your feature and share what you have been working on this week! The doors open at 7PM. Hugs – Christine at Must Love Home
Beverly says
Thank you so much, Christine! Thanks for sharing and I’m just delighted that it’s one of your features. I’m on my way over.
Ashley says
This is SO gorgeous! I love the colors you chose. Thanks for sharing with us at the Merry Monday link party. I hope you’ll join us again next week. Sharing your post on Twitter!
Beverly says
Thank you, Ashley! I’m happy to share on Merry Monday. Thanks for stopping by and for the Twitter share!
Joy @ Joy Love Food says
I am loving your autumn coastal décor Beverly, this cornucopia is so pretty! Thanks for sharing at What’d You Do This Weekend?!
Beverly says
Thank you so much, Joy. I’m enjoying the new look, too. Always happy to share on What’d You Do This Weekend. Thanks for stopping by!
Erlene says
I love this Beverly! I’m totally stealing this idea and doing some of these chalk painted pumpkins for Thanksgiving decor.
Beverly says
Thank you, Erlene! I’m happy to have inspired you. The chalk painted pumpkins are so easy and that add a great personal touch to those dollar store pumpkins.
Sandy Sandmeyer says
This is so pretty! You could even add some pretty sea shells for another touch or to change it up next year. Thanks for sharing your post at the #AnythingGoes Link Party.
Lauree says
I pinned this on my “Beach Style Defined” board because I am completely in love with the beach and inspired that you cornucopia brings some beach to autumn decor! Using the plastic container to fill the space is perfect. I’ve used paper towel rolls in tall containers in the past.
Thanks for inspiring!
Beverly says
Hi Lauree, I’m so happy to have given you some inspiration! Thanks for pinning. I actually did add in a few shells after I posted this. At first I thought the shells might be a bit much because I’m already using lots of them for decor. But there were a couple of gaps and I had some perfectly sized shells to fill in. Thanks so much for stopping by.
Julie says
Hi Beverly,
You did a fabulous job with changing the look of the cornucopia. The pumpkins look so pretty painted blue.
Thanks for sharing this at Cooking and Crafting with J&J.
Beverly says
Thanks so much, Julie. I’m happy to share at your party.
Jess says
This is such an adorable project! 🙂
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
Beverly says
Thank you, Jess. I’m happy to share at your party. Thanks for stopping by.
Helen at Pleasures of the NW says
Beverly – that is so beautiful! And it seems to be a lot easier than you might think! Thanks for sharing on the Pleasures of the NW’s DIY party!
Beverly says
Thank you, Helen. It really was easy. Chalk paint is such a great way to change up the look of those dollar store pumpkins. Thanks for the party!