More Fall Decorating on the Cheap: Pumpkin Topiaries

Here I am, back at it with another cost-effective decorating solution.

Doesn't that sound just plain ridiculous? In reality, it's a cute, cheap and super easy fall project. I have to say it's another idea from the Purple Lemon Blog that I tweaked a bit. I present Pumpkin Topiaries!

I saw the tiny pumpkins on sale at the store for 65 cents and couldn't pass them up. I had a vision of scattering them across a mantle, but then also remembered the post on Purple Lemon. I liked it, but wanted to tweak it a bit. So, I grabbed about 12-15 pumpkins and had plans to fall-ify (that's another "real" word) around the casa.

Instead of using a fancy base for the pumpkins, I thought a simple terra cotta pot would look nice with the pumpkins and have the simple, humble look I was going for. Terra Cotta pots are also easy to paint to look more "aged." But, let's be honest. I just wanted to get these bad boys done, so I was too lazy to paint them. Plus, once again, I sustained some hot glue gun burns, so my painting fingers were a bit sore. Maybe I'll go back later with a little paint.

All in all, I paid 75 cents for each terra cotta pot and 65 cents each for the pumpkins, plus used up the rest of the fall leaves from the Dollar Tree from this project. Total cost for each was less than $3! Impressive, no? This is Great (Depression) Decorating! Ha!

The tutorial on the Purple Lemon blog explains the process, as well, but you'll need the following supplies:

Terra Cotta (or other material) pots for bases, rocks to stabilize base (I got mine outside. I'm "frugal"), 3 mini pumpkins per topiary, silk or preserved leaves, lots of hot glue.

To start, weigh your pots with rocks in the bottom.

Carefully (I mean it!), place a bead of hot glue around the edge of the top of the pot. Place leaves in a "carefree" manner around the edge. Carefully! Then, figure out which pumpkins you are putting on which pot and arrange them largest to smallest. Place another bead of glue along the top of the leaves and on the bottom of your first pumpkin and press it down onto the pot.

Now, squeeze a big pile of glue onto the top of this pumpkin and place leaves all around it like a gorgeous fall leaf crown on the little pumpkin head. And try not to burn yourself while waxing poetic.

Then, place more glue and another pumpkin.

Repeat again, and you're done! Once the glue is dry, you'll want to make sure that there aren't any big glue blobs. Add more leaves as necessary to fill in blank spots or cover up glue messes.

And enjoy! You've just created a cheaper than cheap fall project.

Wouldn't about five or six of these be lovely lined up on your Thanksgiving table?

Or so cool with bigger pumpkins and a huge terra cotta pot on your front porch?

I hope you'll give them a try. Just be careful with that hot glue!