Gourd-geous Decoupaged Gourds

During our visit last year to Stoltzfus Pumpkin Farm I purchased two kettle gourds. I didn’t have a plan for how to use them, but they were so cool I needed them.

I decided to spray them with glow in the dark paint and add them to my Halloween porch decorations. I’d link to the blog photos for that project, except, it was an epic fail. If anyone has tips on using glow in the dark spray paint, drop them in the comments section. Then I tried painting them with craft paint and discovered that wasn’t going to work either. So, they languished under a table on my porch for the next year.

While picking up some post-Halloween sale items last year, I settled on a new plan. A less ambitious plan. Instead of spray painting my gourds I’d decoupage them, which is a method for decorating objects with colored paper.. I purchased several packs of fall and Halloween-themed napkins specifically for this project.

Decoupage steps

Since I planned to cover and not paint them, I cleaned them with just warm water. Since they float, I turned them periodically during their 30-minute soak. After a quick rinse, I set them outside to dry overnight. Here they are grime free and in desperately in need of a makeover.

I cut each napkin into quarters, smaller sized strips, and included a few small squares. I placed some Mod Podge on a foam plate and used a foam brush to apply it to a medium sized section of the gourd. Starting on the bottom, I worked my way up the sides progressively using smaller pieces. Smaller-sized pieces are preferable because they lay flat on the curved surface.  After I had covered a section of the gourd, I left it to dry for about 30 minutes. Next, I carefully coated each piece of napkin on the gourd with Mod Podge, making sure to overlap the edges. I repeated these two steps including drying time, repeatedly until the gourd was completely coated.

After coating the entire gourds, I left them dry completely overnight. I checked the next day to make sure the entire gourd was papered. Covering any spots that were bare or see through. I then touched up any sections with loose edges with more Mod Podge and left them to dry again.

Please note, these finished gourds are weather-resistant, not waterproof. While I only intend to use these on a covered porch, I plan to bring them inside on rainy days. (Note: I’ve since learned that Mod Podge makes a waterproof glue/sealant, so I may reseal these later this fall.)

They turned out great! I love the texture. Here is how they look incorporated into this year’s purple and orange fall porch . What do you think?