Mod Podge Pumpkin Tutorial

Being ever so crafty, I couldn't just get regular pumpkins when I started decorating for fall. I saw this awesome blog post last year and decided that I needed to try the technique out. Mod Podge Pumpkins

So off I went, to Hobby Lobby and Wal-Mart, and collected some supplies.
To do this project you will need:
Pumpkins (real or plastic, same degree of difficulty)
Funky tissue paper and napkins
White paint (acrylic or spray paint)
Mod Podge

As this was my first attempt, I chose a variety of napkins/tissues, paints and assorted pumpkins. The advantage of using the plastic pumpkins is that you'll be able to use these again next year.

(I tried to take pictures during each stage of the process but forgot a few!)

First, paint your pumpkins white. In the past I've used spray paint, but for this project I used acrylic paint. It's your personal preference- if doing this with kids, I'd probably paint them before you brought them in) If you're planning on leaving some of the pumpkin visible, you can use other colors, but for completely covering, it looks better with white :)

Let your pumpkins completely dry. If they aren't dry, the mod podge will not stick.

While your pumpkins are drying, cut your napkins into strips. The main tutorial says to take the backing off of the napkins, but I found that this makes the napkins tear more when you're applying the Mod Podge, so leave the backing on.

Coat the back of the napkin with Mod Podge. It will go on white and dry clear. I used a spongy craft brush. Once you have applied a coat, position your strip onto your pumpkin- I applied vertically and followed the contour of the pumpkin. Push the ends down into the pumpkin's crevices so that nothing is sticking up. Note: Once you put these down, they dry quickly and will not pull up easily without tearing.

I've found that the best way to do this next part is to divide your pumpkin into quarters visually. If you put your strip on one side, go directly across and apply your other strip. Then do the same on the other sides, as if you are cutting a pizza. It should make sense (especially with zebra stripes) to place them right next to each other, but that just doesn't work for me.

Next, wait until your strips are dry on the pumpkin. Then, coat the outside of the strips and pumpkin with more Mod Podge. Be careful as this is still tissue paper that we're working with and it may tear. Dabbing it will be okay. It will look messy as the Mod Podge will go on white, but it will dry glossy and shiny.

Be creative with this project! You can make your pumpkins look any way you want them to! What inspires you?