Dollar Store DIY: Rustoleum Aged Copper Pumpkins

Get ready for Fall with Rustoleum Aged Copper Spray Paint. In this tutorial, I show you how this copper metallic spray paint turns Dollar Tree pumpkins into expensive-looking antiques.

The other day my son and I ventured out to Dollar Tree.

I haven’t been to a Dollar Tree in a while, only because it’s not exactly convenient to get to from where I live. But I’m so glad we did. They have so many fun things for fall and Halloween! And I love the fact that everything is only $1.

Dollar Tree Pumpkins before painting — BEFORE

I picked up these mini ceramic pumpkins for a buck each and I knew I could turn them into something pretty with the right materials. If you go online you can buy these items in bulk at $1 each. However, if you go to the store, you can just individually buy as many as you need.

My idea was to make them look aged somehow so I could pepper them throughout the house for Fall. I was going for that coppery-gold antique look. Like I had inherited them or picked them up from a flea market.

I decided to try using the best copper spray paint ever – this Rust-Oleum Aged Copper. I just love this paint is kind of metallic, but not overly shiny. And the color is beautiful. A dusty, rosy, coppery color. So pretty.

So – I highly encourage you to try this project! It’s not only easy, but it’s also super fun too. I think these pumpkins turned out really good and yes, they look antique!

By the way, you should check out my tutorial for DIY antique picture frames.

So here’s what you need to make these antique aged copper pumpkins:

Materials Needed

Ceramic Pumpkins from Dollar Tree
Rust-Oleum Universal Aged Copper Spray Paint
Rub n’ Buff in Antique Gold (amazing stuff!)

How to Use Rustoleum Aged Copper Spray Paint to Make Antique Pumpkins

spray paint pumpkins in an old box to contain mess

Step 1: Prepare your Ceramic Pumpkins

How do you prepare your ceramic pumpkins? I just wiped them down and de-stickered them (technical term). You can lightly sand them so the paint has something more to adhere to, but it’s not totally necessary either.

One thing to keep in mind is that once you complete this project – if you dig your nail across the pumpkin, you can scratch the paint off. So be aware that these are decorative only and not meant to be played with.

Step 2: Spray Paint your Ceramic Pumpkins

Now it’s time to paint! I suggest spray painting outdoors or someplace that’s well ventilated. I placed my pumpkins in an old cardboard box and spray-painted them that way. You will have to do this in batches.

I started with the tops, once that was dry, I moved to the sides, then the bottoms, etc. This paint takes at least 30 minutes to dry. I still found it quite sticky at that point too, so you need to give it a good amount of time in between coats.

Spray light, even coats, or your paint will run and you’ll have drips! Yes, you can sand this off and start over, but just save yourself the time and do it slowly.

Step 3: Apply Rub N’ Buff to Spray Painted Pumpkins

Once your pumpkins are fully spray painted and completely dry (at least 24 hrs), you can apply Rub N’ Buff. This stuff is magical. My head is swirling with tons of ideas for using this stuff. I bought it on Amazon but you can also pick it up at Michael’s.

The way it works is that you squeeze a dot or so of Rub n’ Buff onto your finger, and then “paint” it on the pumpkin. I essentially focused on painting the tops of the pumpkins and the crevices. Any place where it needed a bit more dimension.

And this was exactly the perfect finishing touch to my antique pumpkins!

Final Result Using Aged Copper Spray Paint

Well, here’s how my Dollar Tree Pumpkins turned out!

I think they turned out really well! And they really look antique to me.

The great thing is that these are inexpensive pumpkins, so buy a bunch and scatter them throughout the house in groupings or two and three.

They look especially pretty nestled in with candles. The warm glow of the candle bounces off the metallic copper finish and flecks of gold. Beautiful!

I think these copper pumpkins would also look great on your Thanksgiving tables and buffets, nestled in with some Fall flowers and garlands. But it’s not just for the holidays! You could apply this technique to something else and keep it out year-round.

Hmmm, now I’m thinking of more ideas to apply this to …