Last year, I came across the viral Pottery Barn terracotta pumpkin hack on TikTok. I loved how this painting technique made craft pumpkins look elevated and bookmarked it right away. I’m finally getting around to making it THIS year, with my own colorful pink spin, of course!
The hack of adding baking soda to paint has been around for some time, but incorporating it into Halloween decor is such a great way to get an expensive look for less.
What I love about this project is that you can use any paint color you want! That means regardless if your decor is rainbow bright or neutral, you can get the piece you want to have in your home year after year. Who said you had to stick to traditional orange and black for Halloween?!
Here’s how to make a terracotta pumpkin:
Materials
- Pumpkin (affiliate link)
- Paint
- Baking Soda
- Brush
- Mixing Tray
You can use any paint color you want! You can even go to the hardware store and have a paint sample made in your exact palette. I ended up using my leftover paint sample from our pink ceiling makeover.
Making the Paint Mixture
There’s two steps to making your craft pumpkin have a terracotta texture. The first is the paint mixture! Adding baking soda to your paint will give it a more porous-like finish.
While it’s hard to give you an exact measurement since I didn’t measure the amount of paint, here are general guidelines:
- Start 1 tablespoon at a time, stir and assess
- You want it thick, but not so thick that it won’t paint on
- You’ll need 2-3 coats total, so don’t mix all your paint to start
- Too little baking soda won’t give you that end texture. You WANT to see texture in the paint
- You can always test your first coat and add more baking soda to your second coat if needed
How to Make a Terracotta Pumpkin
Now that you have your paint mixture, it’s time to apply!
Feel free to have areas that are thicker with paint and experiment with brush strokes. The idea is to have the pumpkin look like it was handmade. Alternating with your brush direction will add to the clay look.
Apply 1 coat, let dry, then apply another. There’s a chance you’ll need a third coat for touch ups depending on the color you choose and how bright your pumpkin was to start.
While your last coat of paint is still wet, you’ll want to sprinkle on extra baking soda for that final terracotta finish.
When it’s completely dry, loosely wipe away any excess baking soda and you’re done!
So what do you think?! Would you ever give this Pottery Barn dupe a try?!
Check out my new book Colorful Living for more colorful ideas!