I loved the way they look like stone but also have a beautiful sparkle from the glass beads. And this month Michaels asked that the Michaels Makers to create a pumpkin creation using their craft pumpkins, I knew I wanted to try to recreate this idea and make these Pottery Barn-inspired mercury mirror grout pumpkins.

I really love the way they turned out. I think the imperfections add to the beauty of the pumpkins and they look handmade.

Here’s how I made these “faux” stone Mercury Mirror Grout Pumpkins:

Supplies:

Craft pumpkins

Grout (you can find this in big plastic containers, already pre-mixed, at your craft store)

Flat glass marbles (the kind used in the bottom of vases for color)

Glitter (optional, for the stem)

Directions:

• Don’t be afraid to get messy. Put your hand right into the grout mixture and spread it onto the pumpkin. If the mixture is too thick, add a little water. I held the pumpkin by the stem and spread the grout with my other hand. I held it over the sink to make less of a mess.
• Once the whole pumpkin was covered in a thick layer of grout, I put the pumpkin on a sheet of parchment paper to dry a little.
• After about 15 minutes, the grout was set up a little more and I put the marbles into the grout.
• Once the marbles were in place, I pushed them all in to set them in place with my hands and let it dry overnight.
• The next day I added another layer of grout over the top of the marbles.
• Then I let the pumpkins sit for an hour and used a sponge to gently wipe the grout off the face of the marbles. I did one swipe with the sponge and then rinsed it out in the sink until the sponge was clean again and repeated this until all of the marbles were cleaned off.
• I let the grout completely dry overnight and the next day I took a clean cloth and buffed the marbles of any remaining grout residue.
• Then I added a fine layer of grout to the stem and shook some glitter onto it.

I also made a SUPER easy Gold and Glitter pumpkin based on the Pottery Barn Glass Mosaic Pumpkin. All I did to create that was smoothed a thin layer of grout over a small pumpkin, then I added two types of glitter – fine and chunky. I love the way it turned out and how EASY it was to make! I think I will make a few bigger ones of these.

I also love the half pumpkins that Michaels is selling this year. They would be perfect for signs and decorating around a front door. They would also be great to recreate the Plaid Pumpkin Wreath I created a couple of years ago!

I am so excited to see all of the pumpkins that the Michaels Makers have created. Be sure to check them all out. Such FUN inspiration!!

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Thanks Michaels for this festive pumpkin challenge!! To kick off fall in your own home, visit Michaels.com and check out the variety of craft pumpkins available – there is every color, shape and size you could ever want!

Follow Michaels on Facebook to keep up with the latest ideas. And follow Michaels on Pinterest for ideas, shopping, and the latest trends in their “Favorite Pins” section!

Have a FESTIVE day!!

xoxo

* * * * *

This post was sponsored by Michaels. However, the project and post are mine. See my disclosures.

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This is the Pottery Barn version:

Here’s how I made MY Gold Pinecone Topiaries:

Supplies:

4 bags of small pinecones from the craft store.  (2 bags of pinecones per topiary)

Styrofoam Tree Forms (I used two different sizes)

Hot glue gun

Bronze spray paint

Gold craft paint

Metal ribbon (optional)

Craft ribbon (optional)

Candlesticks (mine are from Ikea)

Directions:

• Hot glue the metal ribbon to the bottom of each tree form. I found the metal ribbon at Hobby Lobby. If you can’t use metal ribbon, you can glue pinecones all the way down the tree form. If you like the look of the ribbon at the bottom and can’t find metal ribbon, you can leave a space at the bottom where you can tie a ribbon on.
• Hot glue the pinecones onto the tree forms. (I wrapped the first form in ribbon first, but I discovered that you don’t need to do that since you are going to spray paint the whole thing later) I did a 2-inch section at a time. I put the hot glue on and then quickly stuck the pinecones on and then pressed them together before the glue cooled so there weren’t as many spaces in between the pinecones.
• Once the whole tree form is covered with pinecones, take the tree forms out and spray paint them with the bronze spray paint. The spray paint will cover the pinecones and fill in the holes and cover up the hot glue, making the trees an even sparkly bronze color. So pretty!
• When the tree forms are dry, bring them in and then tie a ribbon at the bottom of the forms and set them on the candlesticks. You can hot glue them on the candlesticks if you want. I just set mine on top, the forms are heavy enough with the pinecones and hot glue that they are pretty stable if you have a candlestick with a big enough top.
• If you don’t want to use a candlestick, you can take a small dowel and push it up inside of the tree form and then put it inside of a small pot filled with florist foam like the ones in the Pottery Barn catalog.
• Enjoy your topiaries. I think these would be beautiful on a Thanksgiving OR Christmas table!

… want something more colorful? Check out my pom pom topiaries!

Have you decorated with topiaries?

Share your ideas in the comments! I’d love to see them.

xoxo

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I love a good Knock-Off Project!! So when Lindsay from Makely said that she was hosting a Knocktober DIY series – I was so excited to take part in the fun!! Check out this Pottery Barn Christmas mirror!

Welcome if you are stopping by from Teal and Lime. Isn’t Jackie’s mirror fabulous? I love it!!

I made a mirror too! I am starting to think  about the holidays, and so I decided to try remaking this DIY Holiday Mirror. It is on the PB website for more than $129 plus shipping — and I was able to make a similar version for under $40. Yay!! And I wanted to do a grey version that would go better with my home’s holiday decor too.

Here’s how I made the PB knock-off:

I found a mirror on clearance at Lowes for $20.

I used Layla’s tutorial on how to distress a mirror. The only major change was I used a lower-strength of Muriatic acid. And instead of only waiting a couple of minutes to take effect, I had to let the solution stay on the mirror for about an hour.

1. The first thing I did was I took the mirror out of the frame.
2. Then I sprayed the paint stripper spray on the back of the mirror and let it sit for about 10 minutes. I used gloves, a mask and eye protection when I used the paint stripper and muriatic acid.
3. Once that spray took effect, I used plastic scrappers and scraped the paint off the back of the mirror.
4. Then I took the muriatic acid and put it in a spray bottle. I then sprayed the edges of the mirror back with the solution and let it sit for about an hour — until I could see the the marks were transparent.
5. Once the mirror looked distressed enough, I wiped the excess Muriatic acid off with a clean, damp cloth.
6. Then I took the same Grey Gloss Spray Paint and painted the frame of the mirror and the back of the mirror the same grey gloss color.
7. Once it was all dry, I put the mirror back in the frame.
8. And then I printed off the lettering with my Silhouette machine. I applied the vinyl and now I have a beautiful Christmas focal point. The original price is $129+ and I made mine for under $40!!

Here’s a close up of the way the mirror looks distressed now. I love the look!

Be sure to check out the other AMAZING DIY Knock-Off ideas this week!!

The next Knocktober project is from Carmel at Our Fifth House. Her project is amazing!!

Be sure to check out the rest of the ideas from Day 2 of Knocktoberfest too!

Donna from Funky Junk Interiors

Jess and Monica from East Coast Creative

And here are the idea from Day 1 Knocktoberfest — 

Makely School For Girls – CB2 Clock

Home Stories A2Z – PB DIY Chalkboard Pillow

Shabby Creek Cottage – Zinc Door Outdoor Rug 

Infarrantly Creative – PB Oversized Flashcards 

Decor Chick – World Market DIY Chalkboard 

Shabby Nest – Land of Nod DIY Felt Trees 

There will be 27 projects total – you can find the full line up at Makely! I can’t wait to see them all!

Have a Beautiful Day! 

xoxox

PS: The handwritten fonts I used are from the fabulous Kimberley Geschwein, and they’re free for personal use.

The script font is KG Eyes Wide Open (named after the lovely Gotye song, I suspect), and the printing one is KG Skinny Latte.

The distressed serif font is IM Fell Great Primer Pro.

The leafy things are from the Silhouette Studio library.

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