Fall Crafts // Chalkpaint Pumpkin Pillow DIY

 A few weeks ago, I came across Stone Gable blog, a beautiful blog with farmhouse decor galore. Its writer Yvonne shares several adorable farmhouse-style decor tips, including this post on fall pillows. I quickly subscribed to the blog (and you should too!) and since have loved reading her recommendations and tips for home decor. I decided to try my own farmhouse fall DIY, inspired by Stone Gable. And what better way to achieve farmhouse style than with chalkpaint?

This fall DIY was both cheap and easy. I found this cream pillow in the clearance section at HomeGoods. At only $10, the pillow was much cheaper than a pillow cover and insert! It's kind of hard to tell in the photos, but it has a slight shimmery thread running through it. I was a little nervous about using chalkpaint on the fabric, but I had always heard that it was possible. So why not give it a try?

For this project, I didn't use Annie Sloan, my usual chalkpaint go-to. Instead, I used another brand: FolkArt Home Decor paint. You can actually purchase it online from JoAnne craft stores, although I ordered mine through Zulilly. 

What You'll Need:

- a neutral pillow or pillow cover

- chalk paint in colors of your choice

- assorted brushes

If you can draw a basic pumpkin, you can do this DIY. For my pillow, I used Folk Art's colors Sage and Savannah. I traced the round pumpkin body in the pale turquoise Sage color and then added the stem in Savannah brown. The next step was to simply fill in the lines! The chalk paint adhered to the fabric in kind of a "streaky" way-- which totally worked for the shabby-chic vibe I was going for. I added a streak of creamy white acrylic paint (pulled out of my paint box) just to add a bit of "highlighting." 

And that easily... the pillow was done! Like all chalkpaint, the pillow dried quickly. Wondering how it "feels" to the touch? Kind of like an applique or like outdoor fabric. It's not as smooth as the original feel, but it seems like it will hold up well. For cleaning, I would probably recommend just spot-cleaning with a warm cloth. 

If you're into chalkpainting, I highly recommend trying it out on fabric like this. I love the way the pillow looks on our couch. It's the perfect touch of fall! Not over the top, but just a little festive.

Do you like decorating for fall? Or are you one of those people who dreads the holiday/seasonal decor posts like this? Haha! Well, I hate to break it to you, but I'm all about pumpkins and fall, so you might want to bear with me over the next few weeks.

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