Fast Fall Pumpkin Porch Crates

This time of year is probably my favorite. Just before the holiday season starts, when the air is cool and crisp and the leaves are just about to start changing! I love to pull out the fall decorations. I’ve got boxes and boxes of stuff for inside my house, but sometimes I forget about the porch, which is a prime spot for decorations since it’s the very first place your guests see! My goal this year is to work on making my porch more inviting.  The Walnut Hollow Rustic Crates were just right for what I had in mind. These Pumpkin porch crates are the perfect addition this fall! I’m so excited to share them with you!

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own Pumpkin Porch Crates:

• Walnut Hollow Rustic Crate, Large
• Walnut Hollow Rustic Crate, Small
• Sand Paper
• Wood Glue
• Orange Paint
• Branch Pieces
• Natural Raffia Ribbon
• Decorative Ribbon
• Paint Brush
• Disposable bowl or container
• Water

 

Step one:

Normally the first step would be to sand the wood. But the Rustic Crates are perfect for this porch project just the way they are, no prep sanding required.  Instead, the first step is to get right to the painting!  Raw rustic wood can have a tendency to soak up paint, meaning you’d have to use a lot to cover them completely. Instead of using full strength paint, try diluting it for easier application.  It will work like a stain, you will still be able to see some of the rustic wood qualities, which is perfect for this project. Dilute the paint equally 1 part paint to 1 part water.  Paint the crate completely, inside and out.

The paint will take slightly longer to dry since it’s been diluted with water. Allow to dry completely (around 1 hour).

Step two:

Use a medium grit sandpaper to lightly distress the crate. If you want a heavier distress, that would be fine too! I lightly distressed along the edge of each board and on the corners of the crates.

 

Step three:

Attach your branch piece to the side of the crate like a stem using wood glue.  I turned the crates on their side with the inside of the crate functioning as the back of my pumpkins. Turn them whichever way you’d like! Tall, or short, both ways look super cute.

 

Step four:

Add some decoration.  I tied natural raffia ribbon around the stem of my pumpkin.

And for the Halloween season I added a cute black and white ribbon bow to the stem as well. I like that I can change that ribbon as the season changes. When Halloween is over, I can replace the black and white ribbon with another Autumn ribbon and keep the pumpkins on the porch through Thanksgiving!

If your pumpkins are going to be exposed to the weather, keep in mind you will want to seal the wood. Since my pumpkins will be kept on a covered porch I did not seal it with anything. An outdoor UV protecting polyurethane would be perfect.

This is my very favorite autumn decoration now. I just love these Rustic crates, they were so perfect for these Porch Crate Pumpkins! Do you decorate your porch for the fall season? I’d love to hear about your favorite porch decoration in the comments below!

Check out this short video to see these fun crates being made:

 

 

Hop on over to WalnutHollow.com to get 50%  off Sale Merchandise right now. Use the promo code SUPERSALE at checkout for these amazing deals!

 

 

After studying Culinary Arts in Portland Oregon, Kelli went back home to the sunny South West where she decided she wanted to do different kinds of Art. This busy mom of three spends all of her available free time creating in her Craft Shack “she shed” where she can be found burning wood, repurposing old stuff, playing with clay, and painting just about anything she can get her hands on.