How To Make Faux Jadeite Pumpkins for Cute Fall Decor

 Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read 

How To Make Faux Jadeite Pumpkins for Cute Fall Decor

After discovering DecoArt’s Americana Jadeite Glass paint, I have been scavenging things to turn into faux jadeite. I created a faux jadeite jar vase for my kitchen and when I saw these pumpkins, I knew their destiny was to become faux jadeite as well. The gorgeous jadeite green is a color I have never grown tired of and jadeite glassware has been a staple in my kitchen since 2002. Read on to learn how to make faux jadeite pumpkins for cute fall décor.

An up close look at my faux jadeite pumpkins

As I wrote in my tutorial article about the faux jadeite jar vase I made (see that project by clicking this link), my husband and I collected jadeite to create a set of our wedding dishes. Since then, we’ve added many jadeite pieces to our kitchen, from dishes, to a gorgeous cake stand, to salt and pepper shakers and more.

See me make my jadeite jar vase in my 1-minute video below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:

I even am starting to consider doing a jadeite green accented kitchen in my next house. I’ve always had a white kitchen and have accented it with my jadeite collection, but I think I’d love to add some jade green paint to the kitchen, jade green tiles, or perhaps even jade green kitchen island.

I’ve started my design research so when we move from Florida to Georgia in the (hopefully) near future, my next kitchen design will come together quickly. I’ll definitely display my cute pumpkins in it too!

The jadeite pumpkins give our entryway a pop of color

Brief Jadeite Glass History + Jadeite Repros I Love

If you don’t know what jadeite is, here is a link to learn all about it on Wikipedia. It’s basically a milky glass that is tinted a light green and was popular starting in the 1930’s. Big names like The Pioneer Woman, Martha Stewart, Anchor Hocking and more have reproduced lines of jadeite in recent years. Here are some of my favorite jadeite glass and vintage reproductions:

You could paint pumpkins in many colors too!

Shopping Links + Temu Discount Code

Most of my links in my project details go to Walmart or Amazon. I buy A LOT of crafting supplies on Temu, as their prices are very low. If you want to try to shop Temu, use my link here or use my discount code afe55197 at checkout for 30% off.

Project Details

If you are wanting to create your own inexpensive faux jadeite (as many vintage pieces are very expensive), a simple bottle of paint can help you turn most anything into faux jadeite glass. Here’s how to make faux jadeite pumpkins.

How I display my faux jadeite pumpkins

Things You Need:  

See the 1-minute video tutorial for this pumpkin craft below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:

How-To:

Use a brush to apply 2 coats of the Jadeite Glass acrylic paint to each pumpkin.

Pumpkin paint prep

I let mine dry for a couple of hours on wax paper or on the triangle stands in between each coat. I laid them down on their sides to dry if needed and painted the bottom separately sometimes, but most of the time, I held them by their stems and painted from stem to bottom. Painting in long strokes, from top to bottom is helpful to minimize streaks.

Drying pumpkins on paint stands

After the two coats dried, I used the same brush to apply 1 coat of Mod Podge to give them a shiny glassy look. Mod Podge can get a bit sticky, so you can also use the Acrylic Sealer spray to coat the Mod Podge layers after they dry OR you can spray it on instead of the Mod Podge. Be sure to rinse the brush thoroughly after applying Mod Podge, as it can ruin a brush if you don’t.

Mod Podge seals the paint and makes the pumpkins look glassy

I cut a long piece of gingham ribbon and sealed the ends by swiping a lit lighter past the end. I learned to do this as a cheerleader many years ago and my bows were always perfect!

A quick swipe of a lighter seals most ribbon ends

I applied a dot of hot glue to the base of a pumpkin stem and placed the ribbon on the glue.

The completed faux jadeite pumpkins

When it cured fully, I tied the ribbon into a simple bow, trimming the ends and sealing them again if needed.

My jadeite stand matches my pumpkins well

And, then your faux jadeite pumpkins are finished! For display, I added some Spanish moss to my jadeite glass cake stand.

The cutest pumpkins for fall decor

I then placed the stand on my foyer table and added the pumpkins. They are a bit slick, but after nestling them into the moss, they held a beautiful position.

I didn’t spray mine with the acrylic sealer, but I may end up using it. Mine weren’t sticky at the time of finishing this, but have the sealer just in case as I don’t want the moss to stick to them.  

I love jadeite color for many things

Mine has some paint strokes due to painting on the Mod Podge, but they weren’t that noticeable. The pumpkins add a nice touch of cute fall décor to our current island home and I look forward to placing them in my jadeite accented kitchen after we move to a new home.

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Carolyn J. (C.J.) Braden is the owner of Carolyn’s Blooming Creations is a regular contributor and editor for CBC. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.