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Saved from Salvage

Saved from Salvage

Home » From the Blog » HOW TO DIY A COASTAL PUMPKIN

HOW TO DIY A COASTAL PUMPKIN

by Regina 12 Comments

Do you love fall decor but like a coastal vibe even in fall? See how I combine two as I show you how to DIY a coastal pumpkin made from oyster shells.

PICTURE OF REGINA, OWNER AND BLOGGER AT SAVED FROM SALVAGE

Hi, I’m Regina and this is Saved From Salvage. I love to share ideas for DIY decor, furniture flips, recipes and trash to treasure ideas. Thanks for stopping by.

Everyone around me is busy decorating for fall and I’m still holding on to summer. I had leftover oyster shells from a project this summer so I decided to combine my fall decor with my love of the beach.

I used materials I had on hand and I’m so happy with how it turned out. If you still have a beach trip planned this year, you might want to grab a few oyster shells so you can make your own. Come along I’ll show you how.

PUMPKIN OF OYSTERSHELLS HANGING ON THE DOOR
ON THE DOOR

I have included affiliate links for your convenience in this post. If you purchase from these links, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Table of Contents

  • HOW TO MAKE AN OYSTER SHELL PUMPKIN
  • THE SUPPLY LIST
  • STEP ONE – PREPARE THE SHELLS
  • STEP TWO – DRAW YOUR SHAPE
  • STEP THREE – CUT OUT YOUR SHAPE
  • STEP FOUR – ATTACH YOUR SHELLS
  • STEP FIVE – FINISH YOUR SHELLS
  • STEP SIX – HANG YOUR PUMPKIN
  • SHOP THIS POST
    • More Like This

HOW TO MAKE AN OYSTER SHELL PUMPKIN

HANGING ON A VINTAGE WINDOW

THE SUPPLY LIST

  • OYSTER SHELLS
  • GOLD PAINT (SPRAY / ACRYLIC / RUB AND BUFF)
  • SMALL PAINT BRUSH
  • BUCKET
  • WATER
  • BLEACH
  • MOD PODGE SPRAY OR LAQUER
  • E6000 OR LIQUID NAILS
  • FOAM CORE OR LAUAN
  • RIBBON

STEP ONE – PREPARE THE SHELLS

Depending on where you got your shells, they may need to be cleaned. For mine I filled a bucket with water and added some bleach and let them sit a few hours. Then I laid them out in the sun to dry.

If you’d like to paint the back of the shells gold, this is the time to do it. I spread my shells out on brown kraft paper in the grass and gave them a light coat of gold spray paint and let them dry.

THE SPRAY PAINT

STEP TWO – DRAW YOUR SHAPE

For the pumpkin shape, you don’t have to be exact. The general shape is enough. I drew my pumpkin shape with a Sharpie on a stiff piece of foam core. Make whatever size you like, you will add shells to the shape you want so the drawing is just a guide.

My second pumpkin I used this piece of lauan, a thin wood. I’d recommend this.

USING LAUAN

You could also draw it on a thin piece of wood or cardboard, just something thicker than poster board.

Good news for you is that I made a big mistake and glued on shells before I cut the shape out, so now you can do it correctly. Trust me it’s easier.

MIX UP THE LOOK BY CHANGING THE RIBBON

STEP THREE – CUT OUT YOUR SHAPE

This backing I used was very stiff and hard, I tried to cut with a jigsaw and a utility knife but strong scissors actually worked best. At the top of your pumpkin in the stem, later you can cut a small hole to attach your twine or wire to hang your pumpkin when done.

NOTE: If you use lauan, you will need a small jigsaw to cut your shape.

STEP FOUR – ATTACH YOUR SHELLS

To get the shape of my pumpkin, I laid shells out in the general shape and moved them around until I was happy with the shape. At first, I used a glue gun to adhere the shells to the board.

This worked perfectly but I have another hint, if you are going to put this on the front door or somewhere that sees sun, you will want to use something stronger that won’t release in heat.

GLUING THE SHELLS
GLUING WITH GLUE GUN FIRST

I ordered and used Liquid Nails and this worked perfectly. Because I lack patience, I tried the glue gun first. Again, you can learn from my mistakes.

STEP FIVE – FINISH YOUR SHELLS

To finish my shells, I decided to paint the edges with a gold Rub and Buff.

ADDING RUB AND BUFF TO OYSTER SHELLS
ADDING THE RUB AND BUFF

I liked the definition this added to each shell. For the stem I used a large shell and covered that in Rub and Buff as well. I finished the shells by spraying the entire pumpkin with a coating of spray Mod Podge. This gave it a sheen and made the entire pumpkin look the same.

AFTER SPRAYING WITH MOD PODGE

STEP SIX – HANG YOUR PUMPKIN

This pumpkin is pretty heavy so make sure whatever you used to hang it is strong enough. The last thing you want is for the pumpkin to hit the ground and all of your work be ruined. Fortunately this did not happen to me.

I drilled a hole in the plastic foam board underneath the shell I used for the stem. It was just a quick drill to make the hold.

the hole i drilled to hang the pumpkin
THE HOLE FOR HANGING UNDER THE SHELL

Depending on your likes, you could also prop your pumpkin up to display and I added a ribbon to the stem to finish it off.

Change up your ribbon to match your decor. It’s a beautiful, subtle and non traditional way to welcome fall into your home.

THE OYSTER SHELL PUMPKIN PROPPED UP ON BOOKS
PROPPED UP INSTEAD OF HANGING

Now it’s time to enjoy your coastal fall decor!

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Make sure to pin for later.

PICTURE OF PUMPKIN MADE FROM OYSTER SHELLS
OYSTER SHELL PUMPKIN

To see other projects I’ve created using oyster shells, click here and here.

XO, Regina

SHOP THIS POST

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Filed Under: DIY

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Next Post: IDEAS FOR DRAWING AND PAINTING AN EASY FALL PUMPKIN »

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Comments

  1. MaryJo Materazo says

    August 22, 2023 at 4:07 PM

    I love this idea! Perfect for a coastal home. It looks fantastic and I did not know Modge Podge had a spray. That is a game changer. Thanks so much for sharing at the Home Imagined link party. XO- MaryJo

    Reply
  2. Rachel-The Antiqued Journey says

    August 22, 2023 at 9:15 PM

    Ohhhh my gosh Regina this is incredible. I’ve never ever seen an oyster pumpkin before. This is genius! You did such an amazing job. What a pretty decor piece to display when living on the coast or near the beach!! Thanks so much for sharing at Home Imagined today…I truly enjoyed this one.

    Reply
  3. Esmé Slabbert says

    August 23, 2023 at 3:18 PM

    What a great idea to use for a jewelry holder
    I visited you via TEAM CREATIVE CRAFTS LINK PARTY #160
    I linked up this week with = 22+23. This is a friendly reminder and invite to come and join us at SeniorSalonPitStop. You will find the linkup information under BLOGGING.

    Reply
  4. Julie says

    August 26, 2023 at 9:25 AM

    What a clever and creative idea. Thank you for sharing with us at Handmade Monday 🙂

    Reply
    • Regina says

      August 27, 2023 at 9:53 AM

      Thanks Julie

      Reply
  5. Beth says

    August 27, 2023 at 9:01 PM

    LOVE how this turned out, Regina!!
    We will be featuring you starting Wednesday at the Creative Crafts Linky Party! Pinned and shared!
    Creatively, Beth

    Reply
  6. Melanie says

    August 28, 2023 at 10:07 AM

    This is so unique! I have never seen an oyster shell pumpkin before! This will be one of my feature picks for next week’s Home Imagined Link Party–thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  7. Anna Price says

    August 28, 2023 at 8:11 PM

    From one coastal gal to another – can you ever have too many sea shells of any kind? I think not. Super creative Regina!! As always. Thank you for sharing your post on the Home Imagined Link Party.

    Reply

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