Make an Elegant Decoupage Pumpkin with Chinoiserie Printed Napkins

I love finding creative ways to decorate pumpkins for fall, especially when I can incorporate some of my favorite colors and patterns!

Making a decoupage pumpkin with pretty chinoiserie printed napkins is such a fun way to add a little color and traditional style to your fall decorating. With just a few simple supplies, you can transform inexpensive faux pumpkins into beautiful decorative accents that look right at home with your everyday decor.

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I used a mix of colorful tobacco leaf prints and classic blue-and-white patterns to create these pumpkins for our foyer. They’re surprisingly easy to make, and I love how they look displayed with my fall florals and other seasonal decorations.

Let me show you how to make your own!

What is decoupage?

Decoupage is a decorative technique that involves gluing paper or fabric designs onto an object and sealing them with a protective finish.

For this decoupage pumpkin project, I’m using patterned paper napkins. They come in so many beautiful colors and designs, making them an easy and inexpensive way to create custom pumpkins that coordinate with your fall decor.

I found some beautiful chinoiserie printed napkins on Amazon that were perfect for this project!

I love this tobacco leaf printed napkin. The pretty pinks and oranges, greens and plums are just right for fall.

This blue and white printed napkin is another classic Chinoiserie pattern and makes such pretty blue-and-white pumpkins.

Both patterned napkins coordinate beautifully with this orange printed napkin which I’ve also used for decorating pumpkins.

Supplies Needed to Make a Decoupage Pumpkin

You only need a few inexpensive supplies to make these pretty pumpkins!

• Faux pumpkins: Choose any size you like. I used old mini pumpkins and inexpensive dollar store pumpkins. White pumpkins work best because darker colors and patterns can show through the napkins.
• Printed paper napkins: Choose your favorite colors and patterns. I used these orange prints, this tobacco leaf napkin, and this blue and white floral design to create traditional Chinoiserie looks for our pumpkins.
• Small foam brush
• Mod Podge
• Something to protect your surface
• Rubber gloves (optional)
• White acrylic paint: If you’re starting with a dark or patterned pumpkin, paint it white before applying the napkins.

Pumpkin Decoupage Supplies

How do you make a decoupage pumpkin with a napkin?

To decoupage a pumpkin, begin by applying a thin coat of Mod Podge over the surface of the entire pumpkin with the sponge brush. My pumpkin is in pretty rough shape! It’s been repainted and repurposed more than once, most recently in this cheerful Halloween tablescape where I decoupaged a black and white striped napkin on it.

First, separate the layers of your napkin. You only need the printed layer. 

Make a small slit in the center of the napkin and place over the pumpkin stems.

For these pumpkins, I kept the napkin intact and brushed and creased into place around the pumpkin. Start at the top of your pumpkin and work your way down and around. I folded the excess napkin, tucked it in, and secured with the Mod Podge.

As an alternative, you can also cut your napkins into sections and piece them around the pumpkin. I used this paper piecing technique when I decoupaged the orange printed pumpkins below so I could carefully match the patterns.

Work around the pumpkin and adhere the napkin to the pumpkin using the sponge brush until all sides are covered.

With larger pumpkins, such as this one, you’ll need to piece the napkin together. The napkins I’m using are paper cocktail napkins and are a little small for the medium size pumpkin, therefore, I had to piece it together to cover the bottom of the pumpkin.

After the napkin has been applied, brush on another layer of Mod Podge to secure the napkin into place.

Set the pumpkin on the rim of a plastic cup to dry.

Now you’re ready to decorate your home with a gorgeous patterned pumpkin!

Alternative Materials for Easy Decoupage Pumpkins:

If you don’t have decorative napkins on hand, you can use other papers such as book pages, sheet music, tissue paper, scrapbook paper, or wrapping paper to create decoupaged pumpkins.

You can even use fabric strips to decorate with. The possibilities are endless for all of the designs you can create, whether you like a more traditional look, a more rustic look, or farmhouse look.

Decoupage is the perfect way to update or disguise dated, Dollar Tree, or ugly thrift store pumpkins. Give them a fresh new look with a little paper and decoupage medium!

Fall Decorating with Decoupage Pumpkins:

You can add your new diy pumpkins to bowls, centerpieces, bookshelves, or mantels. 

Here, I’ve added the decoupage pumpkins to our mantel with the blue and white pieces, white pumpkins, and orange bittersweet.

They’re also pretty in a bowl on the dining room buffet.

Add a decoupaged pumpkin to a bookshelf or a sofa table.

I decided to create a pretty vignette in our foyer with the decoupage pumpkins.

I placed the tobacco leaf print on a small pedestal and paired it with the blue and white plaid pumpkin. The other blue and white pumpkins are displayed in a decorative wooden bowl.

I love the look of the printed pumpkins with the fall floral arrangement and the gold mirror above the foyer table. It’s just the perfect way to add a touch of fall to your holiday decor, and these traditional Chinoiserie prints create such an elevated fall look!

For even more creative ideas for decorating with pumpkins, be sure to check out this post!

I hope this inspires you to create some diy decoupage pumpkins of your own. It’s really fun and adds such a pretty touch to your fall decor.

The next stop on our blog hop is Carol at Bluesky at Home. Be sure to check out all the beautiful ways she decorates using fall foliage!

Happy pumpkin decorating!!

By the way, do you follow me on all the socials?? If not, check out my Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook and be sure to follow me so you don’t miss out on any of my decorating and DIY ideas!!

For more home decor and seasonal ideas, be sure to check out my Amazon store!!

Be sure to check out all of my creative blogger friends in the Celebrate the Holiday blog hop below. You’ll find lots of great ideas for your fall celebrations!

If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy these pumpkin and fall decorating posts:

Creative Ways for Displaying and Decorating Pumpkins for Fall

Fabulous Fall Decorating Ideas (Our Fall Home Tour 2022)