Make an Elegant Decoupage Pumpkin with Chinoiserie Printed Napkins

I’m using some of my favorite printed Chinoiserie napkins to create a beautiful decoupage pumpkin vignette in our foyer.

Decorating pumpkins is one of my favorite fall projects! There are so many creative ways to decorate pumpkins during the fall, and decoupage napkins are a great way to add lots of color and pattern. The traditional Chinoiserie-style prints in these napkins elevate the look for fall.

Tobacco Leaf Decoupage Pumpkin

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I can’t seem to stop decorating for fall! 

I think I’m finished, and then I get another idea or inspiration and I just have to add a little more.

Does that ever happen to you? 

And I just love decorating pumpkins. The possibilities are endless when it comes to decorating those traditional fall decor staples!

Pumpkins on Pedestal

Today it’s all about decoupage!

I found the prettiest napkins on Amazon, and decided to do a little decoupage pumpkin craft for our foyer table.

Earlier this fall, I used this orange printed napkin to decoupage some pumpkins.

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

This blue and white printed napkin is another iconic Chinoiserie look, and makes such pretty blue and white pumpkins.

What craft supplies do you need to decoupage pumpkins?

It’s actually quite simple to decoupage a pumpkin, and it doesn’t require a lot of supplies.

All you need are:

How do you make a decoupage pumpkin with a napkin?

Apply Mod Podge to the pumpkin

Start 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.

Separate the napkin layers

Separate the layers of your napkin. You only need the printed layer. 

How to Decoupage a Pumpkin

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.

Making a decoupage napkin pumpkin

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 decoupage these orange printed pumpkins so I could carefully match the patterns.

Making decoupage pumpkins

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.

Finish with a thin coat of Mod Podge

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

Let the decoupage pumpkin dry

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

Now your ready to decorate!

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. 

Decoupage Pumpkins on Mantel

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

Tobacco Leaf and Blue and White Decoupage Pumpkins in a Bowl

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

Add pumpkins to your bookshelves

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.

Decoupage Pumpkins on Foyer Table

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.

Pumpkins on Pedestal

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!


Shop the Look


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.

Happy pumpkin decorating!!

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)

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How to Make Decoupage Pumpkins

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