Pottery Barn Inspired Faux Concrete Jack-O'-Lanterns

Create your own budget-friendly Pottery Barn inspired concrete Jack-O'-Lanterns using secondhand Halloween decor!

Have you started thinking about Halloween?

Fall and Halloween decor are abundant at thrift stores, making it the perfect time to start thinking about decorating and DIY Projects.

Two years ago I made white faux concrete jack-o-lanterns using secondhand Halloween decor.

This year, I searched for larger pumpkins perfect for replicating black Pottery Barn jack-o'-lanterns!

I found an almost exact replica of the size and shape of the Pottery Barn jack-o'-lanterns. It was half off and a little damaged, but nothing I couldn't repair.

Can you see the resemblance?

I also found a small jack-o'-lantern that I knew would make the cutest Halloween planter.

SUPPLIES NEEDED TO MAKE FAUX CONCRETE JACK-O'-LANTERNS

- Inexpensive concrete or porcelain jack-o'-lanterns (thrift stores are great sources!)

- Kwikwood (if repairs are needed)

- Baking Soda

- Flat black paint (I used General Finishes Lamp Black Milk Paint)

- Cream and copper paint

- Natural bristle stencil brush

- 320 grit sandpaper

- Plastic cup (for mixing paint and baking soda)

- Paper plate or thick craft paper

HOW TO MAKE FAUX CONCRETE JACK-O'-LANTERNS

STEP ONE: PREP PUMPKIN

Give your jack-o'-lanterns a good cleaning and make any necessary repairs. The pumpkin I purchased had a chipped tooth, but it was less than $4 and an easy fix. I used Kwikwood epoxy to repair the tooth then sanded the rough spots with fine grit sandpaper.

If your jack-o'-lantern is smooth, you'll also want to give the entire pumpkin a light sanding. This ensures that the paint will adhere well without chipping.

STEP TWO: MIX PAINT AND BAKING SODA

Mix enough black paint with baking soda until you achieve a thick toothpaste like consistency.

supplies for Pottery Barn inspired faux concrete jack-o'-lanterns

STEP THREE: PAINT PUMPKINS

Apply a coat of the black paint and baking soda mixture to the pumpkin using a stiff bristle stencil brush. It doesn't need to look pretty, just cover the pumpkin and let it dry.

Apply two more coats of paint, dabbing the paint onto the pumpkin with the stiff brush bristles. This gives the pumpkin added texture for a more realistic concrete look.

Painting terracotta jack-o'-lantern black

STEP FOUR: AGE PUMPKINS

Now it's time to add dimension to make it appear that the jack-o'-lanterns have been sitting outside for years. Pour a small amount of cream and copper paint onto a safe painting surface or paper plate. Dip the stiff bristle brush into the cream paint, dab off excess paint, then apply to the pumpkin. Repeat the process with the copper paint and continue blending until you are happy with the finished look.

applying cream and copper paint to black jack-o'-lantern

Pottery Barn inspired faux concrete jack-o'-lantern

thrift store faux concrete jack-o'-lanterns

What do you think?

Do they resemble the Pottery Barn jack-o'-lanterns?

Pottery Barn faux concete jack-o'-lantern

The best part is, these two faux concrete jack-o'-lanterns using thrift store Halloween decor totaled less than $6! That's an incredible saving from the Pottery Barn originals.

Now I have a set of black and white aged jack-o'-lanterns made using thrift store finds!