Make decorative concrete pumpkin tutorial for a rustic fall touch

Make decorative concrete pumpkin with cement and get ready for Fall. The rustic pumpkins can be used inside or outdoors in your garden or on a porch for a very weather friendly touch. The concrete pumpkins can be added to your garden or home decor for under $10 depending on the size of concrete container you purchase and the supplies you need. One of my favorites is a Quickrete Quick-Setting cement in a plastic tub. You can use it from the bag inside the tub or mix it in the tub directly. For a ten pound bag I think it is just under $7 at the Ace Hardware by my house.

I will also have a few more project tutorials from concrete/cement coming in the next few days so check back soon.

*Please wear gloves your hands will thank you. I also wear a mask when mixing to avoid inhaling the fine dust from the mix.

Also this is technically a cement pumpkin – because cement is an ingredient in concrete. Concrete is composed of cement, sand, and gravel or other fine and coarse aggregate. The addition of water activates the cement, which is the element responsible for binding the mix together to form a solid object.

Supplies for diy concrete pumpkin:

Quickrete Quick-Setting cement
Plastic bags to cover work surface
Gloves and mask
Water
Plastic bowls and stir stick
Pantyhose or knee-highs
Ponytail holders or string
Sandpaper or sanding sponge
Mod Podge Outdoor and foam brush
felt dots if using inside

Instructions for diy concrete pumpkin:

It is important to have all your supplies handy. You have a short working window with a quick-set.

Cover your work surface with plastic bags and if you are working on a surface you do not want to get dirty use a tarp to cover the flooring.
Mix the cement according to manufacturers instructions and according to the amount you need. You can get 3-5 pumpkins out of the 10 pound tub depending on your sizes. Save a quarter cup of the powdered mix for the stem(s).
Place a softball size of cement into the pantyhose. If you want a large pumpkin add more. work all the mixture to the bottom of the hosiery.
Once the mixture is at the bottom, tie a knot.
Trim the excess panty hose about a half-inch above the knot.
Use pony tail holders or string to create the sections of the pumpkin. Allow the piece to set up and dry thoroughly. I let mine cure overnight.
Once your pumpkin has cured remove the pantyhose. I try to start on the bottom.
Remove all the hosiery from the pumpkin but the knot. This will become your stem.
Trim off all but an inch. Mix up the saved cement and coat until you can no longer see the hosiery.
Allow it to dry and wipe off the excess or large chunks. Use a sanding sponge to smooth out the surface.
Coat the pumpkin with Mod Podge Outdoor. I use a sealer to help prevent debris from coming off.
Add felt dots to the bottom to prevent scratching furniture.