DIY Painted Acorns Fall Home Decor Craft
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Make your own DIY painted acorns using ones you collect from nature for an inexpensive fall home decor craft!
Acorns are a fun and simple decoration that you can add to your fall home for a seasonal accent. I’m Keri from One Mama’s Daily Drama. This month I’m showing you how to paint real acorns to use in all kinds of fall decor.
I live in Texas, so often the weather here doesn’t really feel like fall until close to Thanksgiving. One thing that I can always count on though, is that the ground under the big oak trees in the park fills with acorns.
My family and I have made a tradition of taking a walk this time of year to collect acorns for crafts. (Note: Make sure you’re allowed to take acorns from wherever you’re collecting.)
There are really a lot of fun things you can make with acorns! While they’re pretty on their own, this year I decided to try painted acorns.
This is an easy craft to do with whatever paint you have leftover from another project. And apart from some paint and glue, all you need is to collect some acorns to get started!
How to Make Painted Acorns
If you live somewhere that isn’t bursting with acorns in the fall, you can purchase natural or artificial acorns online.
What you need:
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Craft/DIY Tools:
Supplies:
These are the ingredients you’ll need. All the exact amounts are in the printable card at the bottom of this post.
- Several dozen acorns – natural acorns or artificial acorns
- Parchment paper
- Spray paint in any colors – I used Rustoelum Satin in Colonial Red and Lagoon because I use them in many of my home decor projects.
In general, painted acorns can’t be returned to nature because the paint will break down and can harm plants and animals. You can either store them to use again next year or discard them in the trash at the end of the season. Eco-friendly and biodegradable paint may be an option.
How to Decorate with Painted Acorns:
Put them in a display with preserved pinecones.
A bowl of natural items makes a great seasonal display. Learn how to preserve pinecones and display them in a bowl with the acorns. You can also use potpourri.
Make an acorn and leaf mobile.
I made this acorn and leaf mobile a few years ago using acorn tops attached to felt balls. You could easily make it with whole painted acorns instead.
Use them as a vase filler.
Fill a large clear vase with your painted acorns, then add a bouquet of silk flowers. The acorns will hide the stems. You can also use them around a pillar candle in a wide container.
Embellish napkin rings.
These raffia napkin rings are an easy DIY to make before a dinner party. Attach a pair of painted acorns for an easy way to dress them up further.
Decorate a Fairy Garden.
Painted acorns can also be used in kids’ crafts. Use them to decorate a cute fall-themed fairy garden made with other natural items.
DIY Painted Acorns
Equipment
- 1 Hot glue gun and glue stick
Supplies
- 30 Acorns
- 1 piece Parchment paper
- 2+ cans Spray paint any colors
Instructions
- Clean and dry the acorns.The most important step to painted acorns is to make sure they are clean and free from bugs. Wash them with warm soapy water to remove any dirt and allow them to air dry about 30 minutes. To ensure they are dry through the center and no tiny bugs lurk inside, heat them in the oven. Spread them evenly across a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Heat them at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, checking often to ensure they do not burn.
- Separate acorn nuts and caps (optional).The acorns will probably have separated as you prepared them, but some might not have. You can either leave them whole or separate them to paint. To make them extra durable, you may wish to separate all of them just so you can glue them back on to prevent future separation.
- Apply paint in several layers.Lay out the acorns on a protected workspace, preferably outdoors. Choose your paint colors and spray a thin layer across the acorns. Allow the acorns to dry to the touch. Turn them and repeat the painting process until all sides are fully coated. Allow them to dry completely, about an hour.
- Glue nuts and caps back together.Reassemble the acorns by using hot glue to attach the caps to the nuts. It’s okay if they don’t exactly match up. Now they’re ready for display or crafting!
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What’s Next?
If you enjoyed making painted acorns then you’ll enjoy these painted crafts too.
DIY Glass Pumpkin Jars and Bottles
DIY Clutch Retro Painted Wallet
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