How to Copper Leaf a Pumpkin | Fall Farmhouse Decor

Have you ever wanted to learn how to use a metal leaf? Today I am going to show you how to copper leaf a pumpkin for some fun fall farmhouse decor. Guess what, it’s really easy!

Showing what copper leaf faux pumpkins look like

Fall Farmhouse Decor

Fall is one of my favorite seasons. I love the way the sky starts to look different, it becomes brighter and clearer and the clouds are just beautiful. Then the weather starts to cool off a bit and it just really makes me want to do a little fall cleaning and then start beginning to decorate my home by bringing in some of the beautiful bounty of the harvest season.

This year the sky did it’s thing but the weather just kept hovering around in the 90’s for what seemed like forever and I was seriously unmotivated to decorate my home for fall.

Copper Leaf Pumpkins

I decided that I wanted to go mostly neutral for my fall decor this year adding in some blue and copper. Copper seems to be the perfect way to add simple fall touches throughout a home.

While I was shopping my house and gathering up items that I wanted to use I came up with the idea to copper leaf some faux pumpkins. I thought they would look great with the other copper items that I wanted to use.

showing what copper leaf pumpkins look like

I feel like the copper leaf pumpkins can really transform your fall decor from average to exciting. Look how much warmth and glow the copper leaf adds to a simple cheap faux pumpkin.

Even though the copper leaf pumpkins seem warm and inviting, I think the reflectiveness of the copper leaf gives off a lighter feeling, not heavy like harvest decor can sometimes seem.

Maybe light and airy is what I needed for my decor this year since it is still so hot here in south Louisiana.

DIY Copper Leaf Pumpkin Project

Pumpkins = Fall, so does that mean that copper leaf pumpkins might be the perfect fall farmhouse DIY project?

In the past I have done quite a few gold leaf projects, so I knew that a copper leaf pumpkin DIY was very doable.

I started researching supplies and realized that it would also be a pretty inexpensive DIY project. Easy and inexpensive sounds good to me.

Supplies you will need to make your Copper Leaf Pumpkins

Showing the materials needed to make copper leaf pumpkins

Pumpkins -you can use real or faux, I choose to use the faux ones so I can use them again next year. Mine are small, but you could also do larger ones.
You will need an old paint brush or foam brush to apply the adhesive to your pumpkins.
You will need adhesive, a little goes a really long way so you just need a small container. I used this one.
And of course copper leaf, I used this inexpensive substitute for real copper leaf.
I also covered my work area with a piece of parchment paper to make clean up easier. If you are not a parchment paper user you need to try it. It is great in the kitchen to make clean up easier when you are cooking.

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Two solid and one distressed copper leaf pumpkin

Steps to Make a Copper Leaf Pumpkin

The process to making a copper leaf pumpkin is pretty easy but there is a small learning curve so just have fun with it.

First you apply your adhesive to your pumpkin. Apply a light thin coat, it will go on milky looking but it turns clear and shiny when it is ready to use.
When your adhesive is ready, pick up a copper leaf sheet using the tissue paper that goes with that sheet and begin to apply the leaf to your pumpkin at the top, letting it fall down along the side of the pumpkin. This is much easier to show you than to tell you, so I made you a video ! See it below.
After all of your leaf is applied to your pumpkin, burnish it using the tissue paper that comes with the copper leaf. This really smooths it out and makes it beautiful.
I painted my stems with American Paint Company paint in the color expresso. You don’t have to do this step but I felt it gave the stems more of a realistic look.

To see these steps in action watch my video, it will make the process so much easier to understand.