Be Creative: DIY Fall Tabletop Decor

In this fall themed DIY, we're going to show you how to take some very festive gourds and turn them into unique illuminated table accents! These are sure to wow your guests and definitely bring warmth to your home on the holidays! Thank you to Greycard Photography for always taking the time to stop by our studio and help us document our memories! 

Materials Needed: 

Gourds

Metallic Spray Paint

LED Tealights

Spoon

Hand Saw

Drill

Materials Continued: 

To start, feel free to pick any gourds that you personally feel will match the size of the area you want to decorate. For the purpose of this DIY, we kept them rather small (no larger than 6"x6"). It is important to remember, however, that if the gourds are too small an LED candle may not fit in them and they won't offer the magical illumination that the larger ones can! 

For the painting, we chose a mix of metallics. Our team has found that Design Master in Rose Gold and 24 KT Pure Gold delivers the brightest and truest gold color around, so that's what we used in the demonstration. 

1. Carving the Gourd 

Begin by taking the saw and carefully cutting the bottom of the gourd open. Try to make the cut as straight as you can as this will be the bottom of the final product. Then, take your spoon and scoop out the interior of the gourd (which may be thrown away as you won't be using it later). 

2. Drilling 

Step two is going to be the most fun for the tool belt divas out there. Carefully take your drill and drill as many holes as you would like into your gourds. Nicole (who demo'd this) made some of the holes a little larger than others to make the design a little more exciting, but this is definitely your time to personalize the decoration! 

3. Painting

Next, make sure to only paint in well aerated spaces and on top of a covered surface! Carefully paint the gourds with a light back and forth motion (so as to prevent drippage). Take your time with this part- as anyone at SY&Co. can tell you, the worst feeling EVER is accidentally using too heavy a hand while painting and seeing either drips or grabbing something wet too soon and ruining the paint. 

4. Setting Your Table

Once you know your gourds are dry, it's the fun part!! Go ahead and turn on your LED tea lights and insert them into your gourds. In our design, we clustered them together and paired with a romantic arrangement with lots of depth. The gourds were also complimented by our go-to gold mercury votives. 

Happy Crafting from the team at SY & Co., 

Photography: Greycard Photography