Ideas For DIY
For this Halloween craft, you will need small plastic butterfly wings and plastic skeletons. Both of these items can be found at Dollartree, Dollarstore or any discount Halloween supplier.
This Halloween project is so easy you barely need instructions. All you do is glue the wings into place on to the back of the skeleton frame. For Halloween, I hang mine in a decorative birdcage to scare away the neighbours. You can see the full tutorial here.
Some craft projects begin with beautiful supplies. This one begins with a plastic dustpan, which is probably not what anyone expects to see on your autumn decorating list.
But with a little paint, a wooden backing board and a handful of fall foliage, that ordinary cleaning tool can become a lovely piece of rustic wall decor.
This DIY fall dustpan decoration uses layers of charcoal, silver-grey and brown paint to imitate weathered metal. Add copper-coloured leaves, a small sunflower, lightweight pumpkin picks and a checked fabric bow, and it has all the charm of a vintage farmhouse find.
I like that the dustpan still looks like a dustpan. That is part of the fun. We are giving an everyday object a creative second life, rather than trying to disguise it beyond recognition.
The dustpan is mounted with its handle pointing upward, its sweeping edge at the bottom and its collecting surface facing outward.
Because the tray is shallow, the decorations are tied into place. Think of it as a base for an autumn arrangement rather than a deep pocket for loose pumpkins.
A few leaves and one or two small accents will usually look better than a whole bag of decorations squeezed together. Leave some of the painted surface visible so your aged-metal finish gets its moment.
If you enjoy checked fabric in your autumn decorating, our simple plaid fall wreath would make a lovely companion.
Skill level: Beginner to intermediate
Making time: Around 1 to 2 hours, plus drying and curing
Display: Indoors
Choose pumpkin picks with stems or wire attachments. They are easier to secure than loose decorative pumpkins.
Look for a sturdy dustpan that does not flex easily. A plain version without a rubber sweeping lip is the simplest starting point.
Position it on the board with the handle up and collecting surface facing you.
Leave a little timber visible around the sides and enough space below for optional hooks. Check that the back sits reasonably well against the board.
Before painting, arrange your foliage loosely over the tray.
Mark two mounting holes where the plastic can sit against the timber and washers will lie flat. Choose positions that the foliage can hide later.
Mark a separate pair of small holes for tying in the flower arrangement. Keep all holes away from thin edges and moulded seams.
Support the plastic on scrap timber and drill slowly. Remove loose burrs. If the dustpan cracks, replace it before continuing.
Wash the dustpan, rinse it and allow it to dry completely.
Follow your primer’s preparation instructions, including any recommendation to lightly scuff the surface.
Check the plastic compatibility carefully. Some dustpans are made from polypropylene, which needs a suitable adhesion product. Ordinary craft paint alone may peel away.
Apply thin primer coats and let them dry as directed.
Paint the visible surfaces charcoal or black, including the handle and side walls.
Use thin coats and allow each one to dry. This dark layer will show through the metallic paint and give the finish depth.
Dip a sponge into silver-grey paint, then dab most of it off onto scrap paper.
Lightly stipple the colour over the charcoal base. Leave irregular dark patches between the silver marks.
Build the effect gradually. Aim for a mottled, weathered surface rather than a perfectly even silver coating.
Once dry, add small patches of dark brown around the corners, sweeping edge and handle base. Touch a little reddish-brown into selected areas for a faux-rust finish.
There is no need to cover the whole dustpan in brown. A few weathered patches are enough.
Apply a compatible matte clear sealer according to its instructions.
Allow the finish to cure fully before assembling the display. Paint can feel dry while still being soft enough to mark beneath wire, washers or fabric.
Transfer the mounting-hole positions to the wooden board and drill suitable pilot holes.
Attach the dustpan using short wood screws and wide washers. Choose screws that hold securely without protruding through the back.
Tighten gently. The washers spread the pressure, but overtightening can still distort the plastic.
Fit suitable hanging hardware to the back of the board.
Gather a small spray of faux autumn leaves, muted greenery and one sunflower.
Place the taller stems behind and the shorter leaves toward the front. Let the foliage spread slightly to one side for a relaxed arrangement.
Secure the stems through the small attachment holes using craft wire or cable ties. Trim cable-tie tails and tuck wire ends away.
Keep part of the dustpan handle and painted tray visible.
Position one or two small pumpkin picks near the lower part of the foliage.
Wire their stems into the secured arrangement so they cannot slide off the dustpan. Avoid relying on glue alone to hold bulky decorations vertically.
For a softer look, choose cream pumpkins with russet leaves. For a traditional harvest palette, use muted orange pumpkins, golden flowers and brown checked fabric.
Tie a modest checked fabric bow around the gathered stems or secure it to the arrangement with wire.
Add a little raffia if you like, keeping the ends short enough to leave the tray visible.
Tie on a kraft tag reading “Harvest,” “Gather” or “Welcome.”
This is a good place to use those narrow fabric scraps we keep because they might become useful. Apparently they were waiting for a dustpan makeover.
If your board has room beneath the dustpan, install two small hooks in suitable pilot holes.
Use them for a lightweight dried-flower bundle or small autumn ornament. Follow the hooks’ load limits.
Check the complete display over a table before hanging it from a wall fixing suitable for its finished weight.
Hang the display above an entryway console, beside a kitchen dresser or in a cosy dining nook.
You could place these scrap-wood pumpkin blocks on the shelf beneath it for a coordinating display. Their simple shapes work nicely beside the softer foliage.
For a larger autumn decorating scheme, our wooden porch pumpkin tutorial carries the rustic theme outside.
Keep this dustpan arrangement indoors. The painted plastic, fabric and decorative foliage are best protected from rain and damp.
Use ties for the main decorations so you can remove them when the season ends.
Store the foliage loosely to avoid crushing it, and keep the board somewhere dry. Next autumn, you can refresh the arrangement with a different bow or pumpkin colour without repainting the base.
That is the lovely thing about this project: the finish does most of the work, and the seasonal details are easy to change. A plain plastic dustpan gets a far more interesting job, and you get a handmade fall decoration with a story behind it.