Learn how to paint acorns for fall! This fun, budget-friendly autumn craft adds colorful charm to your autumn decor — perfect for centerpieces or wreaths.
Skills Required: None. Even if you’ve never crafted before, you’re going to enjoy painting acorns. All you need is a paintbrush and paint; it’s quite simple!
If If you’re wondering what occupies my mind in my spare time, let me give you a clue: painted acorns. That’s right. While the squirrels are out there gathering acorns for their winter stash, I’m over here thinking, “These would look better in blue.”
And today, my friend, I’m going to teach you how to paint acorns so you too can transform ordinary nuts into colorful little pieces of fall decor.
Whether you pile them into a glass vase, scatter them down the center of your Thanksgiving table, or just make a tiny mountain of painted acorns to admire while sipping your pumpkin spice latte.
You’re going to love this easy, budget-friendly craft.
It’s also an excellent activity for misbehaving children, bored husbands, or anyone who needs a low-stakes excuse to avoid their inbox for an hour.
Why Painted Acorns?
Because they’re:
✔ Cute
✔ Cheap
✔ Tiny little canvases that are oddly satisfying to paint
✔ A perfect fall craft that doubles as free therapy
You can paint them to match your fall color palette, your mood, or your throw pillows. I painted mine in a turquoise blue inspired by another fall decor post of mine. (What can I say? I’m my own muse.)
Supplies You’ll Need
✅ Acorns – preferably large ones unless you enjoy painting something the size of a lentil 47 times.
✅ Acrylic Paints – I used FolkArt Multisurface Satin in Skyline.
✅ Paintbrushes – a larger flat brush for basecoating, a smaller round brush for details.
✅ Mod Podge (Satin) – to seal your painted beauties.
✅ Paper plate or palette – for your paints.
✅ Paper towels & cup of water – for brush cleaning and inevitable drips.
Pro tip: If you don’t have acorns in your yard, check craft stores, garden centers, or online. You can buy bags of decorative acorns without having to wrestle a squirrel for them.
Get the printable how to card below:
Painted Acorns
Equipment
- Oven
Materials
- 48 Acorns large are preferable
- Mod Podge Satin
- Acrylic paint two colors
Instructions
- Collect as many acorns as you would like; the larger the better. Wash them and let dry. Bake in a 200 degree oven for a few hours to kill any bugs inside.
- Choose your base color. Paint the bases of all the acorns, one side at a time, using the paintbrush. Set aside on a covered work surface and let dry.
- Flip the acorns over and repeat. You may need two coats of paint depending on the color you chose. Let dry. Paint the tops at this time (optional).
- Seal all acorns with Satin Mod Podge and let dry. Add to a vase to display.
Video
Notes
Now that you know how to paint acorns, I’m going to share another article that I’m guessing you’ll want to reference in re: the beasties – how to dry acorns for craft projects.
And I’d also love for you to visit some other acorn crafts. Because who can get enough nuts? This is also part of a collection of cute things to paint, so go check that out too.
They almost look like candy! Edible little acorns. They are cute!
cutest things ever…soooo fun!
Well, can you guess that I’m all about the acorn??? >>>theWoolAcorn? Anyway, your acorns are adorable… I love the color.
The worms are weevils and they are inside the acorn… they burrow their way out. So if you see a hole, the worm has left the premises. That’s better than no hole because no hole means he just hasn’t come out yet. I think you can freeze the acorns to kill the worms but I haven’t tried it.
As you can see on my blog, I only work with the acorn caps. I leave the nuts for the squirrels. We have a deal… they leave the cap, I leave the nut. And if they’re not cooperative, I threaten to get a cat.
xx
Terri
That is awesome! I’m going acron collecting today, and am going to try this out.
I’m not sure, on one hand i think it’s a bit weird to paint acorns blue of any other bright color. On the other hand, i am so going to do this! 😉
so cute. Posted it on my FB page to share!!
KElly
I can’t believe there’s actually something COOL to do with the 800 acorns my children have brought in from outside.
Fantastic idea!
We love these! Jo would have added some glitter to the tops of them but Jo has a problem with wanting to glitter everything. Chica thinks she has spent far too much time on Crafty Chica’s web site.
Totally cool! Love the color, love the idea. The worm comment reminded me of when I was a kid and gathered a bag of acorns to play with. Brought the bag into my room that evening and tossed it on the floor for another day. Overnight the worms hiding inside crawled out. Next morning my floor was covered with worms. I’m wondering if popping the acorns in the freezer might kill them off. If you put acorns in the oven, even at a low temp, they dry out and shrink; no fun. I wonder if the MP will simply seal the little guys inside for good? Can’t get over the color – I love it!
Ack! These are AWESOME!!! Absolutely love them.
These. are. awesome.
Seriously!
Now I wish I had access to acorns!
Hi there! I just wanted to say a little ‘hello!’ as I am a long time-podger, first time reader.
Love the acorns!
Onward!
e.b.
So cute!
Woo Wee got grands coming over today. Guess we will podge some acorns. Might leave the tops natural.
QMM
Wg=hat a windersul idea. And for the psychedelick minded why not use many different colors. I wish I had thought of this Sat. as we were at a park with many trees abd fallen acorns were everywhere.
Bring on the acorns–these are gorgeous!
those are SO cool! I love the blue! Did you mod podge the little beastie inside the acorn? hahaha eeeew!
LOVE it! and you’re funny! 🙂 i’ve podged a lot of things in my days, but never sealed any nuts. 🙂
must. find. oak tree. Glitter on the tops would be so amazing!!
Ooh! Gorgeous!
What a super idea!! Love them!
I love them!!
Jo
Who would have thunk it? They are very cool, i am loving the colors you used.
Um, yeah…..those RULE! I love them! You’re a genius. You need a genius club card.
Those are really cute, and I love the way you’ve displayed them. Thanks for stopping by my blog!! =D
Love the blue color, I’d never think of that, and sure wish the squirrels would leave a few good ones for me rather then trying to dig up the good ones they bury. They aren’t to happy if you do that. 🙂
Lori m
In love with your acorns! Where would I find some of these to copy???? Internet it is!
what a great idea! If you bake the acorns in the oven on 250 for about an hour it will dry out any moisture inside (may cause mold or mildew) the acorn and kill any beasties ; ) and they will last for years and years and slow the rotting process.
Fantastic!! Though they do look a little like Smurf boobs! LOL!
“Beasties”? “BEASTIES”?? Bahahaha I just about died when I read that sentence. It’s like an extra surprise. Ya know, more bang for your buck.
“Beasties”. It’s not even 5:30 yet this morning and I already know this was the best part of my day.
Darling project, BTW! Just get faster and you can maybe get the “beasties” to color-coordinate.xx
How adorable…..love this idea….I have chestnuts in my yard….wonder what they would look like…..hummm….thank you for sharing…..
THOSE. ARE. SO. TOTALLY. COOL!!!!!!!
love this! wondering what I could do with those and a wreath…hmmm….
This is a great idea! I love the color blue you used….it’s a great accent color. I featured this in my blog today, by the way!
I love that! I want some red ones.
I have a HUGE oak tree in my yard. I am seeing red, yellow, and orange with glitter in my home. They will go great with my fall leaf serving platters!
This is gorgeous! I love the color you chose! I am featuring this at somedaycrafts.blogspot.com
These are so cute and colorful!
I love this idea! Love that color too.
Kathy
Amy. these are AWESOME! cool colors. cool project
I did it! I finally painted some – here are mine if you would like to look http://sherylscraftingcorner.blogspot.com/2010/10/acorns-plenty.html
thanks
squeal! must. find. acorns.
Oh My!! I know why people love it so cute. Thank you
Now who would have ever thought about painting acorns? These are adorable!!!
green and gold for the Green Bay Packers
I just saw a bunch of acorns when I was on a walk the other day and I knew there was something cool I could do with them! Love the colors! These would match my house perfectly. Thanks for the cute idea.
I absolutely love these and went out on a mission to collect my own acorns. Although the tops are holding the color perfectly, I can’t seem to get the paint (FolkArt) to stick to the actual acorn part. Ideas, anyone?
Hi AshMW! I’m not sure what the deal is, but I bet spray painting them with white primer will help! Then the color should stick 😀
I love this idea!! Liz
Made some red green yellow and orange. .. Mine didn’t turn out so cute
Super cute idea! I showed this t my daughter this morning at her busstop. She loved the idea, but wanting them in orange! Then she added pressure asking if I can make it into a lamp!? Will try & figure that out but if not, will a vase do-yes! Can’t wait to get started. Now if I can only find some acorns!
If you bake them in the oven for about 20 mins then you don’t have to worry about the little ‘worms’ coming out. i baked some last year when i was using some for a wreath i made for thanksgiving. I am now going to have my son go outside with me and pick some up in the yard to do this.
Now that is an ambitious project! But they are so cute, and I love the color!
I love this idea, although, insects/weevils generally live in acorns!!! I’m wondering if they can be boiled or baked in the oven to rid them of these insects…
Hi Gretchen! Yes, you can bake the acorns to cook the beasties out. 😀
During walks this fall, I collected acorns. I googled preserving acorns and ran across this site. I love the information,(especially about the bugs) and I am excited to see what I can do with them.
We loved this acorn craft idea, so we linked you to our latest blog post!
https://hawksbillcardandcraft.com/21-amazing-autumn-craft-ideas-for-every-age/