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
Video
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.
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.
Ack! These are AWESOME!!! Absolutely love them.
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!
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.
I can’t believe there’s actually something COOL to do with the 800 acorns my children have brought in from outside.
Fantastic idea!
so cute. Posted it on my FB page to share!!
KElly
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! 😉
That is awesome! I’m going acron collecting today, and am going to try this out.
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
cutest things ever…soooo fun!
They almost look like candy! Edible little acorns. They are cute!