Target Wheelbarrow Autumn Makeover

One of my favorite things to do at Target is browse the Dollar Spot (or Bullseye Playground) section. On a recent shopping trip, I found a wheelbarrow for $5 in the fall line of the Dollar Spot. I knew I needed to take it home right away. I imagined it filled with pumpkins for the autumn season.

You can watch the full tutorial here, or continue reading below.

SUPPLIES:

Wheelbarrow (Target Dollar Spot, Seasonal Fall)

Craftsmart Paint, Chocolate Brown (Michaels)

Folk Art Paint, Castle (Hobby Lobby)

Apple Barrel, Black (Walmart)

Folk Art, Warm White (Hobby Lobby)

Rustoleum 2X Clear Matte Spray

Pillar Candle (Dollar Tree)

Mod Podge (Target)

Ground Cinnamon (Target)

Floral Foam (Michaels)

Spanish Moss (Michaels)

Velvet Pumpkins (Hobby Lobby, Fall Section)

Mushrooms (Michaels, Spring Section)

Yellow Mums (Hobby Lobby, Fall Section)

Brown Cosmos (Hobby Lobby, Fall Section)

Fall Foliage (Michaels, Fall Section)

Floral Fillers, Various Bushes (Hobby Lobby, Fall Section)

Pip Berry Garland, White (Dollar Tree)

Hot Glue

Sand Paper

HOW-TO:

The first step was to paint the wheelbarrow (except the inside and wheel) with one coat of the chocolate brown paint. Once the paint was dry, I used a sponge to dab the grey paint on the bottom and handles of the wheelbarrow. I then began to dab the black paint on with a sponge as well. I found that adding both the grey and black paint onto the sponge from my paint tray, then dabbing the sponge onto the wheelbarrow resulted in the look that I liked best. I did the same technique using a small paint brush to get into small crevices where the sponge did not fit. Then I painted the wheel with the black paint. Once the paint was dry, I rubbed a pillar candle on the barrow to coat it with wax.

Next, I painted the barrow with two coats of the warm white paint. After the paint was dry, I sanded the warm white paint to expose the chocolate brown underneath. The candle wax resisted the warm white paint from fully adhering to the barrow. Sanding the paint off resulted in a rustic chippy look. I also sanded the black paint around the wheel to add to the rustic style.

Sanding the Warm White to expose the Chocolate Brown.

Using a paint brush, I added Mod Podge to various spots around the bottom and handles of the wheelbarrow. I then sprinkled ground cinnamon to those spots. I dusted off any loose cinnamon with a clean paint brush. I dabbed Mod Podge onto the cinnamon to seal it into the project. Finally, I gave the wheelbarrow one coat of Rustoleum 2X Clear Matte, and allowed it to dry.

Adding Mod Podge and ground cinnamon for a faux rust finish.

I decided to make a floral arrangement in my wheelbarrow, instead of just filling it with pumpkins. To prepare the wheelbarrow for faux florals, I adhered floral foam to the barrow with hot glue. I then added a layer of Spanish moss to the top of the foam.

Adding floral foam to make floral arrangement.

First, I added the foliage base of the arrangement. I trimmed the fall foliage, added hot glue to the bottom of the stem, and inserted it into the foam. I wanted to add pumpkins next, but I needed to create picks to allow them to be inserted into the foam. Using spare wired stems from old faux floral bushes, I inserted a wired stem into each of the pumpkins. I used hot glue to secure the stem into the pumpkins. The pumpkin pick was then added to the foam. Hot glue was added to everything that was inserted into the floral foam.

I continued building the arrangement by adding cosmos and mums. Using remnants of fall floral bushes from previous projects, I added various coordinating elements to fill in the arrangement. I thought mushrooms would be a fun addition to the piece. I made mushroom picks just as I had with the pumpkins, and added them in.

Wheelbarrow featuring several arranged elements.

I continued adding more elements until I was happy with the way the project looked. I had a white pip berry wired garland that I cut into pieces. To curl the pieces, I wrapped them around the handle of a paint brush. Finally, I added those curled pieces to the arrangement. The white color of the berries was a great way to lighten up the piece. It also brought the white color of the barrow up through the project.