Carving jack-o’-lanterns isn’t the only way to decorate with pumpkins. Using a few simple tricks and DIY crafting supplies, you can easily turn a pumpkin into striking and unique fall decor. Try these fun pumpkin decorating ideas to usher in the Halloween and harvest season.
Turn a Pumpkin into An Animal
With paint and a few accessories, you can give a pumpkin a makeover. Paint the whole pumpkin white. Then add a rainbow mane and some long eyelashes. Glue on a horn and you’ve got a cute unicorn.
With some pink paint, you can create a pumpkin piggie. Turn the pumpkin on its side. The indention on the bottom of the pumpkin can become the pig's nose.
For a purr-fect looking pumpkin, leave it orange. Then paint on a cute kitty face, add some pipe cleaner whiskers and some cat ears made of foam or cardboard.
Paint on Some Letters or Numbers
Turn a display of three pumpkins into a monogram by painting an initial on each one. Or spell out a short Halloween message like “Boo” or “Treat” with multiple pumpkins. Painting one letter on each pumpkin and then line them up to form the word.
Having a party during the spooky season? Paint your house numbers on a set of pumpkins. Set them on your porch or by the walkway to your front door to let guests know they’ve arrived at the right place.
Create a Message Board
If you have more to say than you can spell out, you can paint a pumpkin with a neutral color. Then use a marker to write “Happy Halloween,” “Trick or Treat” or anything else you can think of. Make sure the whole message will fit on one side of the pumpkin though.
With chalkboard paint, you can create a pumpkin that you can write on or decorate again and again. Use colorful chalk to customize it. When you’re ready for something new, erase the pumpkin and start over.
Go Glam
Get your pumpkins ready for a night on the town by giving it some shine. Use a paint brush to cover the pumpkin in a coat of glue. Pour glitter onto the pumpkin before the glue dries. Add another coat of glue and glitter once the first layer has dried. Cover your workspace with a cloth or layers of newspaper to catch the extra glitter. Once the pumpkin has been completely covered in glitter, paint the stem with a metallic paint or a contrasting color. You can also try painting the pumpkin and then adding glitter to the stem only.
If you think a DIY glitter project might be a little much, look for faux pumpkins decorated with glitter or sequins.
Carve a Pumpkin Candy Bowl
Keep your pumpkin candy bowl inside and ready for guests before Halloween. If you won't be home on Oct. 31, you can set it out for trick or treaters.
Crayon Drip Pumpkin
Make an artsy, colorful pumpkin using some crayons and a hairdryer.
- Take the paper wrappers off an assortment of crayons. Break the crayons into small pieces.
- Place the crayon pieces around the stem of the pumpkin.
- Melt the crayons with a hairdryer on low heat.
- As the crayons melt, move the pumpkin around to direct the drips as desired.
- Allow the pumpkin to dry completely before putting it on display.
Turn a Pumpkin into a Planter
Carve out your pumpkin and turn them into planters for a simple way to decorate for fall. These pumpkins look beautiful filled with seasonal arrangements of flowers, edibles and other plants, such as vines. Or use your pumpkin planter for succulents.
Pumpkin planters look amazing in your outdoor space or as a festive centerpiece for a console or dining table. Try decorating for fall with pumpkin planters and a cluster of other types of pumpkins and gourds in a corner nook of your porch or by the hearth of your fireplace.
Create a Pumpkin Centerpiece
A cluster of small pumpkins and gourds creates a quick and easy centerpiece for a console table, dining table, coffee table or mantle. Add variety with painted pumpkins, ribbons, evergreen swag, pinecones and succulents. Try filling large glass vases with stacks of tiny pumpkins for an elegant centerpiece.
Put Plenty of Pumpkins on a Porch
Refresh your front porch with a variety of pumpkins to welcome your guests. You can never have too many when you're decorating with pumpkins. Faux options work just as well. Don’t forget colorful mums and a bale of hay to really embrace the season.
Scarecrow
Turn your porch into a Halloween scene with a rustic scarecrow surrounded by pumpkins and pots of mums. In true scarecrow tradition, create one with upcycled and repurposed materials like a skeleton made of yard sticks, a wardrobe from the thrift store and a head from a plastic pumpkin-shaped candy bucket. Be creative to make your own unique scarecrow.
Pumpkins are the foundation of harvest decor and can be used in a myriad of ways. Get started with these ideas for decorating with pumpkins. Whether you carve them, paint them or just use them as inspiration, you can create unique pumpkin-themed decorations to celebrate autumn your way.
Ready to get tools and materials for decorating with pumpkins? The Home Depot delivers online orders when and where you need them.