If we were sitting around a campfire, I’d tell you the story of Stingy Jack, a man who tricked the devil and thus couldn’t be allowed into Hell when he died and was too bad for Heaven. Because of that, he was forced to roam the earth for all eternity with only glowing coal to light his way…He became known as Jack of the Lantern….which leads me to the topic of this post! Jack-O-Lanterns!!!! To decorate a pumpkin is a long-standing Halloween tradition and with the magic of social media, there are tons of fantastic ideas floating around to get you inspired. The following are my top favorites!
Photo Credit to Alison Goottee
1.) Foliage Pumpkins: I saw these gorgeous foliage pumpkins on Countryliving.com. These aren’t difficult to make either! Just buy white pumpkins, and use Modge Podge to make them tacky, and then you take some pressed leaves or flours and make designs on them! If you want to use specific plants or colors then you might want to check out Nature’s Pressed which is a store specializing in just pressed plants that you can order!
Photo Credit to Sugar and Cloth
2.) Sexy Sequins Pumpkins: If you’re sold on the no carving option for your pumpkins and you’re into glamour then you’re going to love these Sequins Pumpkins from Sugar and Cloth! I love this idea so much! It starts with a white pumpkin and sequins of your choice and craft glue THAT’S IT!!! You can choose everything from the colors of sequins to the design. I love the simplicity of the circles that Sugar and Cloth uses, but your design is up to you!
Photo Credit to Monica Wants It
3.) Two-Tone Pumpkins: If white pumpkins or even real pumpkins aren’t your thing, then consider doing these! These dolor and craft store pumpkins have been repainted with stunning colors! These beautiful pumpkins from Monica Wants It, are highly Instagramable and simple to make. All you have to do is pick out a color you love, and an accent color (preferably in a metallic) and you’re done!
Carving Ideas
4.) The Classic Carved Look: There’s something to be said for the classics and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. This is why I wanted to include just the classic carved look. There are TONS of ideas online. If you’ve never carved a pumpkin before but would like to try it, this is a good place to start.
Stitched Pumpkin
5.)The Stitched Pumpkin: So…what happens if you truly aren’t good at carving a pumpkin? Consider this easy design. Carve the basics of a mouth and eyes, and then take a power drill to drill little holes around both and then take some heavy twine and sew it up. I love the subtle creepy haunted scarecrow look this gives off.
Mini Pumpkin Votive
6.) The Mini Pumpkin Votive Holder: If carving into a big pumpkin is just too intimidating, or if you live in a smaller space then consider looking at what you can do with mini pumpkins. They’re also crazy cheap, so if you’re running on a budget then this might be perfect for you. All you have to do is carve a hole in the top big enough for a votive or candlestick, clean out the seeds with a spoon and carve a tiny face on the front! DONE!
Henna Pumpkins
7.) Henna Pumpkin: This is another no-carve option, but I had to include it because it’s gorgeous. Have you ever seen those beautiful Henna tattoos people get on their hands sometimes? Well, you can do that with your pumpkin! Just take a little black (or favorite color) craft paint, put it in a little bottle with a thin nozzle tip, and then try to mimic your favorite henna designs. If you’re looking for inspiration that there are tons online and don’t be afraid to modify the designs you see on people for your pumpkin!
Foam Pumpkin
8.) The Corpse Foam Pumpkin: If carving real pumpkins sounds like too much of a hassle, because they eventually go bad, then decorating a foam craft store pumpkin might be a better choice. That doesn’t mean it has to look bad though. This one from Teediddlydee shows how you can use newspaper and glue to make something absolutely terrifying!
Credit to Lia Griffith
9.) Pumpkin Diorama: I love miniatures. I use to have a dollhouse growing up and I LOVED it, so the idea of decorating the inside of a pumpkin with a spooky setting got serious points in my book. I found this beautiful tutorial on Lia Griffith. I love it because it has really good pictures to help guide you every step of the way!
Autumn Becomes Me Bob
10.) Autumn Becomes Me Bob: Bob is a pumpkin I sculpted a few years ago. I was really proud of him and decided to post about how I did it. I was inspired by an artist named Ray Villafane. He has been featured on Food Network’s EXTREME Pumpkin Carving. Clearly, I have a VERY VERY LONG WAY TO GO before I start doing anything remotely close to his pieces, but if you’re interested in seeing more of his pieces please check out his website HERE.
10 Pumpkin Decorating Ideas to Get You Inspired. By autumnbecomes.me
So hopefully you’re starting to brainstorm what pumpkin really embodies who you are and what you’d like to display! If you have chosen to try any of the designs above and would like me to check it out, please tag me on your social media, or let me know in the comments below! Thank you for reading this and I hope you have a wonderful day!!!
-Heather Autumn
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