How to Decorate a Pumpkin

Fall is one of those times you can really get creative with your decorations. The start of the fall season is signaled by the show of beautiful earth colors and bountiful harvests. Pumpkins are popular during the fall season, whether used as a dish or as a decorative item. Homes are often decorated with pumpkins during Halloween, and most of the time, they are left to be used until after Thanksgiving Day. There are many creative ways one can decorate a pumpkin to make it last through the season until winter comes.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Pumpkins (assorted)
• Acrylic paint
• Paint brushes
• Stickers
• Glitters
• Beads
• Glue gun
• Thumb tacks
• Push pins
• Bamboo stick or pole
• Wig
• Hats (assorted)
• Straw or hay
• Old clothes
• Flowers
• Ribbons
• Netting or gauze cloth
• Construction paper
• Scissors
• Wood carving tool
• Sharp knife
• Candles or low voltage string lights
• Fresh flowers
• Dried branches with leaves

1. 
   Assorted pumpkins.

   Gather several types, shapes, colors and sizes of pumpkins. Using assorted pumpkins and gourds will give you more flexibility when adding embellishments.

2. 
   Painted pumpkin

   Paint the pumpkins. You can use different types of outdoor paint that can withstand the harsh elements or you can use acrylic paint for pumpkins you will place on your covered porch or inside the house. Use a different paintbrush for each application. You can paint the entire pumpkin with one color or you can use different colors in each section that are separated by lines.

3. 
   Pumpkins with cartoon faces.

   Draw cartoon faces on your pumpkins and paint them using acrylic paint. Draw the eyes, mouth and nose in exaggerated shapes and positions. The funnier they look, the better–cross-eyed, crooked teeth, missing teeth and freckled cheeks. Use a black acrylic paint to draw the lines and shapes, then fill-in with colors. Use white for the eyeballs and teeth, black for the eyebrows, eyelashes and eye retinas. Use black for the mouth opening, red for the nose, cheeks and tongue.

4. Add hats to your cartoon-faced pumpkins. Use cowboy hats, baseball hats or a witch's hat. Put straw and hay underneath the hats to make it look like hair. Use a glue gun to stick in place. Add feathers on the female's head or use curly ribbons to adorn them. You can create paper hats using construction papers and glue.

5. 
   Dress up your pumpkin.

   Give your pumpkin heads a body by using old work clothes, shirts, jeans, gloves, shoes and socks. Stuff them with hay or old plastic grocery bags to give the illusion of a body. Put the "pumpkin man" on a lawn chair or wooden rocker. Put a bamboo stick or any wooden pole in his hand.

6. Add embellishments. Add thumbtacks with metallic heads, glitter glue, stickers, beads, buttons, ribbons and netting. Glue ribbons on each section, giving your pumpkin colorful stripes. Wrap your pumpkin with black netting then tie the top with orange and red metallic ribbons.

7. Carve your pumpkin. This is probably the most common decoration one can think of when decorating a pumpkin. Scoop out the pumpkin meat and seeds before you carve. Carve out the eyes, nose and mouth for your Jack-O-Lantern. You can also carve out different shapes such as stars, circles or squares using cookie molds as your template. Add candles or low voltage light to brighten it up at night.

8. Add flowers. Cut the top part of the pumpkin. Remove the pumpkin meat and seeds. Clean the interior with water. Put water directly into the pumpkin or use a small round glass vase and fill it up with water. Add fresh cut flowers. Use flowers that have fall colors such as mums. Add dried branches with leaves ranging from oranges to reds and yellows.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a marker to write messages and greetings on the pumpkins. You can put the words "Boo," "Happy Thanksgiving" or "Happy Halloween."
• Wear work gloves when using sharp knives or carving tools.

Resources

• Pumpkin Carving Stencils