You don’t have to get too messy to bring your fall themed decorating ideas to life.

There are plenty of reasons to get creative with pumpkins without ever breaking out a carving knife. First of all, you don’t have to deal with messy pumpkin flesh and can enjoy pumpkin or other hard pumpkins that stay intact for much longer. Check out decorating ideas for all your pumpkins to enjoy from now until last thanksgiving.

Arrange a neutral centerpiece. Swap out traditional orange pumpkins for a collection of heirloom varieties in soft peach, grey-blue and white, or paint orange pumpkins to create an elegant fall-themed centerpiece. Layer pumpkins on a linen table runner or arrange them on a metal tray with cut eucalyptus or fallen leaves along with candles.

Learn how to make a thanksgiving centerpiece.

Drizzle with black. The black paint dripping down the sides highlights the natural ridges of the pumpkin, creating a creepy and cool design that looks like spider legs or blood dripping. Starting with a white pumpkin rather than an orange one draws attention to the shape of the pumpkin and gives it a more modern feel than the classic black and orange combination for Halloween.

Gold plating. Use a gold, silver, or bronze paint brush to elevate a simple orange pumpkin into a sophisticated fall decoration. If using spray paint, group the pumpkins on newspaper and then place a few fallen leaves between them. Over spraying the leaves while spraying will produce a subtle gold or bronze dust. You can then use the leaves as other decorations.

Add spooky splatter. If you love the updated style of black and white painted pumpkins, why not
take it one step further and add some artistic splatter? Cover the pumpkin stem with masking tape
and paint it black or white. Once the paint is dry, create a splatter in each paint by tapping a brush
dipped in the opposite paint color.

Get a supplies list and instructions for this project

Please put the pumpkin basket together. Consider these delightful harvest baskets as your front door decorations from now until thanksgiving. Start with a large basket you already have. Then, instead of peeling enough pumpkins and gourds to fill the whole thing, fill most of the basket with wads of newspaper, leaving the pumpkins and gourds at the top. Place it inside and cover it with decorative moss between newspapers.

Browse basket

Take a family photo. If you have leftover chalkboard paint from another project or decide to make your own, paint an oval on the front of the pumpkin. You can draw the face of a family member, roommate, or favorite animal in chalk or use an oval to say “Boo!” or even some other message. Are you tired of making chalk? Use a damp cloth to wipe it off and start fresh.

Bonus: Painting just a portion of the pumpkin rather than covering the entire pumpkin will help it last longer.

Choose a solid color. White pumpkins, whether painted or natural, have become popular for decoration over the past few years. They can be especially useful in interior styling when classic bright orange pumpkins don’t match your home’s color palette.

Decorate your mantel or kitchen table using just white pumpkins or a mix of white, light blue, and pale buttery yellow. Soft colors work well with accessories you already have, such as, gold candle holders, old glass jars or acorns, or even leaves and moss from your backyard.

Secure placement. A simple pumpkin arrangement can really shine when placed in the perfect location. Here are two tips for proper placement:

First, find a corner where you think there might be a pumpkin or two, such as a garden wall, porch steps, or the curved corner of a walkway.

Second, choose an amber color (white, light yellow, orange, dark orange-red) depending on the background. For example, the cool blue-grey gate above complements the medium orange pumpkin perfectly, making it stand out from the street. Other combinations to try: white or light- yellow pumpkins on a dark background, or dark red-orange pumpkins on a tree.

Stack it up. Fairy-tale pumpkins with their short, squat shapes are perfect for pumpkin towers. Stack them in order of size or place a very wide pumpkin in the center for a cheerful, unbalanced look. Place a pile of pumpkins on either side of your front door or in a welcoming entryway.

Build a pumpkin snowman or two. This pumpkin snowman will make you smile and is an unexpected twist on stacked pumpkins. To recreate the look, choose cascade-sized pumpkins (2 to 3 pumpkins per snowman) and paint them white if they are not the original pale color.

For taller stacks, you can attach adhesive Velcro between the pumpkins to help keep the  balanced. Paint any details you want, such as the eyes, nose, buttons under the “chest” or pumpkin smile.

Let us know how you decorate pumpkins without carving them in the comments below.

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