Carving a pumpkin is fun for about ten minutes, and then you are scooping seeds and cleaning up for an hour. These ideas are easier, they last longer on the porch, and a few of them will make every neighbor stop and laugh. Most need nothing more than paint, glue or a few things from the junk drawer.
1. The Pumpkin with Braces
Carve a big toothy grin, then cut the teeth from the scooped pumpkin flesh and press them back in with toothpicks. For the braces, slide soda can tabs over the front teeth and run a piece of thin wire through them. It takes 20 minutes and always gets a laugh.
2. Let the Chickens Carve It
If you keep backyard chickens, peel a face onto the pumpkin with a vegetable peeler: two triangle eyes, a nose and a wide smile. Set it in the run and the hens will peck the soft orange flesh right along the lines. In a day or two you have a jack-o’-lantern carved by chickens, and they get a healthy treat.
3. Pressed Flower Pumpkin
Brush a white pumpkin with decoupage glue, lay dried or pressed flowers on it, and brush another thin coat over the top. It looks like a painting and lasts for weeks, well into Thanksgiving.
4. Painted Polka Dots
Dip the round end of a pencil or a cork in craft paint and dot it all over the pumpkin. Two colors look cheerful; gold on a white pumpkin looks elegant.
5. Stacked Pumpkin Snowman
Stack three white pumpkins from big to small, add a scarf, button eyes and a carrot nose, and your fall decoration turns into a winter one after Thanksgiving.
6. Doily Lace Pumpkin
Wrap a paper doily around the pumpkin, dab spray paint over it, and peel it off. A pretty lace pattern stays behind.
7. Glitter Stem
Leave the pumpkin plain and paint only the stem with glue and gold glitter. It is the simplest idea here and one of the prettiest.
Tips for Pumpkins That Last
- Pick a pumpkin with a green, sturdy stem and no soft spots.
- Wipe it with a cloth dipped in water and a splash of vinegar before decorating.
- Uncarved pumpkins last for weeks; carved ones only a few days.
- Keep them out of hot afternoon sun and bring them in on frosty nights.
Try It Tonight
Pick one idea, gather the supplies from the drawer, and let the grandkids help. The best pumpkin on the street does not need a single cut.
