100+ Pumpkin Decorating Ideas You Need to Try This Halloween

Grab the Mod Podge. A simple trip to the color copier is all it takes to “transfer” your transferware collection to a pumpkin. Simply make a color copy of a your favorite plates and trays, then cut the paper into strips and adhere to a pumpkin or gourd with the Mod Podge.

Get stacking. Perch petite pumpkins on top of wooden spools and bobbins for a 60-second mantel upgrade.

Related: Best Halloween and Fall Mantel Ideas

Show your stripes! Strips of striped ribbon adhered with Mod Podge give white Lumina pumpkins the farmhouse flair of the dependable nubby fabric.

Related: Best Fall Porch Decorating Ideas

Shine on. Pair your cookware collectibles with pumpkins coated in a metallic acrylic copper paint. Display alongside (or in!) your wares.

Build and display a tiered centerpiece. Use it on the kitchen table, or on a sideboard.

To make: Cut floral foam to fit into the bowls of the bottom and middle colanders. Make your stack by pushing the top two colanders (footed work best) into the foam. Use mini pumpkins and bittersweet to fill the top tier and the spaces between the colanders.

Mix and match. The amber glass vessels evoke the colors of the season, while the old-school labels on the squash (think “cyanide”) serve up an “evil lab” kind of spooky.

To make the squash version: Remove the stem from a Honeynut squash and use a pumpkin carving tool to hollow out a hole and insert a cork. Use Mod Podge to attach apothecary labels.

These DIY shimmering leaves look great on blue-hued or green pumpkins such as Jarrahdale, Blue Doll, Blue Moon, and Fairytale.

To make: Attach silver leaf with sizing to one side of fake or real leaves (alternatively, you can spray paint leaves silver). Once dry, spray adhesive spray on the back of the leaves and attach to pumpkins.

Little hands will love helping create this sweet little gourd cottage and keeping an eye out for the gnomes that are surely going to move in.

To make: Cut a hole in the bottom of a medium-size blue Hubbard squash; scoop out the pulp and seeds. Cut out the door and circular door window. Etch lines in the door with a linoleum carving tool, and insert toothpicks (shortened if necessary) to create window muttons. Lightly draw flower design on either side of door with a pencil, and use linoleum carving tool to etch out. Insert the door into the opening and hold in place with toothpicks. Hot-glue mini glass balls into acorn caps to create lights; attach to pumpkin with hot-glue. Cut half to two-thirds off of a wood round; attach to pumpkin, above the door to create an awning.

Cut a hole in the bottom of a small brown or green acorn squash; scoop out the pulp and seeds. Cut a circular window, and insert toothpicks (shortened if necessary) to create window muntins. Lightly draw flower design around window with a pencil, and use linoleum carving tool to etch out. Stack pumpkins and add wood round steps and ginkgo leaves.

Three different night sky scenes will light up your front porch or party table with seasonally appropriate motifs.

Harvest Moon: Cut a hole in the bottom of a medium heirloom pumpkin; scoop out the pulp and seeds. Cut a round opening in the front of the pumpkin. Cut a piece of white vellum paper that is just larger than the hole and draw the craters of the moon on it with a gray paint pen. Center the vellum to the inside of the pumpkin and attach it with straight pins. Attach a few lengths of twine around the opening with hot-glue. Wrap a bundle of dry wheat or grass with twine, and attach to the pumpkin with hot-glue.

Crescent Corn Moon: Cut out a crescent moon shape from a piece of cardboard. Remove the kernels from a few ears of flint corn, and attach to cardboard with hot- glue. Glue a piece of colorful twine around the edge of the moon to cover up the cardboard. Glue a loop of twine to the back of the cardboard, and loop around the stem of a pumpkin to hang.

Stars and Constellations: Cut a hole in the bottom of a medium heirloom pumpkin; scoop out the pulp and seeds. Lightly draw constellation shapes with a pencil. Using an awl or electric drill with a small bit, drill main points along the constellations. Thread orange waxed twine between the points with a large-eye sewing needle. Use a large and medium drill bit to create single stars and a linoleum carving tool to create starbursts.

What's more country than a warm and cuddly quilt—even if it's made with tape!

Make the pumpkin: Draw a quilt pattern on a piece of scratch paper. Cut lengths of washi tape to fit pattern, attaching them to a medium-size white pumpkin as you go.

Simply cut oversized black rickrack to create these simple flying bats.

Make the pumpkin: Cut a length of extra-large black rickrack to create a bat shape. Form ears from one-inch lengths of 16-gauge black craft wire; attach to the back of the bat with hot-glue. Repeat as desired. Attach bats to pumpkins with hot-glue.

We've brought old school country to the pumpkin! Get your paint pens out and get drawing.

Make the pumpkin: Lightly draw a stencil pattern around the center of a medium- size white pumpkin. Use black, orange, and yellow paint pens to cover drawing.

Layer different colors, widths, and patterns of washi tape to create a simple plaid pattern.

Make the pumpkin: Layer different colors and widths of washi tape vertically and horizontally on a medium-size orange pumpkin to create a plaid pattern.

Raid the craft closet to create these fun reverse painted pumpkins.

Make the pumpkin: Lay down lengths of painter’s tape, overlapping the lengths so they stick to one another, on a self-healing mat, creating a “sheet” that is slightly larger than the image you wish to create. Draw desired image (we did a lantern, cat’s face, and headstone) on tape. Cut out drawing using an X-Acto knife. (You can go back and add details such as the cat’s eyes, RIP, and lightning bolts later using a paint pen.) Carefully adhere cutouts to the pumpkin, being sure the edges are pressed down firmly. Cover pumpkin stem with painter’s tape. Paint pumpkin with black spray paint; allow to dry completely. Once dry, carefully remove painter’s tape. Add details with paint pen and lengths of black pipe cleaners with hot-glue for cat’s whiskers.

Wrapped in gauze with differing sized eyes, you better watch these little stinkers. They might just wiggle over and steal some candy.

Make the pumpkin: Wrap a small white pumpkin with strips of gauze, holding strips in place where necessary with hot-glue. Attach two differently sized black buttons with hot-glue to create eyes. Tack down a length of thin black twine with staple-gun staples to create a mouth.

Pretty enough to eat this stacked pumpkin just requires buttons and load of hot-glue.

Make the pumpkin: Stack three flat orange pumpkins. Attach buttons of varying shapes and sizes—yellow on the bottom pumpkin; orange on the middle pumpkin, and white on the top pumpkin—with hot-glue to create a candy corn shape.

This sweet button pumpkin is guaranteed to not scare anyone!

Make the pumpkin: Lightly draw “BOO!” on a pumpkin. Outline the letters by chiseling out a small amount of pumpkin. Attach small black buttons in outline with hot-glue.

Channel the 60's with these yarn art beauties.

Make the pumpkin: Lightly draw a leaf pattern on a pumpkin (in our example, the white pumpkin is a maple leaf and the orange pumpkin is an oak leaf). Press 3/4-inch nails halfway into the pumpkin at the points and dips in the leaf. Wrap yarn around nails, working across the leaf to fill in the center. Insert nails in the center of the leaf as desired, and wrap with a second color yarn to create “veining.” Wrap outside nails with a second or third color of yarn to outline the leaves.

Modern quilt squares made from washi tape come together to make this oh-so-country pumpkin.

Make the pumpkin: Starting in the center of a large white pumpkin, cut lengths of washi tape to create a square. Use a thinner width of a second color of tape to make another square within the first one. Add a square of tape in the center, and top with a smaller square. Continue making squares, varying the designs as you go.

Two common craft supplies, paint and a paint brush, are all it takes to make this visually arresting whitewashed pumpkin.

Make the pumpkin: Use a flat craft brush and off-white acrylic paint to whitewash a Jarrahdale pumpkin, allowing the paint to streak and not fully cover the pumpkin.