If you don’t want to deal with the muss or fuss of carving a real pumpkin this year, you’ll love these Halloween-inspired no-carve pumpkin decorating ideas for kids and adults.
No Carve Pumpkin Decorating Ideas for Kids of All Ages
I have to admit that there have been years that I haven’t carved any real pumpkins. I guess the thought of all the muss and fuss of cutting and scooping out pumpkins just didn’t thrill me.
You might be feeling the same thing too. Or, maybe you’ve got little ones that aren’t ready for carving the family jack-o-lantern. Regardless of the reason, there is actually no reason why you cannot decorate a pumpkin and include it in your seasonal display at home.
So what are your options? You can use a craft pumpkin product like Funkins™ Pumpkins or purchase a real pumpkin but decorate its outer surface instead. (See super crafty ideas below.)
Funkins Pumpkins
Funkin Pumpkins are perfect for kids, parents or crafters who want to be able to show off their “pumpkin” craftiness year after year. The outer “skin” of the pumpkin looks like the real thing and like a real pumpkin and can be painted, stained, and decorated. Bottom line: all you have to do is provide the supplies and the imagination.
RELATED: Tips for Carving Craft Pumpkins and Funkins Pumpkins
Here are just a couple of example from JoAnn Fabric’s website:
Check out my Pinterest board: Jo-Ann Fabrics for more inspiring ideas.
Decorating Real Pumpkins
What I love about choosing to decorate real pumpkins is that you and your family can still get the thrill of seeking out the “perfect pumpkin” but then dispense with the mess of cleaning and carving by decorating the outer skin instead.
Best of all, you can make it easy or complex, depending upon the ages of your kids. I love this idea because as a parent I want to get as many family members involved–young and old. You’ll find that doing so becomes the perfect family activity for Halloween.
CRAFTING TIP: Remember that if you are crafting with kids be sure to keep your project simple and kid-friendly. And, make sure that any supplies, including the paints are non-toxic and the decorations are not choking hazards, especially for kids under three years of age.
Be inspired with the best no-carve pumpkin decorating ideas ever:
1. Painted Pumpkins
Have you ever thought about painting your pumpkins black and white? I honestly hadn’t until I saw these beauties from Country Living.com that are both vintage chic and elegant at the same time.
RELATED: BLACK AND WHITE PUMPKINS
And, if you can find a white pumpkin from your local farm stand, all you have to do is supply the black ink for your favorite design.
Types of Paint
If you can’t find this type of pumpkin, you can easily paint it with acrylic or oil paints. You can spray paint it, stain it, or even go a bit out of the box and use glow-in the dark paint.
Techniques
There are plenty of pumpkin and halloween stencil ideas all over the Internet and Pinterest, but you can also make your own original stencils by hand. Add some painted accents. Or, use a rainbow of colors to truly wow your family and friends.
2. Glitter and Lace Pumpkins {Video}
3. Duct (Duck) Tape Pumpkins
One of the new rages for decorating pumpkins is duct tape. With so many different styles and patterns, no two pumpkins have to be the same.
Check out these Fun and Easy Duct Tape Pumpkins from ConfessionsofaPlateAddict.com
Now it’s your turn to make your own fun and funky pumpkins with these crazy duct tape designs:
Zebra Print Glow in the Dark Duck Tape | Despicable Me Printed Duck Tape | Dot Printed Duck Tape
Gold Metallic Colored Duck Tape | Candy Corn Printed Duck Tape | Camouflage Printed Duck Tape
Super Duct Tape Jack-O-Lantern Tutorial {Video}
4. Hot Glue–Craft Pumpkins
Depending upon how you decorate your pumpkin, you can usually hot glue most items to it. You can choose natural items like sticks, stones, brightly-colored leaves, acorns, etc. Or, you could glue small gourds to act as a nose or pair it and create horns.
Additional items like brick-a-brack, lace, jewels, felt, and so on, offer even more possibilities.
5. Decoupaged Pumpkins
If you want to wow your family and friends, why not try decoupaging your pumpkins with fabric and quilting patterns. Use Modge Podge as your go-to adhesive.
It’s simple and easy to adhere cutouts from your favorite fabrics just like the CountryLiving.com example. (Shown)
Check out Confessions of a Plate Addict’s easy-to-follow tutorial to recreate your own CountryLiving.com Quilt-Inspired Decorated Pumpkins, as well as these informative sites:
• Pumpkin Elegance via PlaidOnline.com
• DIY Mod Podge Botanical Pumpkins via UncommonDesignsOnline.com
• Mod Podge Pumpkins via YankeeMagazine.com
6. Fabric Pumpkins
The Idea Room uses rich fabrics, fills with batting or beans, and then tops off the stem with a bow. Go to this direct link for the how-to of this project: FABRIC PUMPKINS
7. Knit or Crochet Pumpkins
If you don’t want to go the route of either painting or decorating your pumpkins with googlely eyes or creepy designs, how about knitting or crocheting a DIY original?
RELATED: Knitted Pumpkins
You can crochet your very own pumpkin that not only looks great but is also storage friendly. Check out this handy pattern book that offers a pattern to create a pumpkin, as well as other Halloween-inspired designs and decorations, too!
8. Burlap Pumpkins {Video}
This is a perfect way to show your ingenuity and create instant Halloween shabby chic decor with this super craft that takes less than an hour to make. Best of all, it’s budget friendly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ6mdlZy5gw
9. Colored Marker Your Pumpkins
You can color your pumpkins with brightly-colored markers or crayons. This looks especially great on white pumpkins and gourds.
Glow in the Dark Crayons | Crayola Glow in the Dark Crayons | Solid Marker – Glow in the Dark
10. Mod Pumpkin Designs {HGTV}
Check out this super crafty, no carve idea for sprucing up your pumpkin. P.S. You are going to want to have several pumpkins on hand.
Modern Chalkboard Pumpkins {Video}
As you can see, there are so many wonderful no-carve pumpkin decorating ideas to choose from. I hope you’ve been inspired as much as I have been to get out the glue gun and start creating one-of-a-kind pumpkin masterpieces for your Halloween displays.
For more amazing crafts projects, be sure to check out Wisconsin Homemaker’s Crafts Section.
WE’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU! If you do try any of Wisconsin Homemaker’s recipes, ideas or products be sure to share your comments below and photos on
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