Printer Friendly Version - No-Carve Pumpkin Decorating Ideas

Be sophisticated and spooky with this design concept. Card stock or poster board would be best to make the cut-out bat shapes. Once the bats are cut, bend them in half so that the wings stick out and away from the pumpkin. Then, use a glue gun to paste the bats from the bottom to the top of the pumpkin. Photo courtesy of It All Started With Paint Blog

Avoid the stick and ick with some creative ways to decorate pumpkins that don't require a knife.

The good news with a no-carve pumpkin is that it stays fresh longer. But once Halloween has passed, it's time to move on and make room for other seasonal decorations. So how are you supposed to get rid of the pumpkin, and how do you do so safely? If glue or paint was involved in the decorating of a pumpkin, it would be best to sliver off those parts with a knife before using the rest of the pumpkin for eating or composting. Since the pumpkin was never cut into, the inside should still be okay to eat and use for seasonal recipes. To compost correctly, pumpkins should first be broken into pieces. The pieces should then be left in a shady part of the yard and covered with leaves or wood chips. Compost should develop after a few weeks. It's important to note that the seeds should be removed before composting or else pumpkins will take over the lawn. Local farms could also benefit from your pumpkin leftovers. "You can donate the pumpkin to a farm that has cows and goats - they love eating them," says Susan Sternberg of Natureworks in Northford.

Pumpkin spice latte, anyone? Pumpkin decorations don’t have to be limited to the front porch. This décor item would make the perfect coffee table centerpiece. Take any old disposable coffee cup and stick a small pumpkin on the top. Add glitter or your own personal flare, stick a straw in the cup, and you’re all set to take your PSL obsession to a new level. Photo courtesy of Plaid Enterprises

Have your pumpkins be so classy, you’ll want them to last all year long. For this project, simply rip off the stump of the pumpkin by hand and then use a hot glue gun to paste a decorative door knob on top. Photo by Yvonne Pratt of stonegableblog.com

Every occasion could use a little sparkle. Simply glue sequins in a circle shape and then fill them in to create a dot, and be sure that the dots are equal-distance apart. Regular glue may work for this project, but be careful that the sequins don’t slide down the side of the pumpkin when it is sitting upright. Photo by Sugar & Cloth

For a chic country look, lay a doily along the sides of the pumpkin and use a hot glue gun to keep it in place to. Give your porch some Southern charm or have an antique-y, autumn vibe for your dining room table. Photo by Allyson Baker

People are putting chalk paint on everything nowadays. Why not on a pumpkin? First, write out a word you’d like to have on the side of your pumpkin with a glue gun. Then paint over the entire pumpkin with chalk paint. After the paint has dried, take a dry brush and add another layer of a darker chalk paint to give the pumpkin a washed out look. Photo by Jen Allyson of theprojectgirl.com

Take advantage of the pumpkin’s natural color and create an adorable woodland creature for the front porch. The full tutorial to this project can be found at www.simpleasthatblog.com/2016/09/woodland-creature-no-carve-pumpkins.html. Photo by Rebecca of simpleasthatblog.com