Make One of These Charming Carved Pumkins Part of Your Fall Decor
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Halloween 2024 is almost here and it's time to get all your fall decor set up! Whether you go full out on the front porch or mantel, we know you will want to incorporate many pumpkin ideas in the mix. Maybe this year you are feeling a cozy cabin vibe or want to fill the house with pumpkin planters, but for the editors at Country Living, conjuring up easy pumpkin carving ideas tops our list.
So, pull out the carving tools, brush up on our pumpkin carving tips, and prep your pumpkins to help prevent it from rotting because it's time to dive into this list of spooky, charming, and clever ideas.
We've gathered so many great pumpkin carving designs that we feel certain that there's something here that will strike your fancy. There are ideas for novices, like a pumpkin apple barrel, as well as ideas for those with years of pumpkin carving experience, like a wood burning stove pumpkin and a jigsaw puzzle pumpkin. Try building a fanciful pumpkin fairy house that the kids will certainly love or explore pumpkin face ideas beyond the classic jack-o-lantern. Hunting for ideas on the scary side? Our skeleton hand jack-o'-lanterns will be right up your alley.
Be sure to get the whole family involved! After all, a fun twist on a classic Halloween craft that the kids made is sure to delight trick-or-treaters while making the little ones proud to see their wares so prominently displayed. J
Finally, if you decide to skip the carving knife, we've still got plenty of ideas for you. From pumpkin painting ideas to haunted mason jars, we have so many DIY Halloween decorating ideas to explore
And don't forget to make ALL the fall desserts, soups, and yummy pumpkin recipes you can!
Night Sky Pumpkins
Head to the hardware store to get the material needed to make these pumpkins. Carving the bat and moon pumpkins is optional (if it were me, I would skip it).
To make:
Star Pumpkins: Hollow out a pumpkin. Freehand star shapes with a pencil, then carve over the outlines. Illuminate with battery-operated tea candles.
Moon and Bat Pumpkins: Draw a bat and crescent moon outline on pumpkins with a pencil. Next, fill in the outline with nails, using carbon steel nails for the bats and silver flathead nails for the moon.
Etched Plaid Pumpkins
Bring some country charm to your porch and your pumpkins by etching them with a classic plaid pattern. If you want to get super clever, coordinate the colors to match your front door and toss a matching blanket on a nearby bench or porch swing. Find the full tutorial below!
RELATED: See How We Created The DIY Plaid Pumpkins, Step-by-Step
Apothecary Jar Pumpkins
Requiring little carving and just a few bought items (corks and labels) these simple pumpkins (well, honeynut squash) mimic vintage apothecary jars. Display them on a shelf or buffet alongside real apothecary jars and autumn foliage.
To make: Remove the stem from the squash and use a pumpkin carving tool to hollow out a hole. Insert a wine or champagne cork into the hole. Use flat finish Mod Podge to attach vintage apothecary labels (you can also print out copies from the internet) to the squash.
Pumpkin Fairy House
Kids will spend countless hours playing with this cute little gourd cottage and visiting with the fairies and gnomes that are sure to move in.
Get the tutorial for our pumpkin fairy house.
Painted Faux-Bois Pumpkin
Adding acrylic paint to the un-etched parts of a faux-bois (the artistic imitation of wood) pumpkin helps the colors pop and highlights the wood pattern.
TO MAKE: Lightly sketch a faux-bois pattern on a pumpkin with a pencil (for a similar look, use this template). Use a linoleum carving tool to etch out the pattern. Once complete, paint un-etched part of the pumpkin with brown acrylic paint. If you get any paint in the etched grain, you can remove it with the carving tool once dry.
Night Sky Pumpkins
Three different night sky scenes; a Stained Glass Harvest Moon, Crescent Corn Moon, and Drilled Stars and Constellations, will light up your front porch or party table with seasonally appropriate motifs.
TO MAKE:
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. Insert the vellum in the pumpkin, and center it over the opening so that the design faces out; 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 the crescent 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.
Honeycomb Pumpkin
Incorporating pumpkin carving and painting, think outside the box with this honeycomb design.The unique look will impress your guests and bring all the bees to your yard!
TO MAKE: Cut a hole in the bottom of a medium-size orange pumpkin; scoop out the pulp and seeds. Draw a honeycomb pattern on the front, and use a linoleum carving tool to etch out the design. Cut out a few of the combs and paint the remaining combs with yellow craft paint. Lean a honey dipper against its side.
Pumpkin Candy Dispenser
Skip the store-bought candy bowl and opt for a creative DIY dispenser instead. You only have to carve one large opening and then complete the craft with items (a container and rope) that you probably already have on hand!
TO MAKE: Trace the bottom of a wide glass cylinder or food storage container onto the front of a medium-size pumpkin. Cut out around tracing, then scoop out the pulp and seeds. Insert the container, making the hole slightly bigger if necessary. Attach a piece of thick rope around the opening with hot glue.
Bean Bag Toss Pumpkins
This stack of carved pumpkins can also be a DIY backyard game!. The whole gang will have a blast playing bean bag toss at your Halloween celebration.
TO MAKE: Cut a large hole in the bottom of one large and one medium pumpkin; scoop out the pulp and seeds. Trace our face template on the pumpkins, scaling up or down as necessary. Cut out the faces, and then stack the medium pumpkin on top of the large one, using skewers to help hold them in place. To play, toss beanbags into your gourds' mouths, awarding 10 points for the bottom and 20 for the top.
Pumpkin Marquee
Guide trick-or-treaters to your front door with this bright and cheery pumpkin marquee. The skies the limit when it comes to what sentiment you carve on the front of your pumpkin - try your family name, "BOO", or house number.
TO MAKE: Cut a large hole in the bottom of an oblong pumpkin; scoop out pulp and seeds. Carve desired word or phrase—think BOO, WELCOME, or your last name—or download our FAIR template and trace on the long side of the pumpkin, scaling up or down as necessary. Chisel out letters and border. Remove the bulbs from a strand of globe string lights. Cut holes along the border of the chiseled area for the light sockets; insert sockets then bulbs. Plug in lights and prepare to amaze your trick-or-treaters.
Wood-Burning Stove Pumpkin
No cabin is complete without a wood burning stove and this stove pumpkin is full of a roaring fire made of stick and battery operated tea lights.
TO MAKE: Cut a hole in the bottom of an extra-large pumpkin, and scoop out pulp and seeds. Trace the stove door template on the pumpkin, scaling up or down as necessary. Chisel out the outline, and use a knife to cut out the windowpanes. Paint the pumpkin (excluding chiseled section) black. Fill with sticks longer than the hole, and top with battery-operated tea lights. Remove the stems from four small pumpkins, and paint pumpkins black; place stove pumpkin on top. Rest a piece of solid, expandable drain pipe over the stem; attach pipe to the wall or ceiling to help it stay upright.
Hen and Chicks Pumpkins
Celebrate your feathered friends with this sweet, simple duo. If you have chickens already then you will have most of the supplies on hand, you might just have to make a quick trip around the yard for a few sticks to make their feet.
TO MAKE:
Hen Pumpkin: Cut a hole in the bottom of a large pumpkin, and scoop out pulp and seeds. Trace the hen template. Use a knife to cut out the body and a pencil to lightly trace the comb. Paint comb with red acrylic paint. Tie together several strands of raffia and hot-glue in place to create the tail. Insert a piece of white chicken wire behind the hen's body, then adhere twigs with hot-glue to create legs and feet.
Chicks Pumpkin: Trace the chick template onto a smaller whole pumpkin. Use a potter's needle to indent the outline, then chisel out using a potter's ribbon tool. Insert a black pushpin for the eye; adhere twigs with hot-glue for the feet.
Jigsaw Pumpkin
First the kids will have so much fun crafting this pumpkin then will spend hours solving it!
TO MAKE: Cut a hole in the bottom of a pumpkin, and scoop out pulp and seeds. Trace the jigsaw puzzle template on the pumpkin, scaling up or down as necessary. Use a knife to cut out the puzzle pieces. Use craft paint to paint the puzzle pieces. Challenge kids to complete the puzzle for candy prizes.
Cross-Stitch Pumpkins
Add homespun charm to your decor with our tepee and campfire cross-stitched pumpkins. Use Funkins so that you can display your handy work year after year.
TO MAKE: Download and print our cross-stitch patterns. (Adjust pattern size as needed.) Tape onto artificial, carvable pumpkins. Punch through the pattern's cross-stitch points with an awl. Use a jab saw to cut an opening in the bottom of both pumpkins large enough for your hand to work inside. Cross-stitch using a tapestry needle and yarn. For tepee support poles and campfire logs, adhere twigs with hot-glue.
Pumpkin Barrel
This pumpkin barrel is perfect for showing off your apple picking haul or filling with candy so that trick-or-treaters can help themselves.
TO MAKE: Cut off the top quarter of an extra-large pumpkin; scoop out pulp and seeds. Hot-glue three strips of ribbon around outside of pumpkin. Stuff pumpkin three-fourths full with Poly-Fil. Insert burlap fabric into the opening and fold over outside of pumpkin; hold in place with upholstery tacks. Fill with apples or desired items.
Big Dipper Pumpkin
A twinkling twist on typical carved decor.
TO MAKE: Cut a hole in the back of a large pumpkin and scoop out pulp and seeds. Coat the surface with chalkboard spray-paint and let dry; season as instructed. Use white stick chalk to mark the Big Dipper, then drill through the points with a medium drill bit. Insert a battery-operated string of lights in the constellation points. Use white chalk to connect points, and draw additional stars on pumpkin.
Skeleton Hand Jack-o'-Lantern
These carvings look as if they're reaching from beyond the grave.
TO MAKE: Select a pair of pumpkins to form each arm-hand combo. Determine which gourd will serve as the arm (usually the taller one) and trim its stem so the other pumpkin can rest securely on top. Carve a hole in the bottoms of both, scoop out the pulp, and return the cut pieces.
Print our skeletal hand template and arm template, and resize them on a copier, scaling the images to fit your pumpkins. Cut out the outlined shapes from the templates to form stencils. Affix the arm stencil to the bottom pumpkin with masking tape. Trace on the design with a felt-tip pen. Repeat the process on the other pumpkin, using the hand template. Remove stencils, then carefully carve along the drawn lines with an X-Acto knife. Affix a battery-operated votive candle in the base of each pumpkin with adhesive putty.
Pumpkin Sign
Welcome guests with a pumpkin sign. Customize as desired by writing your family name, the year your house was built, or festive spooking sayings.
TO MAKE: Cut a large hole in back of an oblong pumpkin; scoop out pulp and seeds. Remove flesh so it's light enough to hang. Etch outline of desired phrase on long side of pumpkin. Color center of letters with a black oil-based paint pen. Paint two 2" by 1" boards black; once dry, use white paint for desired phrases. Hang from bottom of pumpkin with chain. Cut hole in oblong top of pumpkin. Cut 1" dowel the width of the top inside of pumpkin (parallel with words). Tie rope around dowel, and feed rope through hole; hang.
Easy Twinkling Dots Pumpkin
It may look elaborate, but this polka-dot pattern is really very easy.
TO MAKE: Lightly draw your pattern on a pumpkin, leaving enough space between dots so holes won't overlap. Punch it out with a power drill and various size bits. A detailed design shines brighter by placing LED string lights inside.
Sweet Scarecrow Pumpkin
This candy-filled scarecrow is way too sweet to scare away any trick-or-treaters.
TO MAKE: Carve a pumpkin face design, and then make its features pop with candy corn in assorted shapes and sizes. Use corn husks to create hair and tie a bow.
Silly Witch Pumpkin
Sweet and friendly with lush eyelashes that'll make anyone jealous this witch pumpkin is ready to great trick-or treaters with a smile!
TO MAKE: Stack three white pumpkins. Carve a friendly face in the top most pumpkin. Paint on eyelashes with black acrylic paint and use pushpins to create pupils. Wrap a piece of black felt around the "neck" and tie in place with ribbon. Top it all off with a witch hat.
Owl Family Pumpkins
These pumpkins are a real hoot!
TO MAKE: Cut a hole in the bottom of three pumpkins, and scoop out pulp and seeds. Download, print, and cut out the mama owl, baby owl, and papa owl templates. Trace the faces on pumpkins and carve. Use nuts for the ears and feet, attaching them with hot glue.
Thirsty Vampire Pumpkin
Don't worry, this blood sucking creature won't do too much harm on fright night.
TO MAKE: Carve eyes, brows, and a mouth into a hollowed-out white pumpkin. Make pupils with permanent marker. Paint large wood teardrops white with red tips to make fangs; push into place. Top with a widow's peak cut from a slightly larger orange pumpkin. Pin a black craft foam collar around the pumpkin.
Lollipop Pumpkin
Let the kids help themselves to candy this year with this ingenious lollipop pumpkin.
TO MAKE: Hollow out a pumpkin from the bottom. Carve half-circle mouth with a tooth, 2 half-circle eyes with pupils and triangle nose. For eyes, push in inner piece (don't remove). Then, etch away skin on pupils and tooth with linoleum cutter. Use awl to poke holes about 1 1/2" apart across top and sides of pumpkin. Push lollipops into holes to create hair.
Fox Pumpkin
Invite this happy friend into your house or onto your front porch. He'll greet party guests and trick-or-treaters with a welcoming smile.
TO MAKE: Stand the variegated squash straight up. Break five skewers in half and stick them into the back of the squash where the tail should sit, leaving 2" exposed. Press the bell-shaped orange gourd into the skewers at the back of the squash to secure as the tail. (Tip: If the skewers sink into the squash too much as you attach the gourd, simply pinch each with two fingers to hold in place while the gourd slides onto the individual skewer.)
Break four skewers in half and press them into the top of the squash body, leaving 2" exposed. Position a small pumpkin so the stem is centered where the nose should sit and push down on the skewers to secure. With the tip of the craft knife, etch out a thin smile by scraping away just the top layer of rind.
To create eye sockets, etch slightly deeper holes. Remove the caps of two large acorns. Flip each cap curved-side out and press into the sockets. Remove the caps of slightly smaller acorns. Apply a dot of hot glue to each acorn and affix to the eye socket caps as pupils. Using the craft knife, cut the small pumpkin into quarters (slice in half horizontally, then in half vertically), scraping away any excess flesh with the spoon. Rinse and clean a handful of seeds. Pat dry and set aside. Cut pointy ears from two of the pumpkin quarters and press into the pumpkin head with a skewer (break, as needed), allowing the fleshy side to face forward. Turn the remaining pumpkin quarters face down and use the hot glue to affix three pumpkin seeds to each to resemble claws. Secure to the body with skewers (break, as needed).
Mummy Pumpkin
Stack layers of a sliced pumpkin to create a mummy wrapped-like appearance. Beady bean eyes will send trick-or-treaters running in fear.
TO MAKE: Cut off the top one quarter of the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds. Cut pumpkin horizontally all the way around, starting 1" to 2" below the opening. Repeat 4 to 6 times until you've carved the whole pumpkin into 1" to 2" circles all the way around (don't worry about making your cuts particularly straight). Separate the pieces. Keeping the top and bottom pieces the same, restack the others in a different order.
Rotate the pieces until you get a shape you like, enlarging the carvings for eyes or mouth. Starting from the bottom, lift each level of pumpkin, insert 3 to 4 toothpicks onto the level below, then press down to secure in place. Repeat until entire pumpkin is held together. Place beans into eye holes, securing with half-toothpicks if necessary.
Happy Haunters Pumpkins
No need to look any further than the produce section to create this band of merry Halloween revelers.
Get the tutorial at Woman's Day.
Pumpkin Basket
What's better than a big festive pumpkin for Halloween, you ask? A pumpkin with even more pumpkins inside of it, naturally!
TO MAKE: Cut off the top quarter of a flat pumpkin (this is a Musquee de Provence variety); scoop out pulp and seeds. Attach lengths of grapevine just below the opening with T-pins. Attach a grapevine handle just inside the opening with T-pins. Nestle mini pumpkins in the basket.
Smiling Face Pumpkins
Great guests with a gaggle of smiling faces. These etched pumpkins don't requires scooping, so they'll result in little to no cleanup.
Get the tutorial at Woman's Day.
Masked Pumpkin
Don't worry, this masked pumpkin won't steal your candy. His leaf mask is only there to help keep the mystery alive!
TO MAKE: Paint eight real or artificial leaves with black spray paint; let dry. Layer leaves into a mask shape; hot-glue together. Cut eyeholes in mask. Trace the mask's eyeholes onto a large orange pumpkin for placement; carve out the pumpkin's eyes, nose, and mouth. Glue black painted acorns to straight pins, then push into eyeholes for pupils. Secure leaf mask to pumpkin with hot glue.
Zombie Pumpkin
Oversized eyes make this ghoulish zombie pumpkin truly eerie.
TO MAKE: Using a craft knife, cut a hole in the top of the pumpkin and hollow out the inside. Scrape away any extra flesh with a spoon. Rinse a handful of the seeds (about 16 or so), pat dry and set aside.
Lightly draw two large ovals for eyes (position them slightly tilted towards each other for a sweeter, less scary look) and a wide, slightly lopsided mouth. Carve out with a craft knife; save scraps. Use a melon baller to carve out two round eyeballs from the fleshy side of reserved pumpkin scraps. Spear each eyeball with a toothpick and attach to the tops of the eye cutouts. Gently press a peppercorn into the center of each to create pupils. Press the cleaned seeds directly into the mouth, positioning them in different directions.
Porcupine Pumpkin
Watch your hands around this prickly fella. He's fashioned from a squash and loads of sharp toothpicks.
TO MAKE: Using a craft knife, cut two rounded feet from a small gourd. Position an oval squash (this is the porcupine body) with the stem centered as a nose. Choose where the feet should sit and press toothpicks into the squash, then press the feet into the toothpicks. This will anchor the porcupine body and stop it from rolling around.
To create quills, frame the face by inserting toothpicks into the rind, leaving enough space for eyes. (Tip: Pushing them in at a slight angle makes it easier). Continue until the body is fully covered. Affix two small acorn caps to the face with hot glue for eyes. Affix a larger acorn cap with hot glue to create a snout nose.
Scarecrow Pumpkin
We promise this sweet fella, made out of a butternut squash, won't scare away any Halloween party guests.
TO MAKE: Use a melon baller to scoop out two eyes from a butternut squash; reserve. Etch out eye sockets and mouth with a linoleum cutter. Use toothpicks to secure eyes in sockets. Push in dried black bean pupils; secure with toothpicks.
Cut a piece of red masking tape and attach for nose. For hat, make a cone from a paper bag, then fold in its top and fringe its bottom, curling upward. Cut patches from burlap and attach with small red masking tape strips to resemble stitches. Tie cord ribbon around middle for a belt and tuck in straw.
Cat Drilled Pumpkin
Draw inspiration from your feline friend when dreaming up your carving idea. Save time by simply drilling the head shapes into your pumpkin—then you only have to carve the ears.
Get the tutorial at Handmade Charlotte.
Terrazzo Pumpkins
Rather than crafting ghoulish Halloween gourds, turn your pumpkin patch picks into works of art. If you're paintbrush-savvy, you can easily freehand the colorful geometric designs. Otherwise, use stencil paper to outline your own shapes. Finish it off by carving matching cutouts to let candlelight peek through.
Get the tutorial at Jojotastic.
Spooky Drilled "Boo" Pumpkin
Varying sizes of drill bits makes this boo-tiful gourd a breeze to create.
Get the tutorial at Handmade Charlotte.
Pumpkin Vampire Candles
Look no further for non-tacky Halloween party decor to dress up your fright night. These DIY vampire candles, complete with fangs and "blood," make for a spook-tacular holiday craft.
Get the tutorial at Freutcake.
Pumpkin Family
The greatest pumpkin-decorating inspiration of all? Your own family! Use different shapes and sizes to create a gourd replica of everyone in your household, with succulents doubling as pumpkin "hair." And don't worry about free-handing the faces—the tutorial comes with an easy template.
Get the tutorial at The House That Lars Built.
Skull Marquee Pumpkin
Blogger Lindi Haws recommends carving a faux pumpkin for this craft so you can enjoy it for many Halloweens to come.
Get the tutorial at Love the Day.
Pumpkin Purse
Your kids can use this cute and easy DIY as their treat bag (it's a carved foam pumpkin, so it won't be too heavy).
Get the tutorial at In My Own Style.
Succulent Pumpkin Planter
This pumpkin centerpiece will look perfect on your Halloween buffet—or even the Thanksgiving table.
TO MAKE: Carve a hole in a pumpkin, scoop out the insides, and fill with potting soil and succulents.
Twisting Vines Pumpkin
Twisting vines glow when etched into, but not through, a hallowed-out pumpkin.
TO MAKE: Cut a hole in bottom of a pumpkin; scoop out pulp and seeds. Gently sketch your design on the pumpkin and use a lemon zester, clay loop, or linoleum cutter to etch out design. Insert a candle in the hole, light, and display.
Carved Pumpkin Ice Bucket
This Halloween, use a gourd to chill your favorite vino. Lay a pumpkin on its side, cut out a large oval with a serrated knife, and use a paring knife to smooth the interior after scooping out its innards.
Get the tutorial at Everyday Dishes.
Cemetery Pumpkin Diorama
This spooky scene looks intricate, but it's actually pretty simple to pull off, thanks to spooky figurines.
Get the tutorial at A Pumpkin and a Princess.
Jack-o'-lantern Masquerade Ball
It's Halloween—why not dress up your pumpkins too? Homemade felt masks take classic jack-o'-lantern faces to the next level.
Get the tutorial and mask templates at Good Housekeeping.
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