12 Easy Ways to Decorate with Pumpkins

Take a round or oval container, and fill it with potting soil. Plant a mix of succulents (such as echeverias) toward the center of the bowl, leaving plenty of room around the edges. Nestle small orange and white pumpkins into the soil. Add seasonal vegetables like kale, radishes, and eggplants. Use bundles of fresh herbs (such as rosemary and sage) to fill in any gaps.

Use a craft knife to trace circles a little larger than the bottom of a tea light into the orange mini pumpkins. Cut and carve out the circles to allow a candle to fit inside comfortably. Insert tea lights. Float pumpkin votives as well as whole pumpkins in water, or scatter around to create a fall glow.

Start with three bowls of graduated sizes. Place wet florist foam in each bowl, and trim, as necessary, so the top of the foam is even with the top of each bowl. Stack the bowls with the largest on the bottom. Using florist picks, secure white pumpkins and artichokes in an asymmetrical arrangement to the foam of each level. Take a mix of fresh herb and pepper plants out of their pots, and wrap in plastic bags so they can be replanted later. Attach berries (we used brunia) to florist picks. Working one side at a time, use herbs, peppers, and berries to fill in the spaces between the pumpkins and the artichokes

Pick a few branches of colorful fall leaves, and arrange simply in a tall glass vase filled with water. From this bold focal point, build out the rest of your tabletop display. Gather an array of seasonal gourds in a mix of colors, sizes, and textures for variety. Stack flat gourds of graduated sizes, and top with a large glass cloche (available at crafts stores or online). Fill another smaller glass cloche with bleached pinecones, and invert; we used it to top one of our flatter pumpkins, but feel free to improvise. Add a potted plant (we used a small olive tree) to the arrangement for texture. Place small gourds around the larger items, and scatter more bright fall leaves along the table.

Wrap twine several times around votive holders and colorful fall leaves, and then secure with a knot. To construct different heights, top the votives with varying numbers of small white pumpkins. Add a touch more autumn dazzle to your display with this simple addition: Gather an assortment of colorful fall leaves, and use wire to fasten them to a length of rope to form a beautiful seasonal garland. Using temporary adhesive hooks, attach the garland to your mantel.

Upholstery tacks easily give a graphic look to plain white pumpkins.

Materials: white pumpkins, awl (pointed tool), upholstery tacks in assorted shapes and sizes

Instructions:
1.) Map out your design by pricking the pumpkins with an awl.
2.) Stick the upholstery tacks into the pumpkin in the desired pattern.

Tip: Mix up the sizes and shapes of the tacks to create different patterns. Also try creating numbers or your monogram.

Announce your address in style by cleverly etching your house number (or your initials or name) into a pumpkin.

Materials: carvable pumpkin, number stencils or house numbers, pumpkin carving/etching set, petroleum jelly

Instructions:
1.) Trace the shape of the numbers onto the pumpkin.
2.) Using pumpkin-carving tools, etch out the numbers by removing layers of the pumpkin, being sure not to cut all the way through the shell.
3.) Rub the design with petroleum jelly to seal the cut skin and keep the design looking fresh.

Tip: Pile a combination of traditional and heirloom pumpkins on your front steps, and top with your etched design.

Materials: smooth, flat-skinned pumpkins, black acrylic paint (if desired), gold metallic paint, paintbrushes

Instructions:
For black pumpkins, first cover with a basecoat of black acrylic paint and let dry.
1.) Using the lines of the pumpkin as your guide, paint stripes with gold paint.

Tip: For best results, work outside on a clean, flat surface on a dry day.

Instructions:
1.) Stick round labels on the pumpkin, and trace the shape of the labels onto the pumpkin.
2.) Remove labels, and paint inside the traced circles with gold paint. (For another effect, apply labels to pumpkin, and then cover entire pumpkin in paint. Remove labels when paint is dry.)

Tip: For best results, work outside on a clean, flat surface on a dry day.

Group painted pumpkins by the fireplace for some added shimmer.

Materials: smooth, flat-skinned pumpkins, rectangular stick-on labels, gold metallic paint, paintbrushes

Instructions:
1.) Stick rectangular labels onto the pumpkin in a grid pattern, and paint the areas around the labels with gold metallic paint.
2.) When paint is dry, peel off the labels.

Tip: For best results, work outside on a clean, flat surface on a dry day.

Topped with silver serving pieces, pale gray and green pumpkins add interesting height to your buffet.

Materials: heirloom pumpkins with flat tops, small saw, serving pieces

Instructions:
1.) If necessary, remove the pumpkin stems with a small saw.
2.) Balance plates and trays on flat tops of pumpkins.
Tip: Choose from both tall and squatty pumpkins for a variety of heights.

Materials: carving or soft-skinned pumpkins, awl (pointed tool), mum plants or cut mums

Instructions:
1.) Poke a hole in the pumpkin using the awl.
2.) Cut a stem from the mum plant, and place in the hole.
3.) Repeat until pumpkin is covered.

Tip: To help extend its life, keep it in the refrigerator until party time.